Winter Warmer Recipe - Italian Sausage and Bean Stew

CHICKEN WRAPPED IN PARMA HAM WITH PIZZAIOLA SAUCE

Plump chicken breast fillets are wrapped in parma ham, then sautéed to crisp and cook through, then served with a rich tomato sauce with garlic, black olives and capers

Serves 4
4 skinless medium chicken breast fillets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 small sage leaves
8 slices Parma ham
2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
400g can Cirio Cherry Tomatoes
I tbsp SuperCirio Tomato Puree
8 black olives, pitted and sliced
1 tbsp capers
sage leaves for decoration

Trim chicken breast fillets and lay on a board or worktop. Remove inner fillets and reserve. Season all pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay sage leaves along the length of large fillets. Replace inner fillets to enclose sage.

Wrap each fillet neatly with Parma ham. Heat sunflower oil in a pan and fry wrapped chicken breasts over medium heat all over to brown ham and cook chicken through - about 5 minutes - depending on size of fillets.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Heat remaining oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat to soften but not brown. Add Cirio Cherry Tomatoes and SuperCirio Tomato Puree and bring to bubbling. Cook 2-3 minutes to reduced slightly. Stir in black olives and capers and season.

Serve fillets whole, or halved, with sauce poured around. Decorate with sage leaves.


COUNTRY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEAN STEW

Classic, flavour-packed stew of Italian sausages cooked with beans, celery, onions and Cirio Chopped Tomatoes for a rich and satisfying lunch or dinner

Serves 4
2 tbsp sunflower oil
8 Italian sausages
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sage leaves, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained

Heat oil in a pan and fry sausages to brown lightly all over. Turn down heat and add onion, celery and garlic over gentle heat to soften but not brown. Pour over Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and bring to bubbling. Season, then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes. Add sage and bay leaves. Spoon in cannellini beans and stir. Season again and cook for another 5 minutes to heat beans.


ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH HERBS

Colourful and appetising dish of vegetables roasted with olive oil and whole garlic cloves - which smells headily fragrant as good as it looks. Cirio Peeled Plum Tomatoes are added just before the end of roasting time for extra juiciness and flavour. An excellent accompaniment to roast meats, chop and stews, and meatballs.

Serves 4
1 butternut squash, seeded and in chunks
8 medium new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 red onions, peeled and in wedges
1 medium aubergine, in chunks
1 each green and yellow peppers, seeded and in chunks
8 whole garlic cloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
few sprigs rosemary and thyme
4 tbsp olive oil
400g can Cirio Peeled Plum Tomatoes

Place vegetables in a roasting tin and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter over bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and thyme.

Drizzle generously with olive oil and toss vegetables around with the hands to coat. Place in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for around 20 minutes, until browning around the edges and almost cooked. Remove from oven and tuck Cirio Peeled Plum Tomatoes in between vegetables. Return to oven for another 10 minutes - or until potatoes and squash are tender.


TOMATO TARTS MARGHERITA

Delicious, crisp tarts with puff pastry bases, topped with a rich tomato sauce, mozzarella and salami and baked until risen and bubbling, served scattered with oregano

Makes 4
For the sauce:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g pack ready rolled puff pastry
225g/8oz mozzarella, sliced
4 slices salami
1 egg beaten
fresh oregano, ripped
watercress for decoration

First make the tomato sauce. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat until softened but not brown. Pour over Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and sugar. Bring to bubbling and reduce slightly. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool.

Place pastry on a worktop and unroll flat. Using a saucer as a template, cut out 4 circles. Discard extra pastry. Spread over the cooled tomato sauce, leaving a rim of 1cm/1/2 in. Top with mozzarella and finish with a slice of salami. Brush egg wash over the exposed edge of the pastry.

Bake in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for around 10 minutes, or until pastry is crisp, airy and golden. Serve warm scattered with ripped oregano leaves.


TOMATO TARTS VALENTINO

Delicious, heart-shaped crisp tarts with a puff pastry bases, topped with a rich tomato sauce, mozzarella and salami and baked until risen and bubbling, served scattered with oregano. The perfect treat for a special person on Valentine’s Day

Makes 4
For the sauce:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g pack ready rolled puff pastry
225g/8oz mozzarella, sliced
4 slices salami
1 egg beaten
fresh oregano, ripped
watercress for decoration

First make the tomato sauce. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat until softened but not brown. Pour over Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and sugar. Bring to bubbling and reduce slightly. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool.

Place pastry on a work top and unroll flat. Cut out four heart shapes about 10cm/4in across. Discard extra pastry. Spread over the cooled tomato sauce, leaving a rim of 1cm/1/2 in. Top with mozzarella and finish with a slice of salami. Brush egg wash over the exposed edge of the pastry.

Bake in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for around 10 minutes, or until pastry is crisp, airy and golden. Serve warm scattered with ripped oregano leaves. Decorate with watercress.


LINGUINE WITH DUCK RAGU

Delectable pasta dish of roasted duck breast ripped into a sensational rich tomato sauce which is stirred through linguine and finished with oregano

Serves 4
2 duck breast fillets
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
275g/10oz linguine
1 tbsp fresh oregano, torn

First trim the duck breast and season well on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in a non-stick pan, over high heat skin side down and cook until fat is released and skin is golden. Turn over and cook other side crisp. Remove from oven and leave to rest.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion, celery and garlic over low heat until soft, but not brown. Add Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and stir well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook gently to reduce slightly.

Cook linguine in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender (al dente). Drain. Transfer to sauce and stir through. Slice or shred duck breast and add this with chopped oregano to pasta mix. Toss again. Serve immediately.


TOMATO SORBET

Mindblowingly blissful savoury sorbet made with Cirio Chopped Tomatoes, a suspicion of orange zest, and a dash of Tabasco for a blush of heat. Needless to say, a splash of vodka makes this even more appealing

Serves 4
75g/3oz caster sugar
water to cover
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
Finely grated zest of half an orange
6 drops Tabasco
15ml vodka
2 egg whites, whisked stiff
basil leaves for decoration

First make the syrup. Place sugar in and pan and cover with water. Dissolve sugar over gentle heat, then bring to bubbling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Place Cirio Chopped Tomatoes in a processor and whizz smooth. Sieve, and press through all the flesh and juice. Discard seeds. Transfer pulp to a bowl and add syrup and orange zest. Splash in Tabasco and Vodka. Whisk egg whites stiff and fold into mix. Stir well and transfer to a freezer container to freeze. Halfway through freezing while still slushy, remove from freezer and whisk. Return to freezer.

Chill serving glasses - or shot glasses. Remove sorbet from fridge to soften slightly, then spoon, or scoop into glasses. Decorate with basil leaves.


HOT TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA BRUSCHETTA

Crusty ciabatta, toasted and rubbed with olive oil and garlic, then topped with Cirio Cherry Tomatoes and sliced mozzarella then grilled to unctuous meltingness

Makes 4
1 large ciabatta
2 cut cloves garlic
olive oil for drizzling
400g can Cirio Cherry Tomatoes
2 mozzarella balls, sliced
8 pitted black olives, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
basil sprigs for decoration

Slice ciabatta in half, then cut each piece horizontally to give four flat pieces. Toast ciabbatta on both sides. Rub cut sides with a cut clove of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Top with Cirio Cherry Tomatoes. Place sliced mozzarella on top then dot with black olive pieces. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Return to grill until cheese has melted. Serve immediately decorated with basil sprigs.


RISOTTO AL MARE

Wonderful seafood risotto packed with mussels, squid, prawns, and scallops flavoured and enriched with Cirio Passata. This is a great seafood experience and the Passata gives it a special edge of tastiness.



Serves 4
450g/1lb mussels
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 wineglass dry white wine
1 tbsp roughly chopped flat parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 small squids
8 scallops (without corals)

Cirio Passata – checking quantity…

For the risotto:
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
275g/10oz risotto rice
1 wineglass dry white wine
700ml/1 /1/4pt fish or chicken stock
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

First cook the mussels. Pick them over and discard any which are not closed or which do not close when tapped with the back of a knife. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat to soften. Add white wine and bring to bubbling. Tip in mussels all at once and add parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for no more than 2 minutes (mussels will shrivel if over cooked). Remove from heat and drain juice into a jug. Discard any mussels that remain closed. When cooled remove meats from half the mussels and leave the rest in their shells. Reserve.

Slit squids along the length and cut into chunks. Reserve with trimmed tentacles. Slice scallops horizontally. For the risotto, heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat to soften but not brown. Add rice and stir to coat in oniony mix. Pour over wine and simmer until wine almost disappears.

Over medium heat, gradually add stock by the ladleful stirring all the time until it is absorbed before adding more. Use the reserved mussel stock here as well. Stir in Cirio Passata. Continue adding stocks until rice is just tender (you may not need it all so keep testing the rice). Season. Stir squid, squid tentacles and scallop slices into hot rice. Continue stirring to cook these just a couple of minutes. Add prawns, and mussels (both shelled, and in their shells) and scatter with parsley. Cook a few minutes more to heat through, then serve immediately.

CLASSIC TOMATO SAUCES

CHUNKY
This is a great chunky, very easy Cirio Chopped Tomato Sauce for long pasta, or to go with grilled meats, sausages, or fish

Serves 4
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks celery, trimmed and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion, celery and garlic and over gentle heat to soften, but not brown. Pour over Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and bring to bubbling. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in parsley, then use immediately. This sauce can also be stored, covered in the fridge for 3 days.

SMOOTH
Fabulous, richly flavoured, velvety smooth Cirio Sauce for fine pasta like vermicelli, or tagliarini, or poured over poached chicken breast fillet for simple elegance

Serves 4
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
400g can Cirio Chopped Tomatoes
3 fresh basil leaves, torn
25g/1oz unsalted butter
sea salt and white pepper

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic over gentle heat to soften, but not brown. Add Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and bring to bubbling. Simmer 3 minutes. Add basil leaves then whizz smooth. Strain through a nylon sieve. Return to pan and add butter. Season with sea salt and white pepper.