A fast and very easy appetiser – but its simplicity gives it a rather vintage appeal.
5 prawns per person
A few spoonfuls of Organic Pesto alla genovese (traditional recipe)
Boil the whole king prawns for a few minutes.
Shell and remove the heads (give the rest to the cat or use them to make fish stock for risotto).
Arrange on a plate and dress with a few spoonfuls of pesto.
If you can, use really fresh broccoli (still crunchy), separate the flowers and eat them raw, dressed with San Lorenzo anchovy fillets in olive oil, sautéed in a little oil, garlic and chilli pepper.
The perfect accompaniment to mozzarella (the burrata variety if possible) or grilled meat.
If you’re not keen on raw broccoli, blanch them for 4-5 minutes in plenty of boiling salted water, and dress them as above. You can also use them as a condiment for pasta.
A little while ago, I published a recipe in my personal blog for panna cotta with yogurt and honey. The taste of honey, so delicate and mellow, fascinated me so I wanted to try the recipe again with premium grade honey like the Rhododendron honey by San Lorenzo, and with cream instead of yogurt.
400 ml cream
300 ml of milk
1 full spoonful of Rhododendron honey
1 vanilla pod
4 sheets of gelatine
Soften the gelatine sheets in cold water.
Cut the vanilla pod and use the blade of a knife to extract all the black seeds.
Bring the cream, milk, honey, vanilla seeds and the pod to the boil.
When boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave to infuse for 5 mins.
Throw away the vanilla pod, add the gelatine (well squeezed) and allow to dissolve. Keep stirring the hot liquid.
Divide the panna cotta into individual moulds and place in the fridge to solidify for at least 3 hours.
A rather noble sounding name for a simple and colourful hors d’oeuvre, enriched with the unique taste of Taggiasca olives. A brunoise is nothing other than a collection of finely-cubed vegetables cooked in butter (or olive oil, as in this case).
1 pepper
2 aubergines
2 courgettes
Extra virgin olive oil
Stoned Taggiasca olives
Cut all the vegetables into tiny cubes and keep separate. For the pepper, the best way is to trim, wash it and cut into thin strips, then cut the strips into small squares. For the aubergines and courgettes, cut them into thick slices, 4-5 mm long lengthways, cut the slices into long narrow strips and then into small cubes.
Heat a spoonful of oil in a non-stick pan and cook the aubergines in it.
Once cooked, place in a large bowl and put the pan back on the heat. Add a spoonful of oil and cook the pepper. Continue until all the ingredients have been cooked.
Mix well, distribute a teaspoonful of brunoise on each serving spoon, and decorate with 3 Taggiasca olives.
Use the rest of the brunoise as a pasta sauce, in an omelette or savoury flan.
Inspired by an old edition of Sale e Pepe, an Italian food magazine, this recipe can be made with either leeks or spring onions.
2 leeks, trimmed and cut into thirds
6 slices of Speck
2 spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar of Modena
1 spoonful of extra-virgin olive oil
Roll a slice of Speck around each piece of leek. Place the rolls in a non-stick pan with a spoonful of oil, and allow to brown for a few minutes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and allow the sauce to reduce slightly. Cover and leave to cook over a low flame for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add a glass of water and reduce again.
Serve while still warm, on a bed of salad dressed with the balsamic vinegar glaze left in the pan.
We all know what a fan I am of verrines, and this is no exception! These colourful little glasses are perfect for springtime and are bound to be a hit :-)
Serves 6
250 g ricotta
Tuma dla Paja
1 bunch of asparagus
Salt and pepper
Trim and wash the asparagus. Eliminate the white, hard part at the bottom. Cut the stalks into small pieces and keep the tips to one side.
Blanch the stalks in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
Also blanch the tips but for 5 minutes only, drain and put to one side.
Blend the stalks with a little pepper. Divide the mixture into 6 glasses.
Blend the ricotta with _ or half a tuma, depending on how strong you like the flavour. Then pour gently on top of the asparagus mousse. Decorate with the asparagus tips and serve.
A perfect match with Vermentino Riviera Ligure di Ponente d.o.c.
A quick, tasty and simple appetizer, made with the superlative Marinated Anchovies San Lorenzo, the only that use the entire fish, not the single fillet: you’ll find 2 fillets still united, without a single bone, ready to enjoy!
Al you have to do is to marinate few halves of cherry tomatoes with a garlic clove, salt, pepper and 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil Grill some French or Italian type bread on an hot griddle or in the oven.
Dress the hot bread with 1 anchovies e few tomatoes. decorate with basil or mint leaves.
A perfect match with Franciacorta D.O.C.G. Brut.
Again inspired by Donna Hay, always in search of a simple dish with something special (and she never gets a single one wrong), these very simple pork rolls are quick to prepare and excellent for dinner parties.
Serves 4
7-800 g of pork loin cut into 8 slices, 1 cm thick
8 slices of San Lorenzo filleted pancetta *
8 sprigs of thyme
8 potatoes, (red-skinned if possible)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Bring a medium-sized pan of water to the boil. Wash the potatoes thoroughly (do not peel) and cut into 6-8 pieces. Throw them into the water and leave to boil for about 20 minutes: they should not be completely cooked. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200° C and warm an ovenproof dish containing 3 spoonfuls of oil, enough to cover the bottom.
Place a slice of ham on the worktop, place a slice of pork loin on top, bind with string and stick a sprig of thyme under the string. Repeat until all ingredients have been used.
Transfer the potatoes from the colander to the dish containing the hot oil, and shake gently. Leave to cook for 20 minutes. Then check that the potatoes are cooked and have begun to brown.
Add the pork rolls and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve hot.
[* Not available in UK due to Customs restrictions]
I know, I’ve got a thing about timbales, but they’re always worth the hassle. You blend, bake, and there you go! :)
500 g ricotta
1 egg
grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
Coppa ham
Mix the ricotta with the egg, plenty of Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cover some muffin moulds with the slices of coppa, add the ricotta mix and bake in a hot oven (180° C) for 30 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool slightly, turn out and serve with salad.
Glasses have long been a passion of mine! They’re so convenient I’d never give them up - except for something even more convenient. They look great, are very elegant and contain individual portions - what more could you want? :)
These particular ones are French, from a lovely book, Verrines toutes fraîches !: a constant source of inspiration!
They’re very easy, because they are simply made from a layer of ricotta mixed with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese, a layer of sliced apples cooked for a short time in the microwave (“Surely not!! You cooked them in the microwave???” Yes, you can also cook them in a frying pan, but they don’t turn out the same!), with a little lemon juice, then covered. The last layer is made from slices of seasoned goose breast: a typical delicacy commonly found in France, but hard to come by in Italy! But we, obviously, have managed to get our hands on some!!!
