Valentian Vermouth has teamed up with Edinburgh based Italian cook and food blogger Rossella Petta. Rossella is incredibly well known (and loved) on the Edinburgh hospitality and food & drinks scenes. Some of you may have even sampled her dishes at her pop-up @pettaplates which were a feature of the famous Nauticus “hatch” in Edinburgh during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021!
Valentian featured in the amazing takeaway drinks from the bar in these delicious Petta Plates pop-ups, at the iconic Leith pub, and we were so taken with Rossella’s incredible cooking that we have partnered with her again.
We set Rossella the challenge to create an Italian-Scottish Festive Feast & cocktails to pair – influenced by her Italian nationality & heritage and the bountiful produce offered by both countries – with some addition inspiration & infusion from Valentian Vermouth…And working in collaboration with her photographer & bartender fiancé Nathan Hinze…Rossella has delivered a banquet of dreams!
These sublime dishes & cocktails are perfect for Christmas entertaining – your guests are sure to be wowed by the food and drinks – or perhaps they’re ideal for a decadent night for yourself…or just a break from turkey leftovers. Give these incredible plates a try and you can find all of the drinks recipe’s here.
Welcome drink – Valentian Vin Brulée (Italian version of Mulled Wine)
Cinnamon, sweet & bitter orange, ginger, cloves using Valentian Vermouth and wine (50/50).
Garnish: cinnamon stick and orange slice
Portions for 2 guests (you can slightly change depending on sizes of the prawns).
Ingredients
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 8 King prawns
- 1 Burrata
- 100ml Valentian Vermouth
- 2 or 3 spoons of Extra virgin olive oil
- Pink pepper
- Salt
- 1 Bergamot
- 1 Pomegranate
- 1 clove of Garlic
- Parsley
Toasted sourdough bread with burrata, grilled prawns (marinade in Valentian Vermouth, bergamot juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pink pepper) topped up with pomegranate and bergamot zest accompanied by Valentian Highball (Valentian based, ginger bitters, Italian blood orange soda or a spiced orange ginger ale – recipe pending.)
Wash and clean the king prawns from the shell and devein them. Let them set in a marinade made from a mix of Valentian Vermouth, bergamot juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pink pepper for about 30 min in the fridge. Once the prawns are ready put some garlic “in camicia” or literally “garlic in a shirt” in Italian (which means “unpeeled garlic clove”) in a pan with some butter. Extra virgin olive oil can be a substitute too. Quantity for the marinade depends on how many prawns you are using but make sure the marinade covers the prawns.
Now toast your sourdough bread, spread the burrata and once prawns are cooked place them on top of the bruschetta and finish it off with some pomegranate seeds, some bergamot zest and fresh parsley to serve.
Primo – Lobster linguine in a Valentian Bisque accompanied by a twist on Bobby Burns classic cocktail
Portions for 2 guests:
- 1 lobster
- 300g of Linguine Liguori
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove if garlic
- 500g of plum or cherry tomatoes (fresh is best! I do not recommend to use canned tomato or passata – it will change the flavours of the lobster completely)
- 100 ml of Valentian Vermouth
- 4 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
- Ice
Clean your lobster under running cold water and if it’s still alive make sure you gently kill it in one move before cooking it.
Once the lobster is clean start cutting the shell on the belly with scissors and remove this part. It will be now very easy to remove the whole body shell without damaging the meat. Cut the head, the legs and the claws and keep them on the side. Refrigerate the meat (body) until ready to use it.
Finely chop some shallots, garlic and fresh plum or cherry tomatoes and let them simmer in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes. Once you start smelling the garlic infusing in the extra virgin olive oil you can add the shells, the head and the claws in the pan. You could gently break the claws before serving them so they also release all the juice in the bisque but for aesthetic purposes you can also leave them whole (but please provide a lobster cracker to your guests). Add some fresh parsley and let it cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Now add a splash of Valentian Vermouth and let it evaporate. Once it has evaporated you can cover the shells with cold water and a few ice cubes and reduce the heat to low, cover it and let it simmer for an hour. Adjust with salt and pepper to your taste.
After an hour uncover your pan and check the consistency of your bisque: if it’s still too runny then let it cook for a bit longer with no lid on until it reaches the texture desired.
Filter it and set on the side.
Now cook your Linguine (I’ve used Linguine Liguori from Gragnano) in a big pot of salty water. Drain your pasta 5 minutes before Cooke “al dente” and finish the cooking in a pan slowly pouring the bisque and cooking the pasta like it was a Risotto. This way the pasta will release some of the gluten creating a natural creamy result. While your pasta is enjoying this slow cooking process, put some garlic “in camicia”, butter and thyme in a small pan and gently cook the lobster meat for a few minutes.
When your pasta is cooked “Al dente” plate it and then add your lobster on top. Serve the claws on the side for the brave ones. A touch of parsley and buon appetito!
Dolce – Panettonemisú infused with absinthe accompanied by Valentian Flip
Great idea to use leftovers panettone and create a new dessert. The panettone will be infused/soaked in a wormwood & coffee sauce alternate in layers of panettone and mascarpone cream. Accompanied by Valentian Flip inspired by the Italian Vov liquor.
Portions for 4 people or 2 (depending on how much of a sweet tooth your guests have. Mine always call for a round 2!)
- 250 g Mascarpone
- 60 g sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 4 panettone slices
- Coffee
- 3 teaspoons of absinthe
- dark chocolate to sprinkle
Prepare the coffee and put it in a bowl or glass with 3 teaspoons of absinthe and let it cool down in the fridge. Separate the egg yolks from albumens. Whip the egg whites until stiff, while in another bowl mix the egg yolks with sugar until the cream is smooth. Add mascarpone to the cream and keep whipping. Now gently add the whipped egg whites slowly to the egg yolk and mascarpone cream, mixing with a spatula always from the bottom to the top. Now you can start creating your Panettonemisú layering some mascarpone cream at the bottom of your glass, then some panettone dipped in coffee and absinthe, then sprinkle some dark chocolate and so on until you finish all the ingredients. Just a delicious finish to a great Christmas meal especially when accompanied by our Vov inspired Valentian Flip cocktail.