I made Felicity Cloake’s tiramisu, which was delicious, but I still have a nearly full bottle of marsala. What else can I make with it?
Viv, Cardiff
Not all marsala is made equal: you have secco (dry), semi-secco (medium-dry) and dolce (sweet), but, as Viv is talking tiramisu, I’m going to assume it’s the last that’s in need of using up. However, before we dive into that, the Guardian’s drinks expert Fiona Beckett says it’s worth noting that this Sicilian fortified wine is often sold in half-bottles, although she grants that’s not much use to Viv now. “That said,” Beckett adds, “the great news is that you can essentially use it wherever you would use a sweet sherry.”
First and foremost, consider spent marsala a cook’s treat. “Dip into it when you’ve finally got rid of the family and things quieten down,” says Beckett, who suggests sipping it with any leftover Christmas cake, chocolate or stilton. Alternatively, for a final hurrah before dry(ish) January, consider a cocktail such as a marsala martini: mixologist Tony Conigliaro’s recipe calls for 50ml London dry gin, 10ml marsala dolce, 5ml dry vermouth and a few drops of almond bitters.
Otherwise, as the name implies, sweet marsala is best used in sweets, and most famously in zabaione. This light, boozy dessert is, says Mitshel Ibrahim, chef/owner of Ombra and the soon-to-open Forno, both in London, a “sort of custard made with egg yolk, sugar and marsala, all cooked slowly over a bain-marie”. It also just happens to “love hanging out with panettone”, if you’ve got any knocking around from Christmas. Sweet marsala is also especially good with anything that mirrors its nutty, caramel and dried fruit notes: cantucci biscuits (or similar) for dunking into it, prunes for a compote (to eat with rice pudding), or raisins, dried figs and the like for soaking, then mixing into a fruit cake, assuming you’re not already sick of the stuff by now.
Marsala also makes a good playmate for fresh fruit, from macerating strawberries (when the time comes) to pouring over pears ready to be baked. In his Christmas Chronicles, Nigel Slater brings apple juice, marmalade, marsala and honey to a boil, tips over peeled, cored and sliced pears, then bakes until tender.
If there’s dry marsala to be had, do as the Guardian’s Italy-based food correspondent Rachel Roddy does, by keeping a bottle by the cooker for when soups, stews, gravies and mushroomy things need “a shove”. Beckett, too, sloshes it into stews and sauces, as well as game pies: “Just add it cautiously, spoonful by spoonful, then taste and see how it’s going.”
Simona Di Dio, chef/co-owner at Italian Bottega Caruso in Margate, also goes down the meat-and-mushroom route with her mum’s scaloppine. She dusts escalopes (pork or chicken) in flour, then fries in olive oil and butter. “Add marsala, simmer until the wine has reduced, then set the escalopes aside. In the same pan, add more oil and a chopped clove of garlic, then mushrooms, black pepper, thyme and parsley.” Once everything is cooked, you have two options: bring the escalopes and mushrooms back together, or pop your meat on greaseproof, top with mozzarella and the fried veg, wrap and bake for about 15 minutes, until melting. Easy-cheesy.
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