Tony & Giorgio

25g/1 oz mortadella, chopped

1 tablespoon double cream

To make the pasta, sift the flour and salt into a food processor, then slowly pour in the egg and egg yolks through the feed tube, followed by the olive oil. As soon as the mixture comes together into a dough, switch off the machine. Put the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10–15 minutes, until smooth, then wrap in clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the torteliini filling. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz to a paste. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.

Cut the pasta dough in half and flatten it slightly with a rolling pin. Pass each piece through a pasta machine on the widest setting, then fold in half and repeat, each time switching the pasta machine to a finer setting, until the pasta is about 0.5mm thick. With a 6cm/2½in pastry cutter, cut a circle from the pasta and, using your fingers, stretch it as thinly as possible. Brush the edges with a little beaten egg and place a little of the filling in the middle. Fold the pasta over the filling to make a semi-circle, press the edges together to seal, then fold the 2 corners up over the centre and squeeze together tightly. Repeat until all the pasta and filling have been used. Keep the pasta dough covered with a damp cloth while you are working, to stop it drying out.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil and drop in the torteliini. Simmer for about 4 minutes, until the torteliini are tender, then ladle into bowls and serve.

Prawn and langoustine cocktail

Cocktail di scampie e gamberoni, salsa ‘Marie Rose’

A survivor from the good old days when dining out meant prawn cocktail followed by sirloin steak followed by Black Forest gâteau. Yes, it did get a bit naff for a while, but treat it with respect, add a couple of fresh langoustines, and this classy first course will knock everybody’s socks off. If you want to add more langoustines, then go right ahead. Tony

Serves 4

1 cucumber, peeled

½ iceberg lettuce, shredded

300g/10 oz peeled cooked prawns

8 large cooked langoustines,shelled

pinch of paprika

1 lemon, quartered

For the cocktail sauce:

6 tablespoons Tony’s mayonnaise (see page 244)

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

3-4 shakes of Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon cognac

squeeze of lemon juice

Make the cocktail sauce by mixing together the mayonnaise, ketchup, Tabasco, cognac and lemon juice.

Run a vegetable peeler down the length of the cucumber to make long, thin ribbons. Place in a large bowl with the shredded lettuce and toss with a tablespoon of the cocktail sauce. Divide the lettuce and cucumber between 4 serving bowls and pile the prawns loosely on top. Arrange the langoustines on top and spoon the remaining cocktail sauce over the prawns and langoustines, allowing it to trickle down. Dust sparingly with paprika and then serve immediately, with the lemon wedges and a few slices of buttered brown bread.

Insalata di fagiolini con cipollerosse arrostite

Bean salad with roasted red onions

I always think green beans aren’t shown off to the best of their ability in this country. Usually they’re just boiled up in water and served with a knob of butter on top. It’s a pity, when you realise they have so much more to give. Giorgio

Serves 4

shallots, finely chopped

5oml/2fl oz red wine vinegar

red onions 125ml/4fl oz olive oil

750ml/1¼ pints red wine

100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons caster sugar

250g/9 oz extra-fine green or yellow beans

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus Parmesan shavings to garnish

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the shallots in a small, non-metallic bowl and pour the red wine vinegar over them. Cover and leave to marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Wash the red onions, but don’t peel them, then rub them with a tablespoon of the olive oil. Place them in a roasting tin, cover tightly with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until tender. Leave until cool enough to handle, then remove the skins, trying not to squash the onions too much.

Put the wine in a saucepan and boil until it has reduced to a few tablespoons and become shiny and syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the white wine vinegar and sugar. Slice the roasted onions, place them in a deep bowl and cover with the reduced wine mixture.

Cook the green beans in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, until just tender, then drain and refresh under cold running water. Add the remaining olive oil to the marinated shallots. Toss the shallot mixture with the green beans and grated Parmesan and season to taste.

To serve, arrange the red onions on 4 serving plates and top with the green beans and shavings of Parmesan.

Salad of cauliflower, ham hock and Stilton

Insalata di cavolfiore, garretto di maiale e Stilton

This is what I call the best of British – new-season cauliflower, a nice, meaty pig’s knuckle and a dressing made with one of Britain’s greatest cheeses. This is not your normal, everyday salad but an exciting combination of top-rate produce. If the dressing is too thick, use a little of the ham stock to thin it down. Tony

Serves 6

2.5kg/5½lb ham hocks 1 onion, halved

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped chopped parsley

For the Stilton dressing:

2 egg yolks