Dressings, sauces and dips

Blue Fish with Jerusalem Artichokes and Basil Cream

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Serves 4

1 blue fish around 1 kg, in fillets
6 large Jerusalem artichokes
12 basil leaves
1 garlic clove
2/3 tbsp parmesan, grated
some dried fish eggs to decorate (“bottarga” in Italian; optional but recommended)
2 limes
extra virgin olive oil

Peel and dice the Jerusalem artichokes, and place them in cold water so they don’t darken. Boil in salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until tender, drain well but keep 1 cup of the boiling water aside. When at room temperature, place the Jerusalem artichokes in a blender together with the basil leaves, 2 tbsp olive oil and the parmesan. Mix until creamy. If the cream is too thick, add some of the boiling water you set aside before. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan, add the garlic (skin on) and the fish; cook for 2-3 minutes for each side, then splash with the lime and season with salt and pepper.

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Ladle 2 tbsp cream on the bottom of each plate, lay the fish on top and complete with some grated fish eggs (“bottarga” in Italian), which will enhance the flavour and give a nice touch of colour.

Carrot and Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with a Honey-Sesame Dressing

Nothing is better than this light salad to get back into shape after the Christmas nosh-ups. This recipe is inspired by -and dedicated to- my expert nutritionist, who recommends eating Jerusalem artichokes in good quantity as they are rich in calcium and iron. Plus, they are delicious and filling.

Serves 4

8 medium carrots
4 medium Jerusalem artichokes
2 fresh chives
1 big coriander
1 lemon

For the dressing:

2 tbsp sesam oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp flax (optional)

Peel the carrots and Jerusalem artichokes and place in cold water with lemon juice so they won’t darken.

Steam 6 carrots and 3 Jerusalem artichokes until soft, and keep the rest raw.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients except the cumin seeds, which you will sauté in a sauce pan without oil and then coarsely crush. Chop the coriander and thinly slice the chives lengthways. Let the cumin cool off and mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Use a julienne peeler to cut the raw carrots and Jerusalem artichokes (you can use a regular peeler if you don’t have a julienne peeler; this will create larger ribbons). Place the carrot and artichoke strips in a large bowl together and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top. Once the steamed carrots and artichokes have completely cooled off, dice them and mix together with the chives, the raw vegetable strips, and the honey-sesame dressing. Before serving, taste the salad and add a pinch of salt if needed. Enjoy!

Citrus fruit Sicilian pesto

Citrus fruits are the essence of typical Sicilian taste and its excellence and brightness. Everything from the smells to the colours of this recipe will bring your plate some Sicilian sun, freshness and elegance. Use this pesto as a base for your meatballs, fishballs or vegetarian balls, polpettone and risotto as well. This cistrus fruit pesto is also amazing mixed with cous cous or wild rice, topped with, for example, fried fish. In general, this is great with pretty much anything that, surprisingly, isn’t pasta. However, meat, fish, vegetables, grains, and bread will love this pesto, and I sure you will too.

Ingredients for 3 jars (250 ml each)

30 gr basil leaves
4 oranges
1 lemon
100 gr capers under salt, well rinsed
230 gr almonds
400 ml olive oil
1 tsp salt

Accurately wash the citrus fruits, then peel so as to obtain the zest. Put the zest into the food processor together with the remaining ingredients and whizz until coarsely mixed. Add the oil and whizz again until the mix turns out smooth. Put the pesto into the sterilized jars, close them well and put into the fridge. It will last until 2 months.

Salsa ai peperoni

Un’ottima salsa per condire uova sode, verdure, pesce e carni grigliate.

Ingredienti per 2 persone

2 falde di peperone arrostite
1 cucchiaino tahine
1 cucchiaio e mezzo yogurt greco
mezzo spicchio aglio
4-6 foglie di menta fresca
paprica

Mettete nel mixer il peperone arrostito, l’aglio privato del germe interno, la menta e 1 cucchiaio di acqua fredda, riducendo il tutto a una crema. A mano aggiungete poi la tahine e lo yogurt, aggiustate di sale e cospargete la superficie con un po’ di paprica.

Maionese ai lamponi con il roast beef

I lamponi, con il loro gusto asprigno, danno personalità alla maionese senza invadenza. Dosatene la quantità a vostro gusto e accompagnate questa ottima salsa con il roast beef freddo.

Ingredienti per 6 persone

1 uovo bio
1 cucchiaino succo di limone
1 manciata di lamponi freschi
60 ml olio evo
60 ml olio di riso
1 kg e 200 gr di manzo da roast beef (piccione)
3 spicchi di aglio

Usate il frullatore a immersione per fare la maionese

In un bicchiere alto mettete l’uovo, un pizzico di sale, il succo di limone e date una prima frullata, poi incorporate lentamente prima l’olio di oliva e poi quello di riso.

Utilizzate l’olio di riso per la maionese: in questo modo otterrete una salsa dal sapore più neutro di quanto risulta dall’uso esclusivo di olio evo.

Frullate finché avrete una maionese molto densa, poi aggiungete un po’ di lamponi, frullate ancora e assaggiate: se il sapore vi convince bene, altrimenti aggiungete ancora qualche lampone.

Preparate il roast beef: scaldate il forno a 200° e quando sarà a temperatura rosolate l’aglio in poco olio, rosolate bene la carne da ogni lato, salatela e pepatela e, nello stesso tegame, trasferite la carne in forno.

Meglio partire da carne a temperatura ambiente per fare il roast beef, dunque tiratela fuori dal frigo un paio d’ore prima.

Se non trasferite immediatamente la carne in forno il roast beef perderà succhi e prenderà un velato sapore di lesso.

Cuocete la carne per 15 minuti a 200°, poi abbassate a 180° e proseguite la cottura per altri 10 minuti.

Estraete la carne dal forno, sigillatela in un foglio di alluminio e lasciatela riposare 10 minuti prima di affettarla, in modo che i succhi si redistribuiscano al meglio nelle fibre.

Servite il roast beef freddo con la maionese.