Great British Food - Christmas 2025

Tomato Soupwith RicottaDumplings When I toldmy sister – who loves cheese and loves dumplings – that I wasmaking this recipe for her, she wasn’t at all sure that she would like the ricotta variety of dumpling… until she tried them. Inspired by Italian gnudi – similar to gnocchi, but without flour – these cheesy clouds are soft and flavourful, creating a delicious twist on a classic comfort soup. They alsomake it just as good for warmer weather as cold, as gnudi aremuchmore delicate than classic British dumplings. Serves: 4 Prepare: 10minutes Cook: 20minutes For the soup: 2 tbsps vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 tbsps tomato purée 3 tsps garlic paste 3 × 400g cans of chopped tomatoes 200ml vegetable stock 30g basil leaves 200ml double cream Salt and black pepper Extra virgin olive oil, to serve For the dumplings: 350g ricotta 40g Parmesan cheese, or vegetarian alternative, finely grated 1 egg yolk 100g semolina 1. Heat the oil in a large pot, which has a lid, over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens. 2. Add the tomato purée and garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in the tomatoes and stock, add most of the basil and simmer for 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, make the cheesy dumplings. Put the ricotta into a bowl with the Parmesan, egg yolk and semolina and mix well. Roll the mix into 12 equal-sized balls. 4. Use a stick blender to blitz the soup until smooth, then add the cream and stir well. Taste for seasoning and adjust it to taste. 5. Pop the cheesy dumplings into the blended soup. Cover with a lid and simmer for a couple of minutes over a medium heat, until the dumplings are cooked. They cook in a matter of 2–4 minutes and should feel tender to the touch when they’re ready. 6. Ladle the soup and dumplings into warmed bowls, scatter with the remaining basil and drizzle over extra virgin olive oil, then serve. ‘MarryMe’ Pork Meatballs The ‘marryme’ part of the name of this dish refers to the sauce. The story goes that someone took chickenwitha creamy sun-dried tomato sauce into an office in NewYork in the 1980s, andwithinweeks, three peoplewho ate it were engaged. As time goes on, I prefer the explanation that the ingredients ‘marry’ together to create themost delicious sauce. Serves: 4 Prepare: 10minutes Cook: 20minutes For themeatballs: 750gminced pork 100g fresh breadcrumbs 100g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 40g Parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 tsp garlic granules 1 tsp paprika ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper 1½ tbsps vegetable oil For the sauce: 1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated 300ml chicken stock 200ml double cream 2 tbsps sun-dried tomato purée 40g Parmesan cheese, finely grated 20g basil, leaves torn 1. Put the pork in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, garlic granules, paprika, salt and pepper. Get stuck in and mix everything together with your hands until it’s well combined. 2. Roll the mixture into 16 equal-sized meatballs. 3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs until they are golden brown all over, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan, and place on a plate. 4. Put the onion for the sauce into the same pan and cook until it softens, then chuck in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 5. Pour in the stock and cream, then add the sun-dried tomato purée and Parmesan. Stir well. 6. Get the meatballs back into the pan, along with any resting juices from their plate, and cook until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through (3–4 minutes). 7. Add the torn basil leaves and stir well. Taste for seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper if you want, then dish it up, with rice if you like. Garofalo Potato Gnocchi RRP £2.85 for 500g Available from Ocado.com and Amazon .co.uk Shopping Basket RECI PES | JON WATTS 91 greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com