Blood Orange, Fennel and Pistachio Salad
Serves: 4 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: no cook
Ingredients:
4 blood oranges (or regular oranges)
1 fennel bulb
30g pistachios, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ tsp of Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
Method:
Start by preparing the blood oranges, peel each one using a sharp knife so you remove all the pith and are only left with the juicy flesh. Then slice each orange into 1cm rounds, tip any juices from your chopping board into a small bowl. Arrange these on a platter.
Next take the fennel bulb and cut off the top, reserving the fennel fronds. Then use a mandolin or sharp knife to very thinly shave the fennel. Arrange this on the platter with the orange slices.
Take the bowl with the orange juice and add the olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and some cracked black pepper. Then whisk this together to create a dressing. Drizzle this all over the platter with the orange and fennel, then garnish with the finely chopped pistachios and the reserved fennel fronds and serve.
Cannoli (Pistachio and Chocolate & Ricotta)
Serves: makes 6 large cannoli
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
300g plain flour
50g caster sugar
Pinch of Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g butter, cubed
1 large egg, beaten (plus a little extra for sealing)
100ml Marsala wine
Veg oil, for deep frying
Icing sugar for dusting
Fillings:
200g ricotta
50g mascarpone
1 orange, zested
1 tbsp icing sugar
100g dark chocolate chips
200g ricotta
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp pistachio paste
100g pistachios, finely chopped
Method:
Start by draining the ricotta for the fillings later – place the ricotta in a muslin cloth in a sieve and squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside for later.
Then begin making the dough for the cannoli. In a large bowl mix together the plain flour, caster sugar, Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and bicarbonate of soda. Add the cubed butter and then rub it into the flour using your hands until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Next add the beaten egg and Marsala wine and then mix. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and then knead with your hands until it forms a smooth dough. Then either use a rolling pin or a pasta machine to roll the dough as thinly as possible. Then use a 15cm round cutter to cut out circles of the dough. Take each circle and wrap them tightly around cannoli moulds, sealing them together with a little beaten egg.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan (enough for the cannoli can be completely submerged when frying) and heat it to 180c. Then fry the cannoli wrapped moulds in the oil for roughly 30 seconds at a time until they go golden brown and bubbly – using tongs to make sure they evenly colour on all sides. Then remove and set on some kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil. Continue until all 6 are fried. Carefully remove the shells from the mould from each when they are cool enough.
To make the fillings taking the strained ricotta and whisk with the other ingredients (holding back the chocolate chips and chopped pistachios). For the chocolate and ricotta, stir in the chocolate chips at the end and then transfer to a piping bag. For the pistachio transfer to a piping bag. Then snip off the ends and pipe in the fillings (3 of each flavour) and dip the pistachio ones in the chopped pistachios. Dust the cannoli with icing sugar and then serve.
Homemade Cavatelli with Roasted Tomato & Aubergine
Serves: 4 people
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
350g durum wheat finely ground semolina flour
150g water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Semolina, for dusting
2 tbsp olive oil
2 aubergines, diced
500g vine cherry tomatoes
1 garlic bulb
Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
Grated parmesan, to serve
Fresh basil leaves, to serve
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Place the semolina flour into a large bowl and mix in the water and olive oil. Use your hands to bring the dough together to form a ball and then tip onto the kitchen surface and knead it for 10 minutes until it is smooth and cohesive. Cover the dough with a clean bowl and leave it to rest for 15 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
In a large roasting tray add the chopped aubergine and whole cherry tomatoes. Toss them all together with the olive oil. Place the garlic bulb in whole and then place the tray into preheated oven to roast together for 20 minutes.
After the pasta dough has rested, simply pull small pieces off (similar in size to gnocchi), and then use a cavatelli shaper (also known as a butter padel) to press and curl the dough down the padel to create grooves and a little round cavity shape. Dust a tray with some semolina to stop the cavatelli from sticking and then repeat shaping each and placing in the tray until you have used up all the dough.
After 20 minutes in the oven, tip the tomatoes and aubergine into a shallow sauté pan. The aubergine should be soft, and the tomatoes will have broken down and gone jammy – creating a sauce with their juices. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skins and add this to the pan. Season with Maldon Sicilian salt and some cracked black pepper and place on a low heat to keep warm. Place a large pan of water of water onto boil and season with more Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon – this will help season the pasta itself.
Once the water is boiling, drop the cavatelli pasta into the water and boil for 3 – 6 minutes until cooked but still with a little al dente bite. Then use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the water and directly into the sauce. Splash in a little of the pasta water to help bind the sauce around the cavatelli and toss well.
Then spoon the pasta into bowls and serve with some grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves.
Sicilian Arancini
Serves: makes 10
Prep time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
500g arborio or carnaroli rice
1.2l vegetable stock
1 sachet of saffron
30g unsalted butter
1 tsp Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
100g grated parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
250g beef mince
2 tbsp tomato puree
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
100g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
300g breadcrumbs
Veg oil, for frying
To serve:
200g passata
½ tsp Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
Method:
Start with the risotto. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and then add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the vegetable stock and saffron and continually stir until the rice is cooked and tender. Then turn off the heat and stir through the butter, Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and parmesan. Tip the risotto onto two large metal baking trays and spread out, then allow to cool. Once cool, place the trays in the fridge to set up. You can do this step the day before too.
To make the ragu start by heating 1 tbsp olive oil in a large shallow pan. Then add the diced onion, carrot and celery and fry gently for 15 minutes until completely soft. Next add the beef mince and fry until browned all over. Follow this with the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes and allow the mince to bubble and thicken for 30 – 40 minutes. If it becomes too thick and dry, then add a little water. Season with the dried oregano, Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and cracked black pepper and then remove from the heat and allow the ragu to cool completely.
Now you can shape the arancini by placing some of the cooled risotto rice in your palm and creating a cavity. Fill this with a teaspoon of the ragu, before shaping and coating it in more risotto rice. Use your hands to tightly pack the rice around the ragu filling and then shape into the traditional cone shape. Place your shaped arancini back into the fridge to firm up for 15 minutes.
Get three shallow bowls and in the first one add the plain flour, the second one the two beaten eggs and then the breadcrumbs in the third. After 15 minutes remove the chilled arancini and gently reshape them in your hands if needed. Then coat each one in the flour first, followed by the beaten egg and then finished in the breadcrumbs – making sure they are evenly coated all over. Repeat until all the arancini are coated.
Place the vegetable oil in a large high sided pan 2/3 of the way up and heat until it reaches 180c. Using a large spider or slotted spoon, fry each arancini for roughly 2- 3 minutes or until they are golden brown all over. Remove with the spoon and place onto some kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.
Serve the arancini with some seasoned passata for dipping and garnished with some extra grated parmesan and some fresh basil.
Sesame Semolina Bread
Serves: makes one loaf
Prep time: 6 hours
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
450g durum wheat semolina flour
300ml warm water (divided into 250ml and 50ml)
7g sachet of fast action dried yeast
2 tsp Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
80g sesame seeds
Method:
Place the semolina flour into a stand mixer and add the 250ml of water. Then mix and knead together for 5 – 10 minutes until there is no dry patches of flour. Cover the stand mixer bowl with cling film and let it rest for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, mix the 50ml of water with the yeast and add it to the dough along with the Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon. Use the dough hook again on the stand mixer and knead it together for 10 – 15 minutes until it forms a smooth dough, and it is coming away from the sides of the bowl without sticking. Cover the bowl again with cling film and let this prove for 2 – 3 hours, or until the dough has tripled in size.
Once the dough is a good size, remove it from the bowl and tip it onto a lightly floured surface. Then shape the dough into a long oval loaf (if you wanted to do a round loaf or small buns, the choice is yours). Then line a baking tray with baking paper.
Scatter the sesame seeds on a tray or large plate. Wet your hand with water then lightly wet the top of the loaf, lift the loaf carefully then roll the top in the sesame seeds so it is well coated. Set the loaf on the lined baking tray. Use a sharp knife to make a few scores down the loaf. Then cover the tray in a plastic bag or cling film but make sure to raise the edges so it doesn’t stick to the dough. Leave this to prove for a second time for 45 mins – 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200c.
When the loaf is ready, remove the clingfilm and place into the preheated oven to bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. You can check it is cooked through by tapping on the base and it should sound hollow.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes (or longer), before slicing and serving.
Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Red Pepper, Tomato and Olive Salsa
Serves: 4 people
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling
100g cherry tomatoes
2 large, chargrilled peppers (from a jar)
75g pitted green olives
1 tbsp capers / caperberries
4 swordfish steaks
2 lemons, cut into half
Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon
Cracked black pepper
Handful of oregano leaves
Method:
Start by making the salsa. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and add to a bowl along with the extra virgin olive oil. Thinly slice the chargrilled peppers and cut the olives in half and add these to the bowl. Drain and rinse the capers and add these too. Season with some Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and some cracked black pepper and set aside.
Rub the swordfish steaks with a little olive oil and then place them onto a griddle pan over a high heat or onto a BBQ to char on each side – they cook quickly, similarly to tuna steaks, and can easily go over so it’s important to only cook them for 2 minutes on each side. As they are cooking, grill the lemon halves too.
As soon as the swordfish steaks are cooked, transfer them to a platter and season with a good pinch of Sicilian Fine Sea Salt, Selected by Maldon and some cracked black pepper. Then spoon over the salsa, garnish with some fresh oregano leaves and finally squeeze over the charred lemon before serving.