Signed Recipes
Signed recipes donated to our Seeds of Italy catalogues over the years, from some of the chefs and restaurants we supply, or from deli's who sell our range of cuisine seeds.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Ultimate creamed spinach
from his book 'River Cottage Year'
I adore creamed spinach. Of course, it's just chopped spinach stirred into some loose béchamel. But there are ways of bringing out the very best in a béchamel ... When prepared like this, it's not just a side order but a dish on its own.
500g fresh spinach
1 small onion
1/2 carrot
250ml whole milk
bay leaf
black pepper
nutmeg
50g butter
25g plain flour
Parmesan, Gruyère or Cheddar grated (optional)
Wash and trim 500g fresh spinach, stripping out the coarse central stalks. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Blanch the spinach in 3 or 4 batches, putting a good handful of leaves into the rapidly boiling water and stirring them in. Bring back to the boil and boil for just 1 minute. Remove the leaves from the water with a small sieve or slotted spoon and refresh in cold water. Then squeeze with your hands to extract as much water as you can before roughly chopping the spinach.
Grate a small onion and 1/2 carrot and put in a pan with 250ml whole milk, a bay leaf, a couple of twists of black pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg. Bring almost to boiling point, then leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain into a warmed jug, discarding the herbs and vegetables.
Melt 50g butter in the pan (you don't need to wash it) and stir in 25g plain flour to get a loose roux. Cook this gently for a couple of minutes, then add half the warm, seasoned milk and stir in. When the sauce is thick and smooth, stir in the rest of the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for just a minute. Then stir in the chopped spinach. Heat through until thoroughly hot, but don't let it bubble for more than a minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a touch more nutmeg if you like. Serve at once, ladled generously into large warmed bowls. You can, if you like, serve with grated Parmesan, Gruyère or even Cheddar, but I think it's a purer, more spinachy dish on its own.
Rose Prince
Pea Stock
From her book New English Kitchen, changing the way you shop, cook and eat
A carrier bag full of fresh peas in their pods gives you more than something good to eat with lamb. The pale green stock that simmered pea pods yield makes the best springtime rice dishes and pea and herb soups with extra peaness.
the pods from 1/2 carrier bag of peas
1 onion, halved
1 celery stick, chopped
2 litres/31/2 pints water
Makes enough for 6 helpings of soup or risotto
Wash the pea pods and put them in a large pan with the onion and celery. Cover with the water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a slow bubble and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding the vegetables, and leave to cool. Bag up and store in the freezer.
Dan De Gustibus
Dan's Sage Scented Mushroom Bread
20g Dried Mushroom Soaked in 225ml (1 cup) boiling water
3 tbsp Sage Scented Oil
2 tbsp Runny Honey
1.5 tsp Salt
250g (1.5 cups) Allinson Bakers' Grade Very Strong White Bread Flour
250g (1.5 cups) Allinson Original Strong Wholemeal Flour
1.5 tsp Allinson Easy Bake Yeast
Before you start (for both methods below): Pour boiling water over the mushrooms and leave for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid, and finely chop the mushrooms. When ready to make your loaf, pour the mushroom stock into a measuring cup (discard the sediment) and top up with warm water to give the original amount of water required for your size of loaf.
To make Sage Scented Oil: Gently fry a handful of sage leaves in 100ml olive oil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve and any unused oil can be stored in the fridge for future use.
BREAD MAKER METHOD:
Put the mushroom stock, mushrooms and remaining ingredients into the bread maker baking pan in the order specified for your particular model (see manufacturers handbook). Set to the Basic Rapid/Wholemeal Rapid Program for the appropriate size loaf.
TRADITIONAL METHOD:
Put the flours, mushrooms, salt and yeast into a bowl. Mix to a soft dough with the mushroom stock, honey and oil. Knead for 10 minutes. Shape and put into an appropriate greased tin. Leave to prove slowly until double in size. Add your chosen topping (seeds, wheat/grains, bran, oats, flour, polenta, salt, cheese or herbs) or glaze (egg wash, milk, hot water, salt water, dark ale, olive oil or butter), and place in an oven preheated to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7 and immediately turn the heat down to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. When cooked the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Elisabeth Luard
Riso alla Piemontese - Baked rice with truffle
from her book 'Truffles'
A venerable risotto in which the grains are not subjected to the usual preliminary turning in hot oil or butter, but are plainly cooked in chicken stock and finished in the oven. I have adapted the recipe from a cookbook published in the 1880's by Giovanni Vialardi, chef to Vittorio Emanuele, Italy's first monarch.
500g (1lb) risotto rice (Arborio, Roma or Carnaroli)
About 1 litre (1 1/2 pints) chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To finish
1 fresh white truffle (30-50g / 1-2oz), cleaned
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
50g (2oz) freshly grated parmesan
Serves 4-6
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
Meanwhile, wash, drain and measure the volume of rice. Measure out twice the volume of stock to rice. Bring the measured stock to the boil in a large pot, stir in the rice, return to the boil and gransfer to an ovenproof casserole. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes, till the broth has all been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Stir half the butter and half the parmesan into the rice. Remove half the rice and reserve, top the remaining rice with a layer of finely grated truffle, replace the reserved rice, dot with small scraps of the remaining butter and the rest of the parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes or so, till a light crust has formed.
Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi
Stuffed Chillies - (Peperoncini Ripieni)
from their book 'Return to Tuscany - Recipes from a Tuscan Cookery School'
These little stuffed chillies are usually preserved in oil in jars and sold at markets and delis in Italy. The recipe originate in the south of the country but they are now made everywhere. Be careful when cutting the chillies and don't touch your face or eyes as they will burn. However, after the chillies have been boiled in wine and vinegar, then water, the heat dissipates. In Tuscany, the chillies were small dark-red round ones, called Calabrese.
18 tiny chillies, tops cut off and seeded (you can do this with a small spoon)
200 ml (7 fl oz) white wine
400 ml (14 fl oz) white wine vinegar
3 salted anchovies
90g (3 1/4 oz) tuna in oil, drained
1 tbls salted capers, rinsed
1 tbls fine breadcrumbs
enough oil to cover the chillies if storing
Makes enough to fill a 300 ml (1/2 pint) preserving jar
Place the chillies, wine and vinegar in a pan, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, and discard the cooking liquid. Bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the chillies for 5 minutes. This will get rid of most of their fiery heat. Set aside.
Rinse the anchovies thoroughly under cold running water to remove the salt. Finely chop them with the tuna and capers to form a paste. Combine the paste with the breadcrumbs.
Carefully stuff the chillies with the mixture, filling them right down to the bottom to avoid any air pockets. Do not overfill.
Eat the chillies straight away or place them upright in a jar that has been sterilized by being washed in a dishwasher, or in soapy water for 5 minutes. Cover with olive oil. Push a knife down the sides of the jar, around the chillies, to release an trapped air bubbles, then tap the jar on the table to release more bubbles. Make sure the chillies are completely covered in oil and screw on the lid. They will keep for up to two months in a dark cupboard.
Ursula Ferrigno
From her book 'Complete Italian Cookery Course'
Insalata della Nonna - Grandmother's special salad
This hearty salad is full of goodness. The combination of beans and potatoes also makes it a filling snack.
450g (1lb) new potatoes, boiled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
450g (1lb) French beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 handful of chopped fresh oregano
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed
6 tomatoes (preferably vine ripened), roughly chopped
1) Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until tender, depending on their size
2) Steam the French beans for approximately 7 minutes, or until tender
3) While the beans and potatoes are cooking, mix the lemon juice and oil together with salt, pepper and oregano and garlic
4) Add the tomatoes to the dressing and mix well with the potatoes and beans while still warm. Serve warm or cool
Serves 4
By kind permission of Ursula Ferrigno from her book 'Complete Italian Cookery Course' by Mitchell Beazley.
Isola San Giulio, Piemonte.
Ursula Ferrigno
From her book 'Complete Italian Cookery Course'
Carabiniere a Cavallo
grilled smoked mozzarella, radicchio and pancetta
This dish translates as 'mounted policeman', so-named because the colour and the fan shape of the radicchio looks like a carabiniere's hat. It makes a deliciously light main course for lunch, but could also be served as a starter or contorno (vegetable course).
2 medium heads radicchio
1 tbsp olive oil
8 slices pancetta
4 thick slices smoked mozzarella (scamorza)
2 tbsp fruity extra virgin olive oil.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1) Rinse the radicchio and pat it dry. Cut it in quarters. Do not trim the stem as it helps holds the leaves together.
2) Preheat a ridged cast-iron grill pan for 5 minutes. Brush the radicchio with olive oil and place on the grill. Add teh pancetta slices and grill together for about 3 monutes on each side, or until the radicchio is tender. (This allows the radicchio to absorb the smoked aroma of the pancetta). Remove from the grill-pan.
3) Raise the temperature of the grill. Grill the mozzarella slices briefly, until grill marks appear on the surface.
4) On individual plates, fan 2 of the radicchio quarters. Top with 2 pancetta slices and 1 grilled cheese slice. Drizzle with good oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
By kind permission of Ursula Ferrigno from her book 'Complete Italian Cookery Course' by Mitchell Beazley.
Katie Caldesi and Ursula Ferrigno with Mr Franchi, restaurant cellar, Bergamo
Jimmy Doherty (Jimmy’s Farm)
From his book ‘A Taste of the Country’
Dandelion and Bacon Salad
These little beauties grow everywhere, even on the scraggiest bit of ground. Mixed with bacon, they make a wicked salad, so get out there, start picking and start enjoying!
Serves 2 as a starter
115g/4oz dry-cured streaky bacon, diced
170g/6oz young dandelion leaves, washed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil or bacon fat
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Fry the bacon until crisp and dry. Put the dandelion leaves in a bowl and season with Salt and Pepper. Turn them gently in the oil or fat and vinegar. Tip in the bacon and mix again gently.
You could make this more substantial by topping it with a soft poached egg opr maybe some soft-boiled qualis’ eggs.
By courtesy of Jimmy Doherty (Jimmy’s Farm), from his book ‘A Taste of the Country’
Sophie Grigson
Marinated Radicchio
Serve with sliced mozzarella and Parma ham as a first course
Serves 6-8
3 round heads of radicchio, or 6-8 heads of radicchio di treviso
900ml (1 1/2 pints) water
400 ml (13 fl oz) white wine vinegar
45g (1 1/2 oz) caster sugar
1 heaped teaspoon juniper berries
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon salt
300-500 ml (10-16 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
Quarter round radicchio taking care to cut through the base evenly, so that each quarter holds together. Long-leaved treviso can be left whole.
Put all the remaining ingredients except the oil into a large saucepan and bring up to the boil. Add the radicchio, packing them in tightly in a single layer, then simmer gently for about 4 minutes. Drain, run under the cold tap, then drain really well, gently pressing out any water caught between the leaves. Lay them on a treble sheet of kitchen paper for a few minutes to blot up more of the water. Pack them in a bowl or shallow dish, and add enough olive oil to cover. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for as long as possible – overnight if you can.
They will keep, as long as they remain covered in olive oil, for up to a week in the fridge, but bring back to room temperature, allowing the oil to melt, before serving.
Sophie Grigson, author of ‘Vegetables’ (Collins, £25.00)
Giorgio Locatelli
Caponata
iFrom his new book 'Made in Italy'
If you don't like fennel or celery, leave them out and increase all the other ingredients slightly. Keep in mind that this is not a fixed recipe; it is something that is done according to taste and you can change it as you like.
1 large aubergine
1 courgette, cut into 2cm dice
olive oil for frying
1 onion, cut into 2cm dice
vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 celery stalks, cut into 2cm dice
1/2 fennel bulb, cut into 2cm dice
3 fresh plum tomatoes, cut into 2cm dice
bunch of basil
50g sultanas
50g pine nuts
about 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato passata
1 tablespoon caster sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the aubergine into 2cm cubes, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in a colander for at least 2 hours. Squeeze lightly to get rid of excess liquid.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and gently sauté the onion until soft but not coloured. Transfer to a large bowl.
Put the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep saucepan( no more than one-third full) and heat to 180°C). Add the celery and deep-fry for 1-2 minutes, until tender and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
Wait until the oil comes back up to the right temperature, then put in the fennel. Cook and drain in the same way, then repeat with the aubergine and courgette.
Add all the deep-fried vegetables to the bowl containing the onion, together with the diced tomatoes.
Tear the basil leaves and add them to the bowl with all the rest of the ingredients, seasoning well. Cover the bowl with cling film while the vegetables are still warm and leave to infuse for at least 2 hours before serving at room temperature. Don't put it in the fridge or you will dull the flavours. It is this process of 'steaming' inside the cling film and cooling down very slowly that changes caponata from a kind of fried vegetable salad, with lots of different tastes, to something with a more unified, distinctive flavour.
Ann and Franco Taruschio
Puntarelle all'acciuga (Chicory catalogna with anchovies)
600g puntarelle*
12 anchovies preserved in oil
1 small clove of garlic slivered
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pecorino Romano (optional)
Serves 4
Wash the puntarelle thoroughly and cut them 3/4 of the way down into four. Drop the tips into iced water for 15 minutes, they will curl up.
Chop the anchovies roughly.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non- stick frying pan, add the garlic slivers and briefly fry until golden. Remove the pan from the heat add the anchovies and the remaining oil and a twist or two of black pepper. Mash the anchovies with a fork.
Drain and thoroughly dry the puntarelle. Season with salt and abundant black pepper, pour over the anchovy dressing, toss in well. This salad can be served as an antipasto with shavings of Pecorino or as a side dish with a main course omitting the Pecorino.
Dried chilli flakes can be used instead of the abundant pepper.
*Puntarelle are the tender central parts of the Catalogna plant one of the many varieties of chicory. The outside of the plant is made up of dark green serrated leaves (to be cooked as a separate dish) Boil the leaves in lightly salted water, drain, heat some extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic and a dry red chilli. Discard the garlic and chilli when the garlic is golden Toss the drained leaves in the warmed oil, check the seasoning.
In the centre of this mass of leaves, there is a cluster of tips, which resemble asparagus, these are the puntarelle.
Charlie Hicks
Tomatoes & Rice
An old fashioned and brilliantly simple treatment from Italy that I first read about somewhere in Elizabeth David. The wonder of it is the contrast between the hot rice & cold tomato. Ideal for a light summer lunch, supper dish or rather generous starter. It only works with good tomatoes. Ingredients:
Long grain Italian rice
Good tomatoes
Put the rice onto boil. Peel the tomatoes, first dipping briefly into boiling water to loosen skins. Extract the seeds with a teaspoon then chop the flesh into fairly small pieces, you want something that will pour. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add some chopped herbs if you like, basil, marjoram, chives & mint are all good. Drain the rice, decant quickly into bowl(s) and pour the tomatoes over the top.
Charlie Hicks Radio 4 Vegtalk and Vegout
Anthony Worrall Thompson
ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES.
Ingredients: 225g (8 oz) carrots, peeled, cut into thick 6" chunks
2 tablespoons Carapelli olive oil
2 cloves garlic 'Bianca Veneto', mashed with a pinch of salt
1 fresh red chilli 'Cayenna', de-seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
225g (8 oz) parsnips, peeled, cut into thick 6" chunks
225g (8 oz) potatoes, peeled, cut into thick 6" chunks
225g (8 oz) butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 6" thick chunks
Maldon sea salt and ground black pepper
1. Blanch the carrots for a few minutes, refresh in cold water to retain their colour and to stop the cooking process. Pour the olive oil into a large bowl add the mashed garlic, chilli and thyme leaves.
2. Add all the vegetables to the oil mixture and toss well. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
3. Place in a preheated 190ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 5 oven and roast for 40 minutes until golden brown.
Paolo Arrigo, Seeds of Italy
Rape con Mele e Salame (Turnips with apple and salami)
150g piece of salame
1kg of Turnips (Rossa of Milano or Bianca of Lodi)
4 eating apples
My Nonna used to make this dish and it's typical of the alpine Biellese region (Piemonte), where my family are from. Lets face it, turnips have a bad reputation and are not the most glamorous of vegetables, but I can assure you this is a surprisingly good dish. This type of dish uses common ingredients all ready at the same time - the turnips were harvested with the apples and after the salami and sausages had been made. The sweetness of the apples balances the strong turnip flavour and like many peasant dishes, it is simple, cheap and very tasty. - Santuario d'Oropa, Biella, Piemonte
Firstly, dice a 150g piece of salame and fry. Peel about 1kg of Turnips (Rossa of Milano or Bianca of Lodi) and 4 eating apples. Remove the salame when cooked and add the sliced turnips and apples together in the same pan, and season. Cook slowly for about 40 minutes then add the salame at the end of cooking. Either serve with Polenta or put into preserving jars and boil the jars for 10 minutes, allowing them to cool in the same water before removing. This will hermetically seal the jars and the contents will last about a year in your larder and the flavour will improve.
Ceci Paolo Italian Deli, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Broccoli al Peperoncino in Padella
I first tasted this delicious dish in Rome in the 1980s. Jane Grigson's recipe in her wonderful "Vegetable Book" forms the basis of this recipe. It can be made with one colour Cauliflower or Broccoli but I think it's much prettier if you use two or three different ones. Ingredients:
1 kg of broccoli (eg a mixture of Cavolo Broccolo, Cavolfiore di Jesi & Cavolfiore Verde di Macerata)
2 dried red chillies 'Cayenna' chopped (with seeds)
½ sweet red pepper (eg Peperone corno rosso) coarsely chopped in a good olive oil.
Boil the broccoli whole in salted water until just cooked. Drain & run cold water over it to arrest cooking. Separate into florets & cut the stalks into thick strips. Put the chillies and red pepper into a large frying pan. Pour in enough olive oil to coat the base of the pan thinly. Heat gently for about 10 minutes to infuse the oil with the pepper mixture, then raise the heat to moderate and put in the broccoli.
Stir to reheat the broccoli, stewing rather than frying it. When heated through, transfer the broccoli with the peppers to a hot serving dish & enjoy!
It's one of my very favourite dishes - in fact we had it tonight with very British Roast Beef!
Salvino Italian Deli, London, N7
If you fancy a quick snack, why not try this simple, tasty Sicilian dish? Ingredients:
3-4 Aubergines ‘Violetto Lunga’
Origano ‘Comune’
Basil ‘Genovese’
Garlic ‘Bianco Veneto’ to taste
Carapelli Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
Salt and Pepper.
Slice the aubergines into 1 inch strips and roast in a hot oven (gas mark 8) for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a dressing of olive oil, origano, basil, balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic. Season to taste and once cooked, pour the dressing over the aubergine and serve with Ciabatta bread. Salvino Italian Deli, London, N7
Rose Gray - The River Cafe, Thames Wharf, London
Farfalle al Cavolo Nero con Olio Nuovo (Farfalle pasta with Cavolo Nero Tuscan black kale, with new olive oil).
The family Bonaccossi, who own the winery at the Medici Villa, Cappezzana, gave this recipe to Rose Gray of The River Cafe', to go with the new season's olive oil. Serves 6. Ingredients:
1.1kgs of Cavolo nero di Toscana leaves
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 peeled garlic cloves 'Rossa di Saluggia'
250mls New season extra virgin olive oil
250g Barilla Farfalle pasta
Freshly grated parmesan.
Remove the stalks of the cavolo nero kale leaves, but keep the leaves whole. Blanch them in a generous amount of boiling salted water along with 2 cloves of garlic for a few minutes only. Drain well. Put the blanched garlic and cavolo nero into a food processor and pulse chop to a fairly coarse puree'. In the last couple of seconds, pout into the processor about 75mls of the oil. This makes a fairly liquid, dark green puree'.
Crush the 2 remaining garlic cloves with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir into the puree, along with a further 75mls of olive oil and season to taste. Cook the farfalle pasta in a generous amount of boiling salted water and drain thouroughly. Put the pasta into the sauce and stir until each piece is thickly coated. Pour in the remaining olive oil and serve with parmesan.
Paolo Arrigo - Seeds of Italy
Cardi Piemontesi
Cardoons are eaten widely across Italy. This is a recipe from Piemonte, gratin style. Ingredients:
700g of Cardoon ‘Gobbo di Nizza’
Lemon
Butter
Béchamel Sauce
Freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Clean the Cardoons in water with added lemon juice, removing any filaments. Simmer until cooked in slightly salted water. Place the Cardoons in an ovenproof dish, pour the Béchamel sauce over it and place some specks of butter on top. Top with the grated parmesan and place in a hot oven until the top has lightly browned.
Gazzano Italian Deli, London, EC1
Radicchio is eaten mainly in the NW of Italy, especially in the Veneto region. Try this simple recipe for ‘Radicchio of Treviso’. Ingredients:
Radicchio ‘Rosso of Treviso’
Flour mixed with a pinch of salt
Beaten eggs
Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil
Clean the radicchio and remove some of the outer leaves. Cut the remaining central part into quarters. Dry each piece and coat in flour, then the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown, remove from the oil and place on kitchen roll for a minute before placing on plates for serving. Gazzano Italian Deli, London EC1
Franco & Ann Taruschio - founders of the Walnut Tree Inn
Pepperoncini ripieni alla Piemontese (Stuffed cherry chillies Piemontese style)
Makes 5 x 300-400cl jars. Sterilise the jars by washing them and then placing in a medium oven for about 10 minutes. Ingredients:
60 chillies 'Bacio di Satana'
1 litre white wine
1 litre dry white wine vinegar
2 tins of good Italian or Spanish tuna in olive oil
100g Anchovies in salt
2 tablespoons of capers from Pantelleria in salt
8 green olives, stoned
3-4 sprigs of flat parsley 'Comune 2', finely chopped
1 litre of Carapelli Extra Virgin olive oil
Wash the chillies and cut off the stalk ends. Remove the seeds and white ribs. Bring the wine and vinegar to the boil and add the chillies and boil for 1 minute. Remove the chillies from the wine mixture with a perforated spoon, and leave to drain for 2 hours upside down.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Wash the anchovies and remove any bones. Wash the capers (which should be the small variety). Put the capers, olives and anochovies in a food processor and process on a pulse until the olives are finely chopped, then pulse in the tuna fish (well drained of oil). Put in a bowl and add the parsley.
Fill the chillies with this mixture, taking care not to over fill. Put the chillies in the jars, the filled sides against the sides of the jars first of all, and then fill the remaining spaces, filled sides upwards. Make sure there are no empty spaces. Fill the jars with the olive oil. Put a plastic grill on top of the chillies so they do not become uncovered. Seal the jars hermetically and sterilise in boiling water for 20 mins. Leave to cool in the water before removing and drying the jars. Leave for 3 weeks before use.
The chillies will keep for at least 15 months. Once opened, keep refrigerated and use within 15 days. If making a large batch, it's advisable to wear surgical gloves and a face mask when handling chillies.
Lago d'Orta, Piemonte
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Half-the-garden Soup
"For me, this is shear delight - a celebration of all those fantastic things coming ready in the garden at the same time. The great thing about it is that no stock is necessary, as the vegetables give plenty of flavour to the liquor, and no single ingredient is truely essential - although I might feel a little compromised without the tomatoes and onions. Basically, as long as you can put together at least half a dozen of the ingredients suggested below, you'll make a sensational soup. Variations of this soup go right through to late october".
To serve 4-6 Slice a good 500g onions and sweat them in a little olive oil or butter in a large pan until softend. Pour boiling water over a 1/2 to 1kg ripe tomatoes leave for a minute, then drain and peel off the skins. Chop roughly and add to the onions. Cook gently until thick and polpy. Then add about 500mls cold water (or light stock) and a good pinch of salt. Now add some or all of the following: 3-4 medium carrots, diced. 3-4 medium beetroot, diced. 3-4 medium courgettes, diced. A few handfulls of peas and a fistfull of French beans roughly chopped. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add either/or (preferably) both of the following: a fistfull of chard or spinach leaves, finely shredded, and a fistfull of kale or cabbage leaves, finely shredded. Top up with a little more boiling water if you like. Simmer for another five minutes, stirring regularly, until all the vegetables are tender, but only just. Check and adjust the seasoning, then serve immediately with a trickle of olive oil over each bowl.
Seasonal variations From late August onwards, you can add fresh podded Haricot or Borlotti beans. They should go in with the water and have a good five minute simmer before the carrots et al go in. Or you can cheat by simply adding tinned beans or chick peas. By late October, pumpkins and squashes come in to play, as do leaves, salsify and parsnips. You can also bulk this soup out by adding torn up chunks of stale bread (ciabatta or similar), toasted in olive oil, at the same time as the shredded greens. By courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from his book 'The River Cottage Year' www.rivercottage.net
Lina Stores Italian Deli, Soho, London W1
Pesto Genovese
Pesto is quite easy to make and unforgettable eaten fresh. It can be used on pasta, bruschetta and as a delicious dip. Ingredients:
2 peeled garlic cloves
Fresh Basil ‘Classico Italiano'
Salt
Toasted Pine Nuts
Peccorino Cheese
Fresh Parmesan
Carapelli Olive Oil
Put the 2 garlic cloves, 3-4 bunches of freshly picked basil ‘Genovese’ and a heaped tablespoon of pine nuts in a mortar and slowly start to crush, adding a tablespoon of good quality olive oil, grated pecorino and grated parmesan, until 3 of each have been added. When you have reached a thick, homogenous consistency, empty it into a bowl and dilute with a glass of olive oil, mixing well. When using the pesto for pasta sauce, dilute it with 1-2 tablespoons of water which has been used to boil the pasta.
I. Camisa & Son Italian Deli, Soho, London
Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes
This typical Neapolitan dish serves 2 people. Ingredients:
500g Lilliput F1 cherry tomatoes
3 large cloves of Garlic Bianca Veneto
180g Barilla thin spaghetti
1 chilli pepper 'Cayenna' chopped very finely
3-4 tablespoons of Carapelli extra virgin olive oil
30g Basil 'Genovese', torn
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
A pinch of fresh or dried Origano 'Perenne Comune'
Pre-heat the oven to 170c (325f/gas mark 3). Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and origano, and bake for approx 1 hour and 10 minutes, until semi dry but still squashy.
In a large saucepan, fry the chilli lightly in oil. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until 'al dente'. Drain the spaghetti, add to the saucepan, stir in the tomatoes, basil, olive oil and ground pepper. To serve, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Charlie Hicks - BBC Radio 4 Vegtalk
Tomato Relish One way of preserving a home-grown harvest for the months ahead. Ingredients:
2 kgs tomatoes weighed after they have been peeled, de-seeded & roughly chopped.
250g fairly finely chopped onions or shallots.
25g salt.
Up to a head of peeled & chopped garlic.
1 litre white vinegar.
Either white wine or distilled.
500 gms white sugar.
Chopped 'Cayenna' chillies, be as brave as you like.
Jars with vinegar proof lids.
Add all the ingredients to a large pan & simmer gently till desired consistency is achieved. Keep things fairly liquid, it will thicken up on cooling and there's nothing worse than a stiff relish or chutney. Pour into jars and seal, a jam funnel makes this so much easier.
For added excitement you can add a flavouring just before jarring up. Chopped mint, cardamom pods and fennel or cumin seeds are all good. Don't overspice or it'll taste like drain cleaner. Best left for at least two or three months to mature.
Fresh and Wild, London
Spinach Lasagne
Serves 8. Ingredients:
1/2 a desert spoon of salt
Black pepper
2 large cloves of crushed garlic 'Bianca Veneto'
150g grated cheddar
500g lasagne sheets
50ml Carapelli olive oil
1 onion 'Musona'
500g fresh Spinach 'America'
For the Bechemel sauce:
A pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of mustard
Black pepper
A pinch of ground nutmeg
1 litre of milk
100g of unsalted butter
50g flour
Place a layer of lasagne sheets in the bottom of a large flat dish, then cover with half of the spinach. Follow with bechemel, more lasagne, the remaining spinach, then another layer of lasagne. Pour the rest of the bechemel over the lasagne and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
For the spinach mixture: Sweat the onion in a pan. Season to taste and cook until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook briefly until wilted. If you have previously frozen your Spinach America, you will need to drain off the excess liquid.
For the Bechemel: Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour until fully covered. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard to the milk, stir into the butter and flour mixture and bring to the boil, stirring continuously until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.
Cook the assembled lasagne in a medium oven for 45 minutes.
Paolo Arrigo, Seeds of Italy
Orecchiette e Cima di Rapa (Orecchiette pasta and Cima di Rapa Sprouting turnip tops). - Cav. Vincenzo Arrigo 
From Puglia in the South of Italy. Ingredients:
1 packet of Orecchiette pasta
400g of Cima di Rapa 60 or 90
1 clove of garlic 'Bianca Veneto'
3-4 tablespoons of Carapelli olive oil
2 anchovies
Freshly grated Peccorino
Salt and pepper
Cook the turnip tops in slightly salted water, Drain, but keep the water for cooking the pasta later. Drizzle the oil into a pan. Sautee' the garlic and remove when lightly browned.
Now roughly chop the anchovies and stir in. Add the cooked turnip tops cima di rapa, and mix well, lowering the heat to allow the flavours to mix.
In the meantime, reboil the salted water from the cima di rapa, and cook the pasta. Drain and add the sauce, season with Chilli oil and freshly ground black pepper.
Le Manior aux Quat'Saisons
TOMATO RISOTTO
Serves 5
Ingredients: 165g Carnaroli Rice, washed and drained;35g butter; 35g (net) shallots, chopped finely; 100g white wine, boiled for 1 min; 400g tomato essence (see below) 5g salt; 1/2g fine ground white pepper.,br>
Method
1 - Sweat shallots in butter for 10 mins until tender, no colour or crunchy texture.
2 - Add rice and stir for 1 min.
3 - Add white wine and stir.
4 - Cover rice with Essence, add seasoning. Make sure it is kept at a constant simmer, stirring all the time. There must be enough liquid to ensure even cooking, it must never boil rapidly or be allowed to sit. It should gently tick over (light simmer).
5 - Add more essence when level drops below rice.
6 - When nearing end of cooking (10-12 mins) let essence be absorbed into rice.
7 - Once cooked, spread onto a tray to end cooking.
Chefs note: Keep rice at simmering point whilstcooking. The rice should be slightly undercooked.
To make the tomato essence Yield: 1.25L = 4 x 250g carte portions or 12 x 100g appertiser portions.
Ingredients A: 2.35kg cherry vine ripened tomatoes; 50g celery; 30g shallots; 125g fennel trimmings; 16g sliced garlic; 5g thyme; 1.5g tarragon; 25g basil.
Ingredients B: 25g salt; 12.5g sugar; 0.5g cayenne pepper; 1.25g Worcester sauce; 1.25g Tabasco sauce.
Method
1 - Chop all of A into 1/2cm dice. 2 - Add all of B and infuse for 3 hours. 3 - Liquidise in the Robot coup for 3 secs. 4 - Hang in 4 layers of muslin for 12 hours
Chefs notes: Only add sugar if the tomatoes are bland. You don't normally need it in the height of summer.Always taste tomatoes before using to check ripeness.Only use the redest, brightest, juciest cherry tomatoes. Only to be kept 2 days from the start of hanging. Garnish with aubergine confit, goats cheese ravioli, tomato tian and fried basil leaf.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Giorgio Locatelli
Panzanella (Tuscan bread salad)
“Because of Panzanella, I don't think I have ever thrown a single piece of stale bread in the bin! The great thing about this Tuscan salad is that it goes well with just about anything - grilled fish, chicken, prawns, you name it - or you can just sit down and hog a whole bowl of it to yourself.”
Giorgio Locatelli
1 small loaf of country style bread (about 2-3 days old), cut into largecubes; 1 small cucumber, roughly chopped; 1 large red onion, roughly chopped; 3 very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped; 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained; 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste); 12 basil leaves, roughly crushed; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the cucumber, red onion and tomatoes in a large bowl and add the bread. Mix well with your hands and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers, sugar and some salt and pepper together and add to the bowl with the basil. Give it a good stir, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight for the flavours to mellow. The bread should feel moist but not soggy. Serve as a starter or salad, or with grilled or roasted meat.
By courtesy of Plaxy Locatelli from the BBC book 'Tony & Giorgio'. www.locandalocatelli.com
Paolo Arrigo, Seeds of Italy
Lake Orta buildings, Piemonte
Lina's Mint Syrup
Lina is an old lady in my village in Italy who knows all the old traditions. I call her when I want growing tips, but especially preserving tips. This is one of her original recipes – this is how it’s been done in her family since she can remember. Shop bought mint syrup is bright green, but this recipe will make you the real thing, and the colour and taste will be natural and delicious and thirst quenching on a summer day.
Ingredients: 2 bottles of white tablewine; 4 big handfuls of fresh mint leaves; 750g granulated sugar.
First you have to make the syrup. Pour the white wine into a saucepan with the sugar and gently bring to a simmer from cold, stirring often until the sugar has completely disolved. Remove any scum with a spoon. Allow to cool completely. Bruise the mint leaves with a rolling pinPour the cold syrup into a large, wide necked jar and add the washed, bruised mint leaves. Place the lid on the jar. Turn or gently shake the jar every morning for 5 days to assist the infusion. On the 6th day, remove the mint leaves and decant the mint syrup into bottles. It doesn't need to be refrigerated once bottled as the alcohol and sugar will preserve the syrup, but make sure you put a tight cork or seal into the bottle so the ants don't enjoy it too! To drink, mix some of the syrup (to taste) with cold water and add a mint leaf. You can also try the same basic recipe with other herbs -lemon balm works well. Experiment a bit - you'll be glad you did!!
Paolo Arrigo, Seeds of Italy
Risotto with Radicchio and Italian Sausage
Serves 4 people
Ingredients: 350-400g of Arborio, Carnaroli or Sant’ Andrea Risotto rice; 1 Small White Onion Musona; 3 Italian sausages (Luganica); 1-2 Heads of Radicchio Rossa of Treviso or Verona chopped; Broth; 1/2 Glass white wine; Seasoning.
Using a large, heavy frying pan, soften the onion in a little olive oil. Cut the sausage up and add to the pan until slightly browned. Throw in the rice and add a splash of white wine and then 1-2 mins later, enough broth to just cover the rice. Risotto rice takes about 20 minutes to cook depending on the variety and you will need to keep adding spoonfulls of broth so it doesn't dry out. Risotto should be slightly fluid, but not liquid when served.
After about 10 minutes, add the roughly chopped radicchio and season to taste. Stir occasionally, especially toward the end of cooking as it can stick. Test the risotto before serving to make sure the rice is cooked through. When ready to serve, and a knob of butter to glaze the risotto, and serve with freshly grated parmesan and a glass of good red wine (Gattinara, Spanna, Barolo or Amarone).
Paolo Arrigo
Nigel Slater
GRILLED ZUCCHINI SALAD WITH BASIL AND LEMON
The flavours are of pure summer, and work splendidly with cold roast meats, grilled fish (especially bream and halibut) and mild and milky cheeses such as mozzarella or feta. A splendid antipasto too.
Serves 2
Ingredients: grated zest and juice of a lemon; 3 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil; a small bunch of basil leaves; 4 medium zucchini.
Wipe the zucchini and slice thinly along their length. Each slice should be no thicker than a pound coin. Put the slices on the grill and let them brown in stripes on the underside. Turn them over and brown the other side. Meanwhile make the dressing. Grate the lemon into a mixing bowl. Do this finely and lightly, any white pith will make the dressing bitter. Beat the olive oil into the lemon juice then add salt and black pepper. Roughly tear the basil leaves, depending on their size - I tend to leave small ones intact but lightly crushed in the hand to release the oils - then add them to the dressing.
As each slice of zucchini becomes ready, drop it into the dressing and mix gently so that the slices become completely soaked. Set aside for ten minutes for the flavours to marry and the vegetables to soften.
Nigel Slater
Pomodori - Loncon, Venice.
Fergus Henderson, St.John Restaurant, London
Duck's Legs and Carrots
Serves Six
Ingredients:
duck fat or butter, 6 duck's legs (available without the rest of the duck from most butchers), 1 white onion, peeled and sliced, 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced, 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and kept whole, 14 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped into 7mm rounds, bundle of parsley and 4 sprigs of rosemary (you have to be careful with rosemary, since delicious as it is, it can take over), 2 bay leaves, 1 chilli, kept whole, about 1.5 litres chicken stock, sea salt and pepper:
Get a frying pan hot, add a spoonful of duck fat or butter, wait until it is sizzling, and then brown the duck's legs on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan cook the onion, leeks and garlic. Mix in the carrots and cook for 3 more minutes, then decant all the vegetables into a deep oven dish.:
Nestle in the herb bundle, bay leaves and chilli (this just emits a slight warmth to the dish, unlike more pungent chopped chilli). Press the duck's legs into the carrot bed, skin side upwards, season the dish, and pour chicken stock over until the duck's legs are showing like alligators in a swamp. Place into a medium to hot oven for 1.5 hours, keeping an eye on it so it does not burn - if it threatens to, cover the dish with foil. Check the legs with a knife; you want them thoroughly giving.:
When cooked the carrots will have drawn up the duck fat, the stock reduced to a rich juice, and the duck should be brown and crispy. Serve with bread to mop up the juices and follow with a green salad.:
By courtesy of Fergus Henderson, St.John Bar and Restaurant, from his book 'Nose to Tail Eating'.
Andrea Falter
Bread dumplings “Semmelknoedel” with Parsley and Chanterelle sauce
from her recipe collection “Traditional German Cooking”
This type of dish is typical of the alpine ‘Tirolese’, Bolzano region of Italy that borders Austria, where many Germanic traditions continue. It’s an area of Italy that’s famous for it’s Apples, Speck, Strudel, Canederli and Maultaschen, and has some excellent meats, cheeses and downhill skiers ! (Paolo Arrigo)
For the dumplings:
6 dry (a few days old/ left over) bread rolls or approx. 8 slices white bread
250 ml (8.5 fl. oz) lukewarm milk
2 eggs
50 g (2 oz) butter
1 small onion
1/2 bunch of parsley
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/2 tsp of salt
Some extra flour for coating
For the sauce:
2 medium sized onions
1/2 bunch of parsley
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh chanterelles or wild mushrooms
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4
For the dumplings cut the bread into small dices. Mix the milk with the eggs and pour over the bread cubes. Leave to soak for approx. 30 minutes. Meanwhile wash the chanterelles (or wild mushrooms) and the parsley. Chop the parsley and onions (both for dumplings and sauce) very fine.
Melt the butter and fry the 1 onion for the dumplings until golden, then add the parsley, bread crumbs, salt and flour. Now mix carefully with the soaked bread cubes and start forming round dumplings. Do not mix too rigorously or the dumplings will become very tough. Press them firmly in your hands and roll through the extra flour so that all dumplings are thinly coated. That will prevent them from falling apart.
Bring a large pan of water (add 1 tsp of salt) to the boil, add the dumplings and leave to simmer (do not boil them!) for approx 12 minutes. They will surface when they are done.
I recommend preparing a “tester” dumpling. If the dough appears to be too dense, add a little more milk, if too soft, add more bread crumbs.
While the dumplings are simmering prepare the sauce:
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden. Then add the chanterelles (or wild mushrooms) and stir-fry for approx 2-4 minutes, until they have released their juices. Add the parley and season with salt and pepper. A splash of dry sherry goes well with this sauce, but is optional.
To serve place the dumpling in the centre of a plate and arrange the mushrooms around it and a little sauce on top.