How to cook vegetables like an Italian

Transform humble vegetables from side dish material into the hero of the plate with these recipes from Jamie Oliver’s mentor Gennaro Contaldo’s new cookbook

Contaldo pours staple ingredients and his unique and much loved Italian style into his new book (David Loftus/PA)

“This delicious savoury tart is made for the spring, when asparagus is plentiful and at its best,” says Gennaro Contaldo.

“If you don’t have parma ham, use cooked ham or, if you don’t eat meat, omit altogether. Serve with a potato salad.”

Torta salata di asparagi

Welcome in spring with this seasonal dish (David Loftus/PA)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

375g ready-made shortcrust pastry

200g asparagus

150g ricotta

4 eggs

30g grated parmesan

100g parma ham, roughly torn

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crunchy mixed salad, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas mark 6. Grease and line a 22 centimetre (8½ inch) round tart or quiche tin and line it with baking paper.

2. Roll out the pastry and use it to line the bottom of the prepared tin. Cover the pastry with baking paper, top with baking beans and bake blind for about 15 minutes, until the sides of the pastry have cooked through and are golden.

3. Using a large spoon, remove the beans and then the baking paper from the pastry case and return the pastry to the oven for a further five to 10 minutes, until the base is a pale golden colour.

4. Remove from the oven and prepare the filling.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 130C fan/150C/gas mark 2.

6. Finely chop most of the asparagus, reserving seven or eight spears, then bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for about three minutes until just tender, then drain well and leave to cool.

7. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, parmesan, parma ham, a little salt and pepper and the chopped asparagus. Fill the pastry case with this mixture, then arrange the whole asparagus spears over the top. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the filling has set.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before serving with a crunchy mixed salad.

Gnocchi di spinaci

Jamie Oliver’s mentor Gennaro Contaldo champions spinach in this tasty dish (David Loftus/PA)

“This delicious potato-less gnocchi is made with the classic combination of spinach and ricotta,” says Contaldo.

“Simple to prepare, just remember to squeeze out the excess liquid from the cooked spinach before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with tomato sauce for a hearty meal.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

250g frozen spinach

1 x 250g tub ricotta

1 egg

40g grated parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Sea salt

250g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting

For the tomato sauce:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Sea salt

Method:

1. First make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat and sweat the garlic for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes with a little water (rinsed from the can) and a little salt. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the gnocchi. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the frozen spinach for about five minutes until defrosted and cooked through. Drain well, squeezing out the excess liquid with your hands, then place on a chopping board and finely chop.

3. Place the spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, egg, parmesan, nutmeg and a little salt, and gradually add in the flour. Mix well until you obtain a smooth, soft dough.

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a long sausage shape. Using a sharp knife, cut into two-and-a-half-centimetre lengths. Continue doing this until all the dough has been used up.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and drop the gnocchi into the water in batches, simmering for a minute or so until they rise to the top.

6. Using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer, lift the gnocchi out of the water and transfer to a dish. Pour over the tomato sauce and gently mix. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated parmesan, if you like.

Torta di carote e mandorle

How to do morning tea, the Italian way (David Loftus/PA)

“Delicately light and healthy, this easy carrot cake would be perfect with a morning coffee or at teatime,” says Contaldo.

“I like to use the Italian raising agent known as Paneangeli, with its delicate vanilla flavour, and it should be obtainable from Italian delis and international shops. Otherwise, regular baking powder will work just fine.”

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

225g caster sugar

130g plain flour, sifted

2 tsp Paneangeli baking powder, sifted (or regular baking powder)

150g ground almonds

275g carrots, grated

A little icing sugar, sifted

Handful of flaked almonds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/gas mark 4. Grease a 20-centimetre round springform cake tin and line it with baking paper.

Each chapter in ‘Verdure’ is dedicated to a different vegetable (Pavilion)

2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for about 10 minutes, until nice and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

3. Fold the flour, Paneangeli (or baking powder), ground almonds and grated carrots into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the stiffened egg whites.

4. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, until risen and cooked through. If you insert a wooden skewer, it should come out clean.

5. Remove from the oven, then leave to cool completely before carefully removing it from the tin. Place on a plate and dust the top with icing sugar and a handful of flaked almonds, before serving.

Tip: This cake is best eaten fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

‘Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Italian Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg’ by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books, £26).