What to do with the left over bottle of Marsala!
So you went out to the Italian Providore and the Marsala from Sicily caught your eye, a bottle of DOC Antichi Baronati called you over. Why don’t I make Tiramisu you think, and yes, that is exactly what you do. You make the Tiramisu and it lasts all of six hours. Five hours in the fridge, one hour on the table and then it is gone. A few months later you sight the bottle on the shelf and you wonder, how exactly should I deal with this?
If by any chance you have wondered what else you can do with the Marsela after you made that Tiramisu are some simple ways to take care of the bottle of Marsala unless of course you prefer to sit and sip it from a sherry glass in front of the fire each night. If not see below for some inspiration..…
Elizabeth David in her classic book Italian Food suggested that Zabaione (recipe below) “is much recommended by Italian doctors as a restorative” and if you are in the mood for a little Vegetable soup or a wintery chickpea number before your dessert Nigella Lawson insists that Marsala is a wonderful contribution to well most things….Especially she mentions in her bible How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food that one way to enjoy your Marsala is to add it to Vegetable Soup, well that’s quite tempting isn’t it?
See Three Recipes Below……
Carrots with Marsala -
A wonderful side dish, especially for a baked dinner
When you are completely bored of the usual stir fried vegetables or need a little flavour boost to a hot meal this is a winner, the original recipe I sighted in Elizabeth David’s Italian Food….
Ingredients:
600g peeled carrots, cut lengthways and cut in half or thirds
1 large tablespoon of butter (or your preferred cooking fat, I love butter!)
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Marsala
1/3 cup Water
Method:
Melt butter in pan and then add carrots. Move them about gently in melted butter, turning over until marinated.
Cook on medium heat, add sugar, salt, pepper seasoning and marsala allowing it to bubble gently to soften the carrots.
Add in water and stir, allow to bubble gently with a lid on, cook for 5-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.
ED adds a little parsley, I recommend a chunk of bread to soak up the sauce.
Zabaione and Strawberries - A Simple Dessert
The joy of making Zabaione is in beauty of utilising eggs when your chickens have laid too many or the sheer happiness of its creamy and unscious texture. And too be honest once you start spooning mouthfuls it is hard to stop. The addition of Marsala creates a flavour that is deep and velvety. Zabaione is an Italian mainstay, and considered a national treasure of cuisine art in some cookbooks.
Elizabeth David suggests in her classic book Italian Food that Zabaione in the traditional sense (no cream) “is much recommended by Italian Doctors as a restorative”.
I love that, and Nigella well she loves to add it to Vegetable Soup, so why not?
Ingredients for Zabaione:
1/2 Cup Marsala / 80ml
1/2 cup Sugar / 100g
5 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon of water / 10ml
1 and 1/2 Cup Cream / 300ml whipped ready to go (or omit if prefer to)
Fresh Strawberries, or any fruit you prefer
Method:
In a saucepan or double boiler combine marsala, egg yolks, sugar and water. Stir with whisk over low to moderate heat, do not boil, just let slowly heat. Will be nice and foamy with continued stirring. Stir until thickening, will happen all of a sudden best to take the pot off the heat and move onto cooler surface….may curdle if ends up boiling, 5-10 minutes all up.
If happy to add whipped and thickened cream, (it does make it ultra decadent) once the custard mixture is cooled fold through gently until smooth and creamy. Serve with Strawberries and spoons of pillowy goodness.
2 More Options in the realm of Possibilities
Zabaione with Cream - cover and put in freezer for a fabulous icecream in the summer
Zabaione without Cream - pour over a winter pudding or a piece of zesty orange cake (will add that recipe when I workshop oranges)
Enjoy…
You could make a batch of meringues for your neighbours kids, or your partner or whoever, and if you’re not a sweet tooth like my family, well an omelette is a fine option to utilise the whites, just don’t leave them in the fridge too long….
Marsala and Cannellini Bean with Mushroom
This makes a wonderful lunch or easy dinner over some sour dough or with a chunk of bread or green salad on the side you are happy. This recipe came about while I was making a Marsala and Chicken dish for dinner one night.
I decided to make the same thing but with beans for my daughter who is vegetarian and since we love cannellini beans anyway we all had them as a side dish too. I have also made it for lunch layered on fresh sourdough and is very sustaining and tasty.
Ingredients:
200g Button Mushrooms (or favourite kind) sliced
20g Butter
1 can of Cannellini Beans drained
1/3 cup Marsala
1/3 cup Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
Turn on oven, for 180 degrees (moderate heat)
Melt butter in pan (I use cast iron as will later go in oven to bake) layer mushroom over butter and gently brown on low to moderate heat. Try not to crowd the mushroom they cook better if not on top of each other but side by side…
Once browned and looks good turn mushrooms over to cook the other side. Once nice and brown pour in drained beans and let fry for five minutes.
Add marsala and cook for five minutes in the liquid. Gently pour over cream. Add salt and pepper if desired…
Try not to stir just leave to thicken. After another five minutes of cooking turn the heat off and put the dish in the oven and cook on moderate heat (180 degrees) for fifteen minutes until beans are nicely browned and has a golden hue to the dish.
Careful to use a glove to take out of the oven as handle will be hot, but let sit and rest while you create a little salad or toast some bread….if using a cast iron pan it will stay nice and hot.
Enjoy.
