36 The Times Magazine- CHOCOLATE, ESPRESSO
AND VIN SANTO POTS
Serves 6
I first tasted vin santo at Paolo di Marchi’s
estate, Isole e Olena, in Chianti, Tuscany.
After the vineyard tour, we came to a brick
outhouse that had no windows. There were
bamboo mats full of grapes that were starting
to shrivel up like raisins, soon to be pressed
to make vin santo. That evening, after a huge
meal, we had a glass of vin santo and a plate
of cantuccini biscuits. I use vin santo in lots of
sweet dishes, especially ice cream, but I love
chocolate too, so I came up with this recipe.
What could be better?- 100ml whole milk
- 25ml vin santo
- 300ml double cream
- 200g 80 per cent dark chocolate (use
70 per cent if necessary), chopped - 50g caster sugar
- 4 egg yolks
1 Pour the milk, vin santo and cream into a
saucepan and place on a medium heat. Bring
to a simmer, then turn off the heat and add
the chocolate. Leave for 1-2 minutes for the
chocolate to soften. Using a spoon or a whisk,
stir until the chocolate has melted and the
mixture is smooth.
2 Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in the bowl
of a stand mixer on medium speed for about
3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and
creamy. (Alternatively whisk by hand in a
bowl for about 5 minutes.)
3 If using a machine, reduce the speed to
its lowest setting. Slowly pour in the melted
chocolate mixture and mix until it is an even
colour. (Or do this in a bowl by hand.)
4 Pour the mixture into individual serving
dishes (ramekins, glasses or cups will work).
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then serve
with cantuccini biscuits and a really good,
hot espresso.- BALSAMIC-ROASTED DESIREE
POTATOES WITH PANCETTA AND
RED ONION
Serves 4 as a side dish
I first made this dish when I was at the River
Cafe. I will never forget just how much of it
we used to sell alongside grilled and marinated
butterflied leg of lamb with salsa verde. It
was a match made in heaven. Keep moving
the potatoes and onions around so they
absorb all the vinegar and become sticky.
I have added pancetta, because it gives the
dish a richer flavour, but it’s not essential if
you don’t eat pork.- 800g Desiree potatoes, peeled
and cut into 3cm pieces - Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 75g unsalted butter
- 3 red onions, cut into eighths
- 100g pancetta, cut into matchsticks
- 100ml balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves (not lemon thyme)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3.
2 Place the potatoes in a large pan. Cover
with water and add 1 tsp salt. Place over
a high heat, bring to the boil, then add the
garlic cloves and boil for 2 minutes. Drain
the potatoes and the garlic and leave in the
colander to cool to room temperature.
3 Heat a large nonstick frying pan on a
medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and
add the butter, onions and pancetta. Cook
for 10 minutes on a low heat, until the onions
have softened. Add the balsamic vinegar
and thyme, increase the heat and cook for
2-3 minutes, until syrupy. Remove from the
heat and place the mixture in a large bowl.
Add the blanched potatoes and garlic, season
with salt and pepper and mix well.
4 Coat the base of a roasting tin with the
oil. Tip in the potato mixture and roast for
30 minutes, giving the tin a shake halfway
through cooking so that the balsamic
and butter coats the potatoes and onions.
After 30 minutes, everything should be
nicely caramelised.
5 Remove the tin from the oven and, using
a spoon, toss the potatoes around the tin to
soak up all the juices. Serve as a side dish.- MELANZANE PARMIGIANA
Serves 4 (page 33)
An all-time classic from southern Italy, this
dish reminds me of our summer holidays
in Puglia and a restaurant called Osteria
Bell’Italia. This version is a blatant copy
of the dish on their menu – but sometimes
good recipes are just best left alone.- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 8 basil leaves
- 600g tomato passata
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 aubergines, half-peeled to give stripes
(this helps the aubergine cook evenly) - 3 eggs, beaten
- 200g type-00 flour
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 200g mozzarella, chopped
- 100g parmesan, finely grated
1 Place a heavy-based saucepan over a
medium heat. When hot, add 3 tbsp olive oil
and the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds,
until the garlic is soft but has no colour. Add
4 basil leaves and cook for 30 seconds, then
add the passata, reduce the heat and cook for
about 15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced
by half. Tear in the remaining 4 basil leaves
and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Season
and set aside.
2 Slice the aubergines into 1cm rounds.
Transfer them to a colander and sprinkle with
salt. Leave for 20 minutes to draw out the
liquid, then pat dry the slices with kitchen roll.
3 Have ready the beaten eggs in one bowl and
the flour in another. Heat the sunflower oil
in a frying pan over a medium heat. Dip each
aubergine slice into the egg to coat, then place
in the flour, taking care to fully coat each slice.
Shake off any excess flour then fry, in batches,
for 3 minutes on each side until they are
all cooked through and have a nice, golden
colour. Place on kitchen roll to drain.
4 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly oil
a baking dish with olive oil. Arrange a layer
of cooked aubergines evenly in the bottom of
the dish, spoon over one third of the tomato
sauce, sprinkle over one third of the chopped
mozzarella and sprinkle over one third of
the parmesan. Repeat the layers twice more,
finishing with the final layer of parmesan.
Bake the parmigiana for 35 minutes, or until
the top is golden and crispy (give it up to
another 10 minutes, if you need to). nExtracted from The Italian Deli
Cookbook by Theo Randall,
published by Quadrille on
March 18 (£26)Eat!
ITALIAN DELI
05