HOME-MADE BAKED BEANS WITH POTATO CAKES
SERVES 4
Like every child, I loved tinned baked beans when growing up. They were a real treat
and I’ve never lost the taste for them. Nowadays I like to make my own to get a better
balance of sweetness and acidity to suit adult tastes and to add some spice to work
against the natural blandness of the beans.
1. Olive oil, for frying
2. 100g pancetta lardons
3. 1 red chilli, finely sliced
4. 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
5. 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
6. 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
7. 2 tbsp cider vinegar
8. Worcestershire sauce, to taste
9. 500ml smooth tomato passata
10.2 × 400g tins haricot beans, drained (or cannellini if you prefer)
11. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE POTATO CAKES
1. 500g potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
2. 50g butter, plus extra for frying
3. 4–5 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1. Place an ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish over a medium heat and add a dash
of oil. Once hot, add the pancetta, a little pepper and the chilli and fry until cooked
through but not crisping. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the onion
and cook over a low heat until completely tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in half the
sugar, then add the vinegar. Boil for 1 minute, then add Worcestershire sauce to taste.
2. Stir in the passata and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, the remaining
sugar and a couple of shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for
4–5 minutes. Add the beans and cook for a further 5–10 minutes, until the sauce has
reduced and thickened, and the beans are really soft and tender.
3. Meanwhile, make the potato cakes. Mash the boiled potatoes until smooth (or use a
potato ricer), add the butter and mix well. Add 4 tablespoons of the flour along with a
pinch of salt and pepper and stir well. The aim is to form a dough, so add a little more
flour if necessary.
4. Using your hands, roll pieces of the dough into balls just larger than a golf ball.
Place them on a lightly floured work surface and flatten them into little cakes about
1cm thick. Chill for 20 minutes.
5. Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and add a dash of olive oil.
When hot, fry the potato cakes on either side (in batches if necessary) until golden and
crisping slightly. While cooking, season with a pinch of salt and add a small knob of
butter to the pan. Drain the cakes on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the beans as necessary, adding a little more
vinegar and/or Worcestershire sauce, as well as salt and pepper. Serve alongside the
warm potato cakes.
HOW TO FRY POTATOES WITH BUTTER
Butter gives a lovely rich finish to fried potato, but it burns more easily than oil. For
best results, start with oil and then add butter towards the end of your cooking time,
using a spoon to baste the potatoes as the butter froths up.
STUFFED BRAISED SQUID (JAMIE OLIVER)
CAPERS, BREADCRUMBS, PECORINO, GARLIC & PARSLEY
Salina is known for its capers, and as her family have grown them for generations,
Nonna Franchina is totally in tune with how to make the most of them in her cooking.
This dish is a wonderfully tasty example of that. SERVES 4 | 1 HOUR
1. 25g baby capers in brine
2. 100g coarse stale breadcrumbs
3. 1 large egg
4. olive oil
5. 15g pecorino or Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
6. 1 clove of garlic
7. ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)
8. 1 red onion
9. 10 ripe cherry tomatoes
10.1 x 680g jar of passata
11.4 medium squid, cleaned, gutted (300g total)
12.300g dried spaghetti
13.2 sprigs of fresh basil
[Link] half the capers in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tablespoon of oil and 2
tablespoons of water. Finely grate in the pecorino, peel the garlic, finely chop with the
parsley (stalks and all), then scrunch it all together.
[Link] and finely slice the onion and place in a casserole pan on a medium heat with 2
tablespoons of oil, stirring occasionally. Now, a great nonna trick: squeeze the
tomatoes while submerged in a bowl of water to remove the seeds (and prevent them
going everywhere!). Add the tomatoes to the pan with the passata. Simmer on a low
heat while you stuff the squid.
[Link] the tentacles to one side, just over half-fill each squid tube with the
breadcrumb mixture, pushing it right down into the tube but being mindful not to pack
it too tightly. Use a cocktail stick or toothpick to seal or, like Franchina learnt from her
grandparents, use a needle and thread. Stir the remaining capers into the sauce, then
add the stuffed squid and tentacles. Simmer on a low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or
until tender.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet
instructions. Use tongs to move the squid pieces to a board. Removing the sticks or
thread, slice the tubes to reveal the filling, then arrange on a platter, spoon over a
little sauce and pick over the basil. Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of starchy
cooking water, then toss with the remaining sauce, loosening with a splash of cooking
water, if needed. Serve with a grating of pecorino, alongside that tasty braised squid.
