Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with crab, chilli, herbs and lemon | A kitchen in Rome
My copy of the River Cafe Cookbook is silver, having lost its original blue sleeve some years ago.Naked, the hardback cover is completely plain, so it is my handwriting of “River Cafe blue” along the metallic spine, even though there is little chance of mixing it up with the yellow softback River Cafe Cookbook Two or the emerald cover of River Cafe Cookbook Green.Blue was first published in 1996, a sobering fact, because that’s the same year I enrolled at the Drama Centre London, as well as the year when Pierce Brosnan took on rogue agent Alec Trevelyan (played by Sean Bean) in GoldenEye.That was Brosnan’s debut as James Bond and Dame Judi Dench’s first appearance as M.Brosnan trained at Drama Centre between 1973 and 1976, which is why, when I bought the blue book in 1996, I had good reason to imagine my future career as looking a little like that of Pierce, or Judi, or both.
I had been taken to the River Cafe for lunch, which is why, in an attempt to relive even a fraction of the experience, I bought myself a copy of that book.Like the bold lines and delicate wriggling menu of the restaurant itself, the book, with its bold print, panels of colour and moving photographs, felt shocking.As did the recipes, which seemed both near and completely out of reach.Some remained out of reach, while others completely changed the way I cook, and remain favourites to this day.One of the first things I made was linguine with crab, although not as the book suggests by boiling two large male crabs, but with ready-prepared crab from a fishmonger on Camden High Street.
I then got into the habit of making my adapted version with tinned white crab meat and two anchov fillets, which is arguably another recipe altogether, although my version very much depends on the genius River Cafe way of making an electric sauce of olive oil, minced red chilli and parsley, garlic and lemon, which sends shock waves through the crab and helps it cling to the strands of pasta.The book suggests using linguine, but I like spaghetti here, too; alternatively, fresh tagliolini, which cooks in a fraction of the time.A key aspect of this recipe is reducing the garlic to a paste by using the flat side of a large knife and a little salt for grip, then adding this paste gradually, to gauge both the strength of the garlic and the right amount to use.The following recipe makes enough for two.Warm bowls are also important for this dish.
Once you have divided the pasta between two bowls, make sure you share the juices, too, and maybe use a spatula to scrape off any parsley that’s stuck to the sides of the bowl.Finish each bowl with a little extra-virgin olive oil.Serves 21 small red chilli1 small bunch of parsley1 small garlic clove, peeled Salt 6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for servingFinely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus 1-3 tsp juice120-150g white and brown crab meat, fresh or tinned.1-2 anchovies (if you don’t have brown crab meat), finely minced 220g spaghetti, linguine or taglioliniBring a large pan of water to a boil for the pasta.Meanwhile, mince the red chilli and parsley.
Sprinkle the peeled garlic clove with a pinch of salt, then use the flat side of a large knife to squash it to a paste.Ladle a bit of the boiling water into a big bowl, swish it so it warms the bowl, then discard the water.Put the chilli, parsley, half the garlic, the olive oil, and the lemon zest and juice zest into the bowl and mix.Add salt to the boiling water, stir, then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente.Meanwhile, add the white and brown crab meat (plus the minced anchovies, if using) to the bowl and mix.
Leave it to sit for a minute, then taste and add more salt and the rest of the garlic, if you think needs it.Once the pasta is cooked, drain into a colander then tip into the crab bowl (or use a slotted spoon or spider to lift the pasta directly into the sauce).Mix vigorously, then serve with a little extra olive oil.
How to make arancini – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
Before I wrote this recipe, it hadn’t occurred to me that the word “arancini” means “little oranges”, and, plump, round and golden as they are, it makes sense, too. Indeed, these robust rice balls, which are said to have come to Sicily with Arab invaders in the 10th century, are now, according to the late Antonio Carluccio, the local equivalent of a sandwich lunch.Prep 25 min Cook 45 min Makes 8 large ballsFor the risotto700ml chicken stock, or vegetable stock100ml white wine (optional)250g short-grain rice (eg, arborio)½ tsp salt, plus extra to season1 very generous pinch saffron (optional)50g parmesan, or grano padano or vegetarian alternative, gratedBlack pepperFor the arancini2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk100g mozzarella, drained and cut into chunksOptional other fillings of your choice – meat ragu, pesto, sauteed mushrooms, wilted or defrosted greens170g plain flour 250g fine dried breadcrumbs (preferably not panko)Neutral oil, for fryingFlaky sea salt, to finish (optional)Risotto is a northern Italian dish, so Sicilian arancini weren’t designed with it in mind, but they are great vehicles for risotto leftovers. My recipe is intended for 700g cooked rice, but adjust the fillings and coating according to what you have; these are also a great way to repurpose small amounts of ragu, cooked vegetables, fish or meat.If you’re cooking the rice from scratch, put the stock and wine (or substitute 100ml extra stock, if you prefer) in a medium pan and bring to a boil – I like chicken stock, because I find it the most neutrally savoury, but use whatever suits the fillings you’re using
Navel gazing: oranges, mandarins and persimmons top Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for May
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Australian supermarket sauerkraut taste test: one is ‘like eating the smell of McDonald’s pickle’
It’s ‘Gut Coachella’ for Nicholas Jordan and friends, who blind taste a line-up of 20 shredded and fermented cabbage productsIf you value our independent journalism, we hope you’ll consider supporting us todayGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI cannot tell you how many times I’ve been introduced to a fatty, salty hunk of meat and thought, “my god, I’m going to need a pickle”. I feel the same eating cheese toasties or deli sandwiches with rich mayo-based sauces. Where is the pickle, hot sauce, citrus or ferment? Even the most savoury, juicy slab of umami is a bit much without acidity to balance it.What is the point of sauerkraut without acidity? It’s just wet, salty cabbage, and what is that for, other than deflating my spirits and inflating my gastrointestinal system? Sauerkraut should be sour; it’s the hallmark of the very thing that created it – fermentation.Why am I saying all this? After eight friends and I tasted 21 supermarket sauerkrauts, I was shocked to find some lacked not just acidity but any vigour at all
Spring soup and bean and cheese quesadillas: Thomasina Miers’ Mexican-inspired seasonal recipes
I have always loved the evident (though not proven) link between how foodie a country is and its love of soups. In Mexico, where nose-to-tail eating is a given, broths maintain a steadying presence in any self-respecting cantina, and soups are commonplace on most menus. We don’t eat a crazy amount of meat at home, but having homemade stock in the freezer is an ingenious fast track to flavour and goodness. Here, whether your stock is chicken or vegetable, homemade or shop-bought, the joy is in the gentle spicing, a scattering of herbs, zingy tomatillos and some lovely spring leaves.There are so many different herbs in Mexico that are impossible to find here, so I’ve used bundles of more common soft herbs to try to capture the lovely breadth of flavour in this soup
Willy’s, Margate, Kent: ‘It chortles in the face of small plates’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
This cute and jovial eatery is reason enough to make a break for the coastAs summer looms, and with it the urge to stampede towards the edges of Britain in search of paddling opportunities, I proffer another coastal dining idea: Willy’s in Margate – and, yes, that name does have about it something of the naughty seaside postcard. Tucked away in the back of Margate House hotel on Dalby Square, a few minutes’ walk from the seafront, Willy’s is a blur of frilly red-and-pink seaside adorableness. It’s cool, cute and jovial, with pork scratchings and apple chutney on the menu, as well as black pudding scotch eggs, sticky toffee pudding and Sunday lunches of beef rump and baked cauliflower cheese. This menu is short, intentional and hearty, rather than airy-fairy, and it chortles in the face of small plates.But, for the foodie/sippy crowd, the signifiers are all here: there’s a paper plane and a penicillin on the cocktail menu, throwbacks to New York’s iconic Milk and Honey bar
Why sweet, chewy dates go perfectly with chocolate – and the best ones to try
I first cemented the allure of the “chew” aged 14, working illegally as a chambermaid (I lied about my age) and finding a guest’s Gummy Bears laid open – a breach I heavily exploited. Recently this chew need has been sated by dates and their use in chocolate as a healthy caramel. Dates do have nutritional benefits over mere sugar: fibre, minerals, antioxidants and make a great pre-workout boost.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
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