Angela Hartnett wouldn’t describe herself as an opera buff. True, she chose Nessun Dorma as one of her desert island discs when she appeared on the Radio 4 show in 2018, but it was more because of its associations with Italia 90 than a love of the genre. “My uncle and a few other family members are massive fans, and one of my close friends is married to an opera star, but I’m not going to pretend I’m hugely into it,” she says.
She’s certainly going to become more exposed to the music of Puccini, Verdi, Rossini et al, though, with the opening this week of Cicoria on the top floor of the Royal Opera House. Here Hartnett has shared some of her dishes to cook at home. They are mainly from the north of Italy — and they can all be whipped up quickly and with a minimum of fuss. Hannah Evans
Castelfranco and walnuts
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Castelfranco is a bitter leaf that’s just coming into season now. If you want to make it more luxurious, it pairs really well with robiola, a creamy mild Italian cheese. You can buy it from Waitrose or use a mix of ricotta and mascarpone as an alternative.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 Castelfranco or radicchio, washed and lightly torn
• 70g walnuts, toasted
• Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, picked
For the dressing
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
• 60ml sherry vinegar
• 180ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200g robiola cheese
• 60g crème fraîche
Method
1. Make the dressing. Rinse the chopped shallot in cold water and drain thoroughly. Place in a bowl with the honey and a pinch of salt. Add the thyme, then stir in the sherry vinegar and 10ml warm water. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify.
2. In a stand mixer, whip the robiola with the crème fraîche until smooth. Season lightly.
3. Gradually pour the vinaigrette into the cheese mixture, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth, creamy dressing.
4. Toss the Castelfranco with the dressing, toasted walnuts and parsley. Serve immediately.
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Pumpkin risotto
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I like to use carnaroli rice as the grain is slightly larger, so it is both creamy and firm — the best of both worlds. Make sure you get a good char on the squash/pumpkin.
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as starter
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 250g carnaroli rice
• 100g butter, cold and diced, plus extra
• 400g pumpkin or squash flesh, diced into small chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 400ml white wine
• 1.5l vegetable or chicken stock
• 100g parmesan, grated
• 8 fresh sage leaves, fried until crisp
• Walnuts, chopped
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook gently until translucent.
2. Add the rice with a knob of butter and toast for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the diced pumpkin and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until it has completely reduced.
4. Begin adding the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring regularly. Keep the rice moist but not swimming in liquid. From the first ladle, the risotto will take about 18-20 minutes to cook.
5. When the risotto is about 2 minutes from being ready, remove from the heat and add the cold diced butter bit by bit, stirring well.
6. Finish with the parmesan, then adjust the seasoning. The risotto should be creamy and slightly loose.
7. Serve topped with chopped walnuts and crispy sage leaves.
Burrata with chargrilled grapes and mint
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We can’t not have burrata on the menu. It’s a very mild cheese so it needs the contrast of grilled and then pickled grapes, which provide a smoky sweet and sour flavour. If you don’t have a grill, you can char them in a really hot pan.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 200g seedless red grapes
• 15ml sherry vinegar
• 25ml olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• Sea salt and pepper
• 4 burrata
• A quarter of a fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• Handful of fresh mint leaves
Method
1. Place the grapes in a bowl with the sherry vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar, fennel seeds, salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss well with your hands to coat, then cover and marinate overnight.
2. Place a ridged griddle pan over a high heat. Once hot, grill the grapes in batches for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly charred. Keep them warm.
3. To serve, spoon the grapes and their dressing over the burrata. Garnish with sliced fennel and mint leaves.
Gnocchi with porcini sauce
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We make our own gnocchi, but you can use ready-made. Also, button mushrooms are fine if you can’t find porcini. The fontina and parmesan emulsion is perfect to bring it together.
Serves 4 as starter
Ingredients
• 500g dried porcini mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stick, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• White wine, for deglazing
• 500g shop-bought gnocchi
• 50g fontina cheese, grated
• 50g parmesan, grated, plus extra to garnish
Method
1. Soak the porcini mushrooms in 500ml boiling water until softened. Strain, reserving the liquid, and pass through a fine sieve to remove any grit.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook gently for 30 minutes until very soft, without colouring.
3. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, then deglaze the pan with white wine.
4. Cover with just enough reserved mushroom liquid (plus water if needed) and simmer for 40 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Top up with water if it reduces too much.
5. Cook the gnocchi as per packet instructions. Drain, reserving a splash of water. Return to the pan with the porcini sauce, grated cheeses and a few spoonfuls of the gnocchi water. Toss until the cheese melts into the sauce. Serve with extra parmesan.
Lamb chops with a parmesan crust and salsa verde
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This is a dish my aunt used to make for Sunday lunch. I don’t know where she got the recipe from — probably Marcella Hazan — but I always loved it, so here is my tribute to her. The salsa verde helps cut through the fattiness of the lamb.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 8 lamb chops, excess fat trimmed
• 4 tbsp flour, seasoned
• 2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk
• 300g panko breadcrumbs
• Butter and olive oil, for frying
• Grated parmesan, to finish
For the salsa verde
• 2 tsp capers
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• Zest of half a lemon
• Olive oil
• Large handful of parsley, chopped
• Large handful of mint, chopped
Method
1. Place the chops between sheets of parchment paper and gently flatten with a rolling pin.
2. Set up three plates: seasoned flour in one, beaten eggs in another, and panko breadcrumbs in the third.
3. Dip each chop first in the flour, then in the egg and finally the panko, shaking off any excess. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
4. For the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients except the herbs. Stir in the parsley and mint last.
5. When ready to serve, heat a pan with butter and olive oil until foaming. Fry the lamb chops until golden on both sides and pink in the centre, about 5-6 minutes depending on thickness. Rest briefly.
6. Serve the chops with wilted spinach, salsa verde and a sprinkling of parmesan.
Plum and almond tart
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One from the Cafe Murano menu: a simple frangipane pastry base with seasonal fruit. Served with a dollop of crème fraîche, it’s perfect.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
• 340g shop-bought sweet shortcrust pastry, rolled 3mm thick
• About 20 ripe plums
For the frangipane filling
• 200g sugar
• 200g butter
• 4 whole eggs, beaten together
• 200g ground almonds
• 100g flour
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm tart tin with the pastry. Prick the base and allow to rest in the fridge.
2. In a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition.
4. Fold in the ground almonds and flour until combined.
5. Fill the pastry case with frangipane about two-thirds full.
6. Halve and stone the plums, then press them into the frangipane to cover the surface.
7. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes until golden brown, the frangipane is set and the pastry base is cooked.
8. Allow to cool slightly, then serve at room temperature with crème fraîche or mascarpone.
Cicoria opens on September 26 at the Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2 (rbo.org.uk)
Dining and Cooking