Caramella Of Mint And Ricotta Food

YOGURT, MINT AND LIME MARINADE

Steps:

• Mix together the ingredients and smear over your chosen meat before leaving it to marinate.;

CRISPY ZUCCHINI FLOWERS STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND MINT

Steps:

• These stuffed zucchini flowers look and taste amazing! Make sure they're eaten straightaway, while they're still crisp and hot. If you can't get hold of any flowers you can still make the recipe using just the zucchini - it will be like an Italian tempura.
• Beat the ricotta in a bowl with the nutmeg, the Parmesan, lemon zest and most of the chopped mint and chiles. Season carefully, with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To make a lovely light batter, put the flour into a mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Pour in the white wine and whisk until thick and smooth. At this point the consistency of the batter should be like heavy cream or, if you dip your finger in, it should stick to your finger and nicely coat it. If it's too thin, add a bit more flour; if it's too thick, add a little more wine.
• Open the zucchini flowers up gently, keeping them attached to the zucchini, and snip off the pointed stamen inside because these taste bitter. Give the flowers a gentle rinse if you like.
• With a teaspoon, carefully fill each flower with the ricotta mixture. Or, as I prefer to do, spoon the ricotta into the corner of a sandwich bag. Snip 1/2-inch off the corner and use this as a makeshift piping bag to gently squeeze the filling into each flower, until just full. Carefully press the flowers back together around the mixture to seal it in. Then put the flowers aside. (Any leftover ricotta can be smeared on hot crostini as a snack!)
• Now for the deep-frying bit. Get everyone out of the way if you can and make sure there are no kids around. Have tongs or a spider ready for lifting the flowers out of the oil, and a plate with a double layer of paper towels on it for draining. Pour the oil into a deep fat fryer or large deep saucepan so it's about 4 inches deep. Heat it up to 350 degrees F or, if using a saucepan, put in your piece of potato. As soon as the potato turns golden, floats to the surface and starts to sizzle, the oil is just about the right temperature. Remove the potato from the pan.
• One by one, dip the zucchini with their ricotta-stuffed flowers into the batter, making sure they're completely covered, and gently let any excess drip off. Carefully release them, away from you, into the hot oil. Quickly batter another 1 or 2 flowers and any small zucchini (or parsley) leaves if you have any - but don't crowd the pan too much otherwise they'll stick together. Fry until golden and crisp all over, then lift them out of the oil and drain on the paper towels. Remove to a plate or board and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and the remaining chile and mint. Serve with half a lemon to squeeze over. Bloody delicious. Eat them quick!
• "Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"

RICOTTA AND SPINACH FRITTATA WITH MINT

Steps:

• Steam the spinach above 1 inch of boiling water just until it wilts, about two minutes. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess moisture and chop fine.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, pepper, ricotta, garlic, spinach and mint.
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy 10-inch nonstick skillet. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.
• Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a wooden spatula so that the bottom doesn't burn. It should turn a golden color. The eggs should be just about set; cook a few minutes longer if they're not.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn't burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn't sticking, and allow it to cool for at least five minutes and for as long as 15 minutes. Loosen the edges with a wooden or plastic spatula. Carefully slide from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges or into smaller bite-size diamonds. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

BAKED RICOTTA FRITTATA WITH FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oil in a 2-quart baking dish or a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Rub the oil over the sides of the pan, and place in the oven. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, ricotta, mint and garlic. Remove the baking dish from the oven and scrape in the egg mixture. Return to the oven, and bake 30 minutes or until lightly colored on the top and set.
• Remove from the heat, and allow to sit for 10 minutes or longer before serving. Serve hot, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

ROLLED CASSATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)/gas 4.
• For the sponge, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer, or by hand, until pale, fluffy and at least doubled in size. Sift in the flour, add the vanilla paste, then slowly fold through. Grease a 26-by-36-centimeter (10-by-14-inch) baking tray with butter, then line it with parchment paper and grease that, too. Spoon the batter into the tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, blitz the pistachios in a food processor until fine. Break in the marzipan and blitz until it forms a dough, adding a splash of water to combine, if needed.
• Take the sponge out of the oven and confidently flip it out on to a clean tea towel. Peel off the parchment paper, place it back on top, then roll up while the sponge is still warm and flexible. Leave to cool for around 20 minutes.
• For the filling, whiz the ricotta with the sugar in a food processor until smooth. Toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan until golden, then finely chop with the candied fruit, pistachios and chocolate. Mix into the ricotta.
• Roll out most of the marzipan on a large sheet of parchment paper to 26 by 46 centimeters (10 by 18 inches), and 2 millimeters (1/16 inch) thick. Spread over the jam, unroll the sponge on top, drizzle over the Vin Santo and spread over the ricotta. Line up the cherries along the side nearest you, then, using the paper to help you, roll it up, pressing lightly to seal. Trim the ends, then roll out the remaining marzipan and stamp out shapes to decorate the top. Serve it after 30 minutes, chilling in the fridge, or freeze for another day. If frozen, defrost in the fridge for 3 hours before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar to finish.

FULL MONTY BREAKFAST

Steps:

• Line up tomatoes in a large roasting tray, scored sides up, with the mushrooms, the black pudding and the sausages. Let everything overlap so that the flavours really get in there. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper, then place under a preheated medium grill.
• Prepare the scrambled eggs by whisking with the milk. Melt some butter in a non-stick pan and pour in the eggs. Keep the heat low and gently stir to scramble. Remove the tray from under the grill and drape the bacon across the tomatoes and black pudding. Place back under the grill. When the eggs are just about done, season them and serve on some thick slices of toasted bread with a bit of everything else on your plate too!

RAVIOLI OF SMASHED FAVA BEANS, MINT AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• If the fava beans are very small and soft, you can use them raw. If they are medium to large, blanch them until just tender in unsalted boiling water (remove the skins after blanching if they are slightly tough). Smash or finely chop half the beans and leave the other half whole.
• Put all the beans into a bowl with the chopped mint (added to taste), olive oil and ricotta. Lightly fork this through, adding the Parmesan, lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Stuff the ravioli with the filling and cook them in gently boiling salted water for around 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain carefully.
• Serve drizzled with a little extra olive oil, and scattered with the extra fava beans, some chopped mint, olive oil and some freshly grated or shaved Parmesan.

MOZZARELLA AND MIXED LEAF SALAD WITH MINT, PEACH AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Try and get bold of Buffalo Mozzarella if you can -- it makes all the difference as it's softer and tastier than normal mozzarella. I must admit I also like to crumble a little bit of dried chili over my mozzarella, but I'm a chili freak and you may not be, so you don't have to! And use any mixed leaves you fancy.
• Get hold of some really nice ripe peaches, pinch the skin and peel from the bottom to the top then quarter them. Rip the mozzarella into 4 and place on a plate with the peach. Lightly season. Lay a couple of slices of prosciutto over the top. Dress the mixed salad leaves and torn up mint with a little olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Throw the leaves on top of the plate.