Frankie Dettori’s Italian Family Cookbook. Frankie Dettori

       Preparation time: 10 minutes

       Cooking time: 10 minutes

      Whisk the butter in a food processor, until doubled in volume and light and creamy. Trickle in the olive oil, keeping the food processor going, until the oil is fully incorporated. Pick off the leaves from 4 of the thyme sprigs and mix into the olive oil mixture with the garlic.

      In a large saucepan, add the onion, chilli, mussels and white wine. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat until all the mussels have opened (the big mussels will take longer than the small ones). Pour off half the cooking liquid, then stir in the butter and olive oil mixture. To serve, divide the mussels between 4 bowls, spoon over the juices and garnish with the reserved sprigs of thyme.

      Marco

      “Mussels make a wonderful meal. My dad loved cooking mussels so I think of it as quite a male dish. It seems to be popular now to serve mussels with very finely cut chips. But, for my money, the only way to eat mussels is untidily, discarding shells as you go, with a good hunk of fresh bread to mop up all those gorgeous winey, fishy juices at the bottom of the bowl.”

MINESTRA DI LENTICCHIE

       Lentil soup

      1 kg puy lentils

      3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

      3 carrots, roughly chopped

      2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

      2 leeks, roughly chopped

      3 shallots, roughly chopped

      10 fresh sage leaves

      1½ litres water

      sea salt and freshly ground pepper

      4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, to serve

      4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to serve

      FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK (MAKES 1½ LITRES):

      2 carrots

      1 large onion

      2 celery sticks

      1 bay leaf

      1 whole garlic bulb, halved

      6 peppercorns

      2 leeks, whites only

      3 litres water

       Serves: 4

       Preparation time: 20 minutes

       Cooking time: 1¼ hours

      Put all the ingredients for the vegetable stock into a large saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve and set aside.

      Soak the lentils in cold water overnight, then refresh under a running tap. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the carrots, celery, leeks and shallots and gently cook over a low heat until softened. Add the lentils, sage leaves, vegetable stock and water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils are soft to the bite. Transfer to a blender and liquidize until smooth. Season to taste. Serve in warmed bowls and top each with a tablespoon of Parmesan and olive oil.

      Marco

      “Italians love their hearty vegetable soups. We don’t go in for or simple consommés, as we like our soups with big flavours and lots of texture. This is one of my favourites and, again, it all comes down to the quality of the ingredients. I remember sitting in my mother’s kitchen watching her chop the vegetables and, as the dish took shape and started to bubble on the stove, somehow, all felt right with the world.”

MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA CAPRESE

       Mozzarella and tomato salad

      4 x 125 g balls of Mozzarella di Bufala

      2 ripe avocados

      12 cherry tomatoes, halved

      16 basil leaves

      4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

      sea salt

       Serves: 4

       Preparation time: 10 minutes

      Place a mozzarella ball in the centre of each plate. Peel and quarter the avocados and place 2 quarters either side of the mozzarella balls. Then add the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. To serve, drizzle over the olive oil and season with sea salt.

      Frankie

      “This dish must be on every Italian restaurant menu in the world, and when done correctly, it’s the best. The most important thing to remember is that the ingredients must be absolutely tip top. Mozzarella di Bufala is easy to find in most delis and is a world away from the Danish mozzarella available in most supermarkets. The tomatoes also need to be ripe and fragrant, the basil fresh and aromatic, and the avocados well ripened. If not, turn the page and make another dish!”

MINESTRONE DI VERDURA

       Minestrone soup

      225 g dried cannellini beans

      3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

      1 medium onion, chopped

      1 medium carrot, chopped

      ½ celery stick, plus a handful of the celery leaves, chopped

      225 g ripe tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

      ½ teaspoon sugar

      1¼ litres water

      500 g broad beans, shelled

      225 g spring greens or green cabbage, shredded

      50 g short pasta (such as penne, macaroni, fusilli)

      1 generous handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      lots of freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

      4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to serve

       Serves: 4

       Preparation time: 20 minutes

       Soaking time: overnight

       Cooking time: 55 minutes

      Soak the cannellini beans in cold water overnight. Then drain, place in a heavy-bottomed pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, drain and refresh under a cold running tap. Set aside.

      Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently over a low heat for about 15 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes and the sugar, and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that may rise to the surface.