The Times Magazine - UK (2022-04-23)

The Times Magazine 33

Eat!

BEN TISH

• 100g caster sugar


• 200ml sweet marsala


• 250g rhubarb, washed and
  diced into 1cm pieces

1. Gently heat the milk, cream,
   sugar and vanilla pod and seeds.
   Squeeze the soaked gelatine and
   whisk into the hot milk until fully
   dissolved. Pass through a sieve
   and cool before pouring into
   moulds or glasses. Transfer to the
   fridge to set for at least 2 hours.


2. While the panna cotta is

setting, put the sugar and

marsala in a saucepan and

heat over a medium heat to

dissolve the sugar and create

a light syrup.

3. Add the rhubarb and boil for
   1 minute, then remove from the
   heat to cool fully.


4. To serve, either turn out the
   panna cotta onto serving plates
   and spoon around the rhubarb
   and marsala syrup or, if you are
   serving in glasses, simply spoon
   the rhubarb on top and serve.

PASTA WITH ROASTED

TOMATO AND CHILLI SAUCE

AND PISTACHIOS

Serves 4

• 400g tomatoes, halved


• 1 large red chilli, seeds
  removed


• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped


• Salt and freshly ground pepper


• Olive oil


• 200ml passata


• ½ tsp chilli flakes


• Dash of balsamic vinegar


• 400g fresh or dried spaghetti
  or linguine


• 30g parmesan


• 2 tbsp shelled pistachios

1. Heat the oven to 160C (180C
   non-fan). Place the tomatoes,
   chilli, thyme and garlic in a
   roasting tray, season well and
   drizzle with olive oil. Roast for
   30 minutes or until caramelised
   and soft.


2. Transfer everything to a
   saucepan and pour over the
   passata. Cook over a medium
   heat, breaking up the tomatoes,
   and reduce to a thick, rustic
   sauce. Season again and sprinkle
   in the chilli flakes to taste. A dash
   of balsamic here is nice.


3. Keep the sauce warm while
   you cook the pasta in salted
   boiling water. When al dente, use
   tongs to transfer the pasta to the
   sauce with a couple of ladles of
   the starchy pasta water. Stir and
   toss the pasta through to coat,
   adding more olive oil and the

cheese. Sprinkle over some

pistachios before serving.

PANNA COTTA, RHUBARB

AND MARSALA SYRUP

Serves 4-6 (page 31)

• 75ml milk


• 325ml double cream


• 70g caster sugar


• 1 vanilla pod, cut and scraped


• 2 leaves gelatine, soaked in
  cold water

here’s a reason why Ben Tish

is called King of the Med.

The chef was the man

creating the magic at Norma, the

Sicilian-inspired restaurant in

Fitzrovia that quickly became a

favourite of Nigella’s. There was

his bestselling book, Sicilia, a

love letter to Mediterranean

cooking. Now he’s at the helm of

the Princess Royal in Notting

Hill, giving the pub’s food his

signature “Tish Twist”. Here, he’s

celebrating the traditional dishes

of Sicily with his elegant but easy

recipes. “These dishes are about

generous portions of food with

big, bold flavours,” he says.

Hannah Evans

T

PHOTOGRAPHS Romas Foord