Recipes From Ponti's Italian Kitchen

Ponti’s Italian Kitchen is the latest offering from the family behind the renowned Ponti’s cafes. Established since 1963, and once spearheaded by founding father, Pino Ispani, Ponti’s now looks to a new era under the guidance of Pino’s son, Stefano. Heralding a new beginning for Ponti’s, Ponti’s Italian Kitchen (www.p-i-k.co.uk) offers simple Italian home cooking at reasonable prices. Inspired by the home of Pino, Italy’s food basket, Emilia Romagna, is the main source of the restaurant’s recipes. The use of family suppliers ensures that the quality of the food remains at its highest, delivering a true taste of Italy within an informal and welcoming setting.

With two sites currently in London on Duke Street (54 Duke Street, London W1K 6JN), and John Princes Street (5-7 John Princes Street, London W1M 9HD), Ponti’s Italian Kitchen is determined to appeal to a broad base of customers, and serves food all day from 8am until 11pm. The menu spans all appetites; from cooked breakfast to afternoon tea and cakes, or late supper through to a great cocktail. Whilst the thrust of the menu remains true to Ponti’s heritage and Italian roots, part of its evolution is in understanding that great classics should still remain. As a result, the Ponti’s Italian Kitchen Burger and Chicken Caesar Salad are front runners on the menu, whilst other dishes have been given an unconventional twist; the Chicken Milanese is flavoured with sage butter and stone baked, hand rolled pizzas are sprinkled with parmesan.  These dishes sit alongside a cross section of pastas and sharing plates, such as Prawn Linguini, Sourdough Bruschetta and Grilled Polenta, ensuring that customers experience a true flavour of Italy.

In chime with the current financial market, Ponti's Italian Kitchen embodies value for money executed in a friendly and welcoming way. Intent on offering people a true taste of Italy, a guest at Ponti’s Italian Kitchen is perceived as part of the family and is guaranteed fresh food, wonderful service and great value for money.

PISAREI E FAGIOLI

4.2kg             Dried Beans – borlotti
500g              Butter
400g              Lard
4 Med/Lge     Onions
1                   Whole Head Celery and leaves
1                   Bulb of Garlic
15 lge           Carrots
1 Bunch        Parsley flat leaf
1.2kg            Minced Beef
1 .5kg           Double Concentrate of Tomato
4.5 ltr           Water
                    Sea Salt
                    Bouillion to season
                    2 Bay leaves

Aside boil the beans with garlic and celery and salt.  Soak the beans the night before and refrigerate
Blitz the vegetables in a blender
Saute them in the butter and the lard
Add the meat and cook for about 15/20 minutes
Saute the meat when the meat is cooked add the tomato concentrate and the water mixed
When the beans are half cooked add them to the main sauce.  Season to taste (With bouillion to taste)
Add the salt to taste and boil for about 1 hour and a half or two hours on a low gas
Aside cook the pisarei

To mix the dish

Put the sauce into a bowl
Add a knob of butter and some parmesan
Add the pisarei
Mix and add some water as it needs to be slightly wet
Parmesan on top to garnish

PASTA AMATRICIANA

300g        Smoked Pancetta (remove the skin and the bones) cut into lardons
100g        Onion
14g          Garlic
50mnl       Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100g        Carrot cut into tiny cubes
20g          Chilli fresh
500g        Tinned Tomatoes – good ones

Saute all of the above and the add the tomatoes
Season to taste
At the end add some chopped parsley on top of the pasta

To mix the dish
Add a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch of parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley to garnish

NAPOLI SAUCE

200g        Carrots (lots of them)
100g        Onion
50g          Celery
20g          Parsley
20g          Garlic
20g          Basil
50ml        Oil 
                Salt or bouillion to season
1000g      Tomatoes – tinned and fresh

Saute up all of this (no need to cut these items up as we will pureed after)
When they are cooked add tomatoes – half tinned and half fresh or if not possible just use tinned
Once the tomatoes and the sauce is cooked ( roughly 2 hours on a low heat) puree the sauce

PASTA CON SALSICCIA

50g         Butter
50ml        Oil Olive
100g       Onion
20g         Garlic
2 & 4       Salsiccia – (Mild Sausage from Carnevale with finocchio and half piccante Napoli Carnevale)
200ml      White Wine
100g        Double concentrate of Tomato
                Salt to taste
300ml       Milk
50g          Sage
10-15       Juniper Berries

Saute the onion with the sage leaves and juniper berries and garlic
Sauté up all of this and the add in the sausage meat
Crumble the sausage (or chop) the sausage meat
Add in the sausage
Add in white wine and evaporate
Add in the milk and the double concentrate of tomatoes
Cook for about 1 hour on low gas

To mix the dish

Add the pasta to the sauce and ad some parmesan (no butter needed as the sauce is rich)
Use this sauce with tagliatelle (big ones) or alternatively you could use orechiette or shell shaped
Pasta or bucattini also

VEGETALI SOTT'OLIO

To pickle the aubergines and the zucchini

4.5 ltr     White Wine dry
2.5 ltr     White wine vinegar
500g       Coarse Sea Salt

Cinnamon Sticks
Bay Leaves
Cloves
Juniper Berries

Aubergines need to be salted and left overnight to drain the courgettes can be done straight away.
Cook veg separately lightly until soft and spread the zucchini out and allow to cool the aubergines need to be dried well with a cloth.

Courgettes
Please in a container and cover with olive oil season with oregano and sliced garlic

Aubergines

Place in a contained and cover with olive oil and basil and oregano and sliced garlic
Note with the aubergines you could also use mint instead of basil

SPAGHETTI WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND PECORINO

250g        Cherry Tomatoes – ripe and red !
300ml       Olive Oil Extra Virgin
40g           Basilico – frozen leaves
30g          Garlic whole not chopped
10g          Salt quite a bit

Mix all this together (scrunch with hands to allow flavours to infuse) with loads of olive oil and leave to marinate in a fridge overnight – take out of the fridge about one hour before service.
Cook the spaghetti aside

To mix the dish

Add the spaghetti to a ladle of this sauce and loads of grated pecorino (sauce is not cooked)
Scrunch in the frozen basil leaves when mixing
Add pecorino shavings on top to garnish

SPIEDINI

1 of each   Pepper – Red and Yellow
6               Cherry Tomato
80g           Smoked Pancetta
2 of each   Italian Sausage
120g         Pork Fillet
120g         Chicken
30g           Bread
40g           Red Onion

Meat chicken or pork

Cut into pieces and skewer all of the above items
Marinate the spiedini in oil lemon oregano and garlic
Leave overnight and season when cooking
Cook on the char grill do not allow to burn

ZUPPA DI ZUCCA

100g       Onions
500g       Pumpkin
50g         Butter
20g         Rosemary (bouquet garni)
250ml      Béchamel
750ml      Brodo
5g           Salt
1g           Nutmeg
5-10g      Bouillon
100g       Parmesan cheese

Saute the onion in the butter and the rosemary
Add in cubes pumpkin
Cover with brodo
Allow to cook then puree and add nutmeg

Aside make a runny bechamel

To serve the dish

Then add the two together until you get a creamy texture
Serve with some focaccia croutons and parmesan cheese.
Also chop really fine some rosemary and sprinkle on to the soup.