Elizabeth David recipes by other chefs

Best recipes of Elizabeth David

Pesce in cartoccio (Italian fish parcel)

For ➍
4 whole fish (400 g each), cleaned & scaled*
8 tbs (10 cl) dry white wine
1 ts sea salt
1 ts freshly ground black pepper
parchment paper**
battuto:
1 large white onion, cut into thin strips
2 tbs fresh fennel fronds, chopped
2 fennel bulbs, cored & cut into thin strips
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 tbs (10 cl) extra-virgin olive oil
2 untreated lemons, sliced

Combine battuto ingredients in a large bowl.

Cut four large pieces of parchment paper** long enough to cover length of fish, and fold each in half lengthwise.

Spoon battuto on bottom halves of parchment. Put slices of lemon on top, or chop them in the battuto. Place one fish against the crease of each parchment piece, drizzle with white wine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put slices of lemon on top, or chop them in the battuto. Cover with fennel fronds.

Fold the parchment at the bottom corner over itself. Continue folding over the previous fold to create a pleat and allow for the paper to be sealed tight. When you have formed a half circle and reached the opposite end of the crease, tuck the paper under the last fold. Place on a large baking sheet.

Bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 m or until the fish is cooked through*. Carefully tear paper** open, allowing steam to escape.

Serve with fresh pasta like cavatelli.***

*Use 4 large fish fillets (200 g each) instead, like seawolf. Adjust cooking time to 15-20 m at 200°C, (or 25 m according to thickness of the fish).
**Use aluminum foil instead.

***Use microwave baked spring potatoes, sprinkled with sea salt instead.

A battuto is a mix of vegetables and herbs that can be used to make a sauce, a stew or a soup. One of the first cookery writers to mention the dish was the great Elizabeth David in her Italian Food. She gives no full recipe, just the method and an ample suggestion of battuto. In fact, the battuto can be made of almost anything, even oranges. (The typical Ligurian battuto, a pine nut sauce for pasta, is not suitable for fish... Read the basic Roman battuto recipe or the one used for the Lazio minestra col battuto alla romana.)
Read more on fish in a parcel: Japanese seafood & vegetables, Moroccan spiced fish, fish & fennel, Burmese steamed fish, chicken or fish with lime & peppers, chicken or fish with basil & tomatoes.
Read more Elizabeth David recipes: roasted peppers, lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, poaching an egg.

Flourless chocolate & almonds cake

For ➏-➑
115 g bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
6 tbs (85 g) butter
85 g sugar
85 g powdered almond, (ground almonds or almond meal)
1 tbs brewed espresso
1 tbs rum
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 145°C. Line the bottom of a spring form cake pan or a tart pan with a removable base, with parchment paper and butter the sides.
Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and melt over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, almond powder, rum and coffee until smooth. When the mixture has cooled, mix in the egg yolks, one by one.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks then fold them into the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared mold and place in the oven for 45 m.
Allow to cool in the cake pan before unmolding. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Torrone molle (Italian chocolate noga)

For ➏-➑
175 g butter
175 g cocoa powder
175 g ground almonds
175 g sugar
1 whole egg & 1 yolk
175 g plain biscuits such as Petit Beurre (from supermarkets), cut into almond-sized pieces
oil, for the tin

Work the butter and cocoa together in a bowl until you have a soft paste, then stir in the ground almonds. Melt the sugar with a little water in a pan over a gentle heat and add it to the cocoa mixture. Stir in the egg and yolk, then the biscuits.
Do this gently so the biscuits do not crumble. Place in an oiled mould (such as a loaf tin or another cake tin with a removable base) and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Turn out onto a dish to serve.

Tian de courgettes

For ➍-➏
250 g potatoes boiled in their skins
4 tbs of olive oil
small clove of garlic
salt, nutmeg & freshly-milled black pepper
250 g zucchini
5 eggs
2 heaped tbs parsley
2 heaped tbs grated cheese
(a few spinach or sorrel leaves if you happen to have them)

For these quantities you need a (earthenware) dish of 20cm diameter and 5cm deep.
Peel the cooked potatoes. Cut them into cubes, put them into the earthenware dish with 2 tbs of olive oil, the chopped garlic and seasoning of salt and pepper. Let them warm in the uncovered dish in a low oven, 150°C, while you prepare and cook the zucchini.
The best way to do this is simply to wash them, trim off the ends, and leave them unpeeled except for any blemished parts. Instead of slicing them, grate them coarsely on a stainless-steel grater.
Put them straight into a sauté pan or wide frying pan with a couple of tbs of olive oil (or butter if you prefer), sprinkle them with salt and cook them gently for 5 m, with a cover on the pan.
Break the eggs into a large bowl. Beat them until frothy. Add the chopped parsleyand any other fresh greenery you may have (this could include watercress and lettuce as well as spinach or sorrel, uncooked, and simply cut up with scissors), the cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, then the warm zucchini.
Last of all, but gently to avoid breaking them, stir in the potatoes. Tip the whole mixture into the dish, sprinkle the top with a little oil and return it, uncovered, to the oven, now heated to 190°C.
Leave the tian to bake for 25-30 m until it is well and evenly risen. The top should be a fine and appetising golden-brown.
For serving hot, leave it in the dish, and simply cut it into wedges, like a cake.
If you intend to serve it cold, leave it to cool before turning it out on to a serving plate. If it is for a picnic leave it in the cooking dish, put a plate on top and envelop it in a cloth knotted at the top.
You could serve it as a side dish with fish or lamb.

A classic Provençal dish from Elisabeth David, named after the tian, an earthenware vessel used both for cooking and serving. The classic vessel is a truncated cone, flattened at the base and flaring outward to a wide rim. It is traditionally glazed on the inside, and unglazed on the outside.
Modern tian is described as having no added liquid, the layered ingredients being cooked until their naturally inherent liquid or moisture has evaporated. In Provence, the dish may be made with vegetables alone, but also with lamb, fish, or egg added to vegetables. Goat cheese is a common ingredient. Tian can be described as a gratin in the provençal style. Typical ingredients in tian are more associated with Provence than with other regions of France.
Read more Elizabeth David recipes: roasted peppers, lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, fish parcel, poaching an egg.

Peperoni alla Piemontese (Piedmont roasted peppers)

For ➍ or ➑*
4 large (Italian) red peppers**
6 medium tomatoes
8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained***
2 cloves garlic
8 ts Italian extra virgin olive oil****
freshly milled black pepper
small bunch fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds. Leave the stalks intact, so they keep the peppers in shape.

Put the pepper halves in a lightly oiled shallow roasting tray.

Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 1 m, drain them and slip the skins off. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place 3 quarters in each pepper half.

Snip 1 anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Peel the garlic cloves, slice them thinly and divide the slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies.

Spoon 1 ts of olive oil*** into each pepper, season with freshly milled pepper.

Place the tray on a high shelf in the oven for the peppers to roast for 40 m, or put in a 180°C preheated oven for 20-25 m. If necessary, cover the edges with metal foil after 10 m to prevent burning.

Serve the peppers with all the juices poured over. Garnish with a sprig of basil leaves.

Serve warm or slightly cooled to room temperature. Serve with good Italian bread like lukewarm focaccia.

*Larger or smaller starter.
**Italian peppers (peperocini) taste richer than normal bell peppers.
***Or use marinated achovies to add a mild sour taste accent.
****Or, as Elizabeth David noted in her great 'Italian Food', some olive oil and a small knob of butter.

Read more Elizabeth David recipes: lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, fish parcel, poaching an egg.

tip: poaching an egg

For ➊
1 egg
vinegar

Break each egg into a separate coffee cup. Avoid breaking the yolk. Keep a half empty eggshell aside.
Fill a high pan for ¾ with water, enough to cover the egg. Add a splash of vinegar to help to bind the egg. Bring the water to the boil, then lower the heat. Keep it just below boiling point.
Stir with a spoon or whisk in the water to create a vortex. Put the eggshell in the water. When the egg shell moves to the center, you can start poaching.
Remove the egg shell and drop the (first) egg in the center of the gently swirling water. After 1-2 m, the egg is cooked enough to have a running yolk inside.
Take the egg out of the pan using a flat, non-stick slotted spatula.Gently put the egg on a clean cloth. Let evaporate the water. Increase the heat if necessary. Repeat for all eggs. Or try to do 2 at the time.
Serve with fresh (buttered toast). Season the egg with salt and pepper.
Or serve with a Belgian shrimps dish.

*You can poach eggs on forehand, fashion them and reheat them in simmering water for 10-20 s.

The legendary English food writer Elizabeth David recommends this way: ''Lower each egg, still in its shell, into a saucepan of boiling water, for about 20 seconds; then retrieve it.
This has the effect of coating the egg neatly in its own white, and avoiding the swirling chaos that can occur.
To poach the egg—put a little wine vinegar in the boiling water, crack the egg into a small bowl and carefully lower it into the water. Encourage the egg to turn over, and after a minute or so, gingerly lift it out.''
Read more Elizabeth David recipes: roasted peppers, lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, fish parcel.
Read more tips.