La Marcella – Italian Food and Recipes

Leeks and carrots cream with coarse-grained bread balls

PrimiOct 26 20140 Comments

zuppaCarrotLeek

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 6 persons):

- 500 g leeks
- 350 g carrots
- 150 g mixed grain flour
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 large handful of mixed sage, rosemary, thinly chopped
- 1 handful of parsley, thinly chopped
- 2 l meat bouillon
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt, ground pepper
- 1 large handful of grated Italian Parmesan

WHAT TO DO:

1. Slice the leeks and the carrots in thin rings and stew them in olive oil together with the garlic, which has to be thinly chopped.
2. Add the meat stock, cover the pot with a lid, and cook it slowly on medium fire.
3. In the meanwhile knead the flour with the egg, a pinch of salt and a little water, enough to get a homogeneous and compact mix. Make sure the pastry mix is dry enough and not sticky. Roughly grate it into clumpy pieces with a coarse grater.
4. After boiling the soup for about 1 hour, gently throw the pastry clumps in the soup. Three minutes after the soup is back to boil, switch the fire off.
5. Dress the soup with seasoned hot oil, which you can make by stir-frying a large handful of sage and rosemary in olive oil for few minutes at low heat. Finish with ground pepper, chopped parsley and a tablespoon of grated Parmesan.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- In order to shorten the procedure, prepare the meat bouillon by using stock cubes in hot boiling water.
- A nice alternative is to spread ‘quenelle’ or little scoops of Italian robiola (or any other fresh soft and creamy goat cheese) previously mixed with the sage and rosemary mix on top of the soup.

Filo ‘tissues’ with Buffalo mozzarella, grilled aubergines and pesto

AntipastiOct 19 20140 Comments

filo melanz

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 280 g Filo dough
- 1 big Buffalo mozzarella, roughly diced (about 80g)
- 1 large aubergine
- a handful of fresh basil leaves
- a handful of grated old Pecorino cheese
- 8-10 cherry tomatoes
- 6 teaspoons of pesto sauce
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

1. Switch on the oven to about 180°C.
2. Cut the aubergine into thin slices and grill them in a non-sticky grilling pan. Dress them with a pinch of salt and olive oil.
3. Take out the filo dough sheets from the fridge and get them to room temperature. Make sure the sheets don’t get too warm, because you will not be able to knead the dough for stickiness otherwise.
4. Lay the sheets carefully in a squared baking tray (about 40 cm side), where you have also spread some olive oil previously to avoid sticking.
5. Lay down the slices of aubergine at the bottom. On top of them, spread around the Buffalo mozzarella dices and the cherry tomatoes cut in halves. Sprinkle the veggies with the grated Pecorino cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and the pesto sauce, evenly distributed.
6. Cook in the hot oven until the pastry is gold in colour.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- You can get to a nice alternative by using the pizza dough or the puffy pastry in place of the filo dough. The result will come out slightly different but as tasty as the original version.
- It can be used as a main dish or as a bite during a party.

Stuffed tomatoes in the oven with rice and potatoes

PrimiOct 12 20140 Comments

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 6 persons)

- 6 big mature round tomatoes
- 200 g Italian ‘Arborio’ rice
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves (optional)
- 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
- 4 tablespoons of grated Italian young Pecorino or Montasio cheese
- 1 large handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of oregano
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt, ground pepper
- 350 g yellow potatoes
- 1 handful of herbs for roast (to season potatoes)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Start by peeling the potatoes and placing them in a bowl with cold water.
2. Then cut off the upper part of the tomatoes and keep it aside. Take out the interior of the tomatoes mainly the hard bits and the seeds, and put it in a separate bowl. Season the internal part of the tomatoes with salt and place them upside down to remove the excess water.
3. In the meanwhile, in the bowl where you placed part of the tomatoes’ pulp, add all the other ingredients except the potatoes and the roast herbs. Season this mix generously with salt/pepper and oil, and stuff the tomatoes with it up to the top.
4. Cover each tomato with its own ‘cap’ and place all stuffed tomatoes on a baking tray. Put some oil at the bottom of the tray to avoid sticking.
5. In the same tray, add the potatoes roughly chopped and seasoned with the roast herbs as well as any leftover mix. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt.
6. Cover the tray with foil and bake in a pre-heated at 180°C for about 40-50 minutes. The foil will work as a lid and will keep the steam to let the tomatoes soften and the rice absorb their water. Depending on your type of oven, it could take longer so I would suggest you to keep on baking until the potatoes are done.
7. At the end, uncover the tray from the foil and finish by grilling au gratin for few minutes. This will make the surface slightly gold and crusty.

TIPS&TRICKS:

- This recipe for sure comes out better when the quality of ingredients is high, and I mainly mean the tomatoes and the basil. Try to avoid large salad tomatoes.
- We generally prepare this dish in the summer and eat it also warm as a complete dinner meal.
- The best trick to improve the final result is to be generous with the seasoning, herbs, cheeses and –of course- the potatoes on the bottom.
- You can adapt the proportion of ingredients and substitute some of them according to your personal taste (e.g. adding extra cheese or adding capers and black olives). Anyhow, make sure you do not exceed with some of them in order to overtake the flavour of the other ingredients.

Peperonata alla ‘leccese’

ContorniSep 22 20140 Comments

peperonata

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 4 big peppers
- 1 white onion, thinly chopped
- 350 g chopped tomatoes in can or fresh round mature tomatoes
- 2 medium size aubergines
- 2 courgettes
- a handful of fresh basil leaves
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

Wash all the vegetables and roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Make sure you discard the stems and the internal part with the seeds from the peppers (as it gives spiciness to the flavour). In a frying pan, slug some olive oil and stew the onion until slightly brown. Add the vegetables, the tomatoes and the salt. Let them cook until soft, which takes around 20-30 minutes. The vegetables have to become slightly soft , but try to keep some crispiness.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- This is a typical dish from the South of Italy, but there are many different ways to prepare it according to the type of vegetables and their proportion.
- It can be a side dish, which can be served warm or cold for a summer meal together with a fresh cheese, such as mozzarella or ricotta.

Filo ‘tissues’ with Buffalo mozzarella and cherry tomatoes

AntipastiSep 13 20140 Comments

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 280 g Filo dough
- 1 big Buffalo mozzarella, roughly diced (about 80g)
- 9-10 brown or black olives (at your choice), without nut
- oregano
- a handful of grated Parmesan cheese
- about 20 cherry tomatoes
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

1. Switch on the oven to about 180°C. In a baking tray, slug some olive oil and place the cherry tomatoes cut in halves. Sprinkle some oregano and salt, and cook for about 10’ until the tomatoes start softening. Then take them out from the oven.
2. Take out the filo dough sheets from the fridge and get them to room temperature. Make sure the sheets don’t get too warm, because you will not be able to knead the dough for stickiness otherwise.
3. Lay the sheets carefully in a squared baking tray (about 40 cm side), where you have also spread some olive oil previously to avoid sticking.
4. Pick up the cherry tomatoes from the baking tray and drain them from the water, which has started leaking out as you cook them in the oven. Place them on the filo dough. Spread the Buffalo mozzarella dices and the olives cut in halves. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Then, as a last step, cook in the hot oven until the pastry is golden.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- This is a great alternative to the traditional Italian Pizza ‘margherita’.
- For a better result, make sure you are using sweet and savoury cherry tomatoes.
- For a summer party, you can get to a lighter version by cooking the dough first and by adding only later the tomatoes and the other ingredients. In this way you avoid cooking the mozzarella, which will keep its fresh milky taste.

Smoked ricotta “Pappardelle ” with vegetables mix and S.Daniele ham

PrimiSep 09 20140 Comments

pasta verdure5**

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 350 g of Pappardelle pasta
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 glass of Sauvignon Blanc (or similar white wine)
- 100 g asparagus tips
- 100 g small courgettes
- 80 g baby leaf spinach
- 4 slices of Italian S. Daniele Prosciutto
- 1 garlic clove
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt/black pepper
- a large handful of grated, smoked, hard Ricotta cheese

WHAT TO DO:

1. Firstly, wash all the vegetables and chop them into smaller pieces.
2. Take a deep saucepan and stew the spring onions in olive oil. Add the asparagus bites with a pinch of salt and also add the glass of wine. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Then add the courgettes and stew until tender covering the pan with a lid. The last minutes before completing the cooking, add the spinach leaves.
3. In a separate and smaller saucepan, stew the garlic until slightly golden in olive oil. Then take out the pan from the heat and fry until crispy the S. Daniele prosciutto you had previously sliced in small stripes.
4. In the meanwhile bring the water for the pasta to boil in a deep cooking pan, add a handful of sea salt and boil the Pappardelle for about 10min (until ‘al dente’).
5. When the pasta is ready, mix it with the vegetable sauce, the grated smoked Ricotta cheese and a fresh grind of black pepper. Enjoy It!

TIPS & TRICKS:

- I got the inspiration for this recipe from reading something similar in the popular Italian cooking book ‘la Cucina Italiana’. As I could not find the original ingredients proposed by it here in London, I explored my creativity to make some different, yet tasty.
- Same of these ingredients could be difficult to find in your local supermarket. Anyway, it is essential for me to find a savoury ‘Prosciutto’ (S. Daniele or Parma) and a smoked cheese to grate on top.

Ricotta and ‘Amaretti’ tarte in a strawberry sauce

DolciAug 31 20140 Comments

tortaricottaamaretti

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 8 persons)

For the dough base

- 300 g non-raising plain flour (‘00’)
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 bag of Vanilla powder
- 1 bag of baking powder

For the stuffing

- 300 g ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 50 g caster sugar
- 200 g ‘Amaretti’ biscuits, crumbled

For the strawberry sauce

- 1 kg of strawberries
- rum (optional)
- ½ lemon juice
- 50 g caster sugar

WHAT TO DO:

For the dough base: Take out the butter from the fridge, dice it into smaller pieces and let it get room temperature. In a large bowl mix the egg with the sugar to have a soft foamy mix. Add a pinch of salt and the diced butter. Mix until smooth. Now you are ready to pour the flour in. You get a good result if you put it through a strainer because it avoids clumps. At the end add the baking powder. You will get to a texture, which will not be homogenous but crumbly and dry. Set it aside.

In the meanwhile pre-heat the oven at 180° C and prepare the stuffing.

For the stuffing: In a bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar. Now first add the ricotta cheese and then the Amaretti crumbles.

Choose a round baking pan (about 22 cm diameter), evenly spread some butter on the bottom and the borders, and sprinkle on top some flour to avoid sticking. Discard the excess flour. Cover the base of the baking pan and the borders with half of the dough. It will be slightly difficult in the beginning, as you need to do it little by little. When you are done with the edges of the tarte, evenly spread the stuffing. Cover the surface with the rest of the dough and cook in the oven for about 40 min at 180°C.

For the strawberry sauce: Wash the fruits and roughly cut them in smaller pieces. In a non-sticking pan, cook the strawberries with the lemon, the sugar and the rum on a medium heat. Cook until soft and creamy.

Serve a slice of cake with some scoops of warm strawberry sauce.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- You can increase the Amaretti flavour by adding extra crashed almonds to the stuffing. In either case, make sure not to have the mix too dry.
- To cover the baking pan and get a crunchier crust, use some fine plain breadcrumbs instead of the flour.
- The strawberries can be substituted by any other type of fruit at your choice. I personally love this cake with summer fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or better peaches.

Sea bass fillets with courgettes’ purée and ginger

SecondiAug 21 20140 Comments

branzinoCremazucch4

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 2 persons):

- 2 sea bass fillets, medium size
- 1 big handful of plain breadcrumbs
- 1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
- ginger
- 1 handful of mint leaves
- 200 g sweet tender baby courgettes
- 1 big shallot
- extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. For the courgettes’ purée, slice the shallot and stew it in a non-sticky frying pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Add the courgettes, roughly chopped, as well as the mint leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook everything at medium/high heat until soft enough to be smashed into a mash tun with a food processor.
3. For the fish fillet, mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley and put it on a tray. Use the mix to bread up the fillets on both sides. Place the fillets on a baking tray with a slug of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and some freshly grated ginger.
4. Switch on the oven to about 180°C. When the oven reaches the temperature, broil the fillets for about 10-15 min (alter the cooking time to the strength of your oven to make sure you do not over cook the fillets). When slightly crisp and golden, take them out from the oven. Serve them warm together with the courgettes purée and a sprinkle of olive oil.

TIPS&TRICKS:

- The sea bass has a white, lean flesh with a subtle, mild to moderate fish flavour. If sea bass is not available, a number of highly-nutritious fish with similar flavour and texture can be substituted in its place, such as halibut or striped bass.
- Make sure you do not exaggerate with the ginger – it should not dominate the delicate taste of the fish.
- Try not to overcook the fillets as they could become too dry.

Strawberry sorbet Tiramisù

DolciAug 14 20140 Comments

tiramisuFragole5°°**

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 100 g puff pastry
- 500 g strawberries
- 300 g mascarpone cheese
- 3 medium-sized free range eggs (3 yolks + 3 egg whites)
- 175 g caster sugar
- powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- few fresh mint leaves (to decorate)
- a teaspoon of Cognac or dark Rum (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Roll out the puff pastry in a thin layer and place it on a baking paper. Prick the dough with a fork and sprinkle the top with a generous amount of powdered sugar. Bake it for 10-12 minute in a pre-heated oven at 200°C until it appears gold and crispy. When ready, take it out from the oven and cool it down.
2. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Thoroughly beat the yolks with 75 g of caster sugar until pale and fluffy and gently add the mascarpone. Please try to mix carefully in order to keep the softness of the eggs. Avoid leaving clumps of mascarpone in the mix. Add the whisked whites and stir gently. Keep the cream in the fridge before combining the different ingredients in the Tiramisù cups.
3. For the strawberry sorbet, make a puree by mixing 200g of strawberries with the remaining 100g of caster sugar in a blender. If you like, you can add a teaspoon of Cognac or Rum. Pour this puree into a pastry bag.
4. Chop the rest of strawberries into smaller pieces.
5. To assemble the dessert, take a transparent cup or glass, and pour a first layer of strawberry sorbet on the bottom. Then add a handful of chopped strawberries, the mascarpone cream and finally some pieces of puff pastry roughly broken into smaller bites. Repeat with the same layers to finish with the puff pastry. Keep it cold in the fridge for few hours before serving.
6. Just before serving, dust the top of the tray with the cocoa powder and decorate with few fresh leaves of mint.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- This new version of Tiramisu was inspired by Teresa Covaceuszach ,who runs a trattoria “Al Sale e Pepe” in Stregna close to Udine in Italy. Thank you, chef!
- This dessert comes out better if prepared the day before your party. It will taste nicer too, believe me!

“Fusilli ” in a Pesto sauce with tuna fish and ‘Bottarga’ – Lori’s way

PrimiAug 03 20140 Comments

fusillitonnobottarga

Difficulty: Time:

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

- 320 g of Fusilli pasta
- 140 g Pesto sauce ‘alla Genevese’ (see recipe)
- 200 g tuna, in olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of gray mullet ‘Bottarga’
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt/fine salt/
- black pepper, freshly grounded (as you like)

WHAT TO DO:

1) Take a big deep pan and bring the water for the pasta to boil. When boiling, add a handful of sea salt and let it go back to boil before adding the Fusilli pasta.
2) In the meanwhile put the pesto sauce on the bottom of a deep serving dish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the tuna chunks after draining them from the oil (in its can) and chop them into smaller pieces.
Cook the pasta ‘al dente’.
3) When ready, drain the Fusilli from the water. Remember to keep aside a small bowl of the cooking water. You will need one or two tablespoons of this water to blend the pasta with the pesto-based sauce.
4) When properly mixed together, serve immediately with a generous sprinkle of ‘Bottarga’, if you like, black pepper.

TIPS & TRICKS:

- Pasta ‘alla Carlofortina’ is the source of inspiration for this recipe.
- ‘Bottarga’ is considered a “caviar” from Sardinia, often called the ‘poor men’s caviar’. It s a dense fish roe made from tuna, gray mullet or swordfish. It is very popular in Sicily and Sardinia even though it can be found throughout the Mediterranean.


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