‘Finally we eat, and it’s amazing, every dish – especially the cake. Cenatiempo certainly can cook.’ Reporter BELINDA STRAHORN gets a big taste of an Italian-style Christmas dinner with radio host and passionate cook Stephen Cenatiempo…

MOST people know 2CC’s Stephen Cenatiempo as an outspoken breakfast radio host, but his less known talent is his ability to cook.

It’s midweek, as Christmas approaches, and the 47-year-old is cooking up a storm in the kitchen of his Bruce apartment.

The accomplished chef is creating his version of Christmas dinner drawing inspiration from his Italian heritage.

“Dad was Italian, but mum was Australian so there was always a bit of a fusion at Christmas time,” Cenatiempo says.

Cenatiempo has already decided the menu; fried eggplant “toasties” with pancetta and provolone cheese, and he is cooking gnocchi in a sauce of cherry tomatoes and garlic.

“For mains we are having pork loin with honey glazed Dutch carrots, kipfler potatoes in duck fat and broccolini in lemon and chilli,” Cenatiempo says.

“And dessert is a panettone bread and butter pudding.”

When “CityNews” photographer Holly Treadaway and I arrive at his apartment, Cenatiempo is preoccupied with the meal preparation, removing the eggplant toasties from the oven with his right hand, and stirring pasta sauce with his left.

The radio host, who has mustered up the support of his breakfast show producer Rania Yallop as sous-chef for the occasion, is clearly passionate about the preparation of Italian cuisine.

“The secret to good southern Italian food is simplicity,” Cenatiempo says.

“A few fresh ingredients is all you need – don’t overload things – and don’t pour sauce over pasta, you must mix the pasta through the sauce.”

When he has finished cooking we sit to eat at his dining room table, where a red and green layered velvet cake – baked and decorated by the man himself – makes for an impressive centrepiece.

“Cooking has always been a passion of mine but baking is a recent thing. I only took it up in the last couple of weeks so you’ll be the judge of whether the cake is any good,” Cenatiempo chuckled.

It’s been a “good” year for Cenatiempo who has been in the 2CC breakfast radio chair for over a year.

The gig arrived at just the right time for Cenatiempo having fallen victim to job cutbacks in his previous radio role.

While he’s enjoyed his first 18 months in the job it hasn’t been without its challenges.

Earlier this year his comments that the March 4 Justice protest rally was “a bunch of people ranting” were criticised by some members of the ACT government who took exception to his comments.

“I upset the government,” Cenatiempo says.

“All the female Labor and Greens MLAs wrote an open letter to me calling me a misogynist.”

In a radio career spanning more than two decades Cenatiempo finds cooking to be “therapeutic” allowing him to switch off from an enjoyable but demanding role.

“When you spend your life fighting with politicians you need a break and cooking is my break,” Cenatiempo says.

Growing up in Sydney, cooking was a big part of Cenatiempo’s childhood. His late father, Salvatore, migrated to Australia from an island off the coast of Naples, Italy in 1950. He established a business as a fruit and vegetable wholesaler and his wife, Ila, whom he met in Sydney in the late 1960s worked for a swimming pool company. 

Cenatiempo has fond memories of big family festive feasts, and Christmas dinner was always a lengthy affair.

“I’ve only got one brother, but we have a big extended family so we’d always have plenty of people around at Christmas time,” Cenatiempo says.

“Mum would set up a nice dinner table, she always made sure we had nice placemats, the fancy cutlery would come out, and she was big on Christmas bon bons.”

A career in radio wasn’t always on the cards for Cenatiempo. After finishing school he worked in real estate as an auctioneer. But when the online auctioneering boom ended his 10-year career, he turned his attention to a job he “really wanted to do”.

“I applied and was accepted to go to the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney,” Cenatiempo says.

“I crammed a two-year diploma course in 12 months and the rest is history.”

The nine-time ACRA-winning broadcaster’s first job in radio was hosting the afternoon show at 2HC in Coffs Harbour. He then moved to 2NM in the Hunter Valley as the morning show presenter. Next was a gig hosting a national night-time talk show for Triple M, and following that he moved to Canberra. 

Away from work, Cenatiempo is constantly experimenting with dishes, and before lockdown was giving cooking demonstrations at the Fyshwick Markets.

But it’s cooking for guests – mainly work colleagues – that he loves best.

“I make a pretty good curry, but Italian is my go to,” Cenatiempo says.

Finally we eat, and it’s amazing, every dish – especially the cake.

Cenatiempo certainly can cook.

Stephen’s Italian Christmas menu to try at home

TRADITIONALLY, an Italian Christmas feast would consist of six courses:

1. Antipasto – usually mixed cured meats and preserves.

2. Frutti di Mare – traditionally baccala (salted cod) but in Australia, cold seafood.

3. Pasta – usually oven-baked like lasange or cannelloni. 

4. Secondi – roasted meat. Traditionally porchetta (rolled, stuffed pork loin), chicken and veal.

5. Contorni – side dishes.

6. Dolci – literally sweets. Traditionally panettone and a series of traditional cakes and tarts.


I’ve simplified things a little and have gone with the following;

1. Antipasto – Melanzane in carrozza (eggplant in carriages) – crumbed and pan fried eggplant slices sandwiched with pancetta and smoked provolone and baked until the cheese melts.

2. Pasta – Ricotta gnocchi in a simple sauce of cherry truss tomatoes, garlic & basil.

3. Secondi – Pork loin roast.

4. Contorni – Roasted Kipfler potatoes in duck fat, honey-glazed Dutch carrots and roasted broccolini with lemon and chilli.

5. Dolci – Panettone bread and butter pudding and a layered red and green velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting.


1. ANTIPASTO

Melanzane in carrozza


Ingredients

1. 1 large eggplant.

2. Eggs.

3. Breadcrumbs.

4. 40 grams Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – grated and mixed into breadcrumbs.

5. Salt and pepper to season breadcrumbs.

6. Light olive oil.

7. Sliced round pancetta (or any other cold cut that you like).

8. Sliced smoked provolone cheese (any cheese that melts well can substitute).


Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Slice eggplant into half-centimetre rounds.

3. Dip in beaten egg then in seasoned bread crumbs.

4. Fry in light olive oil over medium heat until golden.

5. Place a slice of cheese, then a slice of pancetta and another slice of cheese between two slices of crumbed eggplant (try to match the slices so they’re of a similar size and skewer them together with a toothpick.

6. Place them on a lined baking tray and place in the oven until the cheese is melted (about 10 minutes).


2. PASTA

Ricotta gnocchi 

Ingredients

1. 500 grams ricotta gnocchi (you can make your own, but there is some really good home-style gnocchi available in Canberra, so my advice is to buy it because Christmas dinner is hard enough without having to make your own pasta!)

2. 2 punnets of cherry tomatoes – cut the cherry tomatoes in half (I prefer baby Roma or cherry truss, but any cherry tomatoes will do).

3. 10 fresh basil leaves, three whole peeled garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil.

4. Salt.


Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil (at least 1 litre per 100 grams of pasta).

2. Add a tablespoon of salt (salt should be at a ratio of 10 grams per litre of water).

3. While the water is boiling, heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based fry pan over medium heat.

4. Add the whole garlic cloves and saute until they become fragrant but don’t let them burn (at this point, you can also add some fresh chilli if you want a bit of spice).

5. Add the cherry tomatoes and salt to taste, and saute until they release most of their liquid.

6. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they float.

7. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer the cooked gnocchi to the tomatoes, and toss until coated with the sauce. If it’s too thick, add a little of the pasta water and stir until it all emulsifies.

8. Tear up the basil leaves and stir them through.

9. Serve immediately.


3. SECONDI

Pork loin roast

Ingredients

1. 1½ -2kg rolled pork belly with scored skin (your butcher can do this for you).

2. Salt.

3. Olive oil.


Method

1. Pat pork dry with a paper towel and leave the scored roast uncovered in the fridge overnight.

2. When you’re ready to cook, put your pork on a wire rack in the sink and pour a jug of boiling water over the rind. Pat dry thoroughly with a paper towel.

3. Rub the roast with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half a tablespoon of salt (more if you like salty crackling), making sure the oil and salt penetrate the scores.

4. Roughly chop an onion, two carrots and two celery stalks and toss them in some olive oil in a roasting pan with a whole bulb of garlic.

5. Place the roast on a wire rack inside the baking tray and cook at 240°C (until the rind crackles, up to 50 minutes). 

6. Turn the oven down to 180°C, pour a cup of white wine and a cup of water into the bottom of the pan with the veggies and cook for a further 30-35 minutes per kg of pork, depending on how well you like your roast cooked.

7. Once cooked, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

8. Gravy – transfer the baking tray to the stove top over medium-high heat and add a cup of water (or beef stock for a richer gravy) and bring to a simmer while mashing the roasted vegetables with a potato masher to extract the flavour. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix through until dissolved. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and simmer until it reaches your desired thickness. Serve hot.


4. CONTORNI

Roasted Kipfler potatoes in duck fat

Ingredients

1. 1 kilo washed Kipfler potatoes.

2. Salt.

3. Duck fat.


Method

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender.

2. Drain and place on a baking tray.

3. Gently squash them a little with the bottom of a drinking glass just until the skin breaks.

4. Lather with duck fat and roast for approx 20 minutes or until crispy and golden.


Honey-glazed Dutch carrots

Ingredients

1. 1 bunch each of orange and purple Dutch carrots.

2. 3 tablespoons butter, melted.

3. 3 tablespoons of honey.

4. Salt and pepper.


Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment. 

2. Clean and trim the carrots. 

3. Mix the butter and honey together and drizzle over the carrots. 

4. Roast for 15 minutes.

5. Turn over the carrots with the tongs bathing them in the honey butter and roast for another 15 minutes. 

6. Season with salt and pepper.


5. DOLCI

Panettone bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

1. 3 cups (750ml) milk.

2. 300 mls cream.

3. 1/2 cup caster sugar.

4. 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.

5. 400 grams panettone, approximately.

6. 90 grams of butter, softened.

7. 4 eggs.

8. 2 egg yolks.


Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Combine milk, cream, sugar, rind and split vanilla bean in a saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat; cover, stand 10 minutes.

3. Cut panettone into 1.5cm-thick slices. Spread both sides with butter. Place slices overlapping in a greased shallow 2-litre ovenproof dish.

4. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a bowl until combined; gradually whisk in strained milk mixture. Pour custard over panettone in a dish. Place ovenproof dish in a baking dish, add enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of an ovenproof dish. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until just set. Remove from the baking dish. 

5. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.