FOOD

THEO RANDALL’S ITALIAN PANTRY

Theo Randall’s passion for food was born from regular family holidays across Europe and from a young age he was destined for a culinary future. His career began as a waiter at London’s acclaimed Chez Max and after only a few weeks, Max Magarian noted Theo’s talents and invited him to work in the kitchen where he spent the next four years following an apprenticeship in classic French cuisine. In 1989, Theo joined the up-and-coming River Café and quickly found his culinary home with the legendary Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray MBE. After a year’s secondment cooking alongside Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, Theo returned to The River Café and brought inspiration from the bountiful Californian produce he had been working with.

Theo then remained at River Café for a further 15 years as head chef and it was under his patronage that the restaurant received its first Michelin star in 1997. He left to launch Theo Randall at the InterContinental, which opened in November 2006. His commitment to delivering rustic produce-driven Italian food from the prestigious address of No. 1 Park Lane has earned him loyal followers and rave reviews from critics and food-lovers. While he is a regular on national television, including BBC One’s, Saturday Kitchen, Theo remains true to his culinary roots and can be found at the restaurant most services. He has published three successful recipe books: PASTA (2006), My Simple Italian (2015) and The Italian Deli Cookbook (2021), and his latest book, The Italian Pantry, released on 1 September 2022.

TAGLIATELLE WITH MUSHROOMS, PINE NUTS AND PANCETTA

This recipe is a perfect midweek dinner; easy to prep and comforting to eat. There are lots of really good, dried egg tagliatelle pastas on the market – I always go for the brands Rumo or Giovanni Cocco. Or, of course, you could always make fresh pasta.

Serves 2–3 Ingredients • 100g (3½oz) pancetta, cut into matchsticks • 75g (2½oz) pine nuts • 250g (9oz) chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves • juice of ½ lemon • 100g (3½oz) mascarpone • 250g (9oz) dried tagliatelle • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves • 75g (2½oz) parmesan, grated, to serve • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the pancetta to the dry pan and leave it to cook for a few minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crispy. Add the pine nuts and cook for about 1 minute, until they are a light golden colour. Remove the pancetta and pine nuts from the pan with a slotted spoon and set them aside to drain on kitchen paper. Leave the fat in the pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan over a medium heat. Fry until the mushrooms have released their liquid and become syrupy, then add the garlic and thyme and fry for 2 minutes more. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat down to low and stir in the mascarpone. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet suggests, then, using tongs, transfer the pasta to the pan with the mascarpone mixture. Add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and stir through the parsley. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon and cook for 1 minute, adding another ladleful of pasta cooking water if the tagliatelle feels a little dry. Toss the pasta so it is juicy and coated in the sauce. Serve the tagliatelle in warm bowls with the crispy pancetta, pine nuts and a little extra parmesan sprinkled on top.

MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE WITH BURRATA AND CROSTINI

This dish was on the menu at Theo’s Simple Italian in Kensington – sadly, the restaurant is no longer, but the dish is still very much a classic. The richness of the meatballs with the vibrant tomato sauce is very comforting and it’s a perfect dish to serve to a large gathering. I love the addition of the chopped burrata, as it makes the tomato sauce taste even sweeter and adds a soft, creamy texture. Scale the quantities up or down as required.

Serves 4 Ingredients • 1 ciabatta or sourdough loaf cut into thin slices • 1 garlic clove, to rub • 1 x 150g (5½oz) burrata sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the meatballs • 400g (14oz) pork mince (ground pork) • 400g (14oz) beef mince (ground beef) • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves • 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little sea salt • 3 tablespoons whole milk • 100g (3½oz) dried breadcrumbs • 75g (2½oz) parmesan, finely grated • 3 eggs • 1 teaspoon sea salt • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil For the tomato sauce • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme (not lemon thyme) • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped • 600g (1lb 5 oz) tomato passata

Method

Place all ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and combine to form a firm, evenly distributed mixture. Cover your hands in olive oil, take a generous tablespoon of the mixture and roll it between your palms to form a meatball the size of a golf ball. Repeat until you have used all the mixture – you should have 16 meatballs. Place them on a tray in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.

Place a large, non-stick, ovenproof frying pan over a high heat and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. When the oil is hot, begin browning the meatballs (in batches if necessary), ensuring you don’t cook them completely – a little colour on the outside is perfect. Once they are all browned off, remove them from the pan and leave them to one side while you make your tomato sauce. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Make the tomato sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and set it back over a medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, thyme and chilli. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the passata. Cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half. Season the sauce and take the pan off the heat.

Place the meatballs in the pan on top of the sauce, evenly spaced, then transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Leave to one side for 5 minutes to cool slightly (leave the oven on). Drizzle a little oil over your ciabatta slices and sprinkle them with some sea salt. Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for 4 minutes, or until crispy, then rub them all over with the garlic clove. Meanwhile, finely chop the burrata, then use a spoon to drop dollops all over the baked meatballs. Give everything a sprinkle of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper, then serve in the middle of the table alongside the crostini and let everyone help themselves.

The Italian Pantry by Theo Randall (Quadrille, £26). Photography: Lizzie Mayson.