Bakini Ravioli di Baccala

Bakini Ravioli di Baccala

(Pasta filled with smooth cod puree, butter and sage – a family recipe for 6 people)

Ingredients
For the Farce:
Half a side of salted cod
2 litre of milk
1 garlic
1 bay leaf oil
200 ml Extra virgin olive
10 drops of tobasco sauce

For the Pasta:
600 grams of flour
5 eggs
salt
20 ml Extra virgin olive oil

Method
For the Farce:
Soak the cod in water for at least three days, making sure to change the water each day. When the fish is soft, take off the skin and then place in a pot and cover with milk, add a bay leaf, garlic and simmer slowly for 40 minutes.
Take off the heat, cool and then remove the flesh of the fish.
Place the fish in the blender, blend and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil, the tabasco and some milk to ensure a soft consistency.
The consistency of the farce should be a malleable paste, place in the fridge to firm up.

For the Pasta:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until the mixture is amalgamated and little balls appear. Take the pasta dough out and press together into a ball. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Now feed through the pasta maker into sheets about a meter long. Dust with flour. Cut 8 cm circular shapes into the pasta, place a teaspoon of the cod farce mix in the centre, fold the circle shape into a half moon. Repeat. This should make 150 ravioli which can be frozen if covered well. Place ravioli in salted boiling water and cook for three minutes.

Serve with melted butter, finely chopped sage and Parmigiano cheese.

E buono! Italy and all its sensuous flavours arrive on a plate at Bakini A real taste of Italy is now firmly ensconced on St Kilda Road. Bakini offers the finest regional Italian cuisine to be found south of the Yarra, and has been embraced by locals and visitors alike seeking authentic Italian -cucina regionale'.

Head Chef Simone Righetto was born and bred in Verona, home to Romeo and Juliet and undoubtedly the Italian city of love. Simone's first love was food, which is still clearly evident in the way he works the kitchen.

Coming from the two-Michelin starred Gambero Rosso, Simone brings both professionalism and passion to Bakini's dishes, which are redolent of the flavours of Italia. He firmly believes that Mother Nature is the greatest artist of all and pays homage to her genius with carefully selected, fresh seasonal ingredients on the new menu.

Says Simone: 'I want to transmit the natural flavours of pure produce to the plate. By limiting the number of ingredients in a dish to three, customers can experience the true depth of Italian flavours – which is, I believe, what today's diners want. They seek a journey back to the authenticity of regional cuisine because this, after all, is what Italy is famous for."

Simone's passion lies with pasta. As such, Bakini is home to the -Maserati's' of pasta makers, the Bottene . This sleek machine is used to produce the best quality gnocchi, spaghetti and ravioli daily. To compliment the incredibly fresh pasta, sauces are carefully composed and change seasonally.

Two signature favourites currently on the menu at Bakini restaurant are the Ravioli di Baccala – pasta filled with smooth Cod puree and served with a butter sage sauce; and the Caramelle di Barbabietola – hand folded pasta filled with a beetroot and ricotta mouse infused with Gorgonzola.

The menu takes diners on a culinary tour of Italy, and is very much shaped by the seasons. Indeed, every season explores a new locale and its signature dishes – from the brodos, risottos and ragus of the north in winter, to the fresh flavours of the south in summer.

This winter, diners can expect slow cooked and delicate dishes inspired from such places as Lombardia, Venezia and Piemontese. In the coming spring, the menu will take a pleasant trip to the undulating hills of Tuscany; and for summer, Simone will channel the robust dishes of Sardinia and Sicily, with their delicious Mediterranean inspired flavours.

With an open plan kitchen as the heart of the restaurant, Bakini channels quintessential Italian style. The decor replicates a fashionable Milanese apartment, with an urban Italian style that is both contemporary and comfortable. Luxurious banquettes line the walls, grand chandeliers adorn the ceilings, and a wine room offers suburb wines from Italy's most renowned wine makers.

A unique division of space from the theatrical seating to the stylish bar enables the restaurant to cater to both special occasion dining and simply a drop-in drink after work. The bar is open from 11.30am to 11.00pm Tuesday to Thursday and 11.30am to midnight Friday and Saturday. The restaurant opens from 12 noon Tuesday to Saturday.

Bakini is under the ownership of Albert Dadon AM of the Ubertas Group with Restaurant Manager Maurizio Barrottu controlling the floor.

Bakini is a finalist in the Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering 2012 Awards for Excellence.
www.bakinirestaurant.com.au