Chicken liver ragu

‘The first restaurant kitchen I worked in was in Florence, 25 years ago,’ says Emily Lampson. ‘Beccofino has since closed, but the inspiration stays with me. The most valuable lesson I learned there was respect for ingredients – sourcing the best local produce and using herbs to bring a dish together. When I returned to the UK, I went straight into Heston Blumenthal’s kitchen at The Fat Duck, before opening The Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds. There, I found myself reverting to Italy when sourcing cheese, meat, fruit and vegetables. We were fortunate – there was plenty to choose from. Now, I cook at the barn on our farm in Dorset, hosting supper clubs and private events.’

I still refer to the now tatty little notebooks I had when I worked at Beccofino. This ragu is inspired by a recipe in one of them, so faded I now make it from memory. It serves six generously with pasta, or at least 12 on crostinis – baked slices of stale bread drizzled with olive oil. I always make a ragu at least 24 hours in advance.

Wine notes

Fontodi’s elegant Chianti Classico 2021 offers the perfect combination of sour-cherry fruit with fresh acidity and ripe tannins, providing the ideal foil for the strong savouriness
of the chicken liver ragu. It would also complement the earthiness of the mushrooms in the borlotti bean and cavolo nero dish (£36; fortnumandmason.com).

MAY WE SUGGEST: More autumnal Italian recipes by Emily Lampson