1. Fillet of suckling pork in a crust of pistacchio nuts with bitter cocoa sauce

Serve 4

600gr fillet of suckling pork
100gr ground pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (Antiche Terre di Sicilia)
salt & pepper

Red wine sauce
2 lt red wine (Nero D’Avola/Merlot Fazio Wines)
1/4lt veal stock
½ cinnamon stick
100gr unsalted butter
salt & pepper

Reduce the red wine by ¾, add the veal stock, the cinnamon stick and honey. Whisk in the butter to achieve a syrupy consistency, salt and pepper to taste.

Cocoa sauce
50gr honey
¼ veal stock
2 table spoon red wine sauce
30gr cocoa
50gr unsalted butter
salt & pepper

Caramelize the honey by heating it in a small saucepan until it takes a deeper color. Add the veal stock and the red wine sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the cocoa. Bind the sauce by whisking in the butte, salt and pepper to taste.

Suckling pork fillet: heat 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan and brown the fillet taking care that it remains rare inside. Remove from heat, dust with ground pistachio and transfer to preheated 160° oven for 4 minutes.

Presentation: Arrange slices of the fillet on each plate, drizzle with cocoa sauce and serve accompanied by vegetable of your choice.

Suggested wine: Mara Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore (Cesari)

2. Vegetable stuffed king prawns with almond foam

Serve 4

16 king prawns
40gr caviar
extra virgin olive oil (Antiche Terre di Sicilia)
½ potato
½ carrot
½ small leek
½ zucchini
50gr broad beans
30gr peas
spring of rosemary
a few springs of marjoram

Almond foam
1/4lt cream
1dl white wine (Ribolla Gialla I Feudi di Romans – Lorenzon)
1dl almond milk
30gr almond flour
15gr unsalted butter
salt & pepper

Garnish
8 blanched, slivered almonds
extra virgin olive oil

Vegetables: Finely diced the potato, carrot, leeks and zucchini. Mix with the broad beans and blanch in boiling salted water. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process, drain and mix with the finely chopped herbs.

King Prawn: clean the king prawns, incise them lengthwise and fill them with the vegetable mixture. Thread each on a wooden skewer and refrigerate until ready to use.

Almond foam: Bring the cream to boil with the wine and reduce by half, add the almond milk and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Thicken with the almond flour and the butter, salt and pepper to taste. Beat with a blender just before serving.

Brush the king Prawns with extra virgin olive oil and grill them only on the side without the incision for 2 minutes.

Presentation: Arrange 4 king prawns on each serving plate. Accompany with the almond foam and garnish with the caviar, the slivered almond and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.

Suggested wine: Ribolla Gialla (I Feudi di Romans – Lorenzon)

3. Tortelli alla Norma filled with tomato gelatin and stewed onion

Serve 4

48 disc of fresh egg pasta (4cm in diameter)

Tomato gelatin
200gr peeled cherry tomatoes
10gr powdered unflavored gelatin, salt and pepper

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor, salt and pepper to taste. Heat the tomato pulp into a small saucepan and add the gelatin. Mix well until completely dissolved. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours. When the gelatin has completely solidified, dice it.

Onions
100gr red onion
1 tablespoon mixed chopped herbs (sage, marjoram, rosemary)
salt & pepper

Thinly slice the onions and sauté them with the chopped herbs in a little extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat for 20 minutes, salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce
1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced
1 spring onion
100gr cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Peel and dice the eggplant and sauté in a few tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with the chopped onion and the peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes for a total of 4 minutes, salt to taste.

Tortelli
Place a cube of gelatin and a tiny amount of the onion on half of the pasta disc, cover with another disc, moisten the inner edges with a little water and press to seal. (It is important to work quickly to avoid softening of the gelatin). Cook the bite-sized tortelli in abundant boiling salted water for 2 minutes and rain well. Arrange six small circles of the sauce on each plate, top each circle with a single tortello, sprinkle with salted ricotta and decorated with fried basil leaves.

Suggested wine: Rinascimento (Dievole)

4. Risotto with grilled blood oranges and Moscato Pasito sauce

Serve 4

280gr Carnaroli rice
60gr unsalted butter
½ onion chopped
2dl white wine (Pinot Grigio Villa Martina)
1lt veal broth
80gr grated parmisan (Parmiggiano Reggiano)
120gr foie gras butter

Foie Gras butter
60gr unsalted butter
60gr foie gras paté

Moscato Sauce
¼ Moscato Pasito (KY Fazio Wines)
¼ duck stock
30gr butter
salt & pepper

Garnish
12 grilled blood orange sections
20gr caramelized orange zest
10gr candied ginger

Foie gras butter: blend the butter and paté in a food processor, efrigerate until ready to use.

Moscato sauce: reduce the moscato by 75%, add the duck stock and further reduce by half., whisk in the butter to bind the sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Risotto: Sauté the chopped onion in the butter and add the rice. Mix well to coat thoroughly. Briefly toast the rice, add the white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add a ladle of broth, adjust the heat to maintain an even simmer and cook the rice (adding broth from time to time as it is absorbed) for approximately 16-18 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in the grated parmesan and foie gras butter.

Presentation: Place a portion of the risotto in each serving plate, top with a few sections of the warm grilled blood oranges, decorate with the orange zest and ginger, drizzle with the moscato sauce.

Suggest wine: Pinot Grigio (Villa Martina)

5. Duo of strawberries with basil ice cream and vanilla infused extra virgin olive oil

Serve 10

500gr large strawberries
500gr wild berries
50gr granulated sugar

Vanilla infused extra virgin olive oil
¼ lt extra virgin olive oil (Antiche Terre di Sicilia)
2 vanilla beans

Caramelized olives
100gr pitted black olives
100gr granulated sugar
100gr water

Basil ice cream
8 egg yolks
250gr granulated sugar
80gr glucose
½ lt milk
½ lt cream
80gr fresh basil

Garnish
Fresh basil

Infused oil: split the vanilla beans and immerse them in the oil. Leave at temperature room for 48hrs.

Caramelized olives: Place the olives in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. Simmer over low heat until the water has completely evaporated and the sugar has caramelized. Cool and then chop the olives.

Ice cream: Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light. Incorporate the cold milk and cream and bring just to a boil. Cool, add the glucose and the finely chopped basil. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze.

Presentation: Rinse both strawberries and wild berries. Quarter the strawberries and mix them with the wild berries, the chopped olives, sugar and a little of the infused oil. Crush some berries to release their juices and make sure the ingredients blend well. Place two tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of the plate, top with ice cream and decorate with basil leaves and few drops of the infused oil.

Suggested wine: Brachetto d’Aqui (Gancia)