entertaining the italian way cooking class recipes
RECIPES
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Parmigiana is the ultimate comfort food. Traditionally made with deep fried aubergine, we find, however, no compromise to the taste by baking the aubergine with olive oil at a high heat (and slightly less calories and effort). Scamorza is a smoked mozzarella that is hung up to extract its liquid. It works fantastically in this dish as it doesn’t add the excess liquid mozzarella would. The result is a dish that is luxuriously rich and not watery. If you cannot find Scamorza then Mozzarella is absolutely fine but we would recommend slicing it into thin slices and draining the slices in a colander with a little salt to remove some of the liquid.
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Ingredients for 6 people:
4 large aubergines (or around 1.7kg)
250gr of grated scamorza cheese (or one ball)
700g of tomato passata (we love the brand Mutti)
2 garlic cloves peeled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese
30gr of basil
A 24cm sq baking dish works perfectly for these quantities.
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Method:
Turn your oven to 200°C.
Start by cutting the aubergines into 1cm thick circles. Drizzle olive oil onto a baking paper lined oven tray and lay your aubergine rounds on top in one layer then drizzle more olive oil and salt on top.
Place your tray in the oven for about 40 minutes until the aubergine is cooked through and has a nice brown colour (you do not need to turn them).
Next, prepare the tomato sauce: Heat your garlic cloves and 4 big basil leaves in a pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato passata and let the sauce cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes to slightly reduce the sauce and to infuse it with the basil and garlic.
Whilst the sauce is reducing and aubergine cooking, grate the scamorza cheese on the thicker setting of a cheese grater.
It is now time to assemble your parmigiana into the ovenproof dish:
First is a thin layer of tomato sauce (this stops the aubergine sticking to the dish)
Next is the aubergine layer (ensuring pieces are touching but not overlapping)
Then the grated Scamorza is added
And lastly a few leaves of basil and a sprinkle of salt.
Repeat until the dish is full, stopping with the last layer being just aubergine and tomato sauce.
Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and cook in the oven at 200°C for 35 minutes until the parmesan is melted and a nice golden brown. Allow to rest for ten minutes before serving. sprinkle of Rosemary and black pepper then roll to each piece and then roll.
Lightly flour the Involtini all over and use a toothpick to secure it.
Heat some olive oil and butter in a frying pan and brown your involtini as much as possible.
Once lightly browned all over, add in the white wine, a splash of water and cream. Cover and let simmer on medium heat with a lid on for 5 minutes, or until cooked throughout.
If the sauce is too liquid, continue to cook on a high heat without a lid until the sauce has thickened. The sauce should coat a spoon.
When ready to serve, reheat quickly on the hob and taste the sauce seasoning as needed. Sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley and serve.
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A succulent chicken dish cooked in the holy trinity of ingredients; wine, lemon & butter. This dish pairs perfectly with our black rice and makes a fantastic centerpiece or antipasti for dinner with friends and family.
Should you wish to make this in advance for a dinner party then follow all steps leaving chicken to cool in the dish. Pop into a hot oven for 10 minutes to warm through before serving.
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(serves 8 as an antipasti):
2 chicken breasts (3 if particularly hungry guests, or small breasts)
2-3 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp olive oil
200ml white wine
1 lemon, juiced
100gr of parsley, leaves removed from stems and finely chopped
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Slice the chicken into thin slices and beat with the flat side of a meat hammer (a rolling pin would probably suffice if a meat hammer wasn’t available to you). Once the chicken pieces are 0.5 cm thick (and you’ve relieved any stress through hammering) season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with lots of flour and pat so the flour coats and sticks to the chicken. Turn each piece over and repeat. Season with more salt and pepper. The flour is important as it will help thicken the sauce.
Heat a nonstick pan over med-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.
When the butter melts and becomes really hot, place the slices of chicken, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Let them cook for two minutes on each side.
Add a splash of wine (important to do this first as the heat will evaporate the alcohol), 2 tbsp of lemon juice and a sprinkling of parsley. Let that cook for another minute, turning the chicken in the sauce.
Transfer the chicken to an oven dish pouring the excess juices on top.
Place the pan back on the heat, add more butter and oil and repeat the process until all the chicken has been cooked.
Serve with a bit more of fresh parsley.
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Salsa Verde is a perfect sauce for many grilled meats, fish and vegetables. It can easily be adapted; adding mint, tarragon, basil or any other fresh herb to compliment a dish you have in mind.
The more olive oil you put, the runnier it will be. For meats, we recommend keeping it denser and runnier for vegetables or fish. We dry grill the veggies (without oil) as the oil would burn and become bitter so we prefer to add it after. Salsa Verde can keep this in an air-tight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.
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Ingredients for 6 people:
Salsa Verde:
Zest of ½ a lemon
1 big bunch of parsley
3 anchovies
A handful of washed capers
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Veggies (feel free to adapt to taste/what you have in the cupboard)
3 romano peppers
2 courgettes
2 tropea onions (shallots or red onions would also do)
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Method:
Slice your veggies and place on a hot griddle pan (avoid the temptation to move them around - they will naturally unstick once they begin to char). Once cooked, turn and allow the other side to char.
Finely chop all ingredients for the salsa verde and add at least ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and rectify seasoning with more olive oil, salt and pepper if necessary.
Place your charred veggies on a serving platter and drizzle your salsa verde generously on top. A little sprinkle of salt to finish and you have a deliciously colourful antipasti.
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Tiramisu translates to ‘pull me up’ in Italian and was created in the countryside when families would be sleepy after long family lunches and so the coffee would revive everyone. Traditionally no alcohol is added to the recipe, however, if you did want to add alcohol then usually Marsala wine is added to the biscuits with the coffee.
A few tips: Folding rather than stirring the egg whites into the mascarpone mix will help keep the air in the mixture, resulting in a luxuriously light topping. Amaretti biscuits can supplement the finger biscuits for a gluten free option.
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Ingredients (for 12 people):
500g mascarpone
6 tbsp sugar
6 eggs
200g finger biscuits (enough to cover bottom of the dish)
250ml strong coffee (cooled)
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Method:
Lay the finger biscuits into a ceramic or tin dish so they cover the bottom completely without overlapping (breaking them to fit is absolutely fine)
Pour a tablespoon of coffee onto each biscuit - stop when all biscuits are soaked through (no crunchy white bits remain) but not lots of excess coffee sitting at the bottom of the dish.
Crack each egg separating the yolks into a bowl with the mascarpone and the whites into a bowl/mixture.
Whisk the egg whites (we’d advise using an electric whisk but if you fancy a serious workout you could try this by hand!?) Once the egg white begins to turn white and fluffy add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. Stop once the sugar has been added and whites have formed stiff peaks.
Mix the mascarpone and egg yolks together until smooth
Gently fold the egg whites a third at a time into the mascarpone mixture. Stop when no white flecks remain but careful not to overmix or mixture will become runny.
Spread the mixture on top of the coffee soaked biscuits and place in fridge to set until you are ready to eat (we’d advise 2 hours minimum)
Once set, dust the tiramisu with dark cocoa powder using a sieve and serve in generous portions.
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This fresh yet indulgent dish will transport you to the coast of Italy - perfect as the main event or as part of a selection of antipasti. We’d advise making extra sauce and saving some to have with pasta the next day or drizzled over veggies.
A few tips: Scoring the skin of the fish will stop it from curling up when in the hot pan - this will help achieve the crispy skin that we’re looking for.
If preparing for a dinner party the fish can be fried skin side down first and then transferred to a baking paper lined tray and popped in a hot oven for 5 minutes once guests arrive.
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Ingredients for 12 people as a starter:
6 sea bass filets
100 gr of Parsley finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves finely chopped
900g of cherry tomatoes, halved
170gr black olives (we love Taggiasca but kalamata work well too)
70gr of capers
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
350 ml of dry white wine
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Method:
Heat your oven to 180 degrees
Halve your cherry tomatoes and place them seed side up on a baking paper lined tray. Pour a generous drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put these in the oven for about 1 hour - if you are short of time you can turn the oven up but we are looking to slow roast the tomatoes so the edges begin to char and they appear almost sundried.
Prepare your filets by running your finger along each one, removing any bones as you go if needed. Then bake your sea bass filets skin side down spread out onto an oven tray with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and generous splash of white wine for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees until cooked through.
Whilst your tomatoes and sea bass is cooking, fry your garlic, parsley capers, olives and a sprinkle of chili in a pan with a very generous amount olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan) and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes making sure to stir occasionally so that the garlic does not burn. Once everything smells delicious and fragrant add your white wine and turn down the heat to low and simmer for a further 15 minutes making sure the heat is low enough so that we do not evaporate all of the wine.
Once your fish is ready, shred the fish into your sauce without the skin and add your roasted tomatoes. Taste for seasoning and then cook your pasta until very al dente and finish your pasta in the pan with the sauce on medium heat with some pasta water until it is cooked. Serve with plenty of fresh parsley.
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This deliciously rich and nutty rice is the perfect accompaniment to chicken scallopini or grilled veggies. The rice requires 40-55 mins cooking time so make sure you allow enough time for this (can be warmed in the oven if preparing in advance for a dinner). Some tips: Cooking the rice in a soffritto adds a depth of flavour with a hint of sweetness. Soaking the rice in water for over 30mins before boiling will speed up the
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Ingredients (8 people as an antipasti):
600g Black Venus Rice (we use Belazu)
2 carrots
2 large onions
30g butter
Salt
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Finely dice the carrots and onions (or blend in nutribullet if you have one - absolutely no judgment - work smart not hard).
Heat the soffritto in 15g butter and tablespoon of olive oil until softened (10 mins)
Add the pre soaked rice to the soffritto and cover with water - 2 inches over the top of the rice (more can be added as the rice soaks it up) cover and ensure water is simmering.
Leave to boil stirring every 5-10mins to ensure it’s not burning on the bottom of the pan.
Taste the rice after 30mins and add more water if still too firm. Repeat this process until you have the desired texture (firm, with bite but not crunchy). This will take longer if you haven’t soaked the rice.
Add the remaining butter and season to taste.
Serve immediately or place in a ceramic dish to heat in the oven later on.
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