Budget friendly
Family meals
Justine Schofield's four tips for making frozen vegetables more interesting
If your vegies are getting a frosty reception, embellishments like crunch, cheese and garlic butter are simple shortcuts to make them tastier.
May 6, 2025
Erina Starkey
Review
Brunswick
You'll find more than just pizza at this Neapolitan bakery and cafe in Brunswick
Pulcinella champions freshly baked, traditional pastries as seen in the southern Italian capital.
May 2, 2025
Dani Valent
Review
Laverton
Parotta Station
Tiny carb palace dedicated to flatbread.
April 30, 2025
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The Age
12 hours ago
- The Age
Forget pineapple, these pizza topping crimes are especially heinous
Opinion The tropical fruit evokes thousands of anguished 'mamma mias', but other ingredients deserve closer attention from the Italian food police. Do you have strong opinions about pineapple on pizza? Do you believe that getting mad about Italian food is a substitute for an actual personality? Fanatical traditionalism over Italian food is a modern trope. Self-appointed 'carbonaranieri' (Italian food police) constantly attack minor variations in any dish of Italian origin, and through doing so, hope to resurrect the glory of the Roman Empire. To the carbonaranieri, one ingredient is hated more than any other: pineapple. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus brought pineapples to Europe at the same time as tomatoes, but while one fruit is considered a cornerstone of Italian food, the inclusion of the other anywhere in the cuisine will be met with a thousand anguished 'mamma mias'. If you have decided that opposing pineapple on pizza is your religion, consider coleslaw on top of a curried ham and banana pizza proof that God is vengeful, and that He has forsaken you. In fact, pineapple on pizza is a heartwarming story of multicultural success. It was created in 1962 by Sam Panopoulos, a Greek migrant to Canada who applied flavours from Chinese sweet and sour pork to Italian pizza and named it 'Hawaiian' after an American brand of tinned fruit. It was a huge success, and now graces the menus of pizzerias worldwide. Adam Liaw's all-in pizza dough (pictured above) To the carbonaranieri, however, the very existence of Hawaiian pizza is a grave insult to the Italian people. Slavish devotion to authenticity is something I struggle to understand. Cuisines change constantly over time; you can't just pick a single moment and call it authentic. I have Chinese heritage, and Chinese cuisine has always welcomed adaptation. If you want to deep-fry ice-cream and call it Chinese food, we're all good with that. Beef and broccoli? Broccoli wasn't grown in China until the 1980s but it sounds pretty good all the same. We literally invented oranges (look it up), but we don't try to gatekeep how you eat them. I'm not sure why pineapple evokes such strong condemnation from Italian traditionalists, but there are arguably far more heinous pizza crimes out there. Here are a few that deserve closer attention from the carbonaranieri. Coleslaw Scandinavia is a world leader in the consumption of two things – coffee and frozen pizza – and the way it consumes both of them would make the average Italian weep. Sweden's Africana is topped with ham, banana, curry powder and peanuts, but that's not even the worst of it. Scandinavians love putting cold stuff on pizzas. Swedes top their pizzas with pizzasallad, a kind of chilled coleslaw. Norwegians like their pizzas with a cold garlic and sour cream sauce. If you have at any point decided that opposing pineapple on pizza is your religion, consider coleslaw on top of a curried ham and banana pizza proof that God is vengeful, and that He has forsaken you. Everything Japan does to pizza While the carbonaranieri was distracted by pineapple on pizza and cream in carbonara, on the eastern front, Japan gained territory in a relentless war to absolutely humiliate Italian food. Its most popular pizza toppings include mayonnaise, corn, tinned tuna and fish sperm. I'm not even kidding. Currently, in Japan you can order an entire pizza topped just with pickles and camembert sauce. French fries and hot dogs 'Pizza con patatine' and 'pizza ai wurstel e patatine' might sound molto Italiano, but what you are actually getting is pizza topped with French fries, and potentially also hot dog wieners. A favourite among Italian children, these home-grown adaptations might be abominations to traditionalists, but they are entirely Italian creations. Sometimes the call is coming from inside the house. America invented both Super Mario Brothers and stuffed pizza crusts. Pizza Hut's first stuffed-crust pizza was marketed in a campaign featuring Donald Trump, and just yesterday, NASDAQ listed chain Papa John's announced the world's first ever 'croissant pizza' to a conspicuous lack of global outrage. There are dozens of extremely weird US state-based pizza variations that vary from deep pastry cases filled with cheese and sausage in Chicago and burnt wafers in New Haven, to pretentious Californian varieties with toppings like 'Thai chicken', caviar, and smoked salmon. In comparison to one guy in Canada deciding, correctly, that pineapple on a pizza might be nice, the list of American pizza crimes would seem both longer and far more monstrous. Dessert pizzas The thought process for dessert pizzas is pretty much just substituting savoury ingredients for sweet ones of roughly the same shape or texture. Nutella instead of pizza sauce. Banana instead of pepperoni. It's a question of doing what can be done, rather than what should be done.
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Forget pineapple, these pizza topping crimes are especially heinous
Food Stirring the pot Opinion The tropical fruit evokes thousands of anguished 'mamma mias', but other ingredients deserve closer attention from the Italian food police. Do you have strong opinions about pineapple on pizza? Do you believe that getting mad about Italian food is a substitute for an actual personality? Fanatical traditionalism over Italian food is a modern trope. Self-appointed 'carbonaranieri' (Italian food police) constantly attack minor variations in any dish of Italian origin, and through doing so, hope to resurrect the glory of the Roman Empire. To the carbonaranieri, one ingredient is hated more than any other: pineapple. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus brought pineapples to Europe at the same time as tomatoes, but while one fruit is considered a cornerstone of Italian food, the inclusion of the other anywhere in the cuisine will be met with a thousand anguished 'mamma mias'. If you have decided that opposing pineapple on pizza is your religion, consider coleslaw on top of a curried ham and banana pizza proof that God is vengeful, and that He has forsaken you. In fact, pineapple on pizza is a heartwarming story of multicultural success. It was created in 1962 by Sam Panopoulos, a Greek migrant to Canada who applied flavours from Chinese sweet and sour pork to Italian pizza and named it 'Hawaiian' after an American brand of tinned fruit. It was a huge success, and now graces the menus of pizzerias worldwide. Adam Liaw's all-in pizza dough (pictured above) To the carbonaranieri, however, the very existence of Hawaiian pizza is a grave insult to the Italian people. Slavish devotion to authenticity is something I struggle to understand. Cuisines change constantly over time; you can't just pick a single moment and call it authentic. I have Chinese heritage, and Chinese cuisine has always welcomed adaptation. If you want to deep-fry ice-cream and call it Chinese food, we're all good with that. Beef and broccoli? Broccoli wasn't grown in China until the 1980s but it sounds pretty good all the same. We literally invented oranges (look it up), but we don't try to gatekeep how you eat them. I'm not sure why pineapple evokes such strong condemnation from Italian traditionalists, but there are arguably far more heinous pizza crimes out there. Here are a few that deserve closer attention from the carbonaranieri. Coleslaw Scandinavia is a world leader in the consumption of two things – coffee and frozen pizza – and the way it consumes both of them would make the average Italian weep. Sweden's Africana is topped with ham, banana, curry powder and peanuts, but that's not even the worst of it. Scandinavians love putting cold stuff on pizzas. Swedes top their pizzas with pizzasallad, a kind of chilled coleslaw. Norwegians like their pizzas with a cold garlic and sour cream sauce. If you have at any point decided that opposing pineapple on pizza is your religion, consider coleslaw on top of a curried ham and banana pizza proof that God is vengeful, and that He has forsaken you. Everything Japan does to pizza While the carbonaranieri was distracted by pineapple on pizza and cream in carbonara, on the eastern front, Japan gained territory in a relentless war to absolutely humiliate Italian food. Its most popular pizza toppings include mayonnaise, corn, tinned tuna and fish sperm. I'm not even kidding. Currently, in Japan you can order an entire pizza topped just with pickles and camembert sauce. French fries and hot dogs 'Pizza con patatine' and 'pizza ai wurstel e patatine' might sound molto Italiano, but what you are actually getting is pizza topped with French fries, and potentially also hot dog wieners. A favourite among Italian children, these home-grown adaptations might be abominations to traditionalists, but they are entirely Italian creations. Sometimes the call is coming from inside the house. America invented both Super Mario Brothers and stuffed pizza crusts. Pizza Hut's first stuffed-crust pizza was marketed in a campaign featuring Donald Trump, and just yesterday, NASDAQ listed chain Papa John's announced the world's first ever 'croissant pizza' to a conspicuous lack of global outrage. There are dozens of extremely weird US state-based pizza variations that vary from deep pastry cases filled with cheese and sausage in Chicago and burnt wafers in New Haven, to pretentious Californian varieties with toppings like 'Thai chicken', caviar, and smoked salmon. In comparison to one guy in Canada deciding, correctly, that pineapple on a pizza might be nice, the list of American pizza crimes would seem both longer and far more monstrous. Dessert pizzas The thought process for dessert pizzas is pretty much just substituting savoury ingredients for sweet ones of roughly the same shape or texture. Nutella instead of pizza sauce. Banana instead of pepperoni. It's a question of doing what can be done, rather than what should be done.
Perth Now
04-06-2025
- Perth Now
What happens when you go toe-to-toe with a 'monster'
Good luck going toe-to-toe with a "monster". Jai Opetaia's most recent victim has offered a chilling warning to the Australian's Italian title challenger as he prepares for his own ring return. David Nyika, New Zealand's former Olympic silver medallist and flag bearer, was humbled in a furious Gold Coast slugfest that left him bloodied and sprawled on the canvas in January. The 29-year-old (10-1) will return to the ring against countryman Nik Charalampous (23-6-2) on the Paul Gallen-Sonny Bill Williams card in Sydney on July 16. In a cautious return from concussion, Nyika is yet to complete heavy sparring but is confident and reflective after those ferocious four rounds with the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion. "I had my fingers crossed for rounds six, seven, eight ... predicting a later stoppage because I knew he was going to be an absolute monster for four to six rounds," Nyika told AAP. "I was just trying to be sensible, but not doing a great job of it. "The old saying, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face ... but for me, I got buzzed right off the bell by a head clash. "He's the man and the guy to beat and nothing changes - I still want to knock his head off the block. "It was good to get a full re-set, but I'm back now, A-OK and putting a target on July 16." Opetaia (27-0) faces the unbeaten Claudio Squeo (17-0) on the Gold Coast on Sunday. He hopes a blockbuster unification clash with Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas later this year is next. The Australian is wary, though, not expecting Squeo to heed Nyika's warning despite only two of Opetaia's last eight fights going beyond six rounds. "He's dangerous; there's no mystery to what this guy's going to try to do," Opetaia said. "(He will) walk forward and try to take my head off. "He's been icing people, knocking them out cold. His game plan will be to go forward and throw bombs, because he obviously can't box with me. "It's serious - for a world title - so in no way am I taking it lightly." The pair faced off for the first time on Wednesday on the Gold Coast and will complete public workouts at Pacific Fair shopping centre on Thursday night. The Convention Centre card also features Brisbane-based Irish light heavyweight world title prospect Conor Wallace, rejuvenated super welterweight Ben Mahoney, and entertaining Paris Olympic heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana.
