THE FIVE INGREDIENT ONE
Menu to serve 6 people
ANTIPASTI - ZUCCHINE ALLA SCAPECE
ANTIPASTI - BAKED ONIONS AND HOMEMADE RICOTTA
MAIN - PORCINI TAGLIATELLE
PUDDING -SALTED HONEY SEMIFREDDO WITH PEACHES AND LEMON
One of the best things about Italian food is the minimalism. It is truly ingredient led and many of the classic “recipes” are barely recipes, more like preparations. I adore cooking like this. Whenever I visit Italy and am in a self-catering situation, the first thing I do is find a supermarket and do a holiday supermarket sweep. If I am with my mum, this is even more dangerous. I get in a crapload of ingredients - bulging ox heart tomatoes, sweet and fragrant melons, crisp peppers, at least 3 basil plants, all the best looking cured meat and cheeses and all the breads I can carry. I check we have plenty of oil, salt and pepper and know that the sum of all these delicious parts will be divine. Every lunch will be a symphony of simplicity - melon and prosciutto, tomatoes, basil and oil, roasted peppers and burrata and naturally, bread.
I mentioned in the previous episode the power of three, and bears repeating. Take a Caprese Salad. If you combine a good tomato, a handful of basil and a couple of mozzarellas, plus tasty olive oil and salt and pepper; it will equal a heavenly plate. That’s why it is on menus all over Italy and, to be honest, the world. When your ingredients are good it doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. Or expensive.
And wow, things are expensive right now hey. The good news is that your eating won’t suffer, if you cook intuitively and with ingredients at the forefront; like the Italians. My aim with this menu is to show you a few versatile techniques and approaches that create delicious results with minimal ingredients. It is also a celebratory feast with plenty of luxurious moments, proving that Dinner Party food doesn’t have to be significantly more expensive than normal. You can still push the proverbial boat out for your pals without breaking the bank. And we need to be able to have fun don’t we!!!! So without further ado, let’s have some bloody fun.
The rules for the exercise here are that each dish can only have five main ingredients, but that doesn’t include the following base ingredients :
Oil (vegetable or olive oil)
Butter
Salt
Pepper.
I figured these were essentials that could not be denied.
A NOTE ON ANTIPASTI - Instead of a snack and then a starter, I’ve stuck to the traditional Italian format of antipasti this week. Serve the dishes all together with plenty of crusty bread and extra olive oil for dipping.
ANTIPASTI - ZUCCHINE ALLA SCAPECE
The idea behind this classic Neapolitan dish is simple - fry a vegetable, then marinade it in nice bits. Courgettes aren’t famed for their strong flavour which is why they are perfect for this process and what's more, they are cheap as chips and go a long way. I bloody love them. However you absolutely could do the same with mushrooms, squash, aubergine, fennel - the possibilities are truly endless. And naturally you don’t have to fry either, grilling or roasting works just as well. I do like the fried flavour of the courgettes though, they become sweeter and nuttier which works so well with the tangy vinegar and fresh mint.
3 courgettes, sliced into thin rounds
1 clove of garlic, sliced
100ml vegetable oil for frying
50ml good extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsps white wine or sherry vinegar
Large handful of fresh mint, shredded
Salt
Crusty bread to serve (the 5th ingredient here - I used ciabatta)
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and a couple of decent pinches of salt in a bowl or dish.
In batches, fry the courgettes until they are lightly golden on both sides. You will need to turn them at least once, but they won’t take more than a couple of minutes a side. Drain the courgettes briefly on kitchen paper before popping them in the marinade and stirring well. Continue until you have fried all the courgettes and they are all well mixed together. Leave to sit for an hour or so at room temp.
To serve, mix through the shredded mint, saving some for the top. Drizzle over extra good oil if it has been soaked up and serve with crusty bread.
MAKE AHEAD -
You can fry and marinade the courgettes up to 2 days ahead. The mint will most likely discolour quickly, but will impart lovely flavour. So if you add it ahead of time, prep some more for topping up just before serving. As always please make sure this is room temperature when you dish up.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
As I say above, the vegetables here really can be anything you like - mushrooms, squash, aubergine, fennel, artichokes, peppers.
Mint could be parsley, basil, marjoram or oregano.
ANTIPASTI - BAKED ONIONS AND HOMEMADE RICOTTA
I’ll start this by saying - you absolutely do not have to make your own ricotta if you can’t be arsed. I love doing it and thought it would be nice to give you a recipe so you can see how easy it is. This combination is based on a dish I ate a few years ago at Westerns Laundry. The sweet, caramelised onions worked so well with the creamy ricotta and fresh herbs. I was struck by how simple an idea it was and have wanted to do my own recreation for so long. Onions as a solo ingredient are often overlooked, they usually are an essential but undersold component, rather than a hero. Here they take centre stage and rightly so.
For the ricotta -
3l whole milk
220ml lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons)
4 tbsps double cream
Salt and pepper
For the onions -
6 small red onions, whole and unpeeled
80ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
A handful of fresh marjoram or oregano
Pop the milk and cream in a large saucepan and heat gently. You want to bring the milk up to just before boiling, around 93 degrees if you are using a thermometer. If not, the visual cue is a steaming milk, just foaming and with the occasional small blip blip. When the milk gets to this point, pour in the lemon juice. Stir very gently to mix, you should see the curds and whey separating straight away. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Line a colander with 2 jay cloths (or muslin cloth if you can stretch to it), and use a slotted spoon to drain the curds. They should be wobbly and creamy. Leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180. Trim the roots and tops of the onions, revealing a little bit of flesh at the top. I like to carve a cross through the top part - it helps to keep the insides from exploding out when cooking. Pop them in a roasting tray root side down and season with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for around an hour, turning every so often. They will most likely fall over when cooking, that’s fine.
Plate the ricotta and bring to room temperature. I like to season it generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with excellent olive oil.
When the onions are tender and caramelised, remove from the oven and using tongs to handle them, cut each onion in half widthways through their middles. Plate them like this, then add a couple of splashes of water to your pan to scrape off those pan juices, and pour them all over the onions. The middle of the onion will need re-seasoning, so get loads more salt, pepper and olive oil on it and finally sprinkle over the fresh marjoram leaves. Their perfume is so delicious here with the sweet and savoury onions and creamy cheese.
MAKE AHEAD -
You can make the ricotta a couple of days ahead, and should definitely make it at least 2 hours ahead of the meal.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
Obviously you can swap the whole ricotta process for ready-made ricotta.
White onions work well here too of course, but the cooking time might need to be adjusted depending on size
I love marjoram but it’s not always easy to come by - it’s cousin oregano is great, as is soft young thyme, lemon thyme or summer savoury.
PORCINI TAGLIATELLE
Fresh porcini are an utter delight and, if you can ever get your hands on them and have the money to buy them, do so. They are super expensive because of their short season, so are mostly found available dried. I absolutely ADORE dried porcini. They have a deeply savoury, funky flavour; reminiscent of truffles and marmite. I love to pop a couple into a stock base, or a gravy, or you can even make powder with them by blitzing them which is great for flavouring pie sauces or a mac and cheese. In this recipe I am using them in the most simple way which is to soak them. This pasta is a very easy one with a glossy, coating sauce rather than anything more substantial, but it’s absolutely delicious in its purity. It reminds me of pastas I’ve eaten in trattorias around Umbria and Tuscany, where porcini and truffles are rife. The chef’s there know the way to make the funghi sing is with fat, a little bit of garlic, some parsley and some love. Incidentally that works on me too.
Serves 6-8
60g dried porcini
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
100g Butter
2 tbsps olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
60g fresh parsley, finely chopped
120g parmesan cheese, finely grated
600g dried tagliatelle
Salt and loads of black pepper
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and also boil your kettle. Pop the porcini in a small saucepan and pour over 400ml of boiling water to cover. Put the pan on a low heat and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, then set aside, leaving the mushrooms in their intense stock. In a large, high sided pan melt the butter and add the oil, then add the garlic. When the garlic just begins to sizzle and become fragrant, add in your mushrooms and their liquid. Bring to a simmer, season generously and then set aside. When your water is boiling, season it with salt like a soup (taste it!) and then drop in your tagliatelle, stirring well to avoid it sticking. Pop the mushroom sauce back on the heat when the pasta is close to al dente; dried egg pasta doesn’t take nearly as long as the plain dried stuff so keep checking it! Using tongs, transfer the tagliatelle into the sauce and add in 2 ladles of pasta water. Mix the sauce and pasta together well and allow to simmer for a minute, before removing from the heat. Add the parmesan, parsley and another ladle of pasta water and continue to toss. The sauce should be shiny and coating the pasta and not too thick, add more water if necessary. Season again with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with a final flourish of parsley and olive oil on top.
MAKE AHEAD -
You can soak the mushrooms and make the mushroom sauce with the garlic and butter ahead of time if you wish, up to a day, but it’s very little effort. I would suggest making it before your guests arrive and leaving it out until you need it.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
You can use fresh mushrooms if you prefer, you will need around 600g of chestnut or shitake mushrooms.
SALTED HONEY SEMIFREDDO WITH PEACHES AND LEMON
A semifreddo is another excellent Italian invention. Not quite a gelato, not quite an ice cream cake, somewhere in between though. Semifreddo literally means half frozen, which describes well the creamy, soft texture of this frozen pud. It’s not the kind of ice cream cake that will freeze hard. Honey is amazing in ice creams and gives this a gorgeous caramel flavour and silky finish. I love using salt on sweet things, everyone does don’t they? It works so well here and the honeyed, lemony peaches balance the whole dish beautifully. It’s also a make-ahead dream, leave it in the freezer until you need it.
Serves 6-8
130g good quality organic runny honey, plus 4 tbsps for serving
6 egg yolks
600ml double cream
1 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra for garnish
3 yellow peaches, pitted and quartered
Zest and juice of half a lemon
Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with clingfilm with plenty of overlap. Put your egg yolks into a large bowl and whip on a high speed with an electric hand whisk (can also be done in a stand mixer, I don’t recommend by hand though). You will need to whisk the eggs for around 8 minutes until they are very pale and thick. In a small saucepan, heat the honey. Bring it to the boil for about 20 seconds, then remove from the heat. Leave it to stand for about 10 seconds, then carefully pour the hot honey into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then continue to whisk until the mix has cooled back down again to room temperature - about 5 minutes. The mix will be glossy, thick and pale and as it falls off the whisk it will make shiny ribbons on its surface. In another clean bowl, use the beaters (no need to clean) to whip the cream and salt softly. Pour the cool honey mix into the cream and start by folding it in, then use a small whisk to beat out any lumps and get it smooth. Pour the mix into the prepared tin and freeze for at least 12 hours.
Before you serve, mix the cut peaches with 2 tablespoons of honey and the lemon juice and zest. Remove the semifreddo from the freezer and leave to sit for 5 minutes before turning out. Invert it onto a plate and drizzle with the remaining honey, sprinkle with salt and garnish with the peaches. Serve immediately.
MAKE AHEAD -
Obviously this needs to be made ahead of time. As long as it's very well wrapped in the freezer, it will keep for a month.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
Use this semifreddo as a base for a million different versions. You could add a biscuit base, you could stir crushed amaretti through it or ferrero rochers or chopped toblerone or swirls of peanut butter. It is super versatile.
I love this with stone fruit; nectarines, plums or apricots would be delicious too. Or you could serve with strawberries and black pepper, or raspberries and whisky. Even a hot chocolate sauce would be good. You choose!!!
TIMEPLAN
This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.
MISE-EN-PLACE
This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised.
Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.
STYLING GUIDE
ANTIPASTI
The simpler the better! These are obviously dishes for sharing as always so big plates of each dish work best. I love the glistening green oil that comes from the zucchine, so give them a little bit of space on their plate to ooze. If you did want to do individual serves, the onions could be served on a little bed of ricotta for each guest. But I like the heap of creamy curds next to the dark, glistening onions.
PORCINI TAGLIATELLE
This is a fab pasta to do plated, as the sauce is a coating one so relatively easy to split over 6 plates. I do love a big heaping plate too though, so I split this into two lovely dishes from Haule and it was gorgeous. I do recommend saving extra parsley for your plated pastas, it lifts an otherwise brown dish.
SEMIFREDDO
I am so in love with this dish. The great thing about a semifreddo is it looks ace whole or sliced. It’s fun to bring to the table whole, swathed in fragrant peaches, and then to drizzle the honey and sprinkle the salt à table is a lovely way to do things. Sliced is also super elegant though, and gives you a chance to pop it back in the freezer to hold for seconds.
And that’s your lot! Thank you so much again for reading and I hope you enjoyed this episode with relaxed and straightforward recipes. I can’t wait to see how you get on.
All my love,
Rosie x
The best yet!!! Unreal