Roasted Cod Loin With Potatoes, Tomatoes, Capers, Crispy Parma Ham and Balsamic Vinegar

 

1 cod loin, skin removed and trimmed

100g boiled and sliced pink fir apple or charlotte potatoes, cut into quarters
1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
3 slices Parma ham
4 basil leaves
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 lemon
1 tbsp small capers
olive oil

 

Reduced balsamic vinegar or Balsamic glaze

 

In a large heavy based frying pan seal cod on one side, turn over, and take out of pan.

Add the potatoes and cook for a minute so they get a light golden colour and turn over. 

Place the cod back in pan on top of the potatoes with the sliced tomatoes, capers, parsley, garlic and cover with the Parma ham.

 

Cook in oven at 200°C/ Gas Mark 8, for 6-8 mins.

 

Squeeze ½ lemon into pan and a dash of olive oil.

 

Plate with cod served on top of the potatoes with prosciutto on top and scattered with the tomatoes and capers and drizzled with the Balsamic vinegar.

Agnello Con Piselli (Lamb WIth Peas)

It is very traditional to eat the new season’s lamb with fresh peas on Sundays in Italy when the whole family will gather together. The secret of this dish is in leaving the lamb to cook over a very low heat, as traditionally it would have been cooked in a pot over the embers of a fire; in this way the lamb and the rest of the ingredients will cook through well, and all the juices will ooze out to create a lovely sauce.

The Recipe

500g boned spring lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks

salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, roughly sliced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 anchovy fillets

handful thyme sprigs

1 red chilli, sliced

175ml white wine

15ml white wine vinegar

125g fresh or frozen peas

200g potatoes, cut into quarters

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

Season the lamb chunks with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pan and fry the onions, carrot and celery for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the garlic, anchovies, thyme and chilli, and continue to cook, stirring, until the anchovies have almost dissolved into the oil. Add the lamb chunks and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over.

Stir in the wine and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half, then add the vinegar. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Add the peas, potatoes and tomatoes, cover again and continue to cook for about an hour, until the sauce has reduced by half.

Serve hot with plenty of bread to mop up the sauce.

Spaghetti Amatriciana

 

150g spaghetti
Parmesan, freshly grated

For the sauce

30g guanciale (or Pancetta), cut into small cubes
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
splash dry white wine
120g tomatoes, cut into small cubes
flat-leaf parsley, freshly chopped
  For the sauce, put the guanciale (or pancetta) and onion in a pan with the oil and chilli, and fry gently for about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the white wine and tomatoes and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta until al dente.

Lift the pasta from water and add to your sauce and mix well.

Serve sprinkled generously with the freshly grated Parmesan.

Ligurian Garlic Sauce

4 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

1 slice white bread, crusts removed

2tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Crush the garlic to a smooth purée in a pestle and mortar or food processor.

Add the olive oil, little by little, till a pouring consistency.

Soak the bread in the vinegar then stir into the oil and garlic to form a mayonnaise like texture.

Season and serve.

Tomato and Anchovy Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

8 anchovy fillets

Pinch and dried chilli

400g tinned Italian chopped tomatoes

Flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and anchovy fillets then cook for about two minutes until the anchovies have dissolved.

Add the dried chilli and then the chopped tomatoes and simmer gently for around twenty minutes.

Add the chopped flat leaf parsley and season.

Serve with pasta.

Tomato and Pancetta Sauce

Olive oil

100g Pancetta, thinly chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 chilli, deseeded and chopped

400g tinned chopped Italian tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan, lightly sauté the pancetta and red onion and cook for ten minutes until golden. 

Add the chilli and tomatoes and stir together and simmer gently for around 20 minutes till reduced slightly.

Serve with pasta.

Pan-fried Liver With Caper And Sage Butter

1tbsp capers in brine
150g sliced calf’s liver trimmed and cut 1cm thick
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
15g unsalted butter
5 fresh sage leaves
1 lemon

1 portion mash potato

Place a large pan over a moderately-high heat  and add just enough oil to cover the base. Season one side of your slices of liver then place them carefully seasoned side down in the oil to cook for one minute.

Carefully turn the liver slices over, then reduce the heat and add the buter, sage and capers and cook for another minute if you like your liver pink, if not leave it longer but baste the liver with the melted butter.

As your liver cooks warm up your mash potato.

Once your liver is nearly cooked, add a squeeze of lemon juice and then remove from the heat to rest for a minute.

Spoon some mash onto a plate, place on your liver slices then drizzle with the caper, sage and butter mixture.