Rowley Leigh writes a weekly column on cookery for the FT Weekend supplement.
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A restaurant-worthy starter to feed a crowd
A dish with all the comfort of tomato soup, plus the sophistication of Italy
The cook returns to London’s dining scene with some old and new favourites
A recipe inspired by Italy — but not by Italian chefs
Serve these Italian-style kebabs with braised white beans and a salad
A British take on the delectable Catalan recipe for barbecued calçots dipped in a piquant sauce
‘I am not an indiscriminate lover of offal, but I have always liked kidneys. And the king of the kidney world is the veal kidney’
Most classic pastry recipes are complicated for the home chef, but this tart merits reviving
Mixed fish grill with pimentón, chickpeas and salsa verde, red mullets in paper with skordalia and a Greek salad, and baked hake with mustard, breadcrumbs and tomatoes
A heartfelt homage to Alastair Little’s (almost) unimprovable Italian roast dinner
Five recipes for an opera picnic as grand as its surroundings
‘If the cep and the morel are the first growths of the mushroom world, the girolle is a super second’
For when you crave this most elemental of constructions
‘They’re often seen as the ultimate in flash, but nothing beats the sweet flavour of freshly cooked lobster’
Samuel Pepys was a fan of salted, dried fish roe. And so should you be
The King of the Sea does not have to be complicated — it will be perfect with hollandaise or even simpler treatment
Growing, cooking and eating your own beets is a pleasure that cannot be bought
‘Rich with sugar, fruit and suet, this is good autumn fare, perfect for when we need some inner warmth’
‘Wild fish is rare and precious — we should do it justice by cooking it simply’
‘Served chilled, this summertime twist on the traditional dish will be a hit even on the hottest day’
‘Nothing makes the heart swell quite so much as a crop of vegetables that you have practically begged to grow’
With its airy frangipane, fresh cherries and biscuity crunch, this French-style tart makes a very cheerful dessert
‘There is no mistaking ramsons. You can smell them a mile off and the pretty little white blossoms stand out like fairy lights in a gloomy wood’
The chef and FT food writer tucks into snipe on toast with Samuel Beckett and Thelonious Monk
‘The usual rules for squid are either cook it very fast or very slowly — this recipe does neither’
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