An exclusive range of products from leading British food retailer Waitrose are now available at Arkadia Foodstore in Portomaso, St Julian’s and Victoria. These include Duchy Originals, Essential Waitrose, Heston from Waitrose, Love Life, Waitrose Organic, Seriously, and Cooks’ Ingredients. Here are four recipes, courtesy of Waitrose, which might pull out all the stops for a festive Sunday lunch.
Chocolate cherrymisù
Serves 8
Ingredients
425g Essential Waitrose black cherries in light syrup
6 tbsps strong coffee
8 trifle sponges
6 tbsps Baileys Irish Cream
250g mascarpone cheese
300ml whipping cream
2 tbsps caster sugar
20g dark chocolate
Method
Drain the cherries, reserving six tablespoons of the syrup, and stir the coffee into the syrup.
Dip the trifle sponges into the coffee-syrup mixture and use to line a glass trifle bowl. Scatter over the cherries.
In a separate bowl, whisk the Baileys, mascarpone, cream and sugar together until it forms soft peaks. Spoon the creamy mixture over the cherries and smooth over the surface. Grate the chocolate on top, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Shell pasta with flower sprouts and chorizo
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g conchiglie pasta
200g flower sprouts
(or baby spinach)
1 tsp olive oil
120g chorizo, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tbsps Parmesan, grated
Method
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the flower sprouts and cook for a further three minutes until both are tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan and cook the chorizo, onion and garlic for five minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and chilli and cook for three to four minutes until softened and pulpy. Add a ladleful of cooking water from the pasta pan and stir through.
Drain the pasta and flower sprouts and return to the pan. Add the chorizo mixture and toss together well. Spoon into four bowls, scatter with the grated Parmesan and serve swiftly.
Hearty beef and beetroot stew
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g beef Angus knuckle, diced
2 beef stock cubes
1 tbsp Essential Waitrose plain white flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
180g beetroot, peeled and cubed
Method
Tip the beef into a large bowl, then crumble over one of the beef cubes. Add the flour and toss together well until the meat is evenly coated.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the meat over a high heat until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions to the hot pan and cook for five minutes until softened and golden.
Return the meat and any resting juices to the pan. Add the carrots, cinnamon stick and 500ml water, then crumble in the remaining beef cube. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for two-and-a-half hours until the meat is very tender.
Stir in the beetroot and cook for five minutes or so until heated through. Serve with mash potatoes.
Salmon and basil butter filo parcels
Serves 4
Ingredients
50g salted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil
2 tbsps chopped fresh dill
Grated zest of half a lemon
4 x 150g salmon fillets, skinned
4 sheets filo pastry
Green beans, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Beat together 40g of the butter with the chopped basil, dill, lemon zest and some freshly ground black pepper. Place each salmon fillet at one end of the filo rectangles and spread the top with the herb butter.
Tuck in the edges, then roll up so the fish is completely enclosed and the join is underneath.
Melt the remaining butter and brush over the surface of the parcels. Lightly score the parcels with a small sharp knife.
Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Serve warm with green beans or your choice of vegetables.