I had the pleasure of welcoming renowned Sicilian chef Seby Sorbello just before Christmas and what a treat it was. These are four of the recipes he created during his recent trip to Malta; more will be available on www.timesofmalta.com.

Seby began to cook at the age of 10 when he started helping out in the family restaurant. He has won many awards in Italy and he represents Italy as ambassador of Italian cuisine in many festivals and fairs all over the world. Seby makes regular appearances on Italian TV (on RAI, Mediaset, Canale 5 and Sky among others) and he is also executive chef at a five-star hotel in Sicily.

I have to say I truly enjoyed cooking with this master Seby’s easy smile, relaxed manner and enthusiasm to share his vast knowledge and creativity was refreshing. We focused on the use of hand-made mozzarella and artisan cheeses – and I really look forward to the knowledge he will share on his next visit to Malta.

Fritelle di Ricotta

4 cups fresh sheep’s ricotta for the filling
2 cups (250g) Grade 00 flour
1 cup (200ml) lukewarm water
A pinch of sea salt
300ml olive oil for frying
2 cups (250g) plain breadcrumbs for the coating

To get the crispiness that will make you appreciate the creaminess, clean flavour and lightness of the delicious sheep’s milk ricotta, you will need to fry these frittelle.

Use a plastic spatula to mix the ricotta and blend it without making it into a puree. Ricotta from sheep’s milk is creamy and breaks up very quickly.

Make the batter dip by mixing the strong bread flour with the lukewarm water and a pinch of salt. Mix well, and use a hand-blender, if necessary, to make a very smooth paste.

Spread the breadcrumbs onto a large flat plate or tray.

Using two spoons shape quenelles out of the ricotta and dip into the batter. Lift from the batter and drop gently onto the breadcrumbs.

Coat all over by rolling gently. Leave to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes if you have time.

Heat up the olive oil and drop the fritters into the hot oil. When they come to the surface, it means they are done. When I made them, it took four minutes to turn into golden crispy bites. Place on a kitchen towel to absorb the extra oil. Leave to rest for five minutes before serving.

Pasta Norma

2 aubergines
Olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 dried red chili, crumbled (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
A handful of fresh basil, finely chopped and reserve some leaves for garnish
1 tsp good herb or white wine vinegar
1 kilo fresh tomatoes or 800g chopped canned tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g rigatoni
To serve: 150g ricotta salata

A classic dish that orginates in Catania, Seby stresses that it can only be finished off with a grating of ricotta salata.

Slice one of the aubergines and chop the other one. Seby lightly fries the sliced aubergine in olive oil until it is light gold and then places them on a kitchen towel to absorb the oil. Keep aside for garnish.

Sauté the garlic and chopped aubergines in olive oil. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, bring to boiling point, turn down the heat and leave to simmer until the eggplant is just cooked. Turn off the heat and allow to rest.

Cook the pasta following the instructions on your packet. Add the sauce and serve using the sliced cooked aubergines and basil leave to garnish. Serve with a generous grating of fresh ricotta salata.

Mozzarella Sushi

200g cooked sushi rice
2 packets mozzarella sheets
100g shredded lettuce
150g smoked salmon
Giant prawns, peeled and cleaned, one per portion
Lemon grass for garnish
Olive oil dressing, mixed with a few drops of soy sauce and rice vinegar

Seby makes sushi using soft and smooth, shiny snow white sheets of fresh mozzarella instead of nori sheets. these are available locally and are very versatile. To give one example, I recently used them rolled with Parma ham and spinach and served them as canapes.

Drain the water from the fresh mozzarella sheets. Use the parchment sheet that the sheets are wrapped in to roll your sushi.

Lay the mozzarella sheet on the parchment. Line each mozzarella sheet with cooked sushi rice, then with smoked salmon slices. Sprinkle the shredded lettuce on top. Roll it tightly and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Slice and place on a flat dish. Top each sushi roll with a giant prawn. Seby uses uncooked prawns. Make a light dressing using olive oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar and lightly sprinkle it on top of the sushi.Garnish with lemon grass.

Oranges and ricotta with Modica chocolate

4 to 6 large oranges
400g ricotta
100ml olive oil (to fry the orange zest)
150g Grated, Modica dark chocolate for garnish
50g ground nuts (Seby uses pistachios)

Take the zest of two oranges and cut into very fine shreds. Heat the olive oil. Fry the zest until it curls up and place on kitchen towel to absorb the oil. Peel the oranges by cutting the skin and white pith away and segment the orange flesh by using a sharp knife and sliding the knife between the skin and the flesh and easing out the segments. Place the segments and juice in a bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta until it is smooth. You do not need a mixer (we used a plastic spatula).

Divide the orange segments and juice into serving bowls.

Shape ricotta quenelles by using two spoons and drop a quenelle on top of the oranges in each bowl. Garnish with the crispy orange zest, ground nuts of your choice and dark Modica chocolate shavings.

Serve immediately.

You can watch Lea cook on TVM2 every weekday afternoon and follow her blog www.goodfoodeveryday.wordpress.com.