< Previous110 Summer I remember my very first white peach. I was on holiday in France as a child. Its heart and stone were a surreal shade of scarlet, the scent and flavour something that seemed to belong more to a mythical realm of flowers and fairies than that of the faded black leather of our battered old Volvo. We ate them in the car, in a heavy heat humming with the music of crickets, and I never forgot them. In my local ortofrutta I find them again, their scent giving them away before I see them. Aside from eating them, I wanted to make a pudding that showcased their raw pink-and-white beauty, that reminds me of almond blossom. The same colour palette. I put them atop a pavlova, and in homage to the blossom they resemble, I added some roasted almonds to the meringue mix. Some blackberries made their way in there, too. And a few verbena leaves. You could use mint leaves instead. The ricotta cream provides a lovely light and not overly sweet topping. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/gas 3). Scatter the almonds on a baking tray (pan) and place them in the oven. Roast for 11 minutes or so until just brown and beginning to smell wonderfully toasty. Remove and decrease the oven temperature to 140°C (275°F/gas 1). Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites and pinch of salt in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until you have stiff peaks once more. Roughly chop or blitz the almonds and scatter around two-thirds of them into the meringue mixture, folding them through with a metal spoon. Line a large flat baking sheet with baking paper and scoop the meringue onto the centre, smudging it with the back of a spoon into a rough circle. Scatter over the remaining almond pieces and place in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour 10 minutes until crisp, then turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool inside as the oven cools down. Remove after 30 minutes or so (although you can also leave it overnight), then allow to cool completely on the side before filling. For the filling, whip the ricotta and cream together with the lemon zest and icing sugar until you have soft peaks. Spread over the centre of the meringue. Slice the peaches and toss in the lemon juice and sugar (if using), then scatter them over the cream and sprinkle over the blackberries. Decorate with lemon verbena leaves, or as you see fit. Serve immediately. For the meringue 80 g (3 oz/½ cup) whole almonds (blanched or unblanched according to preference) 5 egg whites a pinch of salt 250 g (9 oz/generous 1 cup) sugar For the filling 250 g (9 oz) ricotta (tub ricotta is fine) 100 ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) double (heavy) cream finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons icing (confectioners’) sugar To finish 3 white peaches lemon juice 1 tablespoon sugar (optional, if the peaches are sour) a handful of blackberries a few lemon verbena leaves White Peach, Blackberry and Roasted Almond Pavlova Serves 8–10110 Summer I remember my very first white peach. I was on holiday in France as a child. Its heart and stone were a surreal shade of scarlet, the scent and flavour something that seemed to belong more to a mythical realm of flowers and fairies than that of the faded black leather of our battered old Volvo. We ate them in the car, in a heavy heat humming with the music of crickets, and I never forgot them. In my local ortofrutta I find them again, their scent giving them away before I see them. Aside from eating them, I wanted to make a pudding that showcased their raw pink-and-white beauty, that reminds me of almond blossom. The same colour palette. I put them atop a pavlova, and in homage to the blossom they resemble, I added some roasted almonds to the meringue mix. Some blackberries made their way in there, too. And a few verbena leaves. You could use mint leaves instead. The ricotta cream provides a lovely light and not overly sweet topping. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/gas 3). Scatter the almonds on a baking tray (pan) and place them in the oven. Roast for 11 minutes or so until just brown and beginning to smell wonderfully toasty. Remove and decrease the oven temperature to 140°C (275°F/gas 1). Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites and pinch of salt in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until you have stiff peaks once more. Roughly chop or blitz the almonds and scatter around two-thirds of them into the meringue mixture, folding them through with a metal spoon. Line a large flat baking sheet with baking paper and scoop the meringue onto the centre, smudging it with the back of a spoon into a rough circle. Scatter over the remaining almond pieces and place in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour 10 minutes until crisp, then turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool inside as the oven cools down. Remove after 30 minutes or so (although you can also leave it overnight), then allow to cool completely on the side before filling. For the filling, whip the ricotta and cream together with the lemon zest and icing sugar until you have soft peaks. Spread over the centre of the meringue. Slice the peaches and toss in the lemon juice and sugar (if using), then scatter them over the cream and sprinkle over the blackberries. Decorate with lemon verbena leaves, or as you see fit. Serve immediately. For the meringue 80 g (3 oz/½ cup) whole almonds (blanched or unblanched according to preference) 5 egg whites a pinch of salt 250 g (9 oz/generous 1 cup) sugar For the filling 250 g (9 oz) ricotta (tub ricotta is fine) 100 ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) double (heavy) cream finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons icing (confectioners’) sugar To finish 3 white peaches lemon juice 1 tablespoon sugar (optional, if the peaches are sour) a handful of blackberries a few lemon verbena leaves White Peach, Blackberry and Roasted Almond Pavlova Serves 8–10192 Autumn A rich sausage ragu rivals a classic one, the fatty and flavoursome meat providing profound, garlic-scented depth. Here it is spiked with fennel, a good friend of the pig, and layered in a lasagne, with a sort of cheat’s béchamel topping, which is quick, easy and possibly more delicious. The ragù needs a little time to cook down to goodness, but otherwise this is a very speedy assembly. Begin by making the ragù. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat, then sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the herbs, fennel and chilli, and sauté for a few minutes more, then add the sausagemeat. Sauté for a few minutes until the sausage begins to become golden, then add the wine and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, rinsing each tin out with water and adding it to the pot. Leave to simmer and bubble away for about 30 minutes, a little longer if you have time. Taste and season accordingly. It should have reduced to a nice saucy consistency and taste flavoursome. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas 5). Place a third of the ragù in a large gratin dish, then lay over a third of the lasagne sheets to cover. Add another layer of ragù, then another layer of pasta, then a final layer of ragù and a final layer of pasta. Whisk the ricotta with the milk until creamy, and season with salt and pepper. Spread it over the top layer of pasta and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Lay over the fennel fronds (if using) and drizzle with some olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 40–45 minutes until golden and bubbling. For the ragù 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 white onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 3–4 sage leaves 2 bay leaves a sprig of rosemary a sprig or two of wild fennel or a good pinch of fennel seeds a good pinch of dried chilli 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) good-quality Italian sausagemeat, removed from its casing 2 glasses of white wine 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tinned tomatoes salt and pepper To finish 12 dried egg lasagne sheets 350 g (12 oz) ricotta 4–5 tablespoons whole milk 60 g (2 oz) pecorino, grated wild fennel fronds, to garnish (optional) a drizzle of olive oil Sausage Lasagne with Ricotta, Pecorino and Fennel Serves 6–8192 Autumn A rich sausage ragu rivals a classic one, the fatty and flavoursome meat providing profound, garlic-scented depth. Here it is spiked with fennel, a good friend of the pig, and layered in a lasagne, with a sort of cheat’s béchamel topping, which is quick, easy and possibly more delicious. The ragù needs a little time to cook down to goodness, but otherwise this is a very speedy assembly. Begin by making the ragù. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat, then sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the herbs, fennel and chilli, and sauté for a few minutes more, then add the sausagemeat. Sauté for a few minutes until the sausage begins to become golden, then add the wine and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, rinsing each tin out with water and adding it to the pot. Leave to simmer and bubble away for about 30 minutes, a little longer if you have time. Taste and season accordingly. It should have reduced to a nice saucy consistency and taste flavoursome. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas 5). Place a third of the ragù in a large gratin dish, then lay over a third of the lasagne sheets to cover. Add another layer of ragù, then another layer of pasta, then a final layer of ragù and a final layer of pasta. Whisk the ricotta with the milk until creamy, and season with salt and pepper. Spread it over the top layer of pasta and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Lay over the fennel fronds (if using) and drizzle with some olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 40–45 minutes until golden and bubbling. For the ragù 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 white onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 3–4 sage leaves 2 bay leaves a sprig of rosemary a sprig or two of wild fennel or a good pinch of fennel seeds a good pinch of dried chilli 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) good-quality Italian sausagemeat, removed from its casing 2 glasses of white wine 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tinned tomatoes salt and pepper To finish 12 dried egg lasagne sheets 350 g (12 oz) ricotta 4–5 tablespoons whole milk 60 g (2 oz) pecorino, grated wild fennel fronds, to garnish (optional) a drizzle of olive oil Sausage Lasagne with Ricotta, Pecorino and Fennel Serves 6–8205204 AutumnAutumn The meat is tender, juicy and falling off the bone, and the ‘gravy’ this produces has extraordinary depth. Winey, sweet and deeply satisfying, this is a perfect autumn dish. If using a whole jointed chicken, you can boil the carcass with a celery stalk and carrots for a couple of hours to make a stock to use in the dish. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas 5). Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy casserole dish (Dutch oven). Season the chicken pieces all over with salt, then brown them, a few at a time, skin-side down, over a medium heat until golden brown. Turn them flesh-side down, add the garlic and rosemary to the casserole and cook until the garlic pieces just begin to colour. Once golden all over, remove the chicken pieces, rosemary and garlic and set aside on a plate. Heat the final spoonful of oil in the casserole and cook the fennel wedges for a few minutes, allowing them to turn golden. Add the fennel seeds and grapes, then the sherry vinegar and wine, and allow to boil for a few minutes, stirring and scraping all the nice sticky golden bits from the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken back in with its garlic and rosemary. Now add the honey, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt along with the stock. Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Taste and check for seasoning. If your sauce looks too liquid, remove the chicken pieces and reduce it for a minute or two on the hob until syrupy. Serve with some steamed potatoes, mash or simply good bread and a bitter leaf salad. 1 large chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this if necessary) 1 celery stalk (optional, if making your own stock – see method) 2 carrots (optional, if making your own stock – see method) 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, halved a few sprigs of rosemary 1 large fennel bulb, cut into wedges 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 bunch of grapes 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 2 small glasses white wine/ Vernaccia 1 teaspoon runny honey 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar about 100 ml (3½ fl oz/ scant ½ cup) chicken stock salt Braised Chicken with Grapes and Fennel Serves 4205204 AutumnAutumn The meat is tender, juicy and falling off the bone, and the ‘gravy’ this produces has extraordinary depth. Winey, sweet and deeply satisfying, this is a perfect autumn dish. If using a whole jointed chicken, you can boil the carcass with a celery stalk and carrots for a couple of hours to make a stock to use in the dish. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas 5). Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy casserole dish (Dutch oven). Season the chicken pieces all over with salt, then brown them, a few at a time, skin-side down, over a medium heat until golden brown. Turn them flesh-side down, add the garlic and rosemary to the casserole and cook until the garlic pieces just begin to colour. Once golden all over, remove the chicken pieces, rosemary and garlic and set aside on a plate. Heat the final spoonful of oil in the casserole and cook the fennel wedges for a few minutes, allowing them to turn golden. Add the fennel seeds and grapes, then the sherry vinegar and wine, and allow to boil for a few minutes, stirring and scraping all the nice sticky golden bits from the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken back in with its garlic and rosemary. Now add the honey, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt along with the stock. Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Taste and check for seasoning. If your sauce looks too liquid, remove the chicken pieces and reduce it for a minute or two on the hob until syrupy. Serve with some steamed potatoes, mash or simply good bread and a bitter leaf salad. 1 large chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this if necessary) 1 celery stalk (optional, if making your own stock – see method) 2 carrots (optional, if making your own stock – see method) 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, halved a few sprigs of rosemary 1 large fennel bulb, cut into wedges 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 bunch of grapes 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 2 small glasses white wine/ Vernaccia 1 teaspoon runny honey 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar about 100 ml (3½ fl oz/ scant ½ cup) chicken stock salt Braised Chicken with Grapes and Fennel Serves 4Next >