ITALIAN MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Recipe Description .....

• large glug extra virgin olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 100g pine nuts, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• handful parsley, finely chopped
• 2 leaves basil, torn
• Sprig rosemary, chopped
• 2 tspn ground fennel seeds
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• 250g ricotta
• 30g parmesan, grated
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 250g each pork and beef mince

Sauce

• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 100ml Settlement Wines 2006 Shiraz

Heat oil in saucepan and cook the onion and pine nuts until the onion is soft and the pine nuts are lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook further for 5 mins, then set this mixture aside.

Put the herbs, fennel seeds, breadcrumbs. Ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, egg and mince in a large bowl with the onion mixture and combine with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the mixture for 1 hour (or preferably, overnight).

To make the meatballs, roll about 50g of mixture into balls, lightly flatten and fry till golden brown on both sides. You may need to add more oil as you go to prevent the meatballs from sticking. Don’t put too many in the pan at one time. When all meatballs are cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

To make the sauce, add tomatoes and wine to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 mins. Gently add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer gently for 20 mins. Leave for 10 mins before serving.

Perfect with Settlement Wines 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon.

MINESTRONE ALLA GENOVESE

Recipe Description .....

• 200g dried borlotti beans
• 1 tbspn butter
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbspn parsley, chopped
• 2 sage leaves
• 100g pancetta, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled, diced
• 1 tspn tomato paste
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 litres good chicken stock
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 200g shelled peas
• 100g green beans, chopped
• ¼ cabbage, shredded
• 150g small pasta
• Parmesan, to serve

Put the borlotti beans in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, parsley, sage and pancetta. Cook over low heat, stirring once or twice for about 10 mins.

Add the celery, carrot and potatoes and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and borlotti beans and season with salt and pepper. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and leave to simmer on low heat for 2 hours, stirring once or twice.

Add the zucchini, peas, beans, cabbage and pasta. Simmer for 10 mins, or until the pasta is just cooked. Top with grated parmesan and basil pesto and serve with warm crusty bread.

LAMB CASSEROLE

Recipe Description .....

• large glug extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 kg lamb shoulder, diced
• I brown onion, chopped
• I celery stalk, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 150 ml Settlement Wines Marsala da Cucina
• 1 tspn dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbspn tomato paste
• ½ cup tomato passata
• 250ml good chicken stock
• sprig rosemary
• 8 small onions, peeled, left whole
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• handful parsley

Preheat oven to 180?C.

Heat olive oil in large casserole dish. Add the lamb, season with salt and pepper and fry in batches. Remove lamb from dish. Add a little more oil to the pan. Add onion, celery and garlic, cook gently for 5 mins.

Return the lamb to the casserole and pour in Marsala and cook over high heat until reduced by half, scraping the bottom of the dish with a wooden spoon as you go to loosen all the bits of lamb that have stuck. Add chilli and tomato paste and stir. Add passata, stock, rosemary and 200ml water.

Cover with lid and bake in oven for 45 mins. Add potatoes and onions and cook for another 50 mins, or until lamb tender. Stir in parsley and serve.

Great with crusty bread and Settlement Wines 2006 Shiraz.

OSSO BUCCO

Recipe Description .....

• 12 pieces veal osso buco
• Good glug of extra virgin olive oil
• 100g pancetta, chopped into small pieces
• 2 brown onions, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 pinches saffron threads
• 2 tbspn tomato paste
• 2 tbspn each fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme
• 600ml white wine
• 1 cup green beans
• 1.5L good-quality beef stock
• 2 cups spiralli (or similar) pasta
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 juice of 1 lemon
• Parmesan, to serve

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. Cook pancetta for 2 minutes. Add veal and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then turn veal until evenly browned. Season.

Remove veal from pan and set aside. Add onions, celery and carrot to pan and stir. Add saffron and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Return veal to pan and stir in tomato paste, stirring constantly so the paste doesn’t go gluggy. Add rosemary, oregano and thyme. Add wine and stock and cook gently for 5 mins. Put lid on the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours (or put in oven on 160°c). Add green beans for last 30 mins.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet instructions and drain. Set aside.

When meat is falling off the bone, remove veal from pan and add pasta and lemon juice, salt and pepper, stir well. Return veal to the pan and serve topped with parmesan and parsley.

Great accompanied with crusty bread and Settlement Wines 2004 Cabernet Franc.

Serves 4.

Gamberoni al Marsala con Paprika

Recipe Description .....

• 20 large green prawns, peeled and cleaned
  (reserve two heads)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 50g carrot, chopped
• 50g celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 80g butter
• 1/2 cup Marsala da Cucina

Fry onions, carrots, celery and garlic in half the butter until softened.

Add prawns and prawn heads and fry for 3 -4 minutes.

Add the Marsala, remove prawns and put aside, discard prawn heads, season and add paprika to taste and reduce.

Add the remaining butter and melt. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and pour over prawns.

Serve with steamed rice.

Crostini di Fegatini di Pollo con Marsala

Recipe Description .....

• 3 anchovies
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 80g butter
• Olive oil
• nutmeg
• sage
• 200g Chicken Livers
• Crusty Italian Loaf
• Marsala da Cucina
• Brandy
• 10g capers

Fry onion, anchovies and bay leaves in olive oil and add chicken livers.

Add the nutmeg and sage to taste.

Add 1/4 cup of Marsala & 1/4 cup Brandy and season to taste

When cooked, mince very fine, add butter and mix.

Meanwhile, grill thin slices of the bread until golden and spread with the liver mixture.

Filletto di Pollo con Funghi e Marsala

Recipe Description .....

• 8 chicken loin fillets
• 4 shallots
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced – or 10g dried porcini mushrooms
• sage
• butter & oil for frying
• Marsala da Cucina
• Cream

Fry shallots and mushrooms in oil and butter.

(if using Porcini, reconstitute in water first)

Flour fillets and add to pan.

Fry on each side for around 2 minutes or until cooked.

Add sage and Marsala da Cucina and remove chicken.

Reduce and when thick add cream. Replace chicken to pan and coat in sauce and serve.

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Plicate di Vitello al Marsala

Recipe Description

• 4 thin veal steaks
• butter
• flour
• Marsala da Cucina

Add salt and pepper and 1 cup of Marsala da Cucina.

Remove the veal and reduce the sauce.

Add a little cream, heat through and pour over the Veal.

Baked Chicken Marsala

Recipe Description

• 1 whole chicken, segmented
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup herbed bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup Marsala da Cucina

Mix flour with salt & pepper and coat chicken pieces.

Mix milk with egg and dip the chicken, then roll in breadcrumbs.

Place chicken in oiled pan skin side up and dot with butter.
Bake at 180c for 45 minutes.

Drain fat and pour Marsala da Cucina over chicken.

Cover and bake 5 – 10 minutes more.

Beef Tenderloins with Marsala

Recipe Description

• 3 tsp butter + 3 Tbsp melted
• 60g sliced pancetta
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 x 2.5 – 3cm thick slices filet mignon
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup Marsala da Cucina
• 1/2 cup beef stock

Heat 3 tsp butter and pancetta in a skillet large enough to hold meat in one layer.

Sauté until golden brown.

Add onion and sauté until golden.

Remove pancetta and onion with a slotted spoon.

Reserve pancetta and discard onion.

Put beef slices in same skillet and fry until quite brown (~ 3 minutes each side).

Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Add melted butter, Marsala da Cucina and stock, and lower heat.

Cook 2 more minutes on each side, turning once to coat slices with sauce.

Remove meat, place on top of reserved bacon and keep warm.

Boil sauce until slightly reduced, 2 - 3 minutes.

Pour over the meat and serve.

Pan-roasted Chicken with Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Marsala Sauce

Recipe Description

• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 120g prosciutto, cut into strips
• 240g Swiss brown mushrooms, stemmed & halved
• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala da Cucina
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 40g unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Using a mallet, pound chicken to about 1.5cm thick.

Season flour with a fair amount of salt & pepper.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When oil is hot, dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off excess.

Cook chicken in pan for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden, turning once. Remove from pan; cover with foil and keep warm.

Lower heat to medium, add prosciutto to pan with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and another drizzle of oil and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated.

Season with salt & pepper.

Pour the Marsala into the pan; cook for 30 seconds.

Add chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly.

Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan.

Simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through.

Season with salt & pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.