Cooking Together Italian Cicchetti – Recipes

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Cooking Together Italian Cicchetti – Recipes

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Our cooking together cookery classes are as much about learning to cook as they are a sociable experience. We hope you enjoyed your class and are ready to recreate the meals at home. The recipes work really well as delicious dinners and make a great combination for dinner party ideas. 

You Cooked:

  1. Starter: Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini;
  2. Main: One pan Meatballs with Pepper & Tomato Salsa; Grilled Aubergine Rolls with Robiola; Goats Chesse & Red Pepper Risotto and Rocket & Parmesan Salad
  3. Dessert: Click here for a link to the Food Sorcery favourites

Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini – Starter

Ingredients: 

For the pasta (makes more dough than needed for this recipe)

  • 2 large free-range egg 
  • 200g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting

For the tomato pesto:


  • handful of parmesan, grated
  • handful of cherry tomatoes
  • handful of sun blushed tomatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3tbsp of olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

  • 150g ricotta
  • a handful spinach, pan-fried and water squeezed out…roughly chopped
  • 50g Parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • pinch of grated nutmeg
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

For the pasta dough:

Mix flour and eggs in a bowl and mix together with a fork. Tip out onto a lightly floured table and bring together using your hands. Knead the dough until it’s no longer sticky, this will take roughly 10 minute. Cover and rest in the fridge while you make the filling and pesto.

For the pesto: 

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired texture is achieved. Pulse if you’d like rough rustic pesto, blend longer for a smoother texture. 

For the filling:

 Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag or a plastic food bag with the corner snipped off.

  1. To assemble the tortellini, roll the pasta dough through all the sizes on the pasta machine starting with the widest setting and finishing on the smallest setting when the pasta is very thin. Using a 9cm/3½in round cutter, cut out 10 circles. (Any leftover dough can be frozen to use another time.)
  2. Pipe a heaped teaspoon amount of filling inside each pasta circle and fold in half to create a half moon shape. Wet the edges and press down to help them stick, use only if your dough is not sticking together. Pull the two narrow ends together to form a tortellini shape.
  3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 2–3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain well.
  4. Meanwhile, put a frying pan over a medium–high heat and add a knob of butter. Cook until lightly browned and starting to bubble. 
  5. Serve with grated parmesan and cracked black pepper on top.

One Pan Meatballs with Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa – Main

Ingredients:

For the Balls:

  • – 125g Beef Mince
  • – Salt & Pepper
  • – 1 Clove Garlic – smashed into paste
  • – Handful Fresh Parsley – rough chop (plus extra for garnish)

For the Salsa:

  • – One Red Pepper – Roasted whole
  • – 2 Small Tomatoes
  • – ½ Shallot
  • – 1 Clove Garlic
  • – Olive Oil
  • – 50ml Red Wine

Method:

  1. To cook, we used one griddle pan throughout – you can use a frying pan.

Prep:

  1. Pop your red pepper into the oven to soften, you can then pull the stalk and seeds out, and rough chop – 20 minutes is fine for this.
  2. Grate your tomatoes, fine dice the shallot, crush both your garlic cloves into a paste.

Meatballs:

  1. in a bowl mix the mince, salt and pepper, garlic (remember some is for the salsa) and parsley together.  Divide into equal sized balls – approx. 8.
  2. Heat your griddle pan to medium high and pop the balls in, turning so all sides are coloured.

Add the Salsa:

  1. Move the meatballs to one side of the pan, if the pan is dry, add some oil, if there is sufficient juices from the meat, you don’t need.  Add the shallot and the garlic, soften and then add the grated tomato and the red pepper, mix around and add the wine.  The meat balls will now be in the middle of the pan.
  2. Leave on a medium heat – as the wine reduces, the balls will be cooked. 
  3. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley on top.

Grilled Aubergine Rolls with Robiola – Main

Ingredients – Serves 4:

  • – Robiola Cheese
  • – 1 long aubergine
  • – 1 piece of lemon zest
  • – 1/2 a fresh chilli
  • – 1 bunch of parsley
  • – 1 sprig of basil
  • – extra virgin olive oil
  • – salt

Method:

  1. Cut the aubergine into slices not too thin.  Lay on a tray and salt, rest for ten minutes. When it is ready, remove all the salt then grill them. Pat dry with a paper towel & allow to cool. In a bowl, mix the two cheeses with the herbs.
  2. Take the aubergines, place them on a plane then you put on the mixture of cheeses.
  3. Serve with basil pesto and croutons.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  • – 800g good quality
  • – tinned tomatoes
  • – 150ml red wine
  • – Pinch of sugar
  • – 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • – Oil, to fry

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over a medium-high heat and add the garlic. Fry for a minute, then tip in the tomatoes and wine. Bring to the boil, mashing the tomatoes, stir and then turn down the heat slightly. Add a pinch of sugar, a little seasoning and the oregano, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree until smooth.
  2. Make extra and freeze!

Goats Cheese & Red Pepper Risotto – Main

Ingredients – Serves 4:

  • – 5 litre chicken or vegetable stock
  • – 2 tbsp olive oil
  • – 30g/1oz butter
  • – 1 onion, finely chopped
  • – 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • – 300g/10½oz risotto rice
  • – 1 large sprig thyme
  • – 100ml/3½fl oz dry white wine
  • – small bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • – small bunch fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)
  • – squeeze lemon juice (optional)
  • – salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • – 1 red pepper, sliced
  • – 100g Soft goats cheese
  • – Tbsp of grated parmesan

Method:

  1. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large casserole dish or saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add red peppers and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the risotto rice and thyme until coated in the oil and butter.
  2. Turn the heat to high and pour in the wine. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until reduced. Turn the heat down to medium and add a ladleful of hot stock. Season with salt and pepper. Stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until all the stock has been added. At this point the rice will have a creamy texture but still be al dente.
  3. Beat in the remaining butter and parmesan. Stir through half of your goats’ cheese and herbs, if using, and check the seasoning, you might want to add a squeeze of lemon juice. Remove the thyme sprig.
  4. Divide the risotto between four warmed plates and crumble over the goats’ cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan at the table.
  5. It works well with toasted pine nuts as garnish.
Dessert Recipes

Use the link above to explore the Food Sorcery favourite dessert recipes

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