eat in, eat out Manteca

Chris Leach shares four fabulous recipes from the nose-to-tail Italian in London’s Shoreditch

- CHRIS LEACH and ILARIO AVANTAGGIATI

Chefs Chris Leach and David Carter opened Manteca’s first permanent home on Curtain Road, Shoreditch, in November last year to rave reviews. Inspired by Chris’s travels through Italy, the focus is on nose-to-tail Italian cooking, with hand-rolled pasta, house-made salami, seasonal vegetables and wood-fired breads at the forefront.

Expect hearty, knockout dishes including puffy clam flatbreads, a rich pigskin ragu, and rigatoni with a silky kale sauce (see overleaf for the recipe) served in a light, airy setting. There’s a carefully honed wine menu with classic bottles and bolder ‘down the rabbit hole’ wines, and an amari-focussed cocktail list making the most of the Italian herbal liqueur, featuring not-to-be-missed house-made amaro. mantecarestaurant.co.uk

Artichoke alla giudìa

25 MINUTES | SERVES 4 AS A STARTER | EASY

lemon 1, plus extra wedges to serve

artichokes 4 small (Tema, spiky or baby purple) or 2 large

olive oil for deep frying

1 Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water, putting the halves in, too.

2 Peel off the outer leaves of one of the artichokes until you get to the softer leaves in the centre. Use a peeler or paring knife to remove the tough outer skin of the heart and stem.

3 Rub the artichoke with one of the lemon halves as you work, to prevent discolouring. Use a spoon to scoop out the hairy choke in the centre and put the artichoke back into the acidulated water while you prepare the rest.