Guest Chef, Valentina Harris, makes a Puttanesca!
This month welcomes, Guest Chef, Valentina Harris, to the CLWC as she tells us a little about herself and helps show how to make a fantastic-tasting Puttanesca from her recipe!
Match with our Pinot noir Saint Clair 2009 http://www.crackinglittlewinecompany.co.uk/Product/1/275/Saint-Clair-Pinot-Noir.aspx
VALENTINA HARRIS
Celebrity Chef Valentina Harris is the noted authority on Italian food and food culture and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
Valentina currently hosts cookery schools in Italy, the South of France and throughout the world where guests combine a truly wonderful holiday with an exciting`hands on` cookery and wine experience.
Valentina is the Curator of Food for the Vintage Festival at Southbank, London Summer 2011 in conjunction with Wayne & Geraldine Hemmingway and was recently awarded a Gourmand Cookbook Award 2011.
A prolific author of over 40 Italian cookery books, Valentina makes many TV appearances and is always in demand at top food events both presenting, organizing and giving cookery demonstrations. She lectures extensively across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa.
Valentina’s first cookery book, Perfect Pasta, has been translated into six languages and won The Award for Literature and Gastronomy in Germany. Her TV series `Tasting History!` was recently shown on Anglia Television.
Seven other books followed on from the success of Perfect Pasta culminating in the BBC six-part television series. Italian Regional Cookery. Transmitted in the UK, it has since been repeated several times as well as being shown in the USA and Australasia. The book of the series became a top ten best seller. Valentina contributed to The Sunday Times Cooks Companion and Insight Guide to Tuscany and is now established as a prolific writer on Italian food and cuisine and regularly features on television and radio and writes for many leading national newspapers and magazines.
Valentina has worked as a consultant to supermarkets and food manufacturers. Her skills are also sought by food appliance companies, hotel and restaurant groups for marketing, promotions, product, recipe and menu development, through to lecturing, teaching and training. As a raconteur, Valentina has an ability to put across her deep knowledge of Italian food culture and history in a most entertaining and accessible way which makes her in demand as an after dinner speaker as well making her demonstrations uniquely fulfilling for those taking part. She regularly caters for prestigious events with her very able team.
For further information please contact:
Rosemary Melbourne
Celebrity Chefs UK
Central Administration Telephone: 0161 428 9616 / 0789 968 3180
La Puttanesca
You can make this sauce as hot or as mild as you like – what is important is to create a balance of flavours and make sure you can taste everything that is going on throughout the sauce. This is the ultimate in your face Southern Italian sauce, ideal for pasta, but also wonderful with grilled fish such as tuna, or to accompany all sorts of barbecued meats and fish. The Pinot Noir is light enough in character to sit easily with this sauce, and yet has enough body not to let any of the ingredients overpower it. In my opinion, this is a great match!
Serves 4
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped or crushed
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 5 anchovy fillets (either salted or canned in oil, rinsed and dried)
1 to 3 small dried red chili pepper, chopped finely
1 to 2 tablespoons rinsed and dried chopped salted capers
400 mls best quality passata
Very large pinch dried oregano
Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
1/2 glass dry white wine
Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
METHOD:
Fry the garlic and half oil together with the anchovy fillets and the dried chili pepper, until the anchovy dissolves.
Add the capers and the tomato passata and stir together really thoroughly.
Simmer for a few minutes, and then add the oregano, seasoning, and wine. Stir and leave to simmer gently for at least 15 minutes, though if longer, it does no harm.
Serve over freshly cooked pasta, traditionally spaghetti, tossed together with a little extra olive oil and a generous handful of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.
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