The No Time to Cook Sicilian Dinner Party

Hi Everyone,

Let’s start with a little confession. I love to cook. As in really LOVE to cook. However I NEVER really have time to cook. Instead I learnt to be organised. Plan what I am going to cook, have the ingredients ready and that’s that. If you’ve ever been a dinner party guest you will know this is true.

This menu came about because I have been missing Italy so much and happened to stumble across an Italian cook book (Flavours of Sicily) whilst mulling through the bookshelves one afternoon. It was cooked on Sunday evening after I had spent the day at one of my best friends, sipping tea, mulling about life and going for a casual countryside walk… The ingredients were all ready and I had read the instructions beforehand  so the meal itself was quite quick and easy to prepare… That is except for the cannoli cases which I had baked in the morning already. The perfect meal to finish the perfect day!

Menu

Chilli Prawns with avocado mousse on toasted baguette

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Sicilian stuffed tuna with cherry tomato sauce

Served with a seasonal tossed salad and shaved parmesan 

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Cannoli

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The No Time to Cook Sicilian Dinner Party

Starter: 

Chilli Prawns with avocado mousse on toasted baguette

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 8 king prawns
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper and chilli flakes
• Juice of half a lemon

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• 1 advocado
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 – 2 tablespoons sour cream
• salt, pepper and chilli flakes

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• Baguette sliced on an angle and toasted

Recipe:

Cut the back of the prawns and clean out, then marinate in the oil, salt, pepper, chilli and lemon juice for about 15 minutes.

Pre heat frying pan very hot and then fry prawns briefly on both sides until a golden crust forms.

Meanwhile puree the avocado mousse ingredients in blender forming a thick mousse and toast the bread or grill in oven.

Assemble as shown in picture above.

Main:

Sicilian stuffed tuna with cherry tomato sauce

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 700g tuna steak cut into thin slices (best to ask your fish shop to slice the tuna for you and place clear foil between each slice to make it easier when preparing the dish)
• 2 tbsp cranberries
• 2 tbsp pinenuts
• 4 tbsp white wine
• 4 tbsp fish stock
• 250g bread with the crust removed (cut into small squares)
• 4 tbsp fennel fronds
• 1tbsp (heaped) capers
• pinch cinnamon & nutmeg
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil for frying
• flour for coating the rolls
• pinch of chilli
• 400g cherry tomatoes quartered
• 200g canned chopped tomatoes
• 100g black pitted olives

Recipe:

Soak cranberries in hot water for about 10 minutes, then drain.

Toast pine nuts in frying pan until lightly browned.

Pour wine and fish stock in a small dish, add bread and soak for about 10. minutes, then gently squeeze the bread to almost dry.

Mix together the bread, 2/3 of the cranberries, pine nuts, half the fennel fonds, capers, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Lay tuna slices on the work surface, season with salt and pepper and then place a tablespoon of filling into the middle of each slice.

Roll slices up like a cigar and secure with a wooden toothpick.

Lightly coat each roll in flour and then fry  in olive oil at a moderately hot heat until golden brown. Then transfer to a plate. Wipe pan out and start with the sauce.

— everything above can be prepared in advance if you are having guests for dinner—

Heat a little oil in the same pan then add chilli, remaining capers, cherry tomatoes and canned tomatoes. Cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until thickened.

Stir in 1 tbsp of the fennel fonds and the remaining pine nuts and cranberries.

Add the tuna rolls to the sauce, cover and simmer about 3 minutes until heated through.

Serve with a seasonal tossed salad.

Desert:

Cannoli

Cannoli pastry:

• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1 egg white
• 55 g caster sugar
• 25g plain flour
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 190°C and line 2 baking sheets with paper

Melt the butter and leave to cool

Whisk egg white until stiff then fold in the sugar.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the egg and mix through carefully.

Trickle butter down the sides fo the bowl and fold in.

Put 1 tbsp of the mixture onto the prepared baking trays and spread to circles about 10cm in diameter. Repeat to make about 8 circles.

Bake about 7 minutes. Slide a palette knife under each circle and wrap around round handled wooden spoons. Leave to cool and then slide off-

Filling:

• 55g ricotta
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• 25g dark chocolate grated
• 25 g pistachio nuts chopped finely 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of cinnamon
• icing sugar, cocoa powder and a little additional pistachio nuts for decorating

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Fill a piping bag with the mixture and fill the cannoli pastry cases just before serving.

Place pastries on plates and then dust with icing sugar, cocoa powder and additional pistachio nuts.

Enjoy your no time to cook Sicilian dinner party!

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