Filippo La Mantia is Chiara Maci: what a couple, though. He is Sicilian and cook (from the Milanese restaurant that bears his name), she is a very successful bell and food blogger. There kitchen he approaches them, of course, but not too much. Because they have different ideas about everything. But the bond that unites them is strong and they find it in the daily life, in the kitchen, in the shopping list, in the books, in the child who has just turned one year old.

On May 10th, together they created the entire birthday menu to celebrate in style the first year of Scalo Milano Outlet & More, the fashion outlet just outside the capital. Filippo and Chiara, as always, were very good during their show cooking and, from appetizers to desserts, they prepared some of the recipes that fill the pages of their four-handed book "But how do you make the caponata?" made them known), a novel with two voices, where we find Filippo's recipes, those without doses «because the recipe is a story and the emotion kitchen and those of Chiara instead, with ingredients and preparation «because in the kitchen the technique it's important".

And since the book was inspiring, the dinner started with the famous caponata prepared by Filippo, to continue with a pasta with cherry tomato pesto, Chiara curry salmon and finally with a special Sicilian cassata which, only for the special occasion, they revealed the recipe with which they prepared it.

After all, when Chiara is asked with which dish she understood that cooking would become her job, she replies «with sweets. And, from the success received, actually the answer seems to have been the right one.

Cassata recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1 kg of ricotta
• 400 grams of icing sugar
• 100 grams of chocolate drops
• a pinch of cinnamon

Recipe for sponge cake
• 6 eggs
• 160 grams of sugar
• 170 gr flour 00
• Candied fruit

Preparation

The form to make the Sicilian cassata is produced in the district of the "calderai" in Palermo. Typical shape with edges to flare outwards, like a pan. At the base there is a recessed profile where to place the green marzipan and the sponge cake that characterizes this wonderful dessert. Without this shape, you can use a pan.

Then line the bottom with transparent film so that it can be easily removed. Bring a sponge cake and reduce it into thin slices with which you will make the bottom of the pan. Stuffed with ricotta cream obtained by mixing 1 kg. of sheep's milk ricotta, 400 gr. of icing sugar, gr.100 gr. of pure chocolate drops and a pinch of powdered cinnamon. Stir gently and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

With the help of a spatula, fill the ricotta cheese and level with a spatula. Cover with a disk of sponge cake and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Place a larger diameter disk on the cassata and turn it upside down. Lift the shape and remove the transparent film. At this point you will have the naked cassata. Now it should be decorated with sugar icing and candied fruit.

by Simona Sirianni