Polenta and grilled radicchio with rosemary and anchovy sauce
This would make a lovely meat-free main; the sauce will keep in the fridge for a couple ofdays, so you can make it ahead.
Serves 8
2 heads of treviso radicchio
1 litre milk
250g fine polenta
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
80g unsalted butter, diced
100g provolone dolce cheese, coarsely grated
For the sauce
10g rosemary leaves
12 brown anchovy fillets, in oil
Juice of 1 lemon
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 To make the sauce, put the rosemary in a mortar and pound to a paste with the pestle. Add the anchovies and pound again until you have an even paste. Drizzle in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, whisk until combined, then set aside until ready to use.
2 Trim the ends of the radicchio cores, remove any ragged outer leaves, then quarter lengthways. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over a high heat until it's just about to boil, then whisk in the polenta and turn the heat down to low. Stir continuously for the first 5 minutes, then frequently from that point on, adding splashes of water as needed when it gets too thick or starts sticking. (Depending on the brand of polenta it could take up to 600ml water.) Cook for 45minutes or until thick and smooth.
3 Meanwhile, when the polenta is about 10minutes away from being perfect, lightly drizzle the radicchio with extra virgin olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Heat a grill pan over a high heat then cook them, sliced side down, for 2−3 minutes, turning to cook them evenly all over. Transfer the grilled radicchio to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to steam for 5minutes.
4 Stir the butter and provolone through the polenta so they melt in, then season to taste.
5 Pour the polenta on to two plates, arrange the grilled radicchio on top, then spoon the anchovy and rosemary sauce on top.
Recipes for a Good Time by Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz (Murdoch Books)
Lamb tagine with figs and rosemary
The entire culture of Moroccan tagine cooking is often reduced to just two dishes: tagine with chicken, green olives, and preserved lemon and tagine with lamb, almonds, and prunes. But there are endless combinations possible, as proven by this simple lamb tagine with figs, potatoes, cinnamon and rosemary.
Serves 4
Olive oil
2 red onions, cut into wedges
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
1 kg lamb shoulder, chopped
4 large yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
8 dried figs, halved
3 sprigs rosemary
Salt and black pepper
1 Heat some olive oil in a tagine or large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the onions with the cardamom, cinnamon stick and the lamb for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
2 Add the potatoes, a pinch of salt, and the figs to the pan. Add enough water to cover.
3 Strip the rosemary leaves from the stems, finely chop most of the leaves (save a few for garnish), and add to the pan. Cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes, until tender, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the remaining rosemary leaves.
Under the Shade of Olive Trees by Nadia Zerouali and Merijn Tol (Stewart, Tabori andChang)
Black pepper, fennel and rosemary biscotti
A couple of these biscotti, a little wedge of runny cheese and some good jams are a perfect dessert, especially with a glass of Vin Santo.
Makes 30
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
270g flour
50g polenta
1½ tsp baking powder
1¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
3 eggs
50g sugar
100g whole almonds
100g golden raisins
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark4. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Roughly crush the peppercorns and fennel using a pestle and mortar.
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt, rosemary, crushed peppercorns and fennel.
3 Beat the eggs with the sugar until well combined, then add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stirin the almonds andraisins.
4 Divide the dough in half. Form each piece into a 20cm log and put on the prepared baking sheet, then bake until the logs are light golden – about 30 minutes. Leave the oven on, then allow the log to cool on a wire rack.
5 Cut the logs into 1cm slices. Put the biscotti back on the lined baking sheet and return to the oven for 18-20 minutes, until crisp and golden. Cool and serve with cheese, or snack on them as they are.
Recipe supplied by Sarah Fioritto, strawberryplum.com
Red mullet with rosemary butter
If you're short on time then you can buy good‑quality fish stock instead of making ityourself. You can also ask the fishmonger to prepare the red mullet for you.
Serves 4
4 x 225g red mullet, livers and trimmings reserved, scaled and filleted, unskinned
50g butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, cut into 4
175ml dry white wine
300ml double cream
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Rosemary sprigs, to serve
1 Remove the scales and any pinbones from the mullet fillets. Finely chop the fish livers. Chop the fish heads, bones and trimmings.
2 Make the stock: melt half the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the fish trimmings and simmer for 2-3 minutes, pressing them into the butter with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the juices.
3 Add the shallots and continue to simmer for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rosemary, wine and an equal quantity of water and simmer for 7 minutes. Remove therosemary and discard.
4 Pass the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing down with a wooden spoon to extract all the juices. Set the pan over a high heat and reduce the stock by boiling rapidly to half its original quantity.
5 Pour the reduced stock on to the cream in a bowl. Return to the pan and continue to reduce until the sauce is thick enough tocoat the back of a wooden spoon, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from catching.
6 Remove the pan from the heat and gradually beat in the remaining butter, a little at a time. Add the chopped fish livers and lemon juice and season to taste. Keepwarm.
7 Heat two heavy frying pans. Pour half the oil into each pan and arrange four fillets, skin‑side down, in each. Season generously and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes.
8 To serve, flood four plates with the sauce; put two red mullet fillets on each plate, skin-side uppermost, and garnish with sprigs ofrosemary.
Leith's Fish Bible by CJ Jackson (Bloomsbury)
Rosemary, tallegio and leekpizza
The woodiness of the rosemary pairs very well with the sweet leeks and rich taleggio in this pizza.
Makes 2 pizzas
350g white bread flour
5g salt
200ml tepid water
7g dried yeast
For the tomato sauce
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
400g tin chopped plum tomatoes – San Marzano if possible
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Sugar, salt and pepper to taste
For the topping
1 ball buffalo mozzarella, torn into pieces
30g taleggio
1 leek, roasted
50g sliced unsmoked pancetta (optional)
A few sprigs of rosemary
1 Make the dough: sift the flour and salt together on a work surface and make a well in the centre. Put the yeast in the water and stir. Let it stand for 15 minutes to activate.
2 Add the water to the well in the flour and mix together. Knead for 6-10 minutes until you have a strong elasticity. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, put all the ingredients in the bowl and knead for 6 minutes on a medium setting instead of kneading by hand. Allow the dough to prove for 1½–2 hours, until it has doubled in size and is springy to the touch.
3 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Gently fry the onions and garlic in some good olive oil, till soft, but with no colour. Add the tomatoes and slowly simmer for 1-2 hours or until thickened, add the dried oregano and basil, season with a little sugar, salt and pepper to taste. You'll most likely have a bit left over, so just make sure not to overload the dough, as it will be too wet.
4 Heat the oven to 240C/475F/gas mark 9. Knock back the dough and divide into six balls, then roll out to ½cm thick. Lie on lightly floured baking trays (you might have to do this in batches, depending on your oven), then spread with tomato sauce and drizzle a little olive oil over the crusts.
5 Add the toppings – no need to measure exactly; just put on what you feel like – then bake in the oven for 8 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crusts arecrisp.
Recipe supplied by Kyle Boyce, head chef at Pizza East Portobello
Rosemary and potato tart with a rye crust
Rosemary is an evergreen shrub and is great for using all year round. It goes particularly well with a little bit of dark rye. Serve this as a hot or cold starter, with a dollop of creme fraiche and a green salad.
Serves 4-6
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g Greek yoghurt
100g strong white bread flour
65g wholemeal rye flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
For the filling
400g waxy potatoes, skin on
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
150g shallots, roughly sliced
15g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
100ml cream
1 medium egg
Salt and black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Butter a 26cm, loose-bottomed, fluted tart tin.
2 Put the butter and yoghurt in a mixing bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
3 In separate bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and salt. Tip into the butter mixture and mix until it forms a dough. Roll into a ball, then roll out on a floured surface using floured hands and a rolling pin. Line the tin with the pastry, pressing into the fluted edges of thetin.
4 To make the filling, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
5 Add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil to a hot frying pan, then soften the shallots. Set aside to cool.
6 Sprinkle 1 tbsp rapeseed oil on the pastry, spreading it evenly with a spoon. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices, then put theslices evenly on the pastry. Spread the shallots evenlyon top of the potatoes.
7 Mix ⅔ of the rosemary with the cream, then add the egg, ½ tsp salt and some black pepper into the mixture and whisk. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining rosemary on top of the tart, then bake for 25-30 minutes.
8 Serve with green salad and a dollop of creme fraiche – if you can, squeeze a little lemon, add salt and pepper in the crème fraiche.
Recipe supplied by Miisa Mink, Nordic Bakery, nordicbakery.com
Apple cake with rosemarycrumble
Apples and rosemary are often paired together with pork, but they work well in sweet dishes, too. This cake is so simple and tasty; the earthiness of the rosemary really makes it.
Serves 8
65g flour
75g sugar
45g light brown sugar
A pinch of salt
25g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tbsp roughly chopped rosemary
1-2 tbsp water
For the cake
260g flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
75g salted butter
225g light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
120ml whole milk
2 apples, diced
1 Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/gas mark 4. Butter and line a 22cm cake tin.
2 To prepare the crumble topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, butter and rosemary and mix with your hands, or in a stand mixer, until it becomes the texture of coarse crumbs, then add water and mix until the crumb comes together. Set aside.
3 To make the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs to the mix one at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla, then add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating each addition with a third of the milk.
4 Fold in the apples, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle the crumble on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until lightly golden and firm tothe touch, then cool on a wire rack.
Recipe supplied by Hannah Queen, honeyandjam.com
Rosemary and chocolate brownie
Everyone loves brownies, and rightly so. Rosemary has a natural affinity with dark chocolate and brings about all sorts of delicious, complex flavours.
Serves 6-8
100g bitter chocolate (70% cocoa)
100g unsalted butter
2 eggs
300g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour, sifted
50g dates, chopped
1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped
½ tsp salt
25ml extra virgin olive oil
Mascarpone or clotted cream, to serve (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a square brownie or cake tin with bakingpaper.
2 Melt the chocolate and butter together above (but not in) a pan of simmering water. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a mixer or with anelectric whisk until light and fluffy. Fold the egg mix into the melted chocolate and butter, then add the flour, dates, rosemary, salt and oil.
3 Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the brownie is setting around the outside and still gooey in the centre. A skewer inserted into the centre of the brownie should come out with a little of the mix on it. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.Serve with a dollop of mascarpone orclotted cream to create an even more indulgent experience.
Recipe supplied by Ben Tish, saltyardgroup.co.uk
Aromatic brined fried chicken with charred lemon and rosemary
This brine will last for a week in the fridge and is good for most meats. Serve with some chargrilled lemon wedges, if you like.
Serves 4
1 star anise
30 coriander seeds
5 black peppercorns
10 rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
150g salt
1 litre cold tap water
8 chicken thighs, skin on
For the coating
100g cornflour
10g ground cumin
10g smoked chipotle
10g smoked paprika
A pinch of black pepper, freshly ground
10g fine salt
1 To make the brine, toast the spices in separate pans (doing them all together will result in uneven toasting and the coriander seeds will burn before the star anise is even toasted). Wrap the spices with the herbs and garlic in muslin cloth and tie securely.
2 Combine the salt and cold water in a large pan, add the muslin parcel and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Take off the heat, allow to cool completely, then pour the juice over the chicken thighs in a non-reactive dish until submerged. Allow the chicken to brine in the fridge for about 5 hours.
3 Heat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Rinse then pat the chicken thighs dry, then mix the chicken coating ingredients. Dip the chicken in the flour mix. Heat a large glug of oil in a frying pan, about 5mm depth, then fry the chicken, skin-side down at first, until crispy and golden.
4 Transfer the chicken to the oven for 10 minutes until meat is cooked through, the skin has puffed and the oil has dried off. Serve with a citrussy salad and a garnish of rosemary.
Recipe supplied by Ross Clarke, Dirty Bones, dirty-bones.com
Rosemary and lemonade bourbons
This will make more syrup than you need, but it keeps well in the fridge, and the recipe is easily doubled.
Serves 2
100ml bourbon or whisky
250ml soda water
2 lemon slices
2 sprigs of rosemary
For the syrup (makes about 250ml)
225ml lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
120g sugar
4-6 sprigs of rosemary
1 Combine all the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan, then heat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and cool. Remove the rosemary sprigs, then chill.
2 Pour 1 tbsp syrup into two glasses, add the bourbon with a couple of ice cubes then top with soda water. Add a slice of lemon and a rosemary sprig to each, then serve.
Recipe supplied by Lillie Auld, buttermeupbrooklyn.com
