• MAURILIO'S RECIPES

Pistachio Tiramisu

A Sicilian variation of the Italian classic tiramisu.

VIEW METHOD

Serves 4

You will need:

  • Italian moka coffee maker

For the mascarpone cream:

  • 250 gr mascarpone
  • 70 gr double cream
  • 70 gr sugar
  • 70 gr egg yolk
  • 30 gr pistacho paste
  • 8 savoiardi biscuits
  • 200ml coffee

For the chocolate sauce:

  • 35gr water
  • 60gr sugar
  • 60gr double cream
  • 30gr bitter cocoa powder
  • 3gr gelatin leaves

Method:

Prepare the coffee using the Italian moka coffee maker and let it cool in the fridge.

Once the coffee is cold, soak the savoiardi biscuits for 5 seconds and let them rest on absorbent sheet of paper.

Whip the egg yolk with the sugar until fluffy and light in color. Add the mascarpone and the pistachio paste until the mixture is firm.

Whip the double cream in a separate bowl and gently fold it in the mascarpone cream.

Soak the gelatin leaves in icy cold water.

Place the water, sugar and double cream in a saucepan. Bring to boil then add the squeezed gelatin and stir until it’s dissolved. Add the cocoa powder stirring with a whisk to remove all lumps. Let the chocolate sauce cool at room temperature.

To finish and serve:

Layer a water glass with a little bit of mascarpone cream; top it with one savoiardo to cover the bottom of the glass. Pour one spoon of chocolate sauce and top it with more mascarpone cream making sure not to mix them. Add another savoiardo on top and finish with the last layer of mascarpone cream.

Dust with a touch cocoa powder and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

Aubergine Parmigiana

This iconic Italian dish is perfect for a simple yet hearty mid-week meal.

VIEW METHOD

Serves 4

You will need:

  • 4 aubergines
  • Plain flour to dust
  • 300gr of grated Parmesan
  • 1lt vegetable oil

For the tomato sauce:

  • 2kg plum tomatoes in tin
  • Garlic cloves
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 1 bunch of basil
  • Salt

Method:

1.Trim the aubergine and slice length-ways about 1 cm in thickness. Arrange the layers in a colander and season with salt, then leave them for an hour to draw out the water.

2. Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce. In a large pan heat the olive oil, add the chopped onion and garlic and fry slowly until soft; add the plum tomatoes and cook gently for about 45 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, season with salt and set aside.

3. Pat the aubergines dry with a towel. Heat the oil in a frying pan and dust each of the aubergine slices lightly with flour.  When the oil is hot, fry the slices for 30 seconds each side or until golden.

4. In the bottom of a baking dish, place a little bit of the tomato sauce, and then layer over the aubergines. Continue doing so in layers – a bit of tomato sauce, a few basil leaves, more aubergines, then a sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat this 4 times so you will have a nice thick parmigiana. Press down lightly with a spatula to make it compact.

5. Preheat your oven at 160˚Celsius and bake for 25 minutes.

 

Spaghetti allo Scoglio

A delicious main course to share perfect for a Date Night or celebration meal.

VIEW METHOD

You will need:

Spaghetti (we use spaghetti from Gragnano in the Campania region)

150g clams 150g mussels 6 king prawns (we use red prawns from Sicily)

150g calamari (cleaned)

100g crab meat

1 clove of chopped garlic

Fresh chilli

Chopped parsley

Half a glass of white wine

Method:
Rinse and clean the clams and mussels, cut the calamari into strips and remove any small bones from the crab meat.
Put a pot of water on to cook the spaghetti adding a little bit of salt. Then, pour a drop of olive oil into a frying pan and sweat some chopped garlic and fresh chilli, add your clams and mussels and pour in half glass of white wine. Cover with a lid. In the meantime, add the pasta to the pot of boiling salted water.
Lift the lid from the frying pan and add the prawns, then the calamari and the crab meat. Cook for two minutes and then put it to one side. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander keeping a little bit of water, then pour the pasta on to the fish sauce and start to stir everything together adding a little bit more of the cooking water if you need to. When the mixture looks nice and creamy, add a touch of olive oil and finish with some chopped parsley, Enjoy!