The weather is cold and the nights are long so there is nothing better than a bit of comfort food to warm you up this winter.
Gino has shared with us some of his absolute favourite food to keep us toasty warm and our tummies satisfied, enjoy!
Panettone
“Although you can buy them all year round in Italy no Italian Christmas is complete without a classic Panettone. Traditionally they are made with candied peel, but they can come in all sorts of flavours from chocolate chip to Amaretto. One of my favourite British recipes has to be a good bread and butter pudding and I love using any left-over Panettone in mine as the lightness is much better than normal bread and gives the dish a fantastic twist. For a perfect Panettone and Butter Pudding use lemon zest, flaked almonds and Cointreau along with your usual custard base and ensure that the Panettone is soaked into the liquid for at least 30 minutes, which will allow the pudding to grow in the oven like a soufflé. The perfect winter warming dessert.”
Soup
“For the first seventeen years of my life I didn’t really eat soups, except for the odd minestrone once or twice a year, but since I’ve lived in England I have become a convert. I love chunky winter vegetable and bean soups served with fresh warm crusty bread. They always taste better the day after you have made them as all of the flavours have had time to blend together.”
Gnocchi
“I grew up in Naples in Southern Italy and inherited my love of cooking from my Nonno Giovanni, who was a head chef. If I close my eyes, I can still see him rolling gnocchi into shapes with me helping him serve it to our large family. He was a huge influence on my life. If I had to choose one recipe that gives me the greatest pleasure to cook with my children it would be gnocchi al pomodoro as it’s the one time I don’t mind making a mess in the kitchen! Gnocchi has such a unique flavour that I don’t think it should be served with anything but a simple tomato and basil sauce. Always ensure that you serve it with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top and, if you make it for a large number of people, place in a baking tray with the tomato sauce, sprinkle over the cheese and bake in the oven. It is a great dish to serve on a cold evening when you have friends visiting as it is easy to prepare and you can spend the time with your guests.”
Pumpkins
“Around this time of year there are always so many carved pumpkins around the D’Acampo house that I have to come up with more recipes to try and eat some of them! A typical winter meal would be pasta soup with pumpkin, eggs and cheddar cheese – a really hearty soup. Pumpkins are very versatile and adaptable to any course; pumpkin can be prepared as a main dish or a side. There is also very little waste with a pumpkin as you can eat the flesh and seeds and even use the skin. I love using the seeds in breads to add a nutty flavour and texture. In Italy, pumpkin flesh is traditionally used as a pasta filling, which is perfect served with a simple sage butter sauce.”
Turkey
“No British Christmas seems to be complete without a turkey, but I must be honest - I don’t cook one! We usually have a whole sea bass with roasted vegetables. However, in my house we do eat turkey saltimbocca: it's very easy to prepare and, most importantly, is full of flavour. So, for anyone who loves turkey in winter but is bored with the traditional ways of cooking it - try saltimbocca. Simply secure sage leaves and parma ham onto a flattened turkey breast using a cocktail stick, shallow fry until cooked, then serve with a butter and marsala sauce, some cheesy mash and a glass of wine. Fantastico!”
Amaretto
“Amaretto is a traditional almond flavoured Italian liqueur and it conjures up images of Christmas and winter evenings in with my family. It is very versatile and I love using it in desserts such as panna cotta and chocolate torta. I use it to make Tiramisu instead of the more traditionally used Marsala wine – I much prefer it.”
Have you made any of these recipes or are you planning to? Let us know how they went by commenting below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
Cara Mason
Tagged in food Gino D'Acampo Recipes Food Advice