St.Valentine’s Day at Home
for home delivery from 10th February or collection at Kings Norton Farmers Market on Saturday 11th February
(free delivery in Rugby & Revel Villages by arrangement)
For St Valentines Secret Squisito on 11th February click here
Dietary requirements by request – just call Sara on 07824 314 235 because it is all handmade to your order
Antipasti
Mixed olives & bread for 2 – £5.00
Puglian nocellara & kalamata olives. These are the olives you get in Puglia and rarely seen here. Nocellara are ‘Kermit the Frog’ green and the size of a Jack marble whilst Kalamata are Burgundy red (Puglia used to be a Greek province before the Romans!).
Wine recommendations: Clean the palate and open the stomach with, a frizzante white or rosé. We like Prosecco – Martini Prosecco ASDA £5.00 1/2 price at ASDA Rugby this week and now very good value Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Prosecco Conegliano DOC from Rugby Sainsbury’s at £6.99 down from £10.49 (also Tesco), Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rosé NV Morrisons Price: £7.99 ASDA Extra Special Prosecco £7.23, La Gioiosa Pinot Grigio Marca Trevigiana IGT Semi-Sparkling NV (Tesco), Marca Trevigiana, Veneto (Tesco £6.49)
NEWSFLASH
Tesco have put the price of Martini Prosecco up from £5.00 to £11.99 and Martini Asti Spumanti from £5.00 to £7.99 for Valentine’s Day! Try ASDA in Rugby in the meanwhile. Stay tuned and shop around . . .
Primi
Alex’s Home cured Gravad Lax with Dill Mayonnaise for 2 £6.00 or £3.50 per person
The foodie’s answer to smoked salmon and our student’s most popular recipe from our Artisan Curing & Smoking at Home course. Mayononnaise freshly made with Monks Kirby eggs, olive oil and fresh dill.
or
Sara’s filled Valentini Heart Shaped Pasta with Sage Butter for 2 £6.00 or £3.50 per person
Just pop in boiling water, drain and throw on the sage butter. Available filled with Alex’s Tuscan sausage and amaretti or vegetarian with spinach & ricotta. Makes Masterchef look uninspired!
or
Caprese salad £3.50 per person
Classic mozzarella, fresh tomato & basil salad with Puglian DOP olive oil supplied with smoked Trapani sea salt – the taste of Summer right now.
Wine recommendations: A medium weight Chianti like Piccini Chianti Riserva £6.49 at Tesco Rugby or CoOp Bilton, Cecci’s Chianti Classico from Sainsbury’s Rugby at £7.36 or Vino Nobile Montepulciano Poliziano (not Abruzzo btw) from Majestic £7.99. With the valentini try Piccini Supertuscan (this reads like a Piccini advert!) which is a bit lighter and like a good young claret is excellent and worth laying down a few bottloes for next Christmas. On a budget or for a 2nd bottle try Aldi’s Tuscan red at £3.99 or la Collezione Rosso £2.99 (yes, it’s not bad) – best at warm room temperature.
Secondi
Tagliata di Manzo beef striploin tossed with wild rocket, olive oil and Grana Padano shavings on top for 2 £15.50
You will be hard pressed to get this quality of meat in any restaurant in Italy let alone England. Our favourite dinner when we are in Puglia which relies on the best beef. Just roast the striploin in a hot oven for a short time or sear on a griddle to Sara’s instructions, rest whilst eating your antipasti or primi, then slice onto the rocket and toss with olive oil then season. Supplied with smoked Trapani sea salt and smoked peppercorns separate.
or
Arista di Maiale – Tuscany’s most famous dish; roast loin of pork rolled with smoked fennel, garlic, olive oil, Trapani sea salt & pepper for 2 £13.50
There’s an apocryphal story that Florentine Arista di Maiale was served at a church council meeting in Firenze in 1430 to “smooth out some differences between the Roman and Greek Churches”. When the Greek bishops were served the Tuscans most famous pork roast, they were heard to murmur “Arista! Arista!” which in Greek means “This is really terrific!” so Arista it has been ever since. Just pop in the oven.
or
Grigliata Mista – the Italian answer to a mixed grill with Alex’s award winning handmade Tuscan, Napoli & Luganega sausages (one of each), Kristian’s Farm lamb chops, coppa di maiale steaks (poncy pork medallions butchered by Alex).
For 2 £12.50 or £6.50 individually
Get your griddle or George Foreman out and see our wine
or
Tuscan Meatballs – In Tuscany, homemade tomato passata is made and stored by every household since it is the basis of a good marriage with meat & pasta. With robust and slow cooked polpette, Sara’s recipe follows Tuscan tradition with 60:40 beef & pork with onion, herbs and a pinch of chilli in a sugo of Tuscan plum tomatoes, Montepuliciano red wine, carrots, onions, celery, oregano, olive oil, black pepper & Trapani sea salt. Slowly reheat to serve or make into Sara’s Meatball Lasagne with sheets of pasta with fresh ricotta and pesto. A perennial family and customer favourite. For 2 £6.00 or with Squisito spaghetti or pasta penne and fresh rocket pesto and Grana Padano DOP £11.00
Chicken with Lemon & Nocellara Olives – Made with Fosse Meadows Farm ‘The Independent’ Award Winning ‘gourmet chicken’, Sara’s recipe is the perfect dinner to pop in the oven whilst you concentrate on an apperitivo and antipasti! Made with freerange chicken, smoked garlic, white wine, Squisito preserved lemons, Squisito Puglian olives, Squisito smoked Trapani sea salt & pepper. Try with roasted polenta or couscous. For 2 £8.00 or with polenta or couscous £11.00
or
Sara’s Goats Cheese Tart with Caramelised Garlic £6.00 per person
Just pop in the oven to reheat. Supplied with Squisito balsamic glaze.
Handmade with puff pastry with goat’s cheese, caremelised garlic with balsamic glaze and thyme. A big hit at Farmers Market. Pop in the oven to reheat.
Wine recommendations: a heavy red is the order of the day but that does not mean it has to be heavily oaked like rioja so sweeter reds like Primitivo grape goes well. Maybe something like Asda’s Extra Special at £6.25 or Sainsbury’s taste the Difference Primitivo di Manduria from Sainsbury’s Rugby at £5.99 or Paolo Leo Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy 2009 from Waitrose Lutterworth £9.49 (on special offer ths week at £7 something) which is nice but exxy. Another excellent choice is Primitivo Torre Saracena at £6.00 from Bablake Wines in Coventry. For something a bit less sweet try Aglianico di Sicilia 2009 Italy from Majestic, £5.49 down from £6.99 for 2.
Contorni
Gastropub roast potatoes with with smoked sea salt (Sara’s favourite with tagliata btw) £3.50
Chard with Grana Padano £3.50
Insalata Verde £3.50
Roast Polenta £3.50
Cavolo Nero with olive oil, smoked garlic with a hint of chilli £3.50
Dolci
Sara’s Gluten Free Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake topped with Chocolate Ganache with Créme Fraîche £5.00 per person
New Italian. If you area chocoholic look no further.
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Homemade Italian Ice Cream or Sorbeto £3.00 per person or £10.00 as an ‘ice bowl’ to share – See Gelato then speak to Sara!
Sara is the ‘Ice Cream Queen’ so ask about Gin & Tonic Sorbeto or Limoncello Gelato to experience where art meets ice cream.
Wine recommendations: conventional logic suggest a sweet wine to pair with dessert so a pantillera or moscato from Sicily usually does the trick. However, we’ll be drinking a chilled glass of Lambrusco Dolce from ASDA at £2.38 or Medici Ermete from Tony di Maria of AD Maria in Coventry (£7.99 but in a different league). For something sparkling try Martini Asti Spumante from ASDA Rugby. As a dessert wine at £6.79 it’s hard to beat at five times the price so buy an extra for the Summer.
Caffé
Alex’s Venetian roast 100% Columbian Arabica coffee £3.00/200g
For coffee addicts! Smooth, with strength, and ideal for espresso machines, cafettiere or moka pot. Beats Illy hands down. Available in beans or cold ground to preserve the excellent flavour. Moka pots available by request.
Correto
Ask Sara about her limoncello, amaretto, arancello, coffee liqueur, quince vodka, sloe gin, plum brandy etc.
To look at this month’s Secret Squisito menu and supermarket wine best buys click on Secret Squisito
Contact Sara on 01788 833 477 and take a look at some of our recipes by clicking on Recipes
Squisito Deli (squiz-eat-oh) is a unique not just-for-profit producer of Italian food from fresh local ingredients according to Slow Food principles. As qualified teachers we run Artisan Sausage Making, Curing & Smoking, Pasta & Pizza Making or Italian Ice Cream making courses for amateurs & professionals. Our Secret Squisito supper club gets great reviews: “The best supper club food, I’ve had in a long time” ‘Ms Marmite Lover’. Just call 01788 833 477 or email sara@squisito-deli.co.uk
Secret Squisito 