Foodway Snacks

Ingredients
2 large free-range eggs
60 ml sweet wine , or Marsala
olive oil
250 g plain flour , or Tipo 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
1 litre sunflower oil , for frying
200 g quality dark chocolate , (70%)
100 g toasted hazelnuts
600 g quality ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 heaped teaspoons quality cocoa powder
1 tablespoon grappa

Method
In a large bowl, whip 1 egg with the sweet wine and 3 tablespoons of oil. Gradually add the flour (you may not need it all) until it comes together into a ball of dough. Knead for a few minutes, or until smooth and silky. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Pour the sunflower oil into a large, sturdy pan on a medium-high heat, and leave it to get to 180ºC on a thermometer. Meanwhile, roll the dough into a large sausage about 4cm in diameter. Keeping the rest of the dough covered with a clean damp tea towel, slice off a ½cm-thick disc and roll into a ball, then flatten out on a flour-dusted surface to 2mm thick. Lightly dust your metal cannoli tubes with flour (or use lightly oiled dried cannelloni tubes), then wrap a circle of dough around each, sealing the edges with beaten egg. Working in batches, carefully lower into the hot oil for just 1 minute, to get lightly golden. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain for 3 minutes, then squeeze the moulds and gently slide off the cannoli. Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough.

Melt the chocolate. Pound the hazelnuts in a pestle and mortar until fine. Drain the ricotta, then blitz in a food processor with the vanilla paste, honey, cocoa and grappa until just smooth. Spoon into a piping bag with a star nozzle, and twist the bag to give tension, then pipe the filling into the cannoli. Drizzle with chocolate, sprinkle with nuts, and serve.

Ingredients
200 g sushi rice
3 tablespoons of sesame seeds
100 g fine asparagus
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large ripe avocado
2 limes
2 sushi nori strips
1 tablespoons of wasabi
shiso cress

Method
Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions, then set aside.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden.
Place a griddle over a high heat, add the asparagus and cook for 10 minutes, or until nice and charred.
Put the soy sauces onto one plate and the sesame seeds onto another. Roll the asparagus in the soy sauce, then in the sesame seeds to coat.
Peel and destone the avocado, then slice into strips. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime, then set aside.
To assemble the sushi, lay the nori on a sushi rolling mat. Spread over half the rice, leaving a 2cm gap at each end and spoon a little wasabi paste along the centre.
Top with strips of avocado and the coated asparagus, then carefully (and as tightly as you can) roll up the sushi.
Using a sharp knife, cut the rolls into pieces – about 12 pieces per roll. Serve with extra sweet soy sauce, some shiso cress and lime wedges for squeezing over.