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A taste of spring, from Ruth Rogers

The River Caf's Ruth Rogers makes a feast from fresh spring vegetables with four exciting new recipes
Ruth Rogers The Observer, Sunday 15 April 2012
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Squid with peas and anchovies. Photograph: Romas Foord for the Observer

Broad beans, artichokes, peas, agretti, cicoria walk into any Italian trattoria in spring and you will be greeted with large plates overflowing with these beautiful, green vegetables cooked in various ways. Agretti (feathery green leaves that translate as "monk's beard") might be simply blanched then tossed with olive oil and lemon (at the River Caf, we have been serving it hot with a bottarga sauce), the peas might be slow cooked with prosciutto and garlic, the broad beans smashed with pecorino and mint and served on bruschetta. Rose and I ate this for the first time near Siena in the house of Giuseppe Mazzocolin, who makes the beautiful Felsina wine and olive oil. We came home and put it on the menu right away. Though some of these vegetables might be hard to find (agretti is available from specialist stores and sometimes from sites such as natoora.co.uk), we are lucky here to have an abundance of peas, broad beans and asparagus available soon. Fresh young broad beans are perfect eaten raw; often in Tuscany you will end a meal not with a sweet but with a plate of them still in their pods, with a chunk of local pecorino. As I write, my friend Julie, who lives in Florence, tells me the markets are filled with artichokes the morellino variety from Venturina in the Maremma region, which are wonderful braised with the herb nepitella (part of the mint family). Not only are these the most tender and tasty artichokes but the newly leafed nepitella has a fresher and more subtle flavour than it will later on. Artichokes are officially over in late spring but there are still some available from Sicily. At The River Caf, my head chefs Joseph Trivelli and Sian Wyn Owen and I like to cook them for as long as we can, roasted in foil (as below) or combined with the peas and broad beans to make the Roman stew vignole. So say goodbye to the broccoli, winter greens and dark vegetables of winter and celebrate the lovely vegetables of spring.

ARTICHOKES BAKED IN FOIL WITH THYME

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A taste of spring, from Ruth Rogers | Life and style | The Observer

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Serves 6 small globe artichokes with stalks 12 lemon garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 4 fresh thyme, in sprigs 1 bunch Maldon sea salt freshly ground black pepper olive oil Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Prepare the artichokes by first trimming the stalks, leaving about 5cm. Peel each stalk down to the paler core. Next, break off the tough outer leaves until only the pale, tender leaves remain. Trim about 1cm off the top. Open the leaves and, with a spoon, remove the choke. If the artichokes are very tender this is not necessary. Rub the lemon over each artichoke to prevent discolouring. Put a couple of slivers of garlic, a sprig of thyme and a generous amount of salt and pepper into the small cavity in each artichoke. Lay each artichoke on a piece of foil large enough to fold around into a parcel, and drizzle with olive oil. Pour 2 tbsp of water into the bag and close tightly. Roast in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.

SQUID WITH PEAS AND ANCHOVIES

Serves 4 squid the size of your hand 4 extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp chopped parsley leaves 2 tbsp dried chilli, crushed 1 cloves garlic, sliced 2 salted anchovy fillets 6 fresh peas, shelled 400g lemon 1 Clean the squid by cutting the body open to make a flat piece. Scrape out the guts, keeping the tentacles in their bunches but removing the eyes and mouth. Using a serrated knife, score the inner side of the flattened squid body with parallel lines 1cm apart, and then the same the other way to make cross-hatching. To make the sauce, gently heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds before adding the chilli and the anchovies. Once the anchovies have dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Bring a small pot of water to the boil and blanch the peas until tender. Drain and set aside for dressing with the anchovy sauce. Place the squid (including the tentacles) scored-side down on a very hot grill, season with salt and pepper and grill for 1-2 minutes. Turn the squid pieces over; they will immediately curl up, by which time they will be cooked. Slice the squid into 1cm slices. Add to the peas with the warm anchovy dressing, chopped parsley and juice of a lemon.

MOZZARELLA WITH SMASHED BROAD BEANS AND PECORINO

Serves 6 young broad beans (podded) 1.3 kg garlic cloves (peeled) 2 fresh mint leaves 4 tbsp freshly grated pecorino cheese 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4 tbsp

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A taste of spring, from Ruth Rogers | Life and style | The Observer

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Maldon sea salt freshly ground black pepper lemon juice of 1 For the bruschetta: Pugliese or other sourdough bread, cut 1cm thick 6 slices large garlic clove, peeled 1 extra-virgin olive oil mozzarella 1 ball Pound the broad beans in a pestle and mortar with the garlic and mint. When the texture is thick, remove and place in a bowl. Stir in the pecorino and the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice. Toast the bread on both sides, then lightly rub with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve the smashed broad bean and pecorino bruschetta with to a ball of mozzarella.

TAGLIATELLE WITH ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN

Serves 6 asparagus, freshly picked 1.5kg fresh tagliatelle 600g garlic, peeled and crushed 1 clove crme frache 400ml parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for sprinkling 200g large, organic free-range egg yolks 2 Maldon sea salt freshly ground black pepper Use a medium saucepan that will fit inside another, larger, saucepan with enough room to half-fill with water. Put on heat. Rub the crushed garlic round the surface of the smaller pan. Add the crme frache, parmesan and egg yolks. Place the pan on top of the hot water and, stirring gently all the time, cook until the sauce thickens about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. Prepare the asparagus. Snap off the tough ends of the stems, keeping only the most tender parts. Slice the stems and tips thinly on the diagonal. Bring a very large saucepan of water to the boil, season with 2 tbsp salt and add the tagliatelle. Stir into the water and cook for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes, or until the pasta and asparagus are al dente. Drain and place in a warm serving bowl. Pour the fonduta (fondue) over the pasta and asparagus, and serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan on warm plates. For more information, go to rivercafe.co.uk. Nigel Slater returns next week

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