The River Café on the edge of the Thames in Hammersmith was started as a staff canteen for architect Richard Rodgers and his team in 1985. His wife Ruthie and her friend Rose Gray loved to cook and had fun reproducing the Italian food they enjoyed on holiday in Tuscany and Florence.
The food was simple but always made with the freshest and most beautiful seasonal produce, gorgeous olive oils and wonderful cheese and cured meat. The word spread like wildfire, an invitation to lunch was much sought after so in 1987 they decided to open to the public.
A friend from London sent me a postcard, “Come quickly there’s a brilliant little café on the Thames serving delicious simple food in the Elizabeth David styleâ€. When I eventually tasted the food I was so charmed by the simplicity and flavour that I invited Ruthie and Rose to come to the school to teach a 2 1/2 day cooking class. I’ll never forget the flavour of the food. They were like two excited children in the garden and the greenhouses, picking, smelling and tasting, choosing fresh produce, planning what they would cook on the spot – we had a feast.
The restaurant flourishes and thrills 26 years later but sadly Rose died in February 2010 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her legacy lives on and this week we paid a special tribute to her at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Gillian Hegarty from Courtmacsherry now a teacher with us, worked with and alongside Rose at the River Café for 4½ years and loved and relished every moment. She fully realises her good fortune in having the opportunity to learn from such a brilliant natural cook. Gillian chose many of Rose’s favourite recipes to share with us over 2½ days – Rose would have been very proud of her prodigy. Here are a few for you to try but there’s a multitude of other simply delicious recipes in the River Café Cookbooks by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers published by Ebury Press.
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Penne con Zucchini e Ricotta
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Take from the River Café Cookbook Two.
For 6 as a starter
1kg (2 1/4 lb) small young zucchini (courgette)
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
400g (14oz) penne
350g (12 oz) ricotta cheese
1 bunch fresh basil, shredded
100g (4oz) Parmesan, freshly grated
Trim the zucchini, then blanch whole in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes. Drain, cool and slice at an angle, about 1cm (1/2 in) thick.
In a large heavy saucepan heat the olive oil and cook the garlic until very soft but not brown. Add the zucchini slices and toss over a low heat for 4 – 5 minutes.
Cook the penne in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain well. Add the zucchini, then crumble in the ricotta. Season, toss together and add the basil and Parmesan.
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Chargrilled Monkfish with Inzimino and Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce
Serves 3
500 g (18 oz) monkfish tail, boned and skinned
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 lemons, cut into wedges
inzimino (recipe)
anchovy and rosemary sauce (see recipe)
Rub a little oil on the monkfish tails. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a chargrill or griddle pan. When very hot place the monkfish on the grill. Turn over after 3 minutes or when it no longer sticks but have sealed and are brown. Grill for a further few minutes.
Serve with inzimino and anchovy and rosemary sauce.
Inzimino di Ceci – Chickpeas with Swiss Chard
Serves 6-8
175 g (6 oz) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 large garlic clove, peeled
6 tablespoons olive oil
900 g (2 lb) Swiss chard leaves, washed and large stems removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 dried chillies, crumbled
250 ml (8 fl oz) white wine
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 handfuls flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Drain the chickpeas and place in a saucepan with water to cover, add the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Keep in their liquid until ready to use. Blanch the chard and chop coarsely.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and carrot, cook slowly for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Season with salt, pepper and chilli. Pour in the wine and reduce almost completely. Add the tomato sauce and reduce until very thick. Add the chard and chickpeas and mix. Season and cook for 10 minutes. Chop two thirds of the parsley leaves, and add to the mixture with the lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with the whole parsley leaves and a little extra virgin olive oil.
Anchovy and Rosemary Salsa
Serves 4
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
12 salted anchovy fillets
juice of 2 lemons
150 ml (5 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
Crush the rosemary in a mortar, add the anchovies and pound to a paste. Slowly add the lemon juice, stirring to blend. Finally add the olive oil a drop at a time. When about half is added, pour in the remainder in a thin steady stream, stirring continuously. Alternatively, you can use a food processor although this method produces a thick sauce. Put the rosemary in and chop very finely, then add the anchovy and chop to a thick, fine paste. Pour the oil in slowly. Finally add the lemon juice.
Pan Fried Chicken Stuffed with Thyme, Prosciutto and Mascarpone
Serves 4
1 x 1½-2½ kg (2½-3 lb) free range chicken, boned
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves finely chopped
4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
2 slices of prosciutto chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 tsp picked thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1½ lemons
¼ pint (150 ml) chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8.
To bone the chicken: place the chicken, breast side up, on a board. With a sharp boning knife, cut along the breast bone, then guide the knife, cutting between breast and carcass on one side, down to the leg joint. You have to cut the wishbone in half to divide the breast at its centre. Crack the leg bone at the joint away from the carcass so that it lies flat on the board. With the knife, carefully cut around the joint, separating the whole of one side from its carcass. Repeat with the other side.
Snip the wing tips from the wings, leaving the bone in the short part of the wing. To remove the bones from the legs, flatten out your chicken half skin side down. Using the leg bones as a guide, cut as close to them on either side as possible and then insert the top of the knife and prise up one bone, cutting as you do so. It is always difficult near the joint between thigh and drumstick, but you must try not to cut the skin which ultimately will hold your stuffing. Trim any flabby bits of skin and cut away any pieces of fat.
Mix the rosemary with the mascarpone, prosciutto, thyme, season with salt and pepper and place a large tablespoonful of this mixture in each pocket in the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan. Brown the chicken pieces quickly on both sides, put into the preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes. Test for doneness by pulling a leg away from the body, if the juices run pink, cook a little longer. Remove the pan from the oven and over a medium heat, add the lemon juice and as much as stock as needed to make a thick sauce. It will immediately combine with the mascarpone and chicken juices. Turn the chicken to coat it with the sauce and serve. Delicious served with Puy lentils
Pressed Chocolate Cake
Serves 10
400 g (14 oz) best quality bitter-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
300 g (10 oz) unsalted butter
10 eggs, separated
225 g (8 oz) caster sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/gas mark 4. Butter and flour a 30 x 7.5 cm (12 x 3) inch cake tin.
Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water – the water should not be allowed to touch the bowl. Remove the bowl from the pan, cool a little, and then whisk in the egg yolks. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and mix well. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake has risen like a soufflé and is slightly set. Now place on top a plate that fits exactly inside the tin, press down firmly, and weight it. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out.
Hottips
Our Daily Bread: a history of Barron’s Bakery. The smell of crusty bread has been emanating from Barron’s Bakery in Cappoquin since 1887. Esther Barron now runs this business with her husband Joe and continues to supply the people of Cappoquin with bread baked in the original Scotch brick oven. Ros Crowley interviewed over a hundred family members, staff and customers in this beautifully produced book, charming stories, anecdotes and recipes available from Barron’s Bakery or online www.barronsbakery.ie
Robbie Fitzsimmons is a third generation poultry keeper from East Ferry. He rears wonderful free-range Aylesbury ducks for the table in the traditional way. He also rears plump chickens, geese and turkeys at Christmas. 086 2056020 / 021 4651916
Tom Clancy in Ballycotton is another name to add to your list for excellent farm reared poultry 086 3089431.