Frankie Dettori’s Italian Family Cookbook

Pasta and bean soup (#ulink_c67d5aa2-00dd-51a3-a5ef-4f349a49d26c)

PEPERONI FARCITI AL TONNO (#ulink_97edacb8-ca57-5317-b89a-d30999d06c32)

Roast bell peppers with tuna, pine nuts and olives (#ulink_97edacb8-ca57-5317-b89a-d30999d06c32)

COZZE RIPIENE (#ulink_86676210-48ef-5105-bd07-a01cc8423aae)

Baked stuffed mussels (#ulink_86676210-48ef-5105-bd07-a01cc8423aae)

PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA CON FICHI (#ulink_162bf77e-fc05-5e10-b311-d8c854be85d2)

Parma ham with figs (#ulink_162bf77e-fc05-5e10-b311-d8c854be85d2)

24 finely cut slices of Parma ham

4 ripe figs, peeled and quartered

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Divide the Parma ham between 4 plates. Place the figs in the centre, and serve.

Marco

“This dish reminds me of happy days spent with my mother’s sister, Zia Luciana, in Genoa. I love the wonderful combination of slightly salty ham with sweet figs. Buy your prosciutto from a good Italian delicatessen and have it sliced paper-thin off the bone in front of you. The figs, either green or black, should be soft to the touch. I believe in sourcing the very best ingredients and allowing the food to speak for itself, without the need for anything else on the plate, even seasoning.”

LINGUA DI VITELLO CON MOSTARDA DI CREMONA (#ulink_9f0becd1-d287-5d3b-9b42-67a033a93adb)

Cold calf’s tongue with Mostarda di Cremona (#ulink_9f0becd1-d287-5d3b-9b42-67a033a93adb)

1 calf’s tongue

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 onion, halved

2 celery sticks, roughly choped

1 whole bulb of garlic, halved

1 bay leaf

1 small jar of Mostarda di Cremona, fruits chopped and syrup reserved

FOR THE SALSA DI ERBE:

a handful of fresh basil leaves

a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley

1 anchovy fillet

3 tablespoons Parmesan

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 dessert spoon lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves: 8

Soaking time: 48 hours

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 3½ hours

To prepare the tongue for cooking, soak it in cold water for 48 hours, changing the water at least every 6 to 8 hours.

Combine all the Salsa di Erbe ingredients in a food processor, and whiz until it is the consistency of thin cream.

After soaking, place the calf’s tongue in a large pan of cold water, bring to the boil, then refresh under cold running water. Place the tongue back in the saucepan, and add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3½ hours. Remove the tongue, peel off the outer skin (it should come away quite easily) and then refresh under cold water. Once cooled, slice it thinly.

To serve, spoon the Salsa di Erbe on to 4 plates and then add a layer of the thinly sliced tongue. Sprinkle over the chopped Mostarda di Cremona and a little of its accompanying syrup.

Frankie

“I ate this dish many times when growing up in Milan, so I was keen to have it on the menu at Frankie’s. Calf’s tongue is Italian peasant cooking at its finest and Mostarda di Cremona, which is available in most Italian delis, contains whole fruits that have been steeped in a clear, sugary syrup, laced with pure mustard. The end product packs quite a punch, akin to the Japanese horseradish Wasabi, although the Mostarda of my youth seemed less sweet and a helluva lot stronger.”

CARPACCIO CON MOSTARDA (#ulink_4923156d-17b6-5f8c-981d-7648e0c4438a)

Carpaccio of beef with a mustard dressing (#ulink_4923156d-17b6-5f8c-981d-7648e0c4438a)

200 g fillet of organic Aberdeen Angus beef

extra virgin olive oil

4 handfuls of wild rocket, washed and dried thoroughly

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard