Alimentari cookbook recipes: From watermelon and haloumi to figs and prosciutto

A little continental deli in Melbourne was the dream of two women, and 18 years later, owner Linda Jones shares the most-loved recipes of the sucessful cafe

As one of the deli's most popular summer dishes, feta is swapped for haloumi and is a great barbecue salad

Alimentari means grocery store and good food in Italian, and the deli cafe is both of those things. Born from the idea of an Italian grocery store where customers could build their own panini from the offering, Alimentari was formed in 1998 on Brunswick street, in the state of Victoria, Australia and represented Italian and Lebanese cuisines.

The book of the same name shares more than 100 recipes from owner Linda and her chef husband Paul Jones’s favourite dishes from the deli. Included are classic deli dishes, rustic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, and their signature mouth-watering hearty salads and baked goods.

Burrata is a cow's milk cheese made from Southern Italy and similar to buffalo mozzarella

Grilled figs with burrata, roasted walnuts and prosciutto

Serves 4–6 as a starter or light meal

100 g (3½ oz) butter
100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) brown sugar
25 g (1 oz/¼ cup) walnuts sugar, for sprinkling
8 figs, cut in half
1 burrata (see note)
8 prosciutto slices
1 large handful rocket (arugula) leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil

We love burrata and we particularly love the burrata that we get from Giorgio Linguanti at La Latteria, our local fromagerie. And creamy cheese paired with figs is hard to beat. My parents have a massive fig tree in their backyard and every year it comes to screams of: ‘quick, come and pick the figs before the birds get them.’ And so we end up with an abundance, which is not a bad problem to have.

Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F). Line a tray with baking paper. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter together with the brown sugar. Add the walnuts and stir well to coat. Pour the nuts onto the prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes or until well toasted (be careful as the nuts can burn easily). Set aside to cool.

Heat an oiled chargrill pan or heavy-based frying pan to very hot over high heat. Sprinkle a little sugar over the cut sides of the figs, then grill, cut side down for about 30 seconds. To assemble, arrange the grilled figs on a platter with the prosciutto, rocket and walnuts. Tear the burrata over the top of the salad then drizzle with the balsamic and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

NOTE: Burrata is a cow’s milk cheese original form Murgia in Southern Italy. It has an outer shell made from mozzarella and a soft centre made from a mix of mozzarella and cream. Burrata is available from good Italian delis, but you can substitute fresh buffalo mozzarella if unavailable.

Start by preparing the chickpeas the night before by soaking them in cold water

Cauliflower and chickpea salad with almonds, fried onions and sultanas

This is inspired by a classic Lebanese fried cauliflower dish that I’ve primarily eaten as a sandwich – fried cauliflower and hummus rolled up in flatbread. We dress the salad with tahini but you could also use hummus. I love this with a side of fresh Lebanese bread.

Serves 4–6 as a starter or light meal

canola or sunflower oil for shallow-frying
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 brown onions, finely sliced
1 piece Lebanese flatbread, torn into bite-sized pieces
olive oil, for drizzling
1½ tablespoons ghee
100 g (3½ oz) slivered almonds
200 g (7 oz) cooked  (see note) or drained tinned chickpeas
50 g (1¾ oz) sultanas (golden raisins)
1 bunch coriander (cilantro),  leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 bunch basil, leaves torn

Dressing

1 garlic clove, crushed
150g (5½ oz) tahini
200g (7 oz) Greek-style yoghurt
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Lightly grease a baking tray. Fill a small saucepan about 2 cm (¾ in) full with oil and heat until it just starts to shimmer.

Add the cauliflower and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Then add the onions and cook until crisp and lightly golden. Remove and drain. Spread the flatbread onto the prepared tray, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

Place the ghee in a shallow frying pan over low heat. When melted, add the almonds and cook until golden. This happens quite quickly so make sure you keep your eye on the ball while tossing the almonds around. Drain on paper towel. To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

To serve, fold the chickpeas, sultanas, almonds and cauliflower together in a large salad bowl. Add the coriander, parsley and basil, top with the fried onions and drizzle the tahini dressing over. Finally, gently fold in the toasted flatbread.

NOTE: To cook chickpeas, start the night before by soaking 125g (4½ oz.) dried chickpeas in cold water. The next day, drain then rinse the chickpeas and place in a large saucepan. Cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 1½ hours or until tender. Drain into a colander and toss in a splash of good olive oil.

Watermelon with halloumi, pine nuts, sumac and mint

Serves 4–6 as a starter or light meal

We sell tons of this in summer. The classic version is made with feta but halloumi is our cheese of choice. It’s a fantastic barbecue salad. Just be aware that halloumi gets rubbery once it goes cold so you need to serve and eat this salad straight away.

2 shallots, finely sliced
1 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
½ bunch mint, leaves picked and torn
2 red witloof (chicory/Belgian endive)
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
juice of 1 lemon
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons sumac
250 g (9 oz) halloumi, sliced
¼ watermelon, flesh cut into bite-sized triangles
50 g (1¾ oz) pine nuts, toasted

In a mixing bowl, combine the shallots, herbs, witloof and chilli. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and half the sumac, and season well with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. Heat an oiled chargrill pan or heavy-based frying pan to very hot over high heat. Grill the halloumi for a minute on each side, season well with salt and pepper. To assemble, very gently toss the watermelon, halloumi, salad and pine nuts together and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the remaining sumac and drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste.

Alimentari: Salads and Other Classics from the Little Deli That Grew by Linda and Paul Jones. (Hardie Grant, £20). Photography by Lauren Bamford