Ruth Rogers - River Cafe Pocket Books: Salads and Vegetables

Contents

List of Recipes

Introduction

The best vegetables come from careful and knowledgeable growers. Where and how produce is grown, when it is harvested, and how long it has taken to travel to the market, shop or restaurant, all play a part in its quality. In Italy, the region determines the variety and vegetable, and the season dictates its availability. These principles have taught us much about seasonality and regional cooking traditions. For example, we would not make a tomato and basil salad at Christmas, knowing that the ripeness of the tomato and the flavour of the basil rely on summer sunshine. Likewise, in mid-summer, braised cavolo nero in garlic with olive oil would be disappointing as the plant needs to have experienced a few severe frosts. Only then are the leaves sufficiently creamy when cooked.

At the River Cafe we enjoy talking to the vegetable growers, and encourage them to experiment with an ever-increasing diversity. We love the fact that more and more produce from the Italian, French and Spanish markets is finding its way into our shops, giving us a picture of the tremendous variety of vegetables throughout the year.

We hope this selection of recipes will introduce you to the pleasures of this inexpensive way of cooking, which is not only healthy but also delicious.

All recipes serve four unless otherwise stated. All herbs are fresh unless otherwise stated. All eggs are large, free-range, organic unless otherwise stated. Wash all fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables in cold water before use.

CHAPTER ONE

SALADS

1 Fig, basil, mint and rocket salad

6 Ripe figs, green or purple

2 tbs Basil leaves

2 tbs Mint leaves

2 tbs Rocket leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp Traditional balsamic vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut off the stem of each fig, cut each one into quarters and place in a bowl. Mix the leaves together.

Mix the lemon juice with 4 times its volume of olive oil, then season. Drizzle a little of this dressing over the figs, then add the remainder to the leaves. Toss.

Place the leaves on each serving plate, add the figs, then shake a few drops of the balsamic vinegar over each.

2 Fig, mozzarella and basil salad

6 Ripe figs, green or purple

4 Mozzarella balls

2 tbs Green basil leaves

2 tbs Purple basil leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut off the stem of each fig and cut each one into quarters. Tear each mozzarella ball into 4 pieces. Place the figs and mozzarella on individual serving plates. Season and scatter over the basil.

Mix the lemon juice with 4 times its volume of olive oil and season. Pour the dressing over each plate and serve.

3 Toasted bread salad with tomatoes

1 Ciabatta loaf, bottom crust cut off

500g Ripe plum tomatoes, 4 skinned, the rest left whole

2 tbs Red wine vinegar

2 Garlic cloves, peeled and squashed with 1 tsp sea salt

3 tbs Basil leaves

Juice of lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 240C/Gas Mark 9.

Tear the ciabatta lengthways into 5cm pieces, then tear the pieces lengthways again to make thinner strips of bread. Place on a baking tray, season and drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake briefly until crisp on the edges but still soft in the centre. Put in a bowl.

Cut the whole tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice and pulp over the bread, using your hands.

Mix the vinegar with the garlic, add 4 tbs of olive oil, then add to the bread. Stir to combine. Slice the skinned tomatoes lengthways and add to the bread with the basil leaves. Toss together and serve with the lemon juice poured over.

4 Raw broad bean and pecorino

2kg Young broad beans in their pods

120g Fresh pecorino, finely sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tbs Rocket leaves

2 tbs Mint leaves

Extra virgin olive oil

Pod the beans, discarding any large ones. The beans should be no bigger than a first fingernail, green and glossy.

Put the beans in a bowl, season generously, add 2 tbs of olive oil and toss.

Mix the lemon juice with 4 times its volume of olive oil. Dress the rocket and mint leaves with this dressing. Plate individually; leaves first, then scatter over the broad beans. Place the pecorino over each salad.

5 Raw fennel and Parmesan

4 Fennel bulbs, tough outer layers removed

100g Parmesan, finely shaved

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut the green herby tops off the fennel and chop finely. Slice the bulbs 3mm thick across. Put the fennel and tops in a bowl and season. Add 3 tbs of olive oil and the lemon juice. Toss together.

Serve with the Parmesan shavings scattered over each plateful, drizzled with olive oil.

6 Raw porcini and Parmesan

400g Firm, fresh porcini mushrooms, carefully trimmed and wiped clean with a damp cloth

100g Parmesan, finely shaved

1 tbs Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Dried red chilli, crumbled

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut the porcini into thin slices through the stalk and cap. Lay the slices over each plate.

Mix the parsley with half the lemon juice and 3 tbs of olive oil. Pour this over the porcini. Scatter over the chilli and season with sea salt. Pour the remaining lemon juice over each plate. Cover each plate with Parmesan shavings and drizzle with olive oil.

7 Puntarelle alla romana

2 Puntarelle heads

12 Salted anchovy fillets, cut into 1cm pieces

1 Garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 Dried red chilli, crumbled

1 tsp Black pepper

4 tbs Red wine vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

To prepare the puntarelle, fill a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes. Pull the hollow buds from the puntarelle heads. Using a small knife, slice the buds very thinly lengthways. Place in the water to crisp and curl up. This will take 1 hour.

Mix the anchovies, garlic, chilli and pepper in a small bowl and cover with the vinegar. Leave for 15 minutes and then add 6 tbs of olive oil.

Spin-dry the puntarelles. Place on a plate and spoon over the sauce.

8 Zucchini carpaccio

1.5kg small, firm zucchini, trimmed

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tbs Rocket leaves

100g Parmesan, finely shaved

Extra virgin olive oil

Slice the zucchini at an angle into rounds 2mm thick. You can use a mandoline or a Y-shaped potato peeler.