Shannon Martinez has built a fan-base by creating big-flavoured dishes that happen to be vegan. The Melbourne-based chef and restaurateur is a proud first-generation Spanish-Australian, but Italian food has a special place in her heart.

“I love the inherently frugal nature of the cuisine, where dishes are formed out of necessity and by intuition as much as by tradition,” she writes in the introduction to her latest cookbook, Vegan Italian Food: Over 100 Recipes for a Plant-based Feast.

“It is what makes Italian food so impossibly tasty and accessible as well as affordable to cook.”

Martinez, whose restaurants include Smith and Daughters in Collingwood and Lona Misa in South Yarra, says she’s yet to meet someone who doesn’t love Italian food. You can test that idea yourself with these simple plant-based dishes.

Gnudi

Gnocchi’s hotter sister. There, I said it.

Ingredients

• 500g medium-firm tofu, pressed to remove as much liquid as possible
• 50g (½ cup) grated vegan parmesan
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp black salt
• 1 tsp salt flakes
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp water
• 50g semolina or gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting

Method

Step 1

Place everything in a food processor and blitz until well combined and smooth.

Step 2

Dust a baking tray liberally with extra semolina and, using two spoons, scoop out and roughly shape the mixture into ovals, then place on the tray.

Step3

Roll the gnudi in the semolina and gently shape into balls, then flatten slightly. You should have about twenty. Make them whatever size you like.

Step 4

Place on a plate or baking tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This will help create a thin skin on the gnudi.

Step 5

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a gentle simmer.

Step 6

Carefully drop the gnudi into the simmering water, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Step 7

Once the gnudi float to the surface, after about 4–5 minutes, they’re cooked. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon onto a serving plate. I recommend serving these with toasted hazelnuts and marjoram fried in browned butter but they’re just as delicious served with roasted cherry tomato sauce.

Serves 4

Same-day focaccia

This is one of my most replicated recipes from social media. You can have creative freedom with the toppings. Make it as simple or intricate as you like.

Ingredients

Focaccia

• 9g dry yeast (about 2½ tsp)
• 15g agave or sugar
• 625ml (2½ cups) tepid water
• 160g wholemeal flour
• 500g (3⅓cup) 00 flour, or plain flour
• 20g salt
• 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling

My favourite topping

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• handful of basil leaves
• handful of oregano leaves
• 1 tsp salt flakes

Method

Step 1

For the focaccia, whisk together the yeast, agave and water, then set aside to bloom for 10 minutes. You want the mixture to become frothy. If it doesn’t, your yeast is dead. Buy more and start again!

Step 2

Add both flours and the salt to the bowl and mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula until you have a rough dough.

Step 3

Add the oil to another large bowl and drop in the dough. Turn it so it’s coated in the oil, then pull up from one side and bring it over to the centre. Turn the bowl and pull again. Do this four times, then flip the dough and cover with a tea (dish) towel.

Step 4

Leave to prove in a warm place for at least two hours, or until the dough has almost doubled in size. Once proved, knock the dough back by punching the air out then repeat the folding process.

Step 5

Heavily coat a high-sided baking tray with oil, then drop the dough in. Gently stretch the dough to roughly fit the shape of the tray, then cover. Leave to prove in a warm place for one hour.

Step 6

While the dough is proving, prepare your topping. If using my favourite topping (see ingredients), add all ingredients to a mortar and pestle and grind into a chunky pulp. This can also be done in a food processor or even by just chopping with a knife.

Step 7

Once the dough has risen in the tray, pour the topping over the dough and press it all over with your fingertips. Cover and prove for a final 30 minutes.

Step 8

While the dough is proving, preheat the oven to 220C fan-forced (240C conventional).

Step 9

The dough is ready to bake when you can see large bubbles forming on the surface. Sprinkle with the salt flakes and bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on top.

Step 10

Remove from the oven and drizzle with more olive oil. Allow to cool in the tray for 20 minutes before removing, then leave to cool to room temperature before cutting.

Makes 1 large focaccia

Not-Nutella

Is the OG Nutella delicious? Yes. Is it vegan? Definitely not. But this version is, and it also cuts out the food miles. You have the right to feel smug while slathering this on your toast. Your conscience is clear.

Ingredients

• 250g raw hazelnuts
• 40g vegan dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 20g dark cocoa powder
• 80g icing sugar
• 1 tsp salt flakes
• 30g refined coconut oil, melted

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).

Step 2

Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes then place in a clean tea towel. Gather up the corners of the towel to make a pouch, then rub the hazelnuts with it to remove as much of the papery skin as possible.

Step 3

Add the hazelnuts to a food processor and blitz until they turn into a smooth butter. This can take up to 10 minutes, so every few minutes, stop the motor and scrape down the sides.

Step 4

Once you have a very smooth hazelnut butter, add the chocolate chips and blend for another 2 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted through the hazelnut butter, then add the remaining ingredients. Blend for a final minute to combine all the ingredients and check the flavour. If you prefer it sweeter, feel free to add more sugar.

Step 5

At this point the texture will be runny, so pour it into a jar or container and refrigerate it until thickened. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Makes about 400g

This is an edited extract from Vegan Italian Food: Over 100 Recipes for a Plant-based Feast by Shannon Martinez, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally. Photography by Kristoffer Paulsen.