Verdura

Who’s the author? Theo Randall started working at the River Café in 1989. After a brief stint at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters, he returned to London to take up the role of Head Chef at the River Café and remained there for 15 years.

Theo left in 2006 to launch his first restaurant, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental, which now has two more locations in Hong Kong and Bangkok. He regularly appears on television shows, including Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef, Sunday Brunch, Lorraine, Chef’s Protégé and My Kitchen Rules. He also works with high-profile brands including Natoora, Coco Di Mama and Ask Italian. He has written two previous cookbooks, Pasta and My Simple Italian.

What’s it about? Verdura is all about cooking and eating vegetables – the Italian way. As we increasingly adopt a plant-based and plant-forward way of eating, there’s no better time to revisit the cuisine of Italy for inspiration.

Theo shares his 10 favourite vegetables and reveals the best ways to make them the star of the show through 100 fabulous recipes, with chapters covering Aubergines, Zucchini, Asparagus, Artichokes, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Beans, Squash, and Potatoes.

From simple pasta dishes to more extravagant dinners that are ideal for entertaining guests, Verdura is an essential cookbook for anyone in search of  a modern take on the best of Italian ingredients and vegetarian home cooking.

Recipes we love: Asparagus Fritto with Saffron Aioli, Rigatoni with Zucchini, Mascarpone and Pecorino, Mushroom, Onion and Spinach Torta, and Tomato and Red Pepper Risotto with Chopped Burrata.

Perfect for: Anyone keen to increase their repertoire of delicious plant-based recipes, as well as readers of Theo’s previous books and fans of Ottolenghi’s Plenty.