From Episode 99: Andrea's Menu

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Marinated Artichokes with Homemade Arugula Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lightly packed cup/30 g fresh baby arugula leaves, stems removed
½ cup/65 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup/50 g pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
½ cup/100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained
Additional fresh baby arugula leaves, for garnish
Cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish

Method:

To make the pesto:

Place 1 lightly packed cup/30 g of arugula, and the Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a blender. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. Season the pesto to taste with salt and pepper. 

To serve:

Arrange the artichokes on a platter and drizzle some of the pesto over the artichokes. Garnish with the additional arugula leaves and tomatoes. Serve and smile.  Cover and reserve any remaining pesto in the refrigerator for another use. Pan-fried Escalope of Pork Wrapped in Prosciutto with Sage and Capers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One 1½-pound/700-g pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
3 tablespoons/45 ml olive oil
12 fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons/25 g drained capers
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter
1 lemon
6 ounces/170 g baby spinach leaves, washed, stems removed

Method:

To prepare the pork:

Place each piece of pork cut side down between sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or heavy rolling pin, gently pound the pieces of pork until they are flattened into 1/2-inch/1.5-cm-thick escalopes.

Sprinkle the pork escalopes with salt and pepper. Wrap one slice of prosciutto around the center of each pork escalope.  Place a large nonstick sauté pan over a high heat.

Once hot, drizzle 1 tablespoon/15 ml of olive oil in the pan and add 2 prosciutto-wrapped pork escalopes. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until the pork is golden brown and cooked through.

Transfer the pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining prosciutto-wrapped pork escalopes. Do not wipe out the pan. Immediately add the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of oil and the sage leaves to the same pan. Cook for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the capers and butter. Grate the lemon zest over the capers. Swirl the pan to melt the butter and combine the flavors.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the caper mixture. Stir into the caper mixture any juices that have accumulated on the plate of pork. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, to prepare the spinach and serve:

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of olive oil in a separate large sauté pan over a moderate to high heat. Add the spinach and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minute or until the spinach wilts.  Squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach, if necessary, and divide the spinach among 4 serving plates.

Place one pork escalope over each mound of spinach.  Pour the caper sauce over the pork escalopes and serve. Five-hour Apple Cake with Orange Zest

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 cup/200 g plus 10 teaspoons/40 g granulated sugar
¼ cup/55 ml water
10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced on a mandoline into 1/8-inch-/3-mm-thick slices
2 oranges (both zest and segments)
Whipped cream

Method:

To make the caramel sauce:

Place a heavy based medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 cup/200 g of sugar and ¼ cup/55 ml of water. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a simmer, then wipe down the sides of the pan with a moistened pastry brush to remove any sugar that clings to the sides of the pan.

Cook the sugar syrup without stirring for about 8 minutes or until it is light brown, occasionally swirling the pan to ensure the sugar syrup browns evenly and wiping down the sides of the pan to remove any sugar crystals.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the caramel into a large ceramic ovenproof soufflé-style dish with a 2-quart/2-liter capacity. Using pot holders, pick up the ceramic dish and swirl the caramel around the sides of the dish to coat.

Set the dish aside for about 10 minutes or until the caramel is cool. Place the dish in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the caramel hardens.

To assemble the apple cake:

Preheat the oven to 250°F/120°C. Arrange a neat layer of apples over the caramel on the bottom of the dish, overlapping and forming concentric circles. Each layer will consist of the slices from 1 apple.

Sprinkle the layer of apples with 1 teaspoon/4 g of sugar and grate a little orange zest over the apples. Repeat the layering process with the remaining apples, sugar and oranges until all the apples have been used, alternating the direction of the concentric circles to increase the stability of the cake. You should have about 10 layers of apples. The apples will extend slightly above the rim of the dish but they will sink back down into the dish as the cake bakes and the apples soften.

Cover the apple cake with aluminum foil. Place the dish in a roasting pan. Add enough warm water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the dish.

Bake the apple cake for about 5 hours or until a skewer can be inserted easily through the middle of the cake. Remove the apple cake from the oven and allow it to cool, then place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until the cake is cold.

To serve:

Using a sharp knife, remove the white pith from the reserved oranges. Cut the oranges between the membranes to release the orange segments. Set the orange segments aside.

Place the dish of apple cake in a bowl of very hot water for about 5 minutes to loosen the caramel from the bottom of the dish. Place a platter atop the apple cake in the dish.

Holding the dish with one hand and the platter with the other hand, invert the apple cake onto the platter. Remove the dish. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream and the reserved orange segments.