One of the things I love about cooking is how the simplest ingredients can be transformed into a feast. Recently, we went round to see a friend who is an Italian chef. He cooked pasta and a tomato sauce (amatriciana); we had a salad of shaved fennel, orange and olive oil; and a piece of delicious cheese, some good crackers and a few squares of chocolate to finish. It was a sensational weekend lunch. Today’s tender and light dumplings are just so – peas and onions make the sauce, but plentiful olive oil and butter, plus some generous seasoning, take them to another level. The pudding is a tiramisu of sorts, and all the better for it: blissfully easy to pull together and indecently delicious.
Ricotta dumplings with butter-braised peas and mint (pictured top)
The peas melt into the fat but with enough white wine and lemon juice to pique your interest. Then the tender, light ricotta dumplings are fried golden and nestle in the vegetables. Bliss.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4-5
500g whole-milk ricotta
100g finely grated grana padano, parmesan or mature lincolnshire poacher, plus extra to serve
1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp flour, plus extra for dusting
For the peas
45ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
4 garlic cloves, peeled – 2 halved, 2 crushed
2 baby gem lettuce, halved
70g butter
400g white onions, peeled and sliced
300g frozen peas
100ml white wine
200ml chicken stock
½ lemon, juiced
1 handful mint, roughly chopped
First, dry the ricotta. Put it in a sieve, then lay four sheets of kitchen paper on top of each other on a plate. Tip the ricotta on to the paper and top with four more sheets. Press the ricotta into a ball, squeezing out as much moisture as you can. Once the sheets are soaked through, discard and repeat with four more sheets, continuing until the ricotta is dry and crumbly.
Put the ricotta in a food processor with the grated cheese, whole egg and egg yolk, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then pulse/blitz until everything just comes together. Sprinkle in the flour, pulse again to combine, then transfer the dough to a large bowl and put in the freezer to set.
Put the oil and the halved garlic in a deep saute pan on a medium-high heat. Season the lettuce, then brown it in the garlic oil for a few minutes on each side, until coloured. Lift out the lettuce, then add 40g butter to the pan. Once it’s melted, add the onions, season generously and cook, stirring often, over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, until translucent and soft.
Meanwhile, dust a large tray with flour. Take the ricotta mix out of the freezer and, using two tablespoons to shape them, scoop out oblong quenelles and transfer to the tray. Set aside somewhere cool.
Add the crushed garlic to the onions, fry for a few minutes, then shred the sauteed lettuce and add that, too. Finally, stir in peas, wine and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the peas are cooked but still bursting in the mouth, then add the lemon juice and mint, then taste to check the seasoning.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the dumplings in batches for three to four minutes, until they are cooked through, firm and float to the top of the water. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate lined with kitchen towel while you cook the remaining dumplings. Melt the remaining 30g butter in a frying pan on a high heat, then saute the poached dumplings for three to four minutes on each side, until golden.
Serve the dumplings nestled in the buttered peas, scattered with more grated cheese and a few glugs of oil.
Rhubarb, cardamom and mascarpone trifle
Whipped cream and cardamom is my idea of heaven. Throw in sweet orange-roast rhubarb, tequila-soaked sponge fingers and hints of vanilla, and I am sunk.
Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Chill overnight
Serves 6-8
500g pink rhubarb (trimmed weight)
90g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
45ml red vermouth
45ml tequila blanco, or vodka
180g sponge fingers
For the topping
2 large eggs, separated
75g caster sugar
250g mascarpone
1 tsp ground green cardamom
2 tsp vanilla extract
300ml double cream
To serve
40g toasted almonds
Dried raspberries, optional
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Trim and clean the rhubarb, then cut it into 5cm pieces. Arrange the rhubarb in a single layer in a roasting dish, sprinkle over the sugar, orange zest and juice, and vermouth. Cover and roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender to the point of a knife. Remove from the oven, pour in the tequila and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, start on the topping. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar until you have a thick, smooth, yellow paste, then whisk in the mascarpone, cardamon and vanilla. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks, then fold them into the mascarpone mixture. Using the egg white bowl, softly whip the cream, then fold that into the mascarpone, too.
Arrange the sponge fingers in a trifle bowl or deep dish. Spoon over the cooled rhubarb and its boozy juices, then spread the silky cream mix on top. Cover with clingfilm and chill for several hours, or overnight. Take the trifle out of the fridge at least half an hour before serving, decorating it with the almonds and dried raspberries, if using.
