Recipe Library
The cooking in La Scarpetta is an art, not a science. Instinct and feel are used, not formulas.
There is really no such thing as Italian cooking. It is more a regional thing and Italian cooking is a modern term. Our cooking is more southern drawing specifically on Ciociaria, Abruzzese and Campania .
Marcella Hazan: “There is no such thing as Italian haute cuisine because there are no high or low roads in Italian cooking. All roads lead to the home, to cucina di casa - the only one that deserves to be called Italian cooking.” Our cucina di casa is this above mixture taken from our own home influences.
La Scarpetta cooking is based on fast cooking with the freshest ingredients available. The quality of ingredients is fundamental . If the basics are of a mediocre quality, even the best of chefs cannot create a decent dish. Luckily, here in Scotland we have plenty choice of fine ingredients which are compatible with an Italian style of cooking.
Being on the Banks of Loch Lomond and the Gateway to the Highlands here in Balloch, plenty tourists come through our doors. In the summer it would not be unusual to have a restaurant full of people from all over the world,
`Mpepata di Cozze
Wash and scrub mussels, and place in a pan with plenty cracked pepper over a high heat, covered. Until they open shake pan often. When they are all open add a handful of chopped parsley,chopped garlic, and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with their juices, lemon slices and Italian bread.
Ingredients
Mussels
Lemon juice
Pepper
Garlic
Parsley
Lemon wedges
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Gnocchi di Patate al ragu di abbacchio e peperoni
Gnocchi
Boil floury potatoes in their skin in salted water. Peel and pass through a ricer. Mix in enough flour to make a dough, with an egg, nutmeg, and parmigiano added while mixing. Roll into sausages, cut, roll with fork, and place on floured tray till ready to use.
Ingredients
1kl floury potatoes (maris, edwards or Kerrs)
250gr flour
pinch salt
nutmeg
parmigiano
1 whole egg
Ragu
Salt and pepper the lamb mince and leave it to lie for an hour.Fry garlic cloves with the bay leaf; when it becomes golden add the meat and evenly cook it. Add wine and evaporate. Then add tomatoes and peppers, adjust the seasoning, cover and leave to cook slowly for an hour and a half. Stir from time to time and if it is too dry add a little stock.
Ingredients
500 gr lamb mince salt, pepper and
1/2 glass oil stock
2 cloves garlic
3 bay leafs
1/2 glass dry white wine
6 ripe tomatoes
3 peppers sliced
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Halibut alla Siricusana
2 spoonfulls of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Lightly flour the fish and add it . Fry gently so as not to break up the fish too much.Salt and pepper it. In a separate frying pan soften your shallots, when nearly ready add celery with the leaves if possible, then when they are both softened transfer your fish to this pan, throw in a handful of capers turn the heat up add a shot of balsamic and one of dry white wine. Cook rapidly to reduce and serve sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Ingredients
4 250gr. Halibut steaks ( sea bass fillets give a more delicate dish but can break up under the fast cooking)
4 shallots
stick of celery with leaves
1/2 cup drained and washed capers
shot of balsamic
shot of dry white wine
parsley
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Merluzzo alla casalingha
Lightly oil a pyrex dish. Lay 4 fillets of the haddock, (whiting, or hake) in the dish. Spoon over the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with herbs and spices . Repeat the layers. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with tin foil and bake in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour, uncover and check return to oven for a few minutes and serve.
Ingredients
8 slice haddock
6 bay leafs
chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
pinch of oregano
freash basil and parsley
olive oil
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Costolette di Cervo alla Vecchia Romagna
Cut most of the fat of the cutlets, and batter them gently with the tenderizer. Put salt and pepper on each side.
Heat the butter in he pan.
Place cutlets in the pan and cook rapidly on a good heat for a few minutes, lower the flame a touch and pour in the Vecchia Romagna. Let it cook of completely, add the cream, stir and cook for a few minutes till ready to serve.
For 4 people
8 venison chops
80 gr. Butter
1/2 glass Vecchia Romagna
1 glass double cream
salt and pepper
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Linguine ai gamberi
Place a pot of boiling salted water on a high gas for the pasta.
Cut a cross in tomatoes and place for a few seconds in boiling water. Plunge into cold water and peel. Deseed and chop. Lay aside.
Meanwhile start the sauce. Melt butter in a frying pan, add the chopped shallots and fresh chilli, fry gently till soft and golden. Now put in your crayfish and toss together, add garlic, toss, add white wine, cook for a second or two, then add your stock, and cook down. Put in your chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley.
Now put your pasta in the rolling boiling pot.
Bring sauce to boil, turn down and simmer till pasta ready and toss all together.
Ingredients:
For 4
1kilo linguine
12/16 crayfish or Dublin bay prawns live if possible
12 plum tomatoes
1/2 glass white wine
1/2 glass fish stock
6 shallots
butter
salt and pepper
chilli
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Cervo al Montepulciano
Chop your shoulder of venison into stew size pieces. Place in bowl
with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay, and rosemary. Cover with wine and leave for 24 hours.
In a pan with butter and oil fry drained vegetables from marinade
then add the meat; brown it all. Heat marinade and add it to pan.
Place in medium oven for 2 hours. Remove and put all vegetables through a passatutto, put it back in stew. If you think it is too thin add a little cornflour. Oven it for another 20 mins..
Shoulder of veal
2 medium onions
2 carrots
stick of celery including leaf
2 cloves
garlic
rosemary
cinnamon
bay leaf
Bottle of Montepulciano D`Abruzzo
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Linguine alla Trota affumicato e Rugola
Gently soften the shallots in the olive oil, add the chopped smoked trout, till it just changes colour then through in a good handfull of chopped rocket and toss with the linguine which you have boiled in plenty presalted water.
For 4 people
A packet of linguine
A packet of smoked trout or salmon offcuts
250 gr. Rocket washed and chopped
4 shallots
This dish could also be used in the making of a pizza. Use rough chopped fresh tomatoes, mixed with basil, parsley and garlic. Place the rocket on the base, sprinkle with a few of the toms. Place on your smoked salmon strips and shavings of parmesan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Carpaccio di Angus con Grappa
Slice the fillet as thin as possible. For best results place in the freezer for half an hour before slicing.
Zitti with peas
Rigatone
Pasta with alolgio with chock tuna, mint and cherry tomatoes
Stuffed peppers
Pollo al marengo
Liver Panatone
Thai Fish Cakes
And fry
Fondue – Sugo for canneloni
Add a sugo and put over canneloni made with cheese and vegetables
Fontina and cabbage
Flavoured Bread
Cold soup
Pepperencino
Use gnocchi dough as a pastry casing. Fill with drained fried off salsiccia, spinach,fontina, parmigiana and 2 eggs. Cover with gnocchi pastry lid and bake at180 for 40 mins.
Pot chopped into circles uncooked in pirofila.add capers, onions oregano olio 40-60 mins at 180.
Fry panetone in batter of egg, flour pinch salt. Cover with eggs beaten with sugar rum and cream.
Zuppa Pavese- bread toasted, in plate with raw egg add boiling brodo to plate and serve with parmigiano
Fry 3 leaks slowly in butter- layer with toasted bread, in pirofila. Add 2 eggs beaten with parmigiano s&ppour over layers with hot brodo, cover with parmigiano and bake for 10 mins..
Roast aubergines and line a stampo with them . In a bowl mix ditalini with basil, raw courgettes, fried salmon, 2 eggs, peas parmigiano, spinach, 3 sugo spoonfuuls, s&p. Mix togethr place in stampo cover with aubergines, bake in bain marie for 20mins. Sugo over it.
Tagliatelli with smoked salmon shallots and rucola.
Scalogne - boil in water 5 mins, fry in oil and butter slowly, add s&p, white wine pom concentrate, sugar 15mins cooking.
Mash pots add 1 egg rocket chopped with parmigiano s&p. Put on heat after beating and add ladel of brodo and dry off.
Put on plate and add straciatella mix fried in olive oil eat hot or cold.
Tom sliced quite thick not all the way through add a basil leaf and anchovy. Batter and fry.
Beat eggs s&p farina -pastella. Open musses take out meat. Add mussel water, yeast and choppes toms to pastella add mussel meat and make pakora type fried in olive oil.
Fry wild mush add to ricotta place in bowl surrounded by smoked salmon. Turn it out on plate.
Pappa al pomodoro - onions fried slowly add toms and basil whisk for 10mins. Add water and chopped up bread s&p cook for 1and11/2 hours.
Bread dough like pastry in bowl, fill with boiled pots, layer- breadcrumbs s&ppots, ricotta and parmigiano layer wild mush fried in parsley. End with dough top. 40 mins at 160
Calzone pugliese - cabbage onions olives and fried merluzzo.
Pears stuffed with gorgonzola beaten with ricotta and brandy whipped into cream. Half and lay on flat bottom after seeds taken out garnish with red peppercorns.
Crayfish slit on back -- fry in oil garlic,,white wine and parsley. Lay on bed of rucola and chopped pomodorini. Add balsamic to pan and then pour it over.
Torta Rigatoni mozzarella,prosciutto cotto,piselli, fontina. Add 3 beaten eggs, 2 spoons cream. put in pirofila. with cooked rigatoni add parmigiano and mozza on top Oven 15minutes.
Millefoglie Vegetarania peel pots and boil in salted milk till near.Dry. Cut melanzane and zucchini lenghtwise. Oil salt and grill. Layer with s&p and parmigiano basil and prezemolo.180@15min. Pour over emulsion of oil, s&p + trito.
Tagliatelli fry scalogni, sedano. Poco passata s&p brodo, + piselli crudi. cook 20 min. Add pasta parsey and parmigiano.
Broad bean salad boiled in salt water. mint, lettuce, prosciuto all chopped fine. Dress with lemon and oil.
Potatoes Boiled circles. layer with tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto top with parmigiano 20-25min
Ravioli stuffing fry pots carrots fennel. Add spinach, pancetta, zucchini cook . add brodo cook 10min. Puree the lot. Add 2 egg yolks and work in.
Calamari Stuff with prawns, carrot, tuna and peppers- boil in calamari in cling film.
Melanzane al funghetto with pinoli and prezemoli make pesto. Toss with spaghetti.
Champagne sauce for fish whip double cream with chives and champagne till it
STUFFED SEA BASS:
Marinate fillets with garlic, oil and pepper
fry off aubergine,in little oil, no salt - let cool.
Fill fillet with aubergine and scamorza and basil leaf. Roll and cover in paprika and parmiggiano.
Fry in oil.
sauce: little oil and butter chopped onion, celery and cream and stock; dont fry off just cook down
add green lips and a shot of white wine + some cornflour dissolved in water bit by bit to thicken. s+p.
TAM YAM GAY
chix stock; add in this order lemon grass, galangal, lime leaves torn up, 2 shallots, teaspoon sweet roasted chili paste and oil in paste,
dash of fish sauce, dash lime juice. 2 toms roughly chopped + straw mush + chilis and tiger prawns. finally coriander and spring onions.
POLENTA VOL AU VENTS
Polenta let go cold in tray. cut 2 rings and then a smaller ring out of one of them.
caponata; mushrooms, peppers, spring onion, leek, scalogne, garlic, courgette, cherry toms.
cook 10 min down, add basil and s+p.
build tower add soft cheese in middle put cap on. dress plate with cherry toms and cracked pepper.
BEETROOT STUFFED AND BAKED
fry red onions add mozzarella and bits of beetroot from making holes in whole baked beetroot, restuff and bake for further 5 min.
RACK OF PORK
Cut off excess fat. Cuts between ribs half inch down.
Brown for 15 min. in oil with bay leafs. Rum it. half hour in oven covered. add passed tin pineapple, recover.
half hour later rum it again cover for 15 more min.
CONIGLIO AL VINO E ROSMARINO
wash rabbit well.
oil celery garlic and rabbit in pot covered tightly on low heat for 2 hours turning occassionally.It makes own sauce. Then turn up heat to get rid of liquid - add wine rosemary and s+p evaporate wine add some stock and toms cook for 15 min till sauce forms.
RIGATONI
fry guanciale slowly no oil.
add 2 spicchi d`aglio whole and peperoncino.
take out aglio add rigatoni parmigiano, pepper, and orange zest toss and its ready.
TAGLIOLINI
fry guanciale, garlic and cipolla.
add raw peas and carciofi chopped, and pre boiled spinach and cicoria. add hot water and cook down for 20 min.
add ricotta, pecorino, and tagliolini.
butter stampo add beaten egg and roll around now add breadcrumbs to stick. do 3 times.
add 3 strati of pasta putting uovo soda and steamed carciofi in each layer. Pan gratato over top and serve with sugo di carne?
FETTUCINI ALLA SCAPECE
fry off capers anchovy and garlic add fried courgettes and a shot of aceto balsamico and a little cooking water. + parmigiano and serve.
MARSALA PEACHES
half skin and stoned put in boiling water.
upside down in dish, sprinkle with sugar and pour over marsala to 3/4 peach.
add cinammon and vanilla pod.
gas mark 4 for 40min, and thicken syrup with one teaspoon arrowroot.
chill till ready to serve with mascarpone+sugar+vanilla whipped.
FRAGOLE ALLA MERINGHA
layer fingers of savoiardi dipped in maraschino. now crema pasticceria, fragole on top. Put meringue on top and bake till ready.
TORTA DI SPIGOLA
spigola boiled flesh off bone. roast 3 zucchini, 1 melanzane,1 pepper, and 2 poms.
layer in mould. chill and serve with :- fry courgette and onion add s+p and brodo , blend.
aceto balsamico and herbs on plate.
FETTUCINI CON VERZA
boil verza in salted water. fry off salsiccia add verza, butter, wine and stock. cook down. add fettucini, parsley and parmigiano and serve.
INSALATA DI LIMONE
Chop lemons add mint, oil, chilli and garlic. toss and serve.
RISOTTO PESCATORE DIVERSA
Fry scalogne and make risotto. sauce is scalogne in oil, garlic and butter. add chilli chopped salmon prawnsand lobster. add spinach near end and white wine it. Mix it into risotto and serve with gorgonzola over top.
COLD GNOCCHI
dress with oil scalogno, basil alice and shot of grappa.
TORTA MELANZANE
fry cipolla and melanzane, with aglio. let cool.
add ricotta and chopped poms+ basil and parmigiano, 2 yolks and s+p . put in pastry case and bake at 150 for 35 min decorated with strips of aubergine.
PASTA WITH CANNELINI AND CALAMARIi
Fry thin strips calamari with garlic and rosemary stick.
add cannelini beans, chopped cherry toms and salt.
add fish stock and cook down. Add pasta with dash of cooking water and pepper.
serve with drizzle olive oil sprig rosemary and half cherry tom.
PASTA WITH MELANZANE
fry chopped grilled melanzane with capers lemon rind and olives.
add premade sugo pomodoro, cook for a few mins.
add 3/4 cooked penne or zitti and place in bowl with basil.
In stampo cover outside with grilled melanzane. fill with pasta. melanzane on top
180 for 25 min in bagno maria. serve
Stuffed
Seabass
Ingredients
50g char-grilled
artichokes
100g black
olives
75g sun-blushed
tomatoes
4 anchovy
fillets
1 garlic
clove
1 tbsp chopped
parsley
1 x 750g Sea Bass,
whole, cleaned
1/2 lemon, thinly
sliced
For the
potatoes
250g new
potatoes
3 tbsp Olive
oil
1 shallot,
chopped
1 tbsp chopped
parsley
1 tsp Dijon
mustard
1 tsp white wine
vinegar
Method
1. Preheat the oven
to 190C/gas 5. Roughly chop the artichokes, olives, tomatoes, anchovies, garlic,
and parsley. The mixture should be pretty chunky.
2. Fill the sea bass
with the herby filling, and cover the tail end with lemon slices. Secure the
filling in place with string.
3. Bake in the oven
for 20 minutes, until the fish is tender.
4. While the fish is
in the oven, boil the new potatoes until cooked. Drain and slice in half. Set
aside while you make the onion coating.
5. Heat the olive oil
in a saucepan, and fry the shallot for 1 minute. Tip in the new potatoes, and
add the parsley, mustard and vinegar.
6. To serve, untie
the sea bass and transfer to a plate. Serve with the mustard new potatoes. This
dish goes well with a crisp salad.