Recipe River Cafe London

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A taste of spring, from Ruth RogersThe River Caf's Ruth Rogers makes a feast from fresh spring

vegetables with four exciting new recipes

Ruth Rogers

The Observer, Sunday15 April 2012

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Squidwith peas and anchovies. Photograph: Romas Foordfor the Observer

Broad beans, artichokes, peas, agretti, cicoria walk into any Italian trattoria in spring

and you will be greeted with large plates overflowing with these beautiful, green

vegetables cooked in various ways. Agretti (feathery green leaves that translate as

"monk's beard") might be simply blanched then tossed with olive oil and lemon (at the

River Caf, we have been serving it hot with a bottarga sauce), the peas might be slow

cooked with prosciutto and garlic, the broad beans smashed with pecorino and mint and

served on bruschetta. Rose and I ate this for the first time near Siena in the house of

Giuseppe Mazzocolin, who makes the beautiful Felsina wine and olive oil. We came

home and put it on the menu right away.

Though some of these vegetables might be hard to find (agretti is available from

specialist stores and sometimes from sites such as natoora.co.uk), we are lucky here to

have an abundance of peas, broad beans and asparagus available soon. Fresh young

broad beans are perfect eaten raw; often in Tuscany you will end a meal not with a

sweet but with a plate of them still in their pods, with a chunk of local pecorino.

As I write, my friend Julie, who lives in Florence, tells me the markets are filled with

artichokes the morellino variety from Venturina in the Maremma region, which are

wonderful braised with the herb nepitella (part of the mint family). Not only are these

the most tender and tasty artichokes but the newly leafed nepitella has a fresher and

more subtle flavour than it will later on.

Artichokes are officially over in late spring but there are still some available from Sicily.

At The River Caf, my head chefs Joseph Trivelli and Sian Wyn Owen and I like to cook

them for as long as we can, roasted in foil (as below) or combined with the peas and

broad beans to make the Roman stew vignole.

So say goodbye to the broccoli, winter greens and dark vegetables of winter and

celebrate the lovely vegetables of spring.

ARTICHOKES BAKED IN FOIL WITH THYME

ste of spring, from Ruth Rogers | Life and style | The Observer http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/15/ruth-rogers-river-c...

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Serves 6

small globe artichokes with stalks 12

lemon

garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 4

fresh thyme, in sprigs 1 bunch

Maldon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Prepare the artichokes by first trimming

the stalks, leaving about 5cm. Peel each stalk down to the paler core. Next, break off the

tough outer leaves until only the pale, tender leaves remain. Trim about 1cm off the top.

Open the leaves and, with a spoon, remove the choke. If the artichokes are very tender

this is not necessary. Rub the lemon over each artichoke to prevent discolouring.

Put a couple of slivers of garlic, a sprig of thyme and a generous amount of salt and

pepper into the small cavity in each artichoke. Lay each artichoke on a piece of foil large

enough to fold around into a parcel, and drizzle with olive oil. Pour 2 tbsp of water into

the bag and close tightly. Roast in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.

SQUID WITH PEAS AND ANCHOVIES

Serves 4

squid the size of your hand 4

extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp

chopped parsley leaves 2 tbsp

dried chilli, crushed 1

cloves garlic, sliced 2

salted anchovy fillets 6

fresh peas, shelled 400g

lemon 1

Clean the squid by cutting the body open to make a flat piece. Scrape out the guts,

keeping the tentacles in their bunches but removing the eyes and mouth.

Using a serrated knife, score the inner side of the flattened squid body with parallel

lines 1cm apart, and then the same the other way to make cross-hatching.

To make the sauce, gently heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and fry for 30

seconds before adding the chilli and the anchovies. Once the anchovies have dissolved,

remove the pan from the heat.

Bring a small pot of water to the boil and blanch the peas until tender. Drain and set

aside for dressing with the anchovy sauce.

Place the squid (including the tentacles) scored-side down on a very hot grill, season

with salt and p epper and grill for 1-2 minutes. Turn the squid pieces over; they will

immediately curl up, by which time they will be cooked.

Slice the squid into 1cm slices. Add to the peas with the warm anchovy dressing,

chopped parsley and juice of a lemon.

MOZZARELLA WITH SMASHED BROAD BEANS

AND PECORINO

Serves 6

young broad beans (podded) 1.3 kg

garlic cloves (peeled) 2

fresh mint leaves 4 tbsp

freshly grated pecorino cheese 4 tbsp

extra-virgin olive oil 4 tbsp


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Maldon sea salt


lemon juice of 1

For the bruschetta:

Pugliese or other sourdough bread, cut 1cm thick6 slices

large garlic clove, peeled 1

extra-virgin olive oil

mozzarella 1 ball

Pound the broad beans in a pestle and mortar with the garlic and mint. When the

texture is thick, remove and place in a bowl. Stir in the pecorino and the olive oil.

Season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice.

Toast the bread on both sides, then lightly rub with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with

extra-virgin olive oil.

Serve the smashed broad bean and pecorino bruschetta with to a ball of

mozzarella.

TAGLIATELLE WITH ASPARAGUS AND

PARMESAN

Serves 6

asparagus, freshly picked 1.5kg

fresh tagliatelle 600g

garlic, peeled and crushed 1 clove

crme frache 400ml

parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for sprinkling 200g

large, organic free-range egg yolks 2

Maldon sea salt


Use a medium saucepan that will fit inside another, larger, saucepan with enough room

to half-fill with water. Put on heat.

Rub the crushed garlic round the surface of the smaller pan. Add the crme frache,

parmesan and egg yolks. Place the pan on top of the hot water and, stirring gently all

the time, cook until the sauce thickens about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and

pepper. Keep warm.

Prepare the asparagus. Snap off the tough ends of the stems, keeping only the most

tender parts. Slice the stems and tips thinly on the diagonal. Bring a very large saucepan

of water to the boil, season with 2 tbsp salt and add the tagliatelle. Stir into the water

and cook for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and continue to cook for a further 3-4

minutes, or until the pasta and asparagus are al dente. Drain and place in a warmserving bowl.

Pour the fonduta (fondue) over the pasta and asparagus, and serve immediately with

freshly grated parmesan on warm plates.

For more information, go to rivercafe.co.uk. Nigel Slater returns next week


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Recipe River Cafe London

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