Sam Harris’s risotto with trevisano, pancetta and crispy sage
With the arrival of autumn we see a move towards the more earthy aromatic flavours of the new season, where dishes are about contrast and balance, as opposed to the more one-directional summer staples. Here the punchy bitterness of this delicious vegetable (trevisano) from the Veneto in Italy sits well with chunks of sweet cured pancetta and smoky crispy sage. A small shock of lemon helps to merge these autumnal components beautifully.
Try and cook your rice a little less than you would normally, as when eating a risotto you should be able to taste the quality of the grains as well as the other elements to the dish.
Serves 4
onion 1 small
garlic 1 clove, chopped
celery 1 small stick
unsalted butter 30g, in 2 pieces
olive oil 4-6 tbsp, plus a little extra for frying the sage
salt a pinch
bay leaf 1
fresh thyme a pinch
pancetta 150g, chopped into small cubes
risotto rice 300g (carnaroli is preferable)
dry white wine 100ml
hot chicken stock 1½ litres is more than enough
trevisano 1 large, sliced into 1cm wide pieces
parmesan 80g, grated
lemon 1
sage 7 small leaves
On a low heat sweat off the onion, garlic and celery in 15g of the butter and olive oil with a pinch of salt, then add the bay and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are translucent, but not coloured. Once they are ready, add the pancetta and raise the heat, stirring through and moving around so that all the pieces of meat are coloured and cooked through.
Add the rice and raise the heat, turn the grains over for a minute or so allowing them to be coated in the mixture and begin to gain heat. Keep the heat raised and add the wine and boil (this will take only a few seconds), cook for a few minutes more while stirring, then lower the heat and start to add the stock. When the first ladleful is absorbed add the trevisano and stir through (this will gradually soften throughout the cooking process). Add the next amount of stock, allowing for each addition of stock to integrate into the dish. Keep checking the rice after about 20 minutes and when almost done add another ladleful of stock, the parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, the remaining butter and stir. Then cover with a lid for 5 minutes to rest while you prepare the sage.
Heat some oil in a pan on a high heat, then add the sage – it will spit a little – fry for a few seconds until crisp, then remove and let rest on kitchen paper before sprinkling with salt.
Serve the rice on plates with a little extra lemon juice, some olive oil and topped with the crispy sage leaves.
Sam Harris is chef patron of Zucca, London SE1; zuccalondon.com
Henry Harris’s fourme d’ambert, crouton and chive omelette
One of the fastest of dishes. The pan is key: one that is heavy, iron and well seasoned with an oily sheen will always deliver a more satisfying finish. A non-stick pan will suffice. If Fourme d’Ambert is a challenge to find then some Cashel blue or a creamy gorgonzola or dolcelatte will work very nicely.
Serves 1
pain Poilâne 1 slice, or sourdough bread
vegetable oil
eggs 3
chives ½ a tsp
salt and pepper
tabasco
Fourme d’Ambert 50g, rind removed and cut into small pieces
butter ¼ tsp
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Remove the crusts from the slice of bread and discard them. Cut the bread into small dice, toss in a little of the oil and then spread out on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Transfer the bread onto some kitchen paper to remove excess oil and season with a little salt and pepper.
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk them together. Stir in the chives and season with salt, pepper and a drop of tabasco.
Heat your omelette pan over a good but not fearsome heat. Add a smear of oil. Pour in the eggs and, using a spatula, work them around as you would for scrambled eggs to allow curds to develop. When you are about 75% there stop stirring, lower the heat and scatter over the croutons and cheese. Tip the pan at a 45 degree angle and using the spatula allow the omelette to roll over itself to form a cushion at the bottom end of the pan. Remove from the heat and add the butter. The butter will liquefy immediately. Spoon it over the top of the omelette and roll the omelette onto a plate.
Henry Harris is chef patron of Racine, London, SW3; racine-restaurant.com
Anna Jones’s lime and chipotle black bean tacos
This is probably the supper I make the most – it’s quick and flavourful, and most of the ingredients sit happily in my larder or can be grabbed from the corner shop.
It may look as though there are a lot of ingredients and jobs, but this is super-quick, and the only real cooking is gently heating the beans. If I am feeling like eating something particularly virtuous, I swap the tortillas for sturdy leaves of spring greens to wrap everything up in. Sometimes I scatter the seeds of a pomegranate into the salad too, for extra crunch.
Serves 4
For the beans
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
ground cumin 1 tsp
chipotle paste 1 tsp, or 1 red chilli, finely chopped
black beans 2 × 400g tins
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa
cherry tomatoes 20
red chilli ½, deseeded and finely chopped
fresh coriander a few sprigs, leaves picked
lime juice of ½
extra virgin olive oil
For the guacamole
avocado 1
lime juice of ½
For the crunch salad
apple 1 small
lime juice of ½
white cabbage a few leaves, or a little gem lettuce
radishes 4, sliced
fresh coriander a few sprigs
To serve
wheat or corn tortillas 6-8
grated manchego cheese a handful
optional: natural, soya or coconut milk yoghurt, chilli sauce
Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, then add the garlic and a splash of olive oil and cook for a minute or so, until the edges of the garlic begin to just brown. Add the cinnamon, cumin and chipotle paste or chilli and stir for another minute to gently toast the spices. Add the beans and their liquid, bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down and cook for 10–15 minutes, until the liquid has thickened but the beans are still holding their shape. If you need to, add a little hot water to loosen. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
While the beans are cooking you can get on with the other jobs. To make your salsa, chop the tomatoes roughly on a big board. Pile the chilli and coriander on top, season with salt and pepper and chop all this together. Scrape into a bowl, add the lime juice and a splash of olive oil and mix well. Set to one side.
To make the guacamole, peel the avocado, remove the stone, and mash in a bowl with a little salt and pepper and the lime juice. You can use a potato masher if you like.
Now for the salad. Chop the apple into little shards and put them into a bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice, add the shredded cabbage or lettuce, radishes and coriander, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little oil.
Once everything is ready, heat your tortillas. I do this by holding them with tongs over the fame of my gas hob – it’s super-quick and gives a delicious charred taste – but the oven will do just fine.
Put the beans, salad, guacamole and salsa in separate bowls on the table, along with the tortillas and grated cheese, and let everyone make their own. Don’t forget the chilli sauce, and sometimes a little yoghurt works well too.
From A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones (HarperCollins, £25). Click here to buy it from the Guardian Bookshop for £18.75
Donna Hay’s Whole-wheat honey and ricotta pancakes
Serves 4
plain (all-purpose) whole-wheat flour 150g
baking powder 2 tsp
honey 90g, plus extra, to serve
milk 160ml
reduced-fat ricotta 150g, plus extra, to serve
egg whites 3
Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre, add the honey and milk and mix until smooth. Gently fold through the ricotta so the mixture is still a little lumpy. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites through the ricotta mixture. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over low heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray and add 2 tablespoonsful of the mixture into the pan. Cook, in batches, for 3–4 minutes each side or until golden and puffed. Serve with extra ricotta and honey.
From Fresh and Light by Donna Hay (Hardie Grant, RRP £18.99). Click here to buy it from the Guardian Bookshop for £14.24
Skye Gyngell’s blackberry crisp
This is possibly the simplest dessert to make. However, don’t be tempted to substitute another fruit – it’s not the same without the bursting flavour of ripe blackberries. A caramelly crumble topping with a hint of orange is the ideal complement.
Serves 4
blackberries 350g
caster sugar 2 tbsp
orange 1 large, finely grated zest
Topping
plain white flour 70g
dark muscovado sugar 50g
orange 1 large, finely grated zest
cold unsalted butter 75g, cut into little cubes
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the blackberries in a bowl and scatter over the caster sugar and orange zest. Toss together lightly using your fingers, then spoon into an ovenproof serving dish.
Combine the flour and brown sugar in another bowl and stir in the orange zest. Now rub in the cubes of chilled butter, using your fingertips, until the mixture is the texture of wet sand – don’t overwork – little lumps of butter and sugar give a better result. Scatter the topping over the blackberries and place the dish on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the blackberries burst and ooze their inky black juice.
Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes before serving, with a jug of chilled cream alongside. OFM
From How I Cook by Skye Gyngell (Quadrille, RRP £25). Click here to buy it from the Guardian Bookshop for £18.75
