italian feast cooking class recipes
RECIPES
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In Campania zucchini are often Grilled or fried, then Marinated in olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mint, or parsley. This technique dates back centuries as a way to preserve vegetables without refrigeration. Ricotta became especially popular in the southern regions, where it was made with sheep's or goat's milk, giving it a more distinctive, tangy flavor. Used in everything from savory dishes to sweet pastries
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Ingredients for 4 People:
4 halves of grilled zucchini
20 gr hazelnuts
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
Zest of half a lemon
125gr (½ tub) ricotta
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig mint (leaves picked and roughly chopped)
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Method
Grill the Courgettes with no oil on a griddle pan, cut side down first, until tender with a fork and you have nice grill lines on both sides. (do this before the class)
Cut the courgettes into 2 finger wide pieces at a slight diagonal angle.
Mix the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, pinch of salt, smashed garlic, chili flakes and smacked mint leaves together to form a marinade.
Mix the courgettes into the marinade and set aside.
Zest the lemons into the ricotta and season with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spread the ricotta mix onto a plate leaving space in the middle for the courgettes.
Pour the courgettes and their marinade into the middle of the ricotta.
Top with chopped hazelnuts and some fresh mint leaves.
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Friselle are twice-baked bread rings, originating from Campania. Originally crafted for sailors and farmers, friselle were designed for durability and ease of transport. They were often carried on ropes and soaked in seawater before consumption to soften them, serving as a practical and sustaining food source during long journeys or laborious workdays .
Caponata Napoletana is a beloved summer dish that transforms the humble frisella into a flavorful meal. The term "caponata" in the Neapolitan context is believed to be derived from "capone," a type of fish, reflecting the dish's origins as a fish-based recipe.
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Ingredients for 4 People:
4 friselle
250gr datterini tomatoes
90gr celery
60gr olives
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1.5tsp dried oregano
25 gr parsley
1/2 large Tropea onion or 2 red spring onion
Olive Oil
Confit Tuna:
150 grms tuna
Enough olive oil to fill the pot (use the cheaper oil for this)
The stems/leaves of 2 tropea onions
5 sprigs of thyme
Zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs of fennel seeds
5 sprigs fresh oregano
10 peppercorns
5 sprigs of parsley
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To Confit the Tuna:
Pat the tuna dry in paper towel and leave out of fridge for 30mins to bring to room temp.
Fill a pot, just big enough to fit the tuna, with olive oil. I doesn’t need to be filled all the way up but enough to cover the tuna.
Turn on to a low heat and add all your aromatics.
Bring to a very low simmer and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
Add the tuna and cook for about 6 minutes. The tuna should still be pink inside when you turn the heat off.
Turn the heat off and allow the tuna to fully cool in the oil.
Remove the tuna from the oil and use for the salad.
Sieve the oil and throw away the aromatics. Store the oil in a container in the fridge.
Making the Mix/Friselle:
Prep a bowl of salted water (as salty as the sea)
Cube the tomatoes in 8’s
Cut the celery into 3’s lengthways and then into thin slices.
Finely dice the onions.
Roughly chop the Olives
Finely chop the parsley
Put the tomatoes, olives, celery, onion, oregano, vinegar, tuna ina bowl and season with salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Leave aside until ready to serve.
Just before eating, dip the friselle into the salt water for 3 seconds, lift it out and dip a second time for 3 seconds.
Drizzle a little olive oil on the friselle and top generously with the tuna salad.
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Scialatielli is a distinctive type of fresh pasta that originated on Italy’s Amalfi Coast in the late 1960s. Unlike many traditional pasta shapes, scialatielli is a modern creation, developed by Amalfi chef Enrico. Scialatielli has become a symbol of the region's culinary heritage. It embodies the Amalfi Coast's blend of tradition and innovation, reflecting the area's rich history and the creativity of its chefs. It resembles tagliatelle pasta, but is shorter, thicker and easier to make.
This pasta is typically served with seafood sauces despite having parmesan cheese in the mix. It also incorporates either parsley or basil in the dough and unlike other pasta in the regions it is made with a mix of egg and milk rather than water. The semolina flour makes it al dente.
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Ingredients for 4 People:
400 g semola rimacinata di grano duro (durum wheat flour)
55 gms eggs (1 egg)
40 g Pecorino Romano, or Parmigiano Reggiano
130 ml milk (weigh egg and oil first and top up with milk until you have 200gr liquid)
4 pinches of salt
1 tbsp EVO oil
2tsp spoon of parsley
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Method: Making the dough:
Put the semolina on the counter or bowl and make a well to add all your wet ingredients to.
Add the milk, oil, egg, parsley, parmesan and salt into the centre of the flour and scramble it using one hand.
Begin to combine the flour into the liquid using a pinching motion. At this point using both hands will speed the process up.
Persevere with combining the ingredients until they come together to form a dough.
Now move to using the palm of your hand to knead the dough for at least 4-5 minutes.
Your dough is ready when it is smooth in appearance with no white flecks and you can successfully perform the ‘spring back test’, poke the dough with a finger - if it springs back the gluten is activated and the dough ready to rest.
Wrap your dough in cling film tightly and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Shaping the Scialatielli:
Attach your pasta machine to a clean work surface ensuring you have space to the left of the machine for the dough to be rolled out. Dust this space with a little semolina flour.
Roll out the pasta dough to number 4 on the machine (about 3mm thick)
Lay the pasta sheet on the counter and cut the dough into lengths that are 130mm long.
Then cut strips 8mm wide (so that your pasta is 130mm x 8mm)
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Torta Caprese al Limone is a contemporary variation of the traditional Torta Caprese, a flourless chocolate almond cake originating from the island of Capri in Italy. The classic Torta Caprese is believed to have been created in the 1920s by a pastry chef who was preparing a chocolate almond cake for a visit by American gangsters, including Al Capone. In his haste, he forgot to add flour to the batter. The resulting cake was unexpectedly delicious, leading to its association with the island of Capri and its name, "Caprese" .
The Amalfi lemon, has been cultivated since at least the 10th century. They are grown on terraced cliffside gardens (called limoneti), these lemons are larger, more elongated, and sweeter than standard varieties. Their thick, fragrant peel and low acidity make them ideal for this dessert
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Ingredients for the cake batter:
100g softened butter
100g sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice (must be freshly squeezed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
100g ground almonds
1 tbsp coarse polenta
1 tsp baking powder
Ingredients for the glaze:
Juice of 1.5 lemons
1 ½ tbs sugar
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Pre-heat the oven to 180C
Using a fork or hand blender mash the softened butter and sugar together until fully combined. Switch to a hand whisk and beat for a minute.
Break the eggs one by one into the creamed butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Make sure you scrape down the mixture from the sides of the bowl as you beat.
Add the lemon zest, 1tbs of lemon juice and the vanilla extract. and whisk again.
Add the ground almonds, baking powder and polenta into the cake mixture and fold in until fully combined.
Meanwhile, grease the cake tin with butter and dust with flour.
Pour the batter into the cake tins, filling about ¾ of the way up.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the cake has risen and a skewer pushed into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Whilst the cakes are in the oven, squeeze the remaining lemons and add the juice into a small pot with 1tbs of sugar per lemon. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Once the cakes are out of the oven, prick them with a toothpick and spoon over the glaze.
Leave to cool before serving.
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Native to Campania, Romano peppers are beloved for their versatility, roasting them brings out their natural sweetness.
Buffalo Mozzarella: The true birthplace of Mozzarella di Bufala is the Campania region,Buffalo milk has higher fat content than cow’s milk, a richer, creamier texture and a slightly tangy flavor. These qualities make buffalo mozzarella much more decadent and flavorful than the cow’s milk versions most people know.
It’s protected by a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) under the name: Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP and can only from specific areas of Italy. If it’s labeled just "mozzarella," it’s likely made from cow’s milk (fior di latte), which is milder and less creamy.
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Ingredients for 4 People:
5 roasted peppers
250gr mozzarella (take out of the fridge and drain 1 hour before eating)
1 sprig of oregano
1 plate with ¼ bag of rocket
15gr of toasted pinenuts
Olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper
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Method
Pre-heat your oven at 200 degrees celsius fan.
Place the peppers on a baking paper lined oven tray and roast them for about 40 minutes turning the peppers over every 20 minutes until the peppers are soft and the skin has browned and come loose from the pepper. Remove from the oven and put in a bowl and cover in cling film for 20 minutes.
Toast pinenuts (we can do this in bulk weekly)
Have oregano and rocket ready in fridge.
Once cool, using your hands, remove the skin from the peppers as well as the stalk.
Break the pepper in half and remove all the pips. (A little bowl of water next to you is really helpful as you will regularly need to rinse your fingers).
Break the peppers into 2 or 3 long strips.
Prepare a serving plate with a bed of rocket and season with olive oil.
Place the peppers on top of the rocket and season with pepper, olive oil and balsamic.
Top with the mozzarella cut into quarters, the pinenuts and picked oregano leaves.
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Since Campania has access to the Tyrrhenian Sea, seafood is the main protein used in this region. Local fishing traditions date back centuries, and prawns are a staple catch brought in daily by local fishermen.
For this recipe the heads of prawns are essential to give flavour to the sauce since we only add in the prawns at the end to avoid overcooking.
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Ingredients for 4 People:
25gr Parsley
4 garlic chopped
500gms whole prawns (12 prawns)
750 gms Datterini cherry tomatoes on the vine
Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
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Method
Peel and devein your prawns reserving all the heads.
Halve the peeled prawns lengthways.
Squeeze all the prawn heads into a bowl getting as much juice as possible out of them.
Halve your cherry tomatoes and peel and finely chop the garlic.
Generously cover the bottom of a large pan (the two handled black pan) with EVOO. Add the garlic, half the parsley and all the chili. Bring to a light sizzle on a medium heat.
As soon as the garlic is sizzling add all the tomatoes, prawn head juices and salt.
Cover with a lid and leave to cook for around 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
The tomatoes should be soft and almost disintegrated and the sauce should have lost 2/3rds of its liquid (you can also use a mashed and gently mash any whole tomatoes).
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Boil the pasta until two thirds of the way cooked (still very aldente).
At the same time add the halved prawns to the tomato sauce.
Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce adding pasta water as needed.
Serve with a generous drizzle of EVOO and sprinkle of parsley.
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