Deep fried mozzarella; grilled swordfish with cherry vine tomatoes; chocolate orange truffle cake

12:51pm Monday 6th June 2005

BEING stuck in a kitchen with Gordon Ramsay could have been Alex Scott's worst nightmare. But the TV make-over experience has taught the young chef from Harpenden some valuable lessons.

Good Italian cooking comes from using fresh ingredients and keeping it simple. This is the mantra which has turned around the failing Letchworth restaurant La Lanterna.

Since the filming of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in November, Alex has shunned pre-packed foods and embraced fresh produce.

He said: "The biggest change was to simplify our menu and use fresh ingredients nothing frozen or pre-packed.

"We make all our own desserts and our own pasta. Everything is made on the premises."

What may be an obvious approach has apparently been a hit with the restaurant's clientele; business has picked up considerably, even before the show went on air last week.

The 28-year-old who attended Roundwood Park School in Harpenden, does not seem worried that his culinary empire was branded a kitchen from hell.

With his business loosing more than £1,000 a week before Channel 4 came on board, he knows he can little afford to be affronted by Ramsay's impeccable standards and fiery temperament.

He said: "I always knew he would give me a hard time but I told myself whatever he says, do. He is one of the best chefs in the world."

As far as the young Hertfordshire chef is concerned, Ramsay publicity is good publicity. He said: "A lot of people eat out in Hitchin but wouldn't think to come to Letchworth for a night out. This has put us on the map."

To help our readers recreate sensational Italian cuisine at home, Alex has shared some of the recipes which feature on his new menu.

Deep fired mozzarella, grilled swordfish with cherry vine tomatoes and chocolate orange truffle cake can be whipped up with ease by kitchen novices or gourmet chefs alike.

Just follow Alex's guide to authentic Italian food: "Keep it simple, only use quality produce and stick to one or two key ingredients."

Deep fried mozzarella

Take two slices of thin, white sliced bread and cut into circle shapes as big as possible without any crust.

Place a slice of buffalo mozzarella on one of the slices of bread with a pinch of oregano and place the other slice of bread on top.

Then carefully place into an egg wash and submerge. Put into bread crumbs, pinching the side together and coat all over to seal.

Make a fresh tomato sauce by frying some finely chopped onion with garlic and adding a tin of plum tomatoes. Cook for around 20 minutes then puree.

Place breaded mozzarella into deep fryer for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce.

Grilled swordfish with cherry vine tomatoes

Marinate swordfish steaks with lemon thyme, a little garlic salt, pepper and olive oil. Leave for at least four hours.

Then simply grill with the cherry vine tomatoes for about a minute on each side, depending on how thick your steaks.

Serve swordfish with grilled tomato on top and a slice of lemon and drizzle with olive oil and chopped flat leaf parsley.

Chocolate orange truffle cake with Cointreau cream

Boil a pan of water, then turn heat right down and place a glass bowl into the pan making sure the water is not touching the bowl.

Put 1lb of dark cooking chocolate into the bowl and leave until completely melted. Do not stir the chocolate once melted. Leave to cool.

Whisk 1 litre of whipping cream until it forms soft peaks and add to this the zest and juice of two oranges.

Once chocolate has cooled add a large spoon of cream to the chocolate and mix until you see no white.

Fold all the chocolate into the cream until they are completely mixed.

Line a cake tin with cling film and pour the mixture in, then leave to set for 2 hours.

Whip some cream, adding caster sugar and Cointreau to taste.

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