Lyndey Milan’s Stuffed sardines

Sardinian-born chef Giovanni Pilu speaks proudly of 17 years of restauranting in Sydney. He has had great success, starting with Cala Luna at The Spit and now at one of the most beautiful venues in Australia, Pilu at Freshwater, on Sydney’s northern beaches. But more than that, he has personally educated Australians about the unique cuisine of Sardinia, and how it fits into the deliciously varied world of Italian food. “When I first came here Sardinian food was very unknown to Sydneysiders,” says Giovanni. “So when I started my first restaurant and cooked Sardinian food it was quite challenging. People had never seen it before, so to get them to trust what we did wasn’t easy. But they really enjoyed it. Now, people are demanding it, so it has turned a bit.” While there are major differences in food across the regions of Italy, the cuisine of Sardinia is perhaps the most distinct. “It is very different from say Lombardy, Lazio or Tuscany, where things can be similar because they are all attached to one another,” says Giovanni. “Being an island that was invaded by so many different cultures throughout history has resulted in a crazy diversity of food and culture and created a cuisine that is very unique.” At the heart of Sardinian food is seafood, game and pecorino (cheese). “If people say pecorino, they know it is from Sardinia. It is a big part of our menu at Pilu, to the point that our cheese plate is only made up of pecorino.” Watch our interview with Giovanni Pilu below: Check out the recipe for Giovanni's beautifully simple Pecorino broth with pumpkin & chestnuts as well as his delicious recipe for Malloreddus with chickpeas, vongole, chilli and parsley .

Try matching this recipe with a medium weight red like Pinot Noir or pair with the La Bise Tempranillo 2014 . Already four years old and still so plush and generous, it has juicy tannin depth and lovely mouth-feel with stacks of red fruit flavour. This is a seductive pairing.

Rick Stein recalls his first trip to Mexico as a ‘life changing’ experience. He travelled there as a wide-eyed young man back in the late 60s and, for the first time, dined on dishes like tacos, huevos rancheros and enchiladas. He was immediately besotted. “Apart from having the odd Indian or Chinese meal back in the UK, I had no idea about how exotic food could be, and to arrive at age 21 with no concept of what the food was like, it was a real blast.  “I think it sort of set me on the course that I’m still on, spending a lot of time travelling around the world just looking for great food experiences.” Rick’s been a regular visitor to Mexico in the decades since, but just for short visits, so he was somewhat apprehensive when he embarked on his latest foodie adventure that would become the book and BBC TV series, The Road to Mexico. Get Rick Stein's sardines in tortillas with spicy tomato sauce recipe here . For more recipes and the full story with Rick, pickup a copy of  Selector   from all good newsagents,  subscribe  or look inside your next Wine Selectors delivery.  OUT NOW: Road to Mexico by Rick Stein (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99).