Menu Speciality Food Ltd (FKA) IB Food Ltd

Fine Italian ingredients for chefs

Menu Speciality Food Ltd

Suppliers & importers of high quality Italian and
Mediterranean ingredients for discerning chefs

Easter 

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A couple of recipes that go down very well during the Easter Season especially for the
Vegetarians. They can be made in advance and reheated to order. Try them they are delicious and winners!

Torta Salata al Cocktail di Funghi e Crema Funghi Tartufata
(wild mushroom and truffle tart)

Ingredients for approx. 6 portions:

– 180g Puff Pastry
– 500g Thick Bechamel (menu’ bechamel preparation is exquisite)
– 200g Truffle Paste
– 200g Cocktail of Wild Mushrooms
– 80g Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
– 3 Egg Yolks
– Round baking dish approx. 20cm in diameter

Line the tin with the puff pastry and prick with a fork. In a bowl mix all the other ingredients. Once
well amalgamated pour into the pastry case and bake in a preheated oven at 170’ for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

When ready slice and serve.

Please note that you can make individual tartlets and serve on a bed of dressed salad leaves.
They can be cooked in advance and reheated.

Fagottini con Salsa di Carciofi
(Artichoke parcels)

Ingredients for 6 portions:

– 12 Pancakes (approx 15cm in diameter)
– 300g Artichoke Heart Sauce
– 600g Bechamel (very thick)
– 50g Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
– 50g Butter
– 12 Parsley Stalks or Chives
– Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the artichoke sauce with the bechamel and
parmigiano reggiano. Place a little of the filling in the middle of each crepe. Close the crepe into a parcel and tie with fresh parsley stalks. Butter a baking dish and place the parcels inside and pour over the remainder of the butter. Bake in a medium oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve at once.

Again these can be baked in individual dishes and served directly from the oven.

Balsamic vinegar 

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Long known and appreciated for its fine taste, it came to be referred to as ‘balsamic’ thanks to its medicinal qualities. The Estense dukes served it at court. Francesco IV (1779-1846), Duke of Modena, loved to keep a little casket of the precious liquor in his touring coach. Some of the local noble families have managed to pass down from generation to generation personal recipes for the preparation of Balsamic Vinegar, while continuing to feed and produce vinegar that was actually started by their ancestors years ago.

Balsamic Vinegar is a very important ingredient in today’s Mediterranean style of cuisine. It is not just a dressing but used in recipe preparation can make that extra difference to the final dish.

Try it in your recipes and see—Sweet yet Tangy !!!

Strozzapreti al Balsamico

Ingredients for 6 portions:

– 830g Pomodorina
– 300g Strozzapreti
– 30ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– 2 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
– 2 Tbs Fresh Basil
– 20ml Aggazzotti Gold Balsamic Vinegar
– 75g Butter
– 100g Freshly Grated Parmesan

Fry the garlic in the oil until brown. Add the
pomodorina, season with salt and pepper and the
fresh basil leaves.
Cook the strozzapreti in salted boiling water until
al dente. Drain and return to the saucepan with the
butter. Once melted add the balsamic vinegar and toss over a low heat for a few seconds until the penne are brown in colour.
Add the parmesan and pomodorina sauce.
Stir well and serve at once.
Rabbit in Balsamic Vinegar Onions

Ingredients for 6 portions:

– 1 Rabbit cut in to Pieces
– 830g Baby Onions in Balsamic Vinegar
– 300g Mushrooms in Aseptic
– 40ml La Nonna Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– 4 Tbs Flour
– 4 Tbs Fresh Herbs (Rosemary & Thyme)
– Salt and Pepper

Toss the pieces of rabbit in the flour to lightly coat them. Heat the oil with the herbs and add the rabbit for approximately 10 minutes.
Add the baby onions in balsamic vinegar (including their dressing) and cook slowly for another 20 minutes.
Turn up the heat to reduce the sauce.
Add the mushrooms for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at once.

Pesto alla Genovese

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Just a few summer ideas using the Menu’ Pesto alla Genovese.
A very fresh and fragrant ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipe preparations, just a little imagination is required. Pesto has become very popular not only in pasta dishes but in meat, fish and vegetable dishes, infusions. A medley of freshly steamed or stir fried vegetables tossed with a little Pesto and some extra virgin olive oil make a wonderful vegetarian dish.

Just add it to all sorts of recipes and see what happens!

Salmon & Pesto Parcels

Ingredients for 2 portions:

– 28g Pesto
– 75g Fromage Frais
– 2 Sheets Filo Pastry
– 25g Butter (melted)
– 2x125g Salmon Fillets (skinned)
– 50g Cocktail of Wild Mushrooms
– Salt and Pepper
– Salad Leaves (optional)

Mix the pesto with the fromage frais or another soft cheese. Halve each sheet of filo pastry. Layer two pieces of the filo, butter lightly between and on top of the pastry.

Place a salmon fillet in the centre of each pastry rectangle, top with the mushrooms and half of the pesto sauce mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Wrap the pastry around to enclose the fish, brushing most of the remaining butter over the parcels. Place the parcels on a baking sheet.

Cook in the oven at 200’C (400’F) for about 15 minutes or until golden. To serve, open the pastry and spoon in the remaining pesto mixture. Serve accompanied by salad leaves if liked.

Chicken with Pesto & 5 Cheese Sauce

Ingredients for 4 portions:

– 100g Pesto
– 100g 5 Cheese Sauce
– 100ml Milk
– 15g Fresh Basil
– 4 Chicken Breasts with Skin (about 175g each)
– Salt and Pepper

Carefully push 3-4 basil leaves under the skin of each breast.

Place the pesto in a pan with the 5 cheese sauce and milk. Stir over a low heat until amalgamated.

Cook the chicken breasts under a moderate grill for 6-8 minutes on each side or until they are cooked through. Salt + pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Walnut Sauce

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As Christmas is coming closer what better than to put on your menus delicious recipes using the Walnut Sauce! This will not only make your menus interesting to your clientele but also offer superb dishes for the ever increasing vegetarians. ( Please note that you must mention that this sauce is not suitable for nut allergy suffers).

Coralli in a Walnut & Rosemary Pesto

Ingredients for 4 portions:

– 250g Coralli
– 3 tbs Fresh Rosemary
– 120g Walnut Sauce
– 60g 5 Cheese Sauce
– 100 ml Milk
In a blender add the fresh rosemary to the walnut sauce. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water till al dente. Just before straining the pasta add a little of the cooking liquor to the walnut sauce, 5 cheese sauce and milk that has been slowly heating through for a creamy consistency.

Drain the pasta and toss in the sauce.
Serve at once.

 

Maccheroni al Pettine with Walnut &  Mushrooms Sauce

Ingredients for 4 portions:

– 250g Maccheroni al Pettine
– 200g Cocktail of Wild Mushrooms
– 1 Clove Garlic
– Freshly Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
– 100 Walnut Sauce
– 50g 5 Cheese Sauce ( an option)
– 100g Milk
– Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water till al dente.
In the meantime panfry the clove of garlic and the cocktail of wild mushrooms.

Remove the garlic and add the 5 cheese sauce, walnut sauce, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta and toss in this delicious sauce, add the flat leaf parsley and serve at once.

 

Polenta Not

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 Polenta is a granulated form of maize meal that was and is a staple ingredient in Italian
cuisine. It can be served hot, cold, creamy or sliced and grilled. Once cooked is highly
Versatile. The flavour, texture, and colour of polenta improves whatever it is added to, it turns a short crust pastry yellow and crumbly to pancakes that become tastier. It is a stable
ingredient in South American cooking not to mention South African recipes too.

Polenta and Wild Mushroom Cakes Served with a Cream of Funghi Sauce and
Stuffed Char Grilled Peppers

INGREDIENTS FOR APPROX 10 PORTIONS:

1.Polenta and Wild Mushroom Cakes

– 450ml Milk
– 150g Polenta
– 25g Butter
– 50g Onion Finely Diced
– 2 Garlic Cloves
– Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
– 2 Eggs
– 75ml Whipping Cream
– 50g Freshly Grated Parmesan
– 300g Cocktail of 6 Mushrooms

2.Chargrilled Stuffed Peppers

– 550g 10 Even Sized Char Grilled Peppers
– 125g Tuna Fish in Olive Oil
– 50ml Double Cream
– 25g Miniature Capers
– Seasoned Flour

3.Sauce

– 150ml Dry White Wine
– 50g White Truffle Paste
– 75g Pomodorina
– 200ml Whipping Cream
– 100g Cream of 5 Cheese Sauce
– 25g Butter
– Chopped Chives
– 100g Cocktail of 6 Wild Mushrooms

METHOD

Bring the milk to boil, rain in the polenta, cook out for 4-5 minutes until a thick paste is formed and allow to cool.
Fry the onions and garlic in the butter and add them to the polenta, cool a little then stir in the eggs, cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Season to taste.
Butter a baking dish, 3-5cm x 20cm x 50cm deep. Arrange a layer of the cocktail of wild mushrooms on the bottom of the dish, cover with the polenta mix, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in a moderately hot oven for 3-4 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool.
Cut the polenta into into 10 even portions, transfer the portions required to a buttered baking tray, reheat for 8-10 minutes in a moderately hot oven just before ready to serve.
Meanwhile, make up the wild funghi sauce by reducing the white wine by half in a saucepan , add the truffle paste, pomodorina sauce and whipping cream. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Finish by adding the 5 cheese sauce and butter. Keep to one side until ready.
To make the sausages , combine the drained tuna fish, double cream, miniature capers and a little seasoning.
Drain 10 even sized char grilled peppers, pat dry on absorbent paper. Place equal amounts of the filling inside each pepper and mould around the tuna stuffing.
To seal, roll in the cling film to form a sausage, twist the ends to shape. Chill in the refrigerator. When required, dip in seasoned flour and Pan fry until golden. (The sausages can be served as an appetiser on their own on a medley of salad leaves.
To serve, pour a little sauce on the plate.
Place the pre-heated polenta and funghi portion in the centre, top with a char grilled pepper and tuna sausage, sprinkle with chopped chives and garnish with additional cocktail of 6 wild mushrooms.

Spinosi Pasta

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Spinosi la Creme de la Creme of Dried Egg Pasta Since 1933

The simplicity of its ingredients, extra fine durum wheat flour and whole fresh eggs (minimum 33%), obtained after a vigorous selection, makes Spinosi pasta simple to cook: all you need is lots of salted boiling water. With care lift the edges of the paper and let the pasta slide completely into the water. The skill, pride and enthusiasm in making the pasta, the slow and natural drying process: all these combine to create a pasta with a consistent and unmistakable porosity, a pasta which swells considerably during the very short cooking times. You will appreciate the fine taste and its rich aromas, a boundless passion for the products that will overwhelm.

Spinosi with Prosciutto di Parma and Lemon Rind

Ingredients for 4 portions:

– 250g Spinosi 2000 with Omega 3
– 8 Tbs Tornatore Extra Vergin Olive Oil
– Grated Rind of 1 Lemon (approx. 4g)
– 3 Slices of Parma Ham ( julienne)
– 50g Parmigiano Reggiano
– 15g Freshly Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
– 1 Ladle of Cooking WaterChef

Put the oil and the Parma Ham ( cut in thin strips) into a frying pan and heat through. Cook the Spinosini in abundant salted water (about 5l) for 2 minutes, drain and pour into the pan.

Add the ladle of the salted boiling water where the pasta was cooked and heat for about 1 minute.

Grate the Lemon over the top, add the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly chopped Parsley and serve at once.

Spinosi with Porcini Mushrooms

Ingredients for 4 portions:

– 250g Spinosi 2000 with Omega 3
– 200g Porcini del Boscaiolo
– 4 Tbs 5 Cheese Cream Sauce
– 4 Tbs Milk
– 8 Tbs Vegetable Stock
– 1 Clove Garlic
– 15g Freshly Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley

Put the Porcini Mushrooms into a frying pan with the crashed Garlic and pan fry for a few minutes.

Add the 5 Cheese sauce and the milk and amalgamate well.

Cook the Spinosini until al dente approximately 2 minutes in abundant salted boiling water. Drain and add the sauce.
Add the stock and heat through for a couple of minutes.

Sprinkle with freshly chopped Parsley and serve at once.

Cucina Antica Profumata 6x200g

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Cream with a thousand uses with a pleasant, lingering truffle aroma. Can be used both hot and cold for tarts, bruschettas, sandwiches, pizzas, etc. Can be mixed with soft cheeses or mayonnaise to fill choux pastry balls, cannolini, vol-au-vents etc. If lengthened with cream or melted cheese or a drop of milk, ideal for pasta dishes using egg or semolina pasta and rice. Excellent dressing for potato gnocchi or truffle lasagne: make 5 layers with strips of egg pasta, béchamel and diluted truffle cream, cubes of ham and slices of fontina. When you have made the 5 layers, put it in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes at 180°C. Can be used as a sauce on cutlets, fillets, to add flavour to mixed minced meat in order to make aromatic meatballs or fillings for roast meat, or to spread on meat to create stuffed roasts. It is a very versatile sauce that tickles the imagination, so you’ll try it in lots of different ways. A sauce with a delicate mix of fragrances and flavours, exclusive to our company, at a very competitive price.