ON THE COVER BUON NATALE An Italian-inspired feast from our food columnist Giovanna Ryan

Buon Natale

CelebratewithanItalian-inspired feastspeciallycreatedbyour foodcolumnistGiovannaRyan

PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID LOFTUS

hristmasissynonymouswithfood in our family, ’ says Giovanna.

‘We arrive laden with various edible items: my brother with cheese, panettone and his famous mince pies, my husband with the meat, and my sister with something sweet. In the absence of Nonna and Nonno, my dad will order the traditional smoked salmon for the rye bread sandwiches we have on Christmas night. And when it comes to the main event, it’ s a happy mix of British and Italian dishes.

‘I’ ve devised this menu to be an informal Italian-ish, pass-the-plate affair, inspired by the big family meals of my childhood, ’ adds Giovanna. ‘It’ s designed to be as hands-off as possible so that whoever is cooking can enjoy the festivities, and most elements can be prepared in advance. The dishes make a wonderfulalternativetothemoretraditional Christmas meal but can be served as a whole menu or individually for feeding friends and family at any point over the festive season. ’

Get ahead

The risotto can be made two days ahead and the aioli can be made three days in advance. Store in the fridge.

Saffronaranciniwithroastgarlicaioli andgremolata

The basis of this dish, the risotto, makes for a fabulous meal in its own right, or as an accompaniment to slow-roasted beef or veal. It’s also the basis for arancini, my favourite canapé of all time.

MAKES 16 ARANCINI FOR THE RISOTTO 80g butter 1 celery stick, finely chopped 1 shallot, finely chopped 300g Arborio risotto rice 800ml chicken or vegetable stock Small pinch saffron strands 200ml white wine 50g Parmesan 50g plain flour 1 egg, beaten 50g panko breadcrumbs 1L sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying FOR THE AIOLI 2 large garlic cloves 1 large egg yolk 250ml rapeseed oil or sunflower oil Juice of ½ lemon FOR THE GREMOLATA Small bunch parsley, very finely chopped 1 garlic clove, grated Zest of 1 lemon

1 To make the risotto, gently melt 40g of the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Sweat the celery and shallot in the butter for 5min until soft, but not browned. Add the rice, stir to coat and toast for 2min. 2 Heat the stock with the saffron in a small saucepan to a gentle simmer. Add half the wine to the rice and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add a ladle of the stock and allow to absorb, stirring regularly. Repeat with the rest of the wine and then the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked. If you need more liquid, use hot water. 3 Add the remaining butter, grate in the Parmesan and season with black pepper and a little salt. Transfer the risotto to a container, allow to cool, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. 4 To make the aioli, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Place the garlic cloves, unpeeled, on a tray and roast for 30min. 5 Place the egg yolk in a bowl and whisk for 1min. Using a jug, drip the oil very slowly into the yolk, whisking constantly. Once the mixture starts to emulsify and thicken, add the oil in a thin stream. If it starts to split, add a dash of hot water and whisk until it comes back together. 6 Once you have a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency, add the lemon juice and squeeze in the roasted garlic from the skins. Whisk well, taste and add a little salt and more lemon juice, if needed. 7 To make the gremolata, mix together the chopped parsley, grated garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl with a little salt and set aside in the fridge. 8 When ready to serve, shape the cold risotto into golf-ball-sized rounds. Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls and coat each ball first with the flour, then egg and the breadcrumbs. Place on a tray. 9 Heat the oil in a high-sided pan to 170°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, place a cube of bread in the oil. When it's turned golden brown, the oil is at the right temperature. Fry the arancini three or four at a time until golden. Don’t let the oil get too hot otherwise the arancini will brown too quickly and the insides will be cold. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining balls. 10 Serve immediately. Enjoy dipped first in the aioli, then the gremolata.

Burrata with roasted red peppers, dukkah and tarragon oil

This is served cold and can be made ahead. The tarragon oil is really simple and so delicious. Unused dukkah and tarragon oil will keep in an airtight jar.

SERVES 6-8 3 burrata 4 medium red peppers, cored and sliced lengthways 2tbsp olive oil, for roasting A few tarragon leaves or dill fronds FOR THE DUKKAH 1tbsp fennel seeds 1tbsp cumin seeds 1tbsp coriander seeds 50g blanched hazelnuts 50g blanched almonds 20g sesame seeds 1tsp flaked sea salt FOR THE TARRAGON OIL Large bunch tarragon, leaves picked 300ml neutral oil, such as sunflower or vegetable

1 First make the dukkah. Toast the spices in a dry pan until fragrant and starting to pop. Tip into a spice grinder, or use a pestle and mortar, and grind to a coarse powder, leaving a few seeds whole. 2 Toast the nuts in the same pan until golden, then grind to a reasonably fine grind with a few bigger bits for texture. Mix with the spices. 3 Finally, toast the sesame seeds and tip into the spice and nut mixture. Season with a generous pinch of sea salt and set aside to cool. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container. 4 To make the tarragon oil, place the tarragon leaves and oil into a blender and blend on the highest speed until you have a bright green, thick liquid. Strain through a muslin cloth or fine sieve. Season with a little salt and transfer to a clean jar until ready to use. 5 Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas mark 8. Spread the pepper slices on a large baking tray in one layer. You may need to use two trays. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and roast for 25min, turning occasionally, until the peppers are very soft and starting to catch at the edges. Leave to cool completely, transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. 6 When you’re ready to eat, drape the peppers on a serving plate, drain the burrata and nestle among the peppers. Sprinkle liberally with the dukkah, drizzle with tarragon oil (or a good olive oil, if preferred) and finish with a few tarragon leaves or dill fronds.

Negroni sbagliato

Sbagliato means ‘mistake’ in Italian. Here, prosecco replaces gin for a lighter, brighter version of the classic cocktail.

SERVES 1 25ml red vermouth 25ml Campari 25ml prosecco or other sparkling wine Combine the vermouth and Campari in a glass with ice. Top with prosecco, stir and serve.

Pork belly porchetta

Traditionally, porchetta is a whole suckling pig, deboned and stuffed with copious quantities of garlic and herbs. This version uses pork belly, although if you’re feeding more people you can ask your butcher for the belly and loin in one piece. It’s a real crowd pleaser, the crispy crackling giving way to yielding, juicy meat.

SERVES 6-8 WITH LEFTOVERS 4kg skin-on pork belly in one piece, ribs removed 3tbsp fennel seeds 4tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 4tbsp chopped fresh sage 10 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated Grated zest of 3 lemons 100ml white wine or vermouth

1 Place the belly skin-side up on a large board with the long edge facing you. Remove the skin from the right hand half of the belly. Using a very sharp knife, carefully make vertical cuts into the remaining skin, being careful you don't go down to the meat. If you’re unsure about this, ask your butcher to do it for you. 2 To make the filling, mix together the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Rub the pork all over with salt, then turn skin-side down. Spread the filling evenly over the meat. Roll up like a roulade, starting with the edge without the skin. Tie the porchetta with string at 2cm intervals as tightly as you can. 3 Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper, place on a rack over a deep baking tray and leave to rest, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 12 hours – this will allow the flavour of the filling to penetrate the meat and ensure perfect crispy crackling. 4 Remove the porchetta from the fridge 1 hour before cooking, pat dry and wipe any escaped juices out of the baking tray. 5 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4. Fill the baking tray with approx 500ml water, or until half full, and place the pork on a rack above it. Roast for 4-5 hours until the meat is very soft. The crackling may be perfect by this stage, but if not, turn the heat up to 240°C/220°C fan/gas mark 9 and blast for 20min for a final crisp. 6 Leave the pork to rest for at least 30min before slicing and serving. Reserve the juices from the baking tray, skimming off any excess fat, add any liquid from the resting pork and serve in a jug alongside the meat.

Get ahead

You’ll need to start this recipe in advance as the pork has to rest for a day or so in the fridge before cooking.

Get ahead

Roast the beetroot the day before. Slice and store in the fridge. Save 200ml of the cooking liquid for the dressing.

Roasted beetroot and potatoes with radicchio and walnuts

This dish uses the sweet roasting juices of the beetroot as a dressing to intensify the earthy flavour. If you can’t find radicchio, or you’d prefer something less bitter, any robust salad leaves would work. You can also serve this as a vegetarian main dish, either as it is or with some feta or goat’s cheese.

SERVES 6-8 AS A SIDE 8 small to medium beetroot, ideally different varieties, washed and leaves trimmed 200ml red wine vinegar 1tbsp honey 3tbsp walnut or olive oil 1kg small variety potatoes, such as Charlotte Olive oil, for roasting Small handful of walnuts, roughly chopped ½ head of radicchio, leaves roughly torn Small handful of parsley leaves, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas mark 6. Place the beetroot in a deep baking tray along with the red wine vinegar, 200ml water and a little salt. Cover tightly with foil and roast for around 45min until the beetroot are just tender. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the beetroot and reserve the juices. Slice into wedges and set aside. 2 Mix 200ml of the beetroot cooking liquid with the honey and the walnut or olive oil to make a dressing. 3 Cut any particularly large potatoes in half and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30min or until golden and crispy. Place the walnuts on a tray and roast for the last 10min of the cooking time of the potatoes. 4 To assemble, place the torn radicchio leaves in a bowl and arrange the beetroot and potatoes on top. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the toasted walnuts and a few parsley leaves.

Pumpkin agrodolce

Agrodolce means ‘sweet and sour’ . The sauce in this dish makes a wonderful addition to most roasted vegetables, fish or meat. The sharpness of the vinegar cuts through the richness of the porchetta and the flecks of chilli provide welcome bursts of heat. Delica pumpkins are perfect here as they’re buttery and sweet, but any of the small to medium varieties will do.

SERVES 6-8 AS A SIDE 2 Delica pumpkins or a similar variety 3tbsp olive oil FOR THE AGRODOLCE SAUCE 250ml sherry or red wine vinegar 3tbsp honey 3 red chillies, sliced 50g golden raisins, roughly chopped but leaving some whole 2tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 Start by making the sauce. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 10min until syrupy. Allow to cool and set aside until ready to serve. 2 Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/ gas mark 5. Cut the pumpkins in half and scoop out the seeds. Most varieties of smaller pumpkins, including Delica, have edible skin but check first and peel if necessary. Slice into wedges and spread out in one layer on two baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30min, turning halfway, until soft and the edges are browned and crispy. 3 To serve, place the roasted pumpkin on a platter, drizzle with the sauce and scatter over sage leaves if desired. Serve any extra in a bowl or jug at the table.

Bay and pink peppercorn shortbread

I’ve given my classic shortbread recipe an upgrade with two different flavourings: bay and pink peppercorns. These are great for serving when guests drop in for a cup of coffee or for wrapping up and gifting.

MAKES 12 OF EACH VARIETY 2 bay leaves, ideally fresh but dried will do 100g caster sugar, plus 1tbsp extra 1tbsp pink peppercorns 130g softened butter 260g plain flour 80g rice flour (or replace with more plain flour)

1 Begin by removing and discarding the centre stem from the bay leaves. Place the leaves in a spice grinder with the tbsp sugar and grind to a fine powder. Set aside. Grind the pink peppercorns to a slightly more coarse powder. 2 Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/ gas mark 3. Beat together the butter and remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl. Transfer half the mixture to another bowl. Add the ground bay to one bowl and the ground peppercorns to the other and mix well. 3 Divide the flours equally between the two bowls and fold in to form a dough. If it looks a bit dry, add a little more butter. 4 Wrap the doughs in clingfilm, flatten out into discs and chill for around 30min. 5 Roll each of the doughs out, one at a time, onto a lightly floured surface to around 1cm thick and cut into rounds. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for about 30min until cooked, but not browned. 6 Transfer to a rack to cool completely, then to an airtight container. Serve on plates or arrange in gift boxes.

Passion fruit, persimmon and physalis pavlova

If you’re looking for a spectacular but simple dessert, you can’t go wrong with a pavlova. I use a mixture of cream and mascarpone, spiked with vanilla seeds, to complement the sharp and sweet fruit. My nonna loved persimmons, which Italians call cachi fruit. The Italian fruits are larger and almost jam-like when very ripe but the supermarket variety will hold its shape better.

SERVES 8-10 FOR THE MERINGUE 200g egg whites (about 7) 200g caster sugar 1tsp cream of tartar FOR THE CREAM 400g mascarpone 600ml double cream Seeds from 1 vanilla pod TO SERVE 4 persimmons, sliced 10-12 physalis, outer layer peeled back but kept intact 6 passion fruit, seeds and juice scooped out

1 To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 110°C/90°C fan/gas mark ¼. Place the egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a low to medium speed for 10min until you get soft peaks. Add the sugar 1tbsp at a time, gradually increasing the speed as you go. Then add the cream of tartar. You should have reached the highest speed by the time you’ve added the last of the sugar. Whisk for another 2-3min until you have a thick and glossy meringue. 2 Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Divide the meringue mix equally between the trays, spreading each into a rough circle. Bake for 4 hours. They’re done when the bottom of the meringue comes away easily from the paper. Leave to cool completely. 3 To assemble, gently whisk together the cream and mascarpone with the vanilla seeds until it just holds its shape. Spoon half the cream mixture onto one of the meringues and top with half the passion fruit and half the persimmon slices. Top with the second meringue, the remaining cream and fruit. Serve immediately.

Get ahead

The meringues will keep, covered, for two or three days, so they can easily be made in advance.

My brother Sam ’ s cheeseboard

Sam has an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese. Ever since he started working in delis in our hometown of Cambridge, he’s absorbed every bit of information about cheese varieties, producers, pairings and processes. He’s put together a cracking selection (pictured left) that’s sure to keep everyone happy.

SERVES 6-8 The best cheeseboards have a mix to suit all tastes: a hard and a soft type, something blue, one that’s goaty and a variety that is sure to please everyone. This cheeseboard includes a rich cheddar from West Wales called Hafod and the deliciously delicate St Jude from Suffolk. Joining them are a raw Stichelton from the Midlands, a fresh and zingy Blackmount from Lanarkshire and an effortless Tomme de Savoie from the French Alps. When creating a festive board, be sure to remove your cheeses from the fridge 30min before serving, to improve flavour and texture. Encourage your guests to enjoy the cheeses in whichever order they like and be generous with the crackers! Cheeses supplied by Meadows Cambridge @meadows _ camb HB

Gingerand lemonspritz

This cocktail is so refreshing and the combination of ginger and lemon is ideal for those who want to quench their thirst with an alcohol-free option.

SERVES 6-8 1L ginger beer 500ml sparkling water 2 lemons, sliced Small bunch fresh mint 100g fresh ginger, sliced thinly

Combine the ingredients in a jug or a punch bowl with plenty of ice, giving some of the lemon slices a squeeze to release the juice. Stir well before serving.