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Mamma
mia! Mascarpone!
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Add
a touch of sophistication to your recipes with mouth-watering
mascarpone cheese
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 Mascarpone
is a pure double-cream cheese made in Northern Italy.
It has a creamy texture and a slightly acidic taste,
similar to clotted cream or crème fraiche.
Although a number of varieties are available abroad
none have quite the same exquisite taste and finesse
of the freshly made mascarpone you can buy in Italy's
many speciality cheese shops.
Originally made in winter (in the days before fridges
and coolers) in the areas around Lecco, Como
and Lodi in Lombardy, mascarpone takes
its name from mascherpa or mascarpia,
which is the local term for ricotta. An original
translation comes courtesy of Nicola, who when taking
his American girlfriend on a trip around the supermarket
pointed out 'but big shoe' - ma-scarp-one. You can
imagine the confusion that ensued! (Bridget, the
said girlfriend, now speaks Italian better than
Nicola and makes a tiramisu you could die
for.)
 Made
from cream rather than milk, mascarpone lends itself
to all sorts of dishes from antipasti to pasta and
rice, and from second courses (entrees) to delightful
deserts.
Here are two mouth-watering recipes to bring
a taste of Italy into your kitchen.
Fettuccine
with prawns and mascarpone.
Feeds 6 |
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500 g fresh fettuccine
(if possible choose fresh egg pasta cut
into 1cm-thick ribbons)
250 g peeled prawns
250 g fresh mascarpone
half a glass of dry white wine
1 spring onion, chopped
butter
fresh parsley
salt
freshly grated black pepper
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Put
the prawns, onion and butter in a pan. Heat
until the butter turns golden then add the
wine. When the wine has evaporated add the
parsley and black pepper. Reduce heat and
simmer for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and
blend or mash half of the prawns. Put the
prawn mash in a pan with the mascarpone and
a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Meanwhile
cook the fettuccine in salted boiling water
until tender. Toss the pasta in the prawn
and cream sauce then stir in the reserved
prawns. Serve with grated pepper and a bottle
of dry white wine such as Bianco
secco di Custoza.
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Sole
with mascarpone
Feeds 4 |
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400 g sole fillets
70 g mascarpone
50 g butter
250 ml milk
1 egg yolk, beaten
juice of 1/2 lemon
flour
parsley
sage
salt and pepper
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Season
the fish and cook gently with half the butter
and sage leaves. Make a béchamel sauce
with the remaining butter, flour and milk.
Add the cooled cooking liquid to the white
sauce along with the egg yolk and chopped
parsley. Now carefully mix in the mascarpone,
one spoon at a time along with the lemon juice.
Pour the sauce over the fish and reheat if
necessary. Serve with a good quality white
wine such as Bianco
d’Alcamo. |
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| by
MARIA
LINARDI |
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May
2001
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
