Mediterranean Tastes with Ham – 2007 winner of the “Recipe of the 100th Anniversary: a dish fit for a king” category

Ingredients
1 sea bass
2 slices of ham
20 g pork meat stuffing

Fillet the sea bass and discard the skin. Tie the fillets together and cut the tail. Stuff the fillets with the ham and pork stuffing and roll. Steam for 15 minutes. Cut the steamed fish roll into 5 mm slices.

Ingredients
200 g smoked salmon
1 monkfish fillet
5 sage leaves
2 slices of ham

Trim the salmon into a square shape. Set the sage, ham and monkfish fillet on a level surface. Wrap with polyethylene film to form a round shape. Steam for 15 minutes, then cut into slices.

Serving arrangement
Arrange 2 sea bass rings and 3 slices of salmon in a semi-circle on a serving dish. Finish off to taste dotting the dish with drops of pumpkin juice, asparagus, capers, cherry tomatoes, pearl onions and saffron boiled potatoes.

(2006)
Crispy ravioli with soft cheeses and Val Liona Dolce ham, San Marzano tomato marinade and basil foam.

Ingredients for the ravioli dough
160 g all-purpose flour
80 g remilled durum wheat flour
75 g pasteurized egg yolks
30 g pasteurized egg whites
5 g water

Ingredients for the stuffing
80 g taleggio cheese
20 g Parmesan cheese
20 g fresh cow’s milk ricotta
60 g Val Liona Dolce ham

For the basil foam
20 g vegetable stock
80 g basil
10 g salt
10 g Parmesan cheese
5 g lightly toasted pine nuts
60 g extra virgin Colli Berici olive oil
1 cube of ice

For the San Marzano tomato marinade
80 g San Marzano tomatoes
8 g shallots
10 g extra virgin Colli Berici olive oil
10 g Herbes de Provence, freshly chopped
Salt and pepper

For the dough
Make the dough by combining all the ingredients. Process using planetary mixing action for 15 minutes until smooth and homogenous. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for an hour.

For the stuffing
Trim the rind off the cheese and process for 5 minutes using planetary mixer action and the beater blade. Shape into balls using a pastry bag and wrap the balls with slices of raw ham. Roll out the pasta very thinly and stuff the ravioli with the filling.

For the foam
Process all the ingredients with a blender to make a basil foam.

For the San Marzano tomato marinade
Make a slit in the tomatoes, drop them into boiling water for a few seconds, then remove from the water and peel. Transfer them to ice water to cool. Sauté the finely chopped shallots in extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced San Marzano tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes, then add the chopped herbs.

Serving arrangement
Fry the ravioli in plenty of oil for a few minutes. Dry on paper towels and place them in a diagonal on a square plate. Drizzle the left side with a tablespoon of basil foam and the right side with a spoonful of marinade. Garnish with fried basil leaves and a candied San Marzano tomato petal.

(2006)
Open ravioli with summer vegetables, scampi, monkfish and San Daniele ham

Ingredients for the egg pasta
350 g all-purpose flour
25 g durum wheat flour
8 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
Fresh dill
Salt
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate

Ingredients for the stuffing
2 scampi
100 g monkfish fillet
1 courgette
¼ yellow pepper
1 carrot
50 g broad beans
50 g peas
1 scampi
Slice of San Daniele ham
Kadaifi dough

Ingredients for American sauce
30 g carrots
30 g celery
30 g leeks
30 g fennel
Bay leaves
500 g of crustacean shells
7 oz cognac
10 g tomato concentrate
ice, as needed
1 sachet saffron
2 l water
2 vine-ripened tomatoes
Extra virgin Colli Berici olive oil

For the egg pasta
Knead the ingredients together, divide the dough into two parts. Roll out one half, add the tomato concentrate and cut into squares.

For the stuffing
Toss the washed vegetables chopped in cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
Clean the scampi, cut them in half, toss them and season with salt and pepper. Clean and blanch the broad beans and peas.
Cook the pasta squares in plenty of boiling, salt water. Drain, dry and arrange them on a plate. Stuff the squares with vegetables, scampi and the monkfish fillet. Cover them with the pink dough.

To garnish
Shell the scampi tail and wrap in San Daniele ham and then in Kadaifi dough. Fry the tail.

For the American sauce
Finely chop carrots, celery, leeks and fennel, add the bay leaves and sauté. Toast the shells in the oven add them to the sauce, add brandy and light it, let flames burn off.
Add the tomato concentrate and the sachet of saffron. Add water and ice, and then the vine-ripened tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam occasionally. Boil for about 5 hours. Filter, then reduce further.
When ready to serve, add a dash of extra virgin olive oil and whisk.

Bean cappuccino with Val Liona Dolce croissant sandwich

Ingredients
500 g beans
1 clove garlic
80 g onions
80 g celery
80 g carrots
Extra virgin Colli Berici olive oil
Stock
1 tomato

Method
Peel the onions, carrots and wash the celery. Chop and sauté in oil. Add the beans (previously soaked). Add stock and tomatoes and cook for three hours. Remove some of the beans, process the sauce with a blender and pass through a chinoise. Put 4/5 beans in a cappuccino cup, add the bean sauce and cover with whipped cream. Serve with croissant sandwich stuffed with ham and Val Liona Dolce ham.