Tony & Giorgio. Tony Allan

cook the polenta. Put it in a large jug so that it can be poured in a steady stream. Bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan; it should half fill the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and then slowly add the polenta in a continuous stream, stirring with a long-handled whisk all the time, until completely blended. The polenta will start to bubble volcanically. Reduce the heat as low as possible and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

      Cut each radicchio into 3 and season with salt and pepper. Brush with the remaining oil and cook on a medium-hot griddle pan, until wilted. Spoon the polenta on to 6 serving plates and put the rabbit legs on top. Add the radicchio to the side and serve straight away.

      Spezzatino di pollo al limone con carciofi

      Chicken stew with artichoke and lemon

      This is a very old recipe that probably originated in Sardinia. What saves it from being just another nice, homely stew is the surprising tang of the lemon juice. Be sure to use unwaxed lemons. Giorgio

      Serves 4

       4 lemons 2 bay leaves

       2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

       2 globe artichokes

       2 tablespoons olive oil

       2 onions, finely chopped

       1 garlic clove, crushed

       4 chicken legs

       a little plain flour, for dusting

       100ml/3f½fl oz white wine

       250ml/9fl oz chicken stock

       50g/2 oz parsley, chopped

       sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Half fill a saucepan with water and add 1 lemon, cut in half, 1 bay leaf, the vinegar and some salt. Snap the stalks off the artichokes. With a paring knife, starting from the base of the artichoke, trim off all the leaves and then remove the hairy choke, until you are left with only a neatly shaped heart. Cut another lemon in half and rub the base of the artichokes with the cut side. Put the artichoke hearts in the saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain and cut into quarters.

      Grate the zest of the remaining 2 lemons and sprinkle over the chicken. Dust the chicken very lightly with flour. In a large casserole, heat half the olive oil, add the chicken and cook over a high heat for a few minutes, until a golden crust has formed. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the pan and set aside.

      Heat the remaining oil in the casserole and add the onions, garlic and remaining bay leaf. Cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat, until softened.

      Raise the heat and add the white wine to the pan, stirring and scraping at the residue on the base of the pan and allowing the wine to bubble and reduce for a minute or two. Add the reduced wine, chicken and artichokes to the softened onion mixture and cook over a gentle heat, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cover the pan with a lid and braise the chicken very gently for about 30 minutes, stirring half-way through.

      Just before serving, add the chopped parsley and the juice of 1 lemon, then adjust the seasoning.

      Rhubarb bread and butter pudding

      Budino di pane burro al rabarbaro

      Bread and butter pud is one of those childhood cravings that don’t ever seem to go away. Here, I’ve taken the pudding from the fish! restaurants and given it a bit of a grown-up twist with the twang of rhubarb, but essentially it’s still a good old ? & ?. Tony

      Serves 6–8

       600g/1lb 5 oz rhubarb, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces

       200g/7 oz caster sugar

       300g/10 oz thickly sliced white

       bread, crusts removed

       40g/1½oz butter, softened

       300ml/½ pint milk

       1 vanilla pod, split open lengthways 4 eggs

       300ml/½ pint double cream

       icing sugar for dusting

      Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put the rhubarb in a saucepan with 50g/2 oz of the caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the rhubarb is just tender but still holding its shape, then set aside.

      Butter the bread with the softened butter and cut each slice into 4 triangles. Place a layer of the triangles, slightly overlapping, in a 1.8 litre/3 pint ovenproof dish. Spoon over half the rhubarb and top with the rest of the bread, then spoon over the remaining rhubarb.

      Bring the milk and vanilla pod to the boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and remaining sugar together in a large bowl. Stir the cream into the boiled milk and pour on to the egg mixture, stirring well. Pour the mixture through a sieve, over the bread and rhubarb. Press the bread down gently to submerge it if necessary.

      Bake the pudding for about 45-60 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar before serving.

      Tiramisu

      Pock me-up pudding

      The original tiramisu ('pick me up') was created in the Sixties at the El Toula restaurant, just outside Treviso. It’s a truly great dessert, but perhaps a little heavy for modern tastes, especially at the end of a big dinner. Here is a lighter version, served in crisp wafer baskets. Giorgio

      Serves 8

       4 eggs, separated

       100g/3½oz caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

       500g/1lb 2 oz mascarpone cheese

       6 tablespoons marsala wine

       250ml/9fl oz fresh black coffee

       16 savoiardi biscuits (sponge

       fingers) cocoa powder, for dusting

       For thecialde(wafer baskets):

       100g/3½ oz butter, softened

       100g/3½ oz caster sugar

       100g/3½oz plain flour

       2 large egg whites

       For the coffee sauce: 200ml/7fl oz milk 2 egg yolks 50g/2 oz caster sugar 1½ teaspoons instant coffee

      To make the cialde, put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour and mix well, then stir in the egg whites. Cover and chill for 1–2 hours.

      Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment and spread 4 thin