by Holly and David Jones, Manna from Devon Cooking School Food & Drink
Recreating flavours of Italian holidays R
unning a close second to Indian food, Italian cooking has a special place in the
British heart. Conjuring up holidays in the rolling Tuscan hill or on the Amalfi coast, the fresh flavours bring a zing to our grey northern climate with little more than the best seasonal ingredients and a light touch.
Simplicity is key both for the preparation
and for the final dish. A bowl of olives, some bread, a few slices of salami, some salad and a simple dressing – simple to put together and perfection as long as they are the best ingredients you can find for your money.
Inspiration comes from all angles - from
Nigella, Jamie, Carluccio and Delia to the River Café, Angela Hartnett, Elizabeth David and Claudia Roden. There is a book for every Ital- ian-inspired cook, both at home and at work.
Admittedly if you’re going to make your
own pasta, you need to set aside a morning to do so – and clear the work spaces as you’ll need a lot of room. However if you’re not too worried by a bit of a mess to clear up, and after a bit of practice, you’ll create the most melting, silky pasta you’ll have ever tasted. Pasta making is one of our most popular family days here at the cooking school – I think for kids because they get to create something delicious out of the most basic ingredients of eggs and flour, and for adults as the mess is being made in someone else’s kitchen. When it comes to dishing up though, everyone’s agreed it’s probably the best pasta they’ve ever eaten.
We love soups – perfect for lunch or dinner
and here are 2 of our current favourites. Beans and cabbage sounding a little too worthy? Try our ribollita and see what a little Italian magic can do to transform these rather workaday in- gredients. Our other soup is from Mitch Tonks at the Seahorse in Dartmouth who came to do a guest day at the cooking school and his Italian Fish Soup was a big hit.
RIBOLLITA
• 2tbsp olive oil • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped • 1 stick celery, finely chopped • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped • 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped • 3tbsp chopped fresh parsley • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes • ½ Savoy cabbage, destalked and finely shredded • 1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed • 2 thick slices stale white bread, crusts off and cut into 1cm cubes
• Chicken stock • Salt and pepper • More olive oil
• 2-3tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic, celery, carrots and onions, cover with a lid and gently cook until soft – about 15 minutes. Take your time over this stage and take care not to brown the veggies – you just want to cook them gently until soft to bring out their sweetness.
2. Add the tomatoes, cabbage and 2tbsp of the parsley,. Season well, cover and cook gently for another 15 minutes.
3. Add the beans and bread and cover with stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Off the heat, whizz with a hand blender until half smooth and half lumpy and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If too thick add some more stock although the soup should be thick. Bring back to the boil and serve with the rest of the parsley and the Parmesan
cheese and some more olive oil drizzled over the top.•
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