The Times Magazine 35- SLOW-COOKED COURGETTE,
TOMATO AND RICOTTA FRITTATA
Serves 4-6
Slow-cooked courgettes have a lovely
flavour. We went to a wonderful 18th-birthday
party in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast.
Among the plates of divine food was pasta
alla nerano. Traditionally made with spaghetti,
it came this time with mezzi rigatoni – small,
ridged tubes of pasta. There were tons of
slow-cooked courgettes, fresh basil and, very
importantly, grated provolone del Monaco.
I had three portions and I would happily
have had more.- 150g baby plum tomatoes, halved
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 500g courgettes, halved lengthways
and sliced into half moons - 8 eggs
- 75ml whole milk
- 4 basil leaves, torn
- 75g parmesan, finely grated
- 150g ricotta
- Green salad, to serve
1 In a bowl, combine the tomato halves
with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and
pepper. Lay the tomatoes in a roasting tin
lined with baking parchment. Place under
the grill for 5 minutes until soft.2 Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan that
has a tight-fitting lid, then add the garlic and
courgettes and season well with salt. Cook,
covered, on a medium heat for 15 minutes,
until the courgettes have softened and
released their water. Remove the lid and cook
for a further 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Set aside. Preheat the grill to medium.
3 In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and
milk. Add the torn basil, cooked courgettes,
half the parmesan and all the ricotta and mix
well, seasoning with salt and pepper.
4 Heat a large nonstick frying pan on
a medium heat. Swirl the pan with the
remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to coat. Add the
egg mixture and cook for 2 minutes, then
give the pan a shake. When the edge of the
frittata starts to set, dot over the tomatoes and
sprinkle over the remaining grated parmesan.
Place the frying pan under the grill and cook
for a further 5 minutes, until the eggs are set.
Slide out the frittata onto a large board or
plate. Eat hot or cold with a green salad.- TIRAMISU
Serves 6
Everyone loves tiramisu, but I find it can
be a bit heavy and watery. With so few
ingredients, it needs great care to perfect:
it should be light and have a strong, slightly
sweet coffee flavour. The inspiration for this
recipe is rather unusual in tiramisu terms.
There is a wonderful pizzeria in Antigua calledFamous Mauro’s Pizza – the best pizzeria
in the Caribbean. Here, Mauro makes his
tiramisu daily but in small quantities, so
we tend to order one or two portions when
we arrive, just to be sure. It has the perfect
balance of coffee to mascarpone. Thank
you, Mauro!- 100g caster sugar
- 4 eggs, separated
- 500g mascarpone
- 125ml cold, strong black coffee
- 50ml sweet marsala
- 300g savoiardi biscuits
- 50g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Add the sugar and egg yolks to the bowl
of a stand mixer and beat on a medium
speed for about 4 minutes, until the mixture
is pale. Add the mascarpone and beat for
a further 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2 In another bowl, whisk the egg whites
until stiff, then fold them into the
mascarpone mixture until fully combined,
light and creamy.
3 Combine the coffee and marsala in a
shallow dish. One by one, dip one third of
the savoiardi biscuits into the liquid and use
them to line the bottom of a medium-sized,
deep serving dish. Using a spatula, spread one
third of the mascarpone mixture on top to
create an even layer.
4 Repeat this layering process twice more.
Sift over the cocoa powder and refrigerate
for at least 3 hours before serving.Eat!
ITALIAN DELI
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