Salata days galore
Jamie Oliver’s Mediterranean mentor Gennaro Contaldo shows the art of preparing vegetables with an Italian flourish in his new cookbook, Gennaro’s Verdure.
Torta salata di asparagi (savoury asparagus tart)
“This delicious savoury tart is made for the spring, when asparagus is plentiful and at its best,” says Gennaro Contaldo. “If you don’t have Parma ham, use cooked ham or, if you don’t eat meat, omit altogether. Serve with a potato salad.”
Serves 4. Ingredients: 375g ready-made shortcrust pastry; 200g asparagus spears; 150g ricotta; 4 eggs; 30g grated Parmesan cheese; 100g Parma ham, roughly torn; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; crunchy mixed salad, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Grease and line a 22cm (8½ inch) round tart or quiche tin and line it with baking paper.
Roll out the pastry and use it to line the bottom of the prepared tin. Cover the pastry with baking paper, top with baking beans and bake blind for about 15 minutes, until the sides of the pastry have cooked through and are golden.
Using a large spoon, remove the beans and then the baking paper from the pastry case and return the pastry to the oven for a further five to 10 minutes, until the base is a pale golden colour.
Remove from the oven and prepare the filling.
Reduce the oven temperature to 130°C fan/150°C/gas mark 2.
Finely chop most of the asparagus, reserving seven or eight spears, then bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for about three minutes until just tender, then drain well and leave to cool.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, a little salt and pepper and the chopped asparagus.
Fill the pastry case with this mixture, then arrange the whole asparagus spears over the top.
Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the filling has set.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before serving with a crunchy mixed salad.
Gnocchi di spinaci (spinach gnocchi)
“This delicious potato-less gnocchi is made with the classic combination of spinach and ricotta,” says Contaldo.
“Simple to prepare, just remember to squeeze out the excess liquid from the cooked spinach before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with tomato sauce for a hearty meal.”
Serves 4. Ingredients: 250g frozen spinach; 1 x 250g tub ricotta; 1 egg; 40g grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling; pinch of grated nutmeg; sea salt; 250g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting. For the tomato sauce: 2tbsp extra virgin
olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes; sea salt.
First make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and sweat the garlic for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes with a little water (rinsed from the can) and a little salt. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the gnocchi. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the frozen spinach for about five minutes until defrosted and cooked through. Drain well, squeezing out the excess liquid with your hands, then place on a chopping board and finely chop.
Place the spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg and a little salt, and gradually add in the flour. Mix well until you obtain a smooth, soft dough.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a long sausage shape. Using a sharp knife, cut into two-and-a-half-centimetre lengths. Continue doing this until all the dough has been used up.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and drop the gnocchi into the water in batches, simmering for a minute or so until they rise to the top.
Using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer, lift the gnocchi out of the water and transfer to a dish. Pour over the tomato sauce and gently mix. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan, if you like.
Torta di carote e mandorle (carrot and almond cake)
“Delicately light and healthy, this easy carrot cake would be perfect with a morning coffee or at teatime,” says Contaldo.
“I like to use the Italian raising agent known as Paneangeli, with its delicate vanilla flavour, and it should be obtainable from Italian delis and international shops. Otherwise, regular baking powder will work just fine.”
Serves 8. Ingredients: 4 eggs, separated; 225g caster sugar; 130g plain flour, sifted; 2tsp Paneangeli baking powder, sifted (or regular baking powder); 150g ground almonds; 275g carrots, grated; a little icing sugar, sifted; handful of flaked almonds.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin and line it with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for about 10 minutes, until nice and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Fold the flour, Paneangeli (or baking powder), ground almonds and grated carrots into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the stiffened egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, until risen and cooked through. If you insert a wooden skewer, it should come out clean.
Remove from the oven, then leave to cool completely before carefully removing it from the tin.
Place on a plate and dust the top with icing sugar and a handful of flaked almonds, before serving.
■ Tip: This cake is best eaten fresh but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.