Breakfast With Veru

  • one portion of granola
  • fresh natural yoghurt
  • Veru Pistachios in Honey

Place the granola in a bowl, pour over yoghurt, and top with a generous spoonful or two of Veru Pistachios in Honey.

Pistachio & Ricotta Cake

Makes 8 portions

  • 125g Veru Pistachios in Honey
  • 250g ricotta cheese
  • 225g unsalted butter, softened
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 8 medium eggs, separated
  • finely grated zest of 4 lemons
  • 65g Veru Semolina Flour
  • 1 tbsp Veru Crushed Lemon Marmellata

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter a 30cm x 5cm cake tin, and line with greaseproof paper. Whisk the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks to the mixture one by one. In a different bowl beat the ricotta with a fork. Add the lemon marmellata, pistachio nuts, and lemon zest to the ricotta mixture. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg and butter mixture into the ricotta, then sieve the flour and finally fold in the egg whites. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Insert a sharp knife in the centre and if it comes out clean the cake is ready. If it is covered in cake mixture return to the oven and bake a little longer. Remove from the tin after baking and allow to cool on a wire rack. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Poached Peaches With A Muscat & Pistachio Syrup

Makes 4 portions

  • 4 peaches, slightly under ripe
  • 125g mascarpone
  • ½ vanilla pod
  • ½ cinammon stick
  • 2tsp Veru Truly Sicilian Nero d'Avola Jelly
  • ½ litre of water
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 100ml muscat wine
  • 40ml orange flower water
  • 2tbsp Veru Truly Sicilian pistachios in acacia honey

Place the vanilla pod, cinnamon, Nero d'Avola jelly, water, sugar, orange flower water and muscat in a pan and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. In the meantime cut the peaches in half and remove the stone if you can, or leave it and remove after cooking. When the liquid is ready, add the peaches and cook until they become just soft. Remove the fruit from the liquid, leave to cool down. Reduce the liquid until it becomes syrupy. Add the pistachios. Join the two peach halves with a spoonful of mascarpone and place on a plate. Drizzle with the syrup and pistachios, top with a sprig of mint.