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Kitchen Spy: Silvia Colloca

Stephanie Clifford-Smith

In her element: Silvia Colloca enjoys her expansive workbench.
1 / 13In her element: Silvia Colloca enjoys her expansive workbench.Dominic Lorrimer
Pantry staple: Cavaliere Giuseppe] Cocco pasta.
2 / 13Pantry staple: Cavaliere Giuseppe] Cocco pasta.Dominic Lorrimer
Delicious: Mutti finely chopped tomatoes.
3 / 13Delicious: Mutti finely chopped tomatoes.Dominic Lorrimer
Versatile: Silvia Colloca puts Ovoline bocconcini on pizzas and in salads.
4 / 13Versatile: Silvia Colloca puts Ovoline bocconcini on pizzas and in salads.Dominic Lorrimer
Favourite tipples: Campari (left), tequila, vodka, and white wine.
5 / 13Favourite tipples: Campari (left), tequila, vodka, and white wine. Dominic Lorrimer
Quick and easy: Silvia Colloca can't live without her egg beater.
6 / 13Quick and easy: Silvia Colloca can't live without her egg beater. Dominic Lorrimer
Imperia Noodle Machine. Kitchen Spy with Silvia Colloca.
7 / 13Imperia Noodle Machine. Kitchen Spy with Silvia Colloca.Dominic Lorrimer
Passed down: Silvia Colloca's waffle maker was her great-aunt's.
8 / 13Passed down: Silvia Colloca's waffle maker was her great-aunt's.Dominic Lorrimer
Well used: Silvia Colloca's ciambella cake tin.
9 / 13Well used: Silvia Colloca's ciambella cake tin.Dominic Lorrimer
Secret vice: Haribo Goldbears.
10 / 13Secret vice: Haribo Goldbears.Dominic Lorrimer
Essential: Silvia Colloca uses Golden Shore Besan Chickpea Flour for flatbreads.
11 / 13Essential: Silvia Colloca uses Golden Shore Besan Chickpea Flour for flatbreads.Dominic Lorrimer
Travel companion: A Microplane✓ grater is ideal for grating parmesan cheese or lemon zest.
12 / 13Travel companion: A Microplane✓ grater is ideal for grating parmesan cheese or lemon zest.Dominic Lorrimer
Great Snack: Fruit for Life Dried Goji Berries are full of antioxidants and fibre.
13 / 13Great Snack: Fruit for Life Dried Goji Berries are full of antioxidants and fibre. Dominic Lorrimer

It must take super powers of concentration to focus on making focaccia in this kitchen, with the distracting views over Pittwater, but Silvia Colloca, opera singer turned stage and screen actress, somehow manages. Born in Milan, she grew up with great food and started blogging about it at Silvia's Cucina to record her family's traditional recipes more than three years ago. Publishers noticed and her second cookbook, Made in Italy, was launched recently to coincide with her SBS cooking series of the same name. She lives on Sydney's northern beaches with her husband, actor Richard Roxburgh, and their two sons, Raphael, 7, and Miro, 4.

The staples

My pantry: [Cavaliere Giuseppe] Cocco pasta is amazing. Although it's just flour and water, in Abruzzo, where this pasta comes from, they have the right flour and the right water, which makes all the difference. Mutti finely chopped tomatoes I can just eat from the tin with a spoon. Fruit for Life Dried Goji Berries are full of antioxidants and fibre and they're a great snack. I also put them into my homemade granola. Dried mullet roe is a flavour bomb just sprinkled onto seafood pasta with lemon zest. I use Golden Shore Besan Chickpea Flour for flatbreads or throw it into regular bread for some extra flavour and protein.

My fridge

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I eat Farmers Union Greek Style Natural Yogurt with granola for breakfast and [use it] in baking. I serve Kuhne Sauerkraut as a side to meat or with a cheese sandwich. Miro eats Ovoline bocconcini like sweets and I put them on pizzas and in salads. Benino pickled hot chillies are great on an antipasto platter.

I'm cooking

Last dinner at home:

I made a pizza with a slow-risen spelt and rye base that fermented over a couple of days. I kept it really simple on top – just tomato, mozzarella, a couple of anchovies and a bit of chilli.

Secret vice

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I keep the Haribo Goldbears in the highest cupboard in the kitchen because they're also the boys' secret vice.

I'm drinking

I don't drink coffee or tea, so in the morning I just have hot water and lemon juice. I like coconut water occasionally, because it has no sugar and is good for rehydrating after Cross Fit classes. Macon-Villages Chameroy white wine is beautiful and dry, like a sauvignon blanc, but not fruity. I really like my Campari bitter, with an orange slice and ice, no soda. I sometimes have El Espolon tequila, which is good enough to drink straight. I also like to use the empty bottle for flowers.

Saturday night tipple:

It's usually vodka and tonic made with Zubrowka Polish vodka.

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My toolkit

This waffle maker was my great-aunt Italia's, the chitarra (a wooden box with strings attached, used to cut pasta) was my great grandmother's. I can't live without the egg beaters. I can't be bothered putting together kitchen equipment when these are so quick and easy. I love this ciambella cake tin because we make a simple lemon and vanilla cake all the time.

Favourite

I travel with my Microplane grater. Parmesan cheese, lemon zest – it's amazing.

Inspiration

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I often go to bed thinking about ingredients. It's a bit of an obsession. It might be something I've seen at the markets, but it could come from anywhere. I love all my cookbooks and food magazines and they inform my creativity, but I don't really cook from the recipes.

Kitchen highlight

The expanse of workbench that looks out to the view.

Most memorable meal

It was the first meal Richard and I cooked together. He was cooking an Asian feast for his friends and we'd just started dating, so he asked me to come along and help him cook. He didn't know how much I loved to cook. I'd told him, but he didn't really know. He set some tasks for me and five minutes later he turned around and I'd finished them all and was making flatbreads and a dessert. He thought, "H'm, she's a keeper".

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