Starter : Selection of Antipasti
Main
Crab & Prawn Ravioli with seafood bisque
Dessert
Limoncello Tiramisù vanilla mascarpone, crushed cherries & white chocolate
Cooking for someone is always an act of love, regardless of the date. But what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by preparing a wonderful Italian inspired meal which delivers big on flavour and comfort and labouring with love on dishes that will make everyone smile.
Starter: Selection of Antipasti
Burrata bruschetta
Method:
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 200C. Trim the chicory and half lengthways. Trim the celery and cut 10cm from the base, saving the top half for other cooking, and reserving the inner yellow leaves. Use a peeler to remove the base and stringy outer edges, then slice lengthways 1cm thick. Place the chicory and celery in a roasting tray. Strip in the rosemary leaves, drizzle with a little olive oil, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 25 mins.
STEP 2: Remove the tray from the oven to a high heat on the hob. Squeeze over the orange juice, drizzle over the honey and vinegar, add a splash of water and bring to the boil. Give it a stir, then carefully transfer back to the oven for a final 10 minutes, or until nice and sticky and the liquid has reduced.
STEP3 : Toast the bread, halve the garlic clove and rub the cut side over the toasts if desired, then place on a serving plate. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, then divide and tear over the burrata. Delicately spoon over the roasted chicory and celery, and drizzle over the flavour packed dressing. Pick over the parsley leaves and reserved celery leaves. Finely slice and scatter over a little chilli before serving if you like.
Smashed smoky aubergine
Method:
STEP 1: Prick the aubergines and place directly on the coals of your barbeque, straight on the flame of a gas hob, or under a super-hot grill turning until blackened and burnt all over (about 15 mins), then remove to a large board to cool slightly. Meanwhile, bash the almonds in a mortar until fine. Pod the broad beans, pinching the skins off the larger beans.
STEP 2: Halve the aubergines lengthways and scoop the flesh and juices out on to the board, discarding the burnt skins. Chope the aubergines with the broad beans and almonds, using your knife to keep folding everything back on itself. Squeeze over the lemon juice, finely grate over the pecorino, drizzle with 4 tbsps of oil and the honey, then chop and mix it all together again. Season to perfection, then pick and tear over the oregano leaves. Serve with warm bread.
Sicilian artichokes
Ingredients:
- 2 large un waxed lemons
- 12 Italian violet artichokes
- ½ clove garlic
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme ideally the flowering kind
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 30g shelled unsalted pistachios
Method:
STEP 1: Cook 1 whole lemon in a large pan of boiling salted water for 30 minutes or until the skin is tender. Reserving the pan of water, remove the lemon to a board to cool. Trim the artichoke stalks 2cm from the base, then add to the lemony water, topping it up if required. Pop a plate on top to keep them submerged. Cover, bring to the boil then cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and, once cool enough to handle, peel away the outer leaves until you reach the paler ones that are tender enough to eat. Trim the heads to 3cm, then cut in half lengthways. Carefully scoop out and discard the hairy choke from the centre.
STEP 2: peel the garlic and put into a mortar, grind with a pinch of seasalt. Strip in half the thyme leaves and bash until fine. Squeeze in half the juice from the raw lemon and muddle in 3 tbsp of oil to make a dressing.
STEP 3: Half the boiled lemon lengthways, scoop out and discard the soft inside, then trim away the white pith. Finely slice the tender yellow skin into long, thin strips and scatter over a serving platter with the artichokes. Drizzle over the dressing and honey, squeeze over the remaining raw lemon juice, season and toss to coat. Pick over the remining thyme leaves and flowers. Crush and scatter over the pistachios.
Rosemary focaccia
Ingredients:
- 2500g strong bread flour
- plus extra for dusting
- 7g dried fast action yeast
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- plus extra for the tin and to serve
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- ¼ small bunch of rosemary
- sprigs picked
Method:
STEP 1: Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix the yeast into one side of the flour, and the fine salt into the other side.
STEP 2: Then mix everything together, this initial separation prevents the salt from killing the yeast.
STEP 3: Make a well in the middle of the flour and add 2 tbsp oil and 350-400ml lukewarm water, adding it gradually until you have a slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the water).
STEP 4: Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it, scraping around the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-10 mins until your dough is soft and less sticky. Put the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.
STEP 5: Oil a rectangle, shallow tin (25 x 35cm). Tip the dough onto the work surface, then stretch it to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 35-45 mins.
STEP 6: Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples.
STEP 7: Mix together 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp water and the flaky salt and drizzle over the bread. Push sprigs of rosemary into the dimples in the dough.
STEP 8: Bake for 20 mins until golden. Whilst the bread is still hot, drizzle over 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Cut into squares and serve warm with the antipasti.
Main: Crab and Prawn Ravioli with a seafood bisque
Ingredients:
- 450g/1lb ‘00’ flour
- 3 large free-range eggs, beaten, plus 2 yolks
- 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only
- Salt
- semolina flour, for dusting
- For the ravioli filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150g/5½oz raw prawns in their shells
- squeeze lemon juice
- 150g/5½oz white crab meat
- 50g/1¾oz brown crab meat
- 1 free-range egg white, plus 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 star anise
- 300ml/10fl oz shellfish (or fish) stock
- 125ml/4fl oz double cream
- To serve
- handful fresh chives, finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
Method:
STEP 1: To make the pasta, put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the eggs and yolks, lemon zest and a pinch of salt, and gradually work into a dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
STEP 2: Meanwhile, to make the filling, place a frying pan over a medium heat. Add a dash of oil and fry the prawns with a pinch of salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Leave to cool slightly, then remove the prawns from their shells, reserving the shells for later.
STEP 3: Place the prawn and crab meats in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the egg white and seasoning and blend again until just mixed. Stir in the chives, cover and set aside.
STEP 4: To make the bisque, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the onion until brown. Add the garlic and prawn shells and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in the brandy, tomatoes, bay leaf, tomato purée and star anise. Stir in the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Strain the sauce using a funnel and muslin cloth or sieve and return to the pan. Stir in the cream and cook over a medium heat until it is the consistency of single cream. Season to taste.
STEP 6: To make the ravioli, cut the pasta into four pieces and roll out each piece using a pasta machine, working it through the settings until it is on the thinnest setting. Sprinkle semolina flour onto a work surface and lay a sheet of the pasta on top. Spoon tablespoons of the filling up the centre of the pasta, leaving a 4cm/1½in gap between each spoonful. Brush around the filling with beaten egg, lay a second sheet of pasta over the top and seal each one by cupping and expelling any air. Use a cutter to cut out the individual ravioli. Repeat with the last two sheets of pasta until you have 12-16 individual ravioli.
STEP 7: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the ravioli for 3–4 minutes. Transfer to the bisque pan to coat.
STEP 8: Place three or four ravioli on each plate, spoon over the sauce and garnish with the chives and a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Dessert: Limoncello Tiramisù
Of course, this is not a traditional tiramisù but the layering of the sponge and silky vanilla mascarpone provides the link to the dessert we all know and love. Using cherries, limoncello and white chocolate gives the dessert a lighter feeling and transports you to warmer days on the Amalfi coast!
Ingredients:
- 2 oranges
- 200ml limoncello
- 4 tbsp runny honey
- 200g sponge fingers
- 200ml good espresso (cold)
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 250g natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 250g ripe cherries ( or preserved or frozen if not in season)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 100g white chocolate (cold)
Method:
STEP 1: Use a peeler to peel strips of zest from the oranges into a small pan. Squeeze over all the juice, add 100ml of the limoncello and 2 tablespoons of honey, and simmer over a medium heat until you have a thick syrup.
STEP 2: Cover the base of a 24cm serving bowl with half the sponge fingers. Mix the cold espresso with the remaining limoncello, then drizzle half of it over the sponge layer, pressing down lightly to help it absorb the coffee mixture.
STEP 3: Whisk together the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla paste and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey until smooth, then spoon half into the bowl in an even layer. Remove the stones from the cherries, tearing the flesh over the mascarpone. Lay the remaining sponge fingers on top, drizzle over the rest of the coffee, and finish by spooning over the remaining mascarpone.
STEP 4: Spoon the syrup and candied peel over the tiramisù, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Cover and pop into the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Shave or grate over the white chocolate to finish.
