Our Signature Dishes

Starter

Caponata Siciliana

Ingredients 
200g largely diced aubergines
100g diced celery
100g diced onions
30g olives (without the pit)
30g Verdura Società Agricola capers (rinsed)
150g tomato sauce and pulp
.500Lt white wine vinegar
Verdura Società Agricola extra virgin olive oil
100 gr. sugar
30 gr. salt
3 sprigs basil
3 sprig thyme
1 Sprig of mint

Preparation 
Marinate the aubergines for 15 minutes with the olive oil, basil and thyme. Add just enough oil to coat all the aubergine lightly. Sauté in a large sauce pan on a high heat until the aubergines are dark brown.

Sauté the celery, onions and mint with a little oil in a separate pan, on medium heat. Cook until the vegetables become translucent and soft, without getting any colour. Add vinegar, sugar and salt to taste. The sugar should balance out the vinegar.

Add the celery and onions to the aubergines and let it stew for half an hour.

Taste to see if you need to add more sugar or salt, and finish with freshly chopped basil.

Busiate with Shrimp and Pistachios

Ingredients

100g Busiate pasta (fresh if possible)
60g chopped pistachios
Or 60g Verdura Società Agricola pistachio pesto
200g white shrimp from Sciacca
1 whole garlic clove (crushed)
10g butter
5g Parmesan
1 sprig of basil
1 sprig of mint
Verdura Società Agricola extra virgin olive oil

Preparation 

Coat the bottom of a saucepan in olive oil. Add the basil, mint and garlic and heat gently, never allowing the ingredients to fry. Add the chopped pistachios and roast them for a minute, always on low heat. If the pan gets too hot, add some water to cool. Remove the herbs and the garlic.

In the meantime drop the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water and cook until very al dente( If the pasta is fresh cook only for 5 minutes) Take out the pasta “al dente” and add to the pan with the pistachios. Add a little cooking water mix together over heat for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook for another minute. Remove the pan from the fire, add the butter, the Parmesan and some more olive oil. Toss the ingredients in the pan to create an emulsion with the sauce. Finally, add freshly chopped basil and mint for flavour.

Main Course

Fish Guazzetto

 Ingredients (for 1 portion) 

100g Seabass fillet
4 Mussels
4 Clams
2 Prawns
50g cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
20g Verdura Società Agricola capers
75g red sicilian potatoes
2 sprigs of Basil
2 sprigs of Thyme
1 clove of garlic
Verdura Società Agricola extra virgin olive oil
Verdura Società Agricola Trapanese pesto

Preparation 

Peel the potatoes and slice ¼ of an inch thick round slices. Add olive oil to a large saucepan and add the potatoes, herbs and garlic. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes until the potatoes are translucent - do not fry the oil. Cover the ingredients with water and continue to cook until the potatoes are soft enough to fall off a knife when pierced.

Add the cherry tomatoes, mussels and clams. Lay the fish and the prawns over the shellfish, season to taste and cover with a lid. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the fillet is cooked through (depending on the thickness of the fillet).

Remove the fillet and the prawns from the pan and put aside, covered to keep warm. Add the capers, freshly chopped herbs and a dash of olive oil and stir gently.

On a plate lay first the potatoes, then fish set aside and finally pour the sauce over, season with ground pepper and serve with toasted foccaccia topped with our Verdura Società Agricola Trapanese pesto.

Dessert

Cassata Siciliana

Ingredients 

1kg almond flour cassata
300g glucose syrup
Few drops of Almond essence
300g ricotta cheese (fresh if possible)
100g sugar powder (confectioner’s)
200g sponge cake (see below)
30g chocolate chips
50g pistachios
Candied pear, mandarins and figs to decorate
For the sponge cake:
22 whole eggs
1kg flour
600 gr. Sugar
125g full fat milk

Preparation 

For the sponge cake: Mix all the ingredients together, except the flour. Add the flour at the very end and mix at a low speed for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a baking sheet covered in non-stick spray and bake at 180 Celsius for 25 minutes. Let it cool and then cut it into strips of ½ cm by 4 cm.

For the filling and icing: Mix the ricotta with the sugar and add a handful of pistachios and chocolate chips. Then, in a separate bowl, make the marzipan by mixing the almond flour, glucose, almond essence and a little water (just enough to mix it all together). Add a few drops of food colouring to make it the traditional green, or alternatively leave it naturally coloured. Roll out the marzipan with a rolling pin and cut it to the same width as the cake tin you are going to use. Sprinkle with flour to stop it from sticking.

To assemble the cake: Place a strip of marzipan around the edge of the cake tin. Place a layer of sponge cake on the bottom of the mould and around the edge of the mould, on top of the marzipan. Fill the tin with the ricotta and top with another layer of sponge cake to cover the ricotta and enclose everything. The sponge cake should not hang over the edge of the mould. Put a plate over the tin and flip it. Gently remove the mould. Decorate the pudding with pistachios, chocolate chips and candied fruits.

Let the pudding rest for at least 4 hours before serving.