Let the scallops turn nice and golden on their undersides (about 1½ minutes for large scallops, less for smaller ones), then turn them over and place the pan in the oven for 1 minute. This just makes sure that after frying them harshly on the outside they are cooked through. Season and transfer them to the bowl of Saffron vinaigrette.
Warm up the celeriac purée in a small pan and season if necessary. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter.
Spoon the purée on to 4 serving plates and arrange the scallops on top. Drain the celery from the ice, season with the lemon oil and arrange on top of the scallops. Drizzle the remaining Saffron vinaigrette around.
Razza al balsamico Skate wing with aged balsamic vinegar
Skate is a great, great fish, with a fantastic flavour, and it’s in season most of the year. In winter, I love it cooked this way, served with balsamic vinegar and pomegranate seeds; or in the summer, simply with a tomato salad.
Sadly, as with so many of our favourite fish, we have taken too much of it from the sea, so it is an endangered species, but I am including this recipe in the hope that stocks will recover and we can enjoy it in good conscience again.
2 tablespoons sultanas
400ml white wine
260ml white wine vinegar
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
2 parsley stalks (no leaves)
3 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
2 medium-sized skate wings, cleaned and trimmed (ask the fishmonger to trim off the thin part of the skate wings for you)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ pomegranate
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 bunches of rocket, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Giorgio’s vinaigrette (see page 51)
4 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
Soak the sultanas in water for about 30 minutes, until they plump up.
Put the wine, 200ml of the vinegar and 1 litre of water into a large pan, wide enough to hold the skate wings side by side. Add the shallot, carrot, herbs, peppercorns and salt. Bring to the boil and put in the skate wings, thickest side downwards. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes, depending on size, until the flesh will come away from the bone if you insert a knife. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the skate in the cooking liquid for a couple of minutes.
Take the skate out of the pan, then put it on a tray and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the rest of the white wine vinegar. Cover with cling film, so that the fish ‘steams’ in the marinade and keeps moist.
Meanwhile, deseed the pomegranate, reserving the seeds. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden.
Take the skate wings from the marinade and cut each one in half, through the bone (it will be soft and easy to cut through).
Toss the rocket with the vinaigrette, arrange on 4 serving plates and place the skate on top. Scatter over equal quantities of pomegranate seeds, sultanas and pine nuts. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar over the skate.
Insalata di borlotti, tonno e cipolle rosse Tuna salad with borlotti beans and red onion
This is good when fresh borlotti beans are in season, from June to September, otherwise use dried ones. Just remember to soak these in water for twenty-four hours, without putting them in the fridge, and change the water as close to every five or six hours as you can. You can cook the beans well in advance. They will keep in their cooking water in the fridge for four or five days, but don’t put your fingers into the water or you will introduce bacteria. When the beans become cold, they harden a little, so take them out of the fridge an hour or so before using, or warm them up in a pan, and they will soften again.
450g fresh borlotti beans (around 200g shelled), or 100g dried borlotti beans, soaked for 24 hours (see page 183)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
bunch of sage
1 red onion
about 500ml vegetable oil for frying
300g fresh tuna, cut into 16 cubes (about 5 × 5 × 5cm)
4 bunches of rocket
2 tablespoons Giorgio’s vinaigrette (see page 51)
salt and pepper
Put the beans in a large pan with plenty of water, plus the olive oil, celery, garlic and sage (no salt, or the beans will toughen). Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Try a bean: they are cooked when the skin, and not just the bean inside, feels soft in the mouth. At this point, you can add salt to taste, then leave the beans to cool in their cooking liquid.
Slice the red onion into very thin rings. Rinse under cold running water to remove some of their sharpness, then put them in a bowl with some ice cubes.
Take out 2 tablespoons of the beans and pulse to a purée in a food processor. Keep on one side.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep saucepan (no more than one-third full) to about 180°C. Season the tuna with salt and pepper, then put about 3-4 cubes at a time (so as not to lower the temperature of the oil) on a ‘spider’ (see photograph, below left) or in a fine sieve. Dip them into the oil and cook for about a minute, moving the cubes around, until the outside of the tuna turns crisp but the inside stays rose-coloured. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, then put in the next batch and continue until all the tuna is cooked.
Season the rocket with salt and dress with the vinaigrette. Squeeze the red onion rings to remove any excess water and mix with the rocket. Finally, remove the beans from their cooking water with a slotted spoon and mix with the rocket and onions. Season to taste.
Spoon the bean purée on to 4 serving plates, then arrange the rocket, onion and bean mixture on top, with the tuna on top of that. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.