Most of us love Italian cuisine. Whether it is a puffy sourdough pizza, or a bowl of silky pasta, we all have a favourite dish.
But, this diverse country has so much more to offer than the standard fare in your local taverna. Acclaimed chef Theo Randall is sharing some of these under-appreciated recipes in his newest book, The Italian Kitchen.
Split into courses – Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Contorni and Dolci – you can expect a feast of flavour on every page.
Here are some of his recipes…
Granita di mandorla con panna
Almond granita with fresh cream
Serves 4
Granita is essential when it is hot in Italy. This almond granita is both refreshing and a treat to eat. Be careful not to roast the nuts too much, because this will overpower the flavour. I have added sweet cream and roasted the strained nut pulp, which adds a welcome crunch. Try it – you won’t be disappointed.
- 250g (9oz) blanched almonds
- 200g (7oz) caster sugar
- 400ml (14fl oz) mineral water
- 300ml (10½fl oz) double cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 50g (1¾oz) icing sugar
Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F/ Gas mark 6.
Place the almonds on a roasting tray and cook for 12 minutes until they turn lightly golden.
Remove and cool down, then add to a food processor along with the sugar and mineral water.
Blitz at full speed for two minutes so the mixture is very smooth.
Line a fine sieve with a fine-mesh cloth and pour the mixture through the cloth and into a bowl.
Squeeze the cloth so you get all the almond juice out of the almonds. Keep the almond paste to one side.
Pour the almond liquid into a flat container and place in the freezer. Every 30 minutes for two hours, break up the semi-frozen mix with a fork until it starts to form ice crystals, then forms a slushy, icy granita.
Scatter the strained almond paste evenly over an oven tray lined with baking parchment and cook in the oven for 10 minutes so that it turns a little caramelised.
Cool down and keep to one side.
Whip the cream with the vanilla extract and icing sugar until soft peaks are formed.
Put the almond granita into ice-cold serving glasses and top each with a generous spoonful of the vanilla cream.
Sprinkle over the caramelised almond to serve.
Zucchini fritti
Fried courgettes
Serves 6
I don’t think there is a more hospitable way to welcome someone than by offering them zucchini fritti with their aperitivo. These little vegetable chips are served all over Italy as a stuzzichino, or side dish. It is important to have clean sunflower oil and fresh courgettes. It is best to fry these in batches or they tend to stick together. Serve them as they come out of the fryer, with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon.
- 8 courgettes
- 250g (9oz) tipo 00 flour
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 egg white, beaten to soft peaks
- 500ml (17fl oz) sunflower oil
- Sea salt
- 1 lemon, halved, to serve
Cut the courgettes at an angle so you get oval-shaped discs that are roughly 1cm (½in) thick.
Place four slices on top of each other and cut 1cm (½in) slices so you end up with short batons. Repeat this until you have cut all the courgettes.
Put the flour and olive oil into a large bowl and whisk in enough warm water for the batter to have the pouring consistency of double cream. Fold in the egg white then add a large handful of the cut courgette batons.
Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based saucepan to 180°C (360°F), or until a breadcrumb sizzles quickly, and carefully scatter the battered courgettes into the hot oil so they are not touching each other.
Cook for a couple of minutes until golden and crispy, then take out with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch any excess oil.
Repeat this until you have cooked all the courgettes. Add salt and serve immediately, with lemon for squeezing over.
Calzoncini Abruzzesi
Baked pastries
Makes 8-10
For the pastry:
- 500g (1lb 2oz) plain flour
- 150g (5½oz) lard, cut into small pieces
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the filling
- 250g (9 oz) ricotta
- 150g (5½ oz) prosciutto di Parma, finely chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 150g (5½ oz) grated provolone
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
- 1 litre (35fl oz) sunflower oil, for frying
Put the flour and lard into a large bowl and use your fingertips to work the lard into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Add the beaten eggs, salt and lemon zest and bring together into a smooth dough.
Divide into four pieces and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes.
While the pastry is chilling, combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and season with salt.
Roll out each piece of dough into a long, thin, flat sheet, wide enough to cut out 8cm (3¼in) circles using a round pastry cutter. Cut out as many circles as you can, then place a heaped teaspoon of filling on each, fold in half and seal, carefully pressing out any excess air. Use a fork to press down the edges.
Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based saucepan to 180°C (356°F).
Add no more than four pastries at a time to the hot oil and cook for five minutes until golden brown, then take them out with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack to drain.
Serve immediately, with a cold beer.
Extracted from The Italian Kitchen, Theo Randall (Quadrille, RRP £28.00) Photography by Lizzie Mayson.
