a taste of Sicily
Add a dash of Italian flair to your repertoire with a little help from Sicilian chef Emilia Strazzanti, who teamed up with our w&h food director to create this exclusive authentic spread. Buon appetito!
an exclusive
authentic Italian spread
THE ARAB’S ORANGE SALAD
With both Spanish and Moorish roots, this salad is traditionally served at the start or end of a meal, but we loved it with the Involtini (recipe over the page). Serves 6 • Ready in 5 mins
4 blood oranges
1 small red or white onion, peeled 4 caper berries, sliced
4tbsp olive oil
4tbsp black olives, pitted
2tsp pitted green olives, sliced small handful mint leaves juice of ½ lemon
1tsp dried oregano
1 Using a sharp knife, finely slice the oranges and onion. Peel the orange skin.
2 In a bowl, toss together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the oranges and onion.
Per serving: Cals 107, Fat 8g,
Sat fat 1g, Carbs 7g
TIMBALLO SICILIANO This showstopper takes its name from the old French word for kettledrum and you can see it’s essentially a pie made of pasta. We used authentic Sicilian hoops, but any large macaroni will do. for the tomato sauce:
2tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed small bunch basil (reserve a few leaves for decoration)
4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1tsp caster sugar for the pasta: for the filling: sunflower oil, for frying
4 aubergines, 1 sliced lengthways, 3 chopped into cubes
100g Parmesan, finely grated you will need:
20cm round cake tin, lightly greased
Make the tomato sauce by heating the oil in a pan with the garlic for a few mins. add the basil and cook for
30 secs, then add the tomatoes and sugar. season and simmer for 25 mins, or until reduced by half. Remove from the heat.
2 bring a separate pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10-12 mins, until al dente. Drain, return to the pan, add the butter and Parmesan, and stir in half of the tomato sauce.
3 For the filling, in a frying pan, heat 2cm oil and fry the aubergine slices (for the top of your timballo) and the cubed aubergine until golden. add the cubed aubergine to the remaining tomato sauce and cook for 15 mins until reduced. stir in the cheese.
4 Heat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. to assemble, line the base of the tin with the aubergine slices. add three-quarters of pasta, making sure it lines the base and sides, leaving a gap in the centre to scoop in the aubergine and tomato sauce mix, then place the remaining pasta on top. Cook for 20-25 mins, leave to stand for 10 mins, then turn out onto a platter. top with a few basil leaves.
Per serving: Cals 559, Fat 27g,
Sat fat 14g, Carbs 55g
INVOLTINI ALLA SICILIANA (rolled veal kebabs)
Serves 6 • Ready in 45 mins
for the filling:
50g raisins
1 red onion, finely chopped, plus 1 red onion, quartered
60ml olive oil 50g blanched almonds 75g Provolone cheese 75g fresh breadcrumbs for the involtini:
400g veal escalopes
6 bay leaves
50ml sunflower oil you will need:
6 wooden skewers, soaked
1 For the filling, place the raisins in hot water and leave to soak for 10 mins. sauté the chopped onion in 1tbsp of the oil until caramelised. In a processor, add the almonds and raisins, and blitz, then add the cheese, caramelised onion and breadcrumbs, then the remaining olive oil. you don’t want the mix too loose but not too compact either. season.
2 to assemble, flatten the veal with a rolling pin until 5mm in thickness, spread the filling over the veal, then roll up. thread the involtini onto skewers with the onion quarters and bay leaves.
3 Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based frying pan and cook the involtini until golden on both sides and thoroughly cooked through – about 10-15 mins.
Per serving: Cals 376, Fat 23g,
Sat fat 5g, Carbs 19g
COURGETTE and AUBERGINE LASAGNE
A fabulous alternative to the meat version, this rich dish will take you back to the Mediterranean. The tomato sauce can be spruced up with a drained jar of tuna. Ortiz is the brand chefs love. Serves 4 • Ready in 1 hr 45 mins
for the tomato sauce:
4tbsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking 2 small red onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 x 500g cartons passata
2tbsp tomato purée
2tbsp sherry vinegar
2tsp caster sugar
1 vegetable stock cube 4 courgettes, cut into 5mm thick strips 1 aubergine, cut into 5mm thick strips 400g ball mozzarella for the Béchamel sauce:
60g unsalted butter
60g plain flour
1tsp nutmeg
500ml whole milk for the topping:
1 For the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cook for 5 mins over a medium heat. add the garlic for a further 2 mins. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer for 40 mins, allowing the sauce to reduce.
2 Heat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. For the filling, brush a tiny amount of oil over a griddle pan and, in batches, cook the sliced vegetables for about 2 mins on each side until marked with chargrill stripes.
3 For the béchamel, melt the butter in a pan then add the flour and nutmeg, and whisk to a smooth paste, add a little of the milk whisking until smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk and bring to the boil, whisking continuously, until thick.
4 layer a third of the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish, followed by a layer of vegetables, half of the mozzarella then half of the béchamel. Repeat and layer the remaining tomato sauce, and vegetables. bake for 30 mins then add one last layer of aubergine, sprinkle on Parmesan and cook for 10 mins more. Per serving: Cals 826, Fat 58g,
Sat fat 29g, Carbs 38g >>