Chef's Recipes

Post at Como The Treasury's smoked mozzarella and eggplant mezzalune with tomato, squash and zucchini

Recipe for Post at Como The Treasury's smoked mozzarella and eggplant mezzalune with tomato, squash and zucchini, Perth, WA

  • 1 hr preparation
  • 55 mins cooking
  • Serves 6
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Smoked mozzarella and eggplant mezzalune with tomato, squash and zucchini
"Post's mezzalune is a flavour-packed pasta dish. I'd love to get the recipe."
Aarthi Lakshman Leederville, WA
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Ingredients

  • 40 gm Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
  • 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced on a mandolin
  • ½ small green zucchini thinly sliced into rounds on a mandolin
  • 6 female zucchini flowers, stamens removed, flowers torn (optional) Extra-virgin olive oil and microherbs, to serve
Eggplant filling
  • 1 eggplant (480gm), halved lengthways
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 85 gm smoked mozzarella, coarsely grated
  • 2 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon
Pasta dough
  • 180 gm “00” flour
  • Pinch of sweet paprika
  • 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Golden tomato sauce
  • 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil (1/3 cup)
  • 1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced
  • 200 gm yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 160C and line 2 oven trays with baking
    paper. For eggplant filling, score a shallow cross-hatch
    pattern into flesh of eggplant, season and drizzle with olive
    oil, then roast flesh-side down on a tray until tender when
    pierced with a skewer (40 minutes). Scoop out flesh and
    purée in a blender, then transfer to a bowl while still hot
    and stir in cheeses, leaving some unmelted (2-3 minutes;
    if cheese becomes stringy, set aside to cool a moment
    longer). Add lemon rind and juice, season to taste, stir to
    combine, cover and refrigerate until chilled (20-30 minutes).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, scatter Parmigiano-Reggiano over second oven
    tray to form a 20cm x 20cm square, then bake until golden and
    crisp (4-5 minutes). Cool on tray, then coarsely break up.
  • 3
    For pasta dough, heap flour onto a clean dry surface, add
    paprika and 1 tsp fine sea salt, and create a well in the centre.
    Add yolks and egg, and olive oil to well, whisk eggs and oil
    with a fork to combine, then begin incorporating flour to form
    a stiff dough. Spritz lightly with water if necessary to help just
    bring dough together. Scrape away and discard dried clumps
    of flour from the surface, then knead dough until silky, but
    firm (5 minutes). Wrap in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
  • 4
    For golden tomato sauce, combine olive oil and garlic in
    a cold frying pan and stir over medium-high heat until garlic
    starts to colour (2-3 minutes). Add tomatoes, stir until starting
    to split (30-40 seconds), then purée in a blender. Add lemon
    juice, season to taste, then press though a fine strainer (discard
    skins and seeds).
  • 5
    Halve pasta dough and rewrap one half while you work
    with the other. Roll dough with a rolling pin to fit through
    the widest setting of a pasta machine. Reduce setting by
    one notch and repeat, then reduce another notch and pass
    through once more. Fold pasta by thirds, turn 90 degrees
    and roll with a rolling pin again to fit the widest setting
    on the pasta machine. Repeat folding and rolling twice
    more, reducing the setting notch by notch, then roll through
    remaining settings until 1mm thick. Place on a surface lightly
    dusted with flour, cut out rounds with an 8cm cutter and
    cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Working
    in batches, run a wet finger around the edge of the rounds
    and spoon 2 tsp filling onto each. Fold pasta over to create
    half-moon shapes and press to seal. Place on a lightly floured
    tray and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
  • 6
    Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until
    al dente (2½-3 minutes), then drain.
  • 7
    To serve, gently warm tomato sauce, divide pasta among
    bowls, top with sauce, squash, zucchini slices and torn flowers,
    drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and finish with grated
    Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs and parmesan crisps.

Notes

Smoked mozzarella is also called smoked fior di latte (indicating it's made from cow's milk rather than buffalo milk) and is availbale from Paesanella