Chargrilled lamb chops with young turnip, artichoke and tahini salad

This salad would accompany almost anything meat or fish, cooked very simply as the chops are here.

Serves 6

18 small lamb chops
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

36 young turnips, boiled until just soft
18 young artichokes, boiled, prepared and halved
6tsp fairtrade tahini (sesame paste)
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
6tbs mixed black and white sesame seeds
100ml extra virgin olive oil

For the salad, place the cooked vegetables in a serving bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, half the sesame seeds and the olive oil. Drizzle over the vegetables, mix with your fingertips and arrange on serving plates. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Preheat the grill, if using. Season the lamb chops, and chargrill, grill, or pan-fry until done to your taste. Serve with the salad.

Asparagus, broad bean and pea soup

This is how I like to introduce spring into my menus.

Serves 6

2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
light olive oil
250g podded broad beans (big beans), blanched and shelled
250g asparagus stalks, chopped
250g podded fresh peas
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
100g cooked pasta, chopped if large or long (this is a great way to use up any leftover pasta; chopped spaghettini is good)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil

Fry the onions in a little light olive oil in a pan until just golden. Add the broad beans, asparagus, and peas, and stir to coat with oil - about 3 minutes. Add the warmed stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Bring back to the boil, add the pasta, and cook for a couple of minutes.

Season to taste, and serve with some grated parmesan and extra virgin olive oil sprinkled on top.

Ravioli of summer herbs and ricotta

Serves 6

250g fresh pasta dough
60g young herbs (chervil, mint, basil, parsley)
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
125g ricotta cheese
60g parmesan, freshly grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

60g butter, melted
25g flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
freshly grated parmesan

Roll the pasta into two sheets, thin enough so that you can just see the colour of your palms through them. Keep covered when not working with them. Wash and cut the herbs into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Grate in some of the nutmeg, then mix in the ricotta and parmesan. Season well.

Arrange one pasta sheet on the work surface. Place tablespoonfuls of the herb mixture at 2.5cm intervals on the pasta. Spray (use a clean plant mister) between the piles of mixture with filtered water; this is better than brushing, as it prevents the pasta from becoming too gluggy. Cover with the second sheet of pasta, and press down between the mounds. Make sure there is no air left in each, as heated air expands and will blow a hole in your ravioli. I always make square ravioli, as there is no waste. Press the edges of the pasta to seal.

Place the ravioli in a large pan of simmering filtered water for 3 minutes, until they bob back to the top. Serve with melted butter, the parsley, some more nutmeg and grated parmesan.

Seared mackerel with French bean, cauliflower, anchovy, caper and potato salad

Serves 6

6 large fresh mackerel, filleted and pin-boned

freshly ground cardamom

a thumb-sized piece of fresh horseradish, peeled

For the salad:

1 kg new potatoes, washed

300g cauliflower, cut into florets

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

300g French beans, topped and tailed

12 salted anchovy fillets

20g salted capers, soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes

house dressing

Cook the potatoes gently until perfectly cooked. Drain well. Put the cauliflower into a large pan of boiling, salted water and cook for about 4 minutes, then add the beans and cook until just soft, another 6-8 minutes. Drain these well too. Meanwhile, rinse the anchovies under cold running water. Lay skin-side down on the work surface, and gently remove the spines and the heads. Pat dry. Drain the capers and pat dry.

Arrange all the salad ingredients on a large serving dish. Sprinkle with my house dressing (see below).

Lay the mackerel fillets on the work surface, flesh-side up, grind some cardamom over, and then finely grate on the horseradish. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pan-fry, skin-side down, over a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, which should cook the fish all the way through. Turn over for a further minute or two, then arrange on top of the salad.

Carrot, beetroot and rocket salad

This has been my most popular salad yet, and it's so simple.

Serves 6

500g large carrots, trimmed and peeled
50g butter
1 litre filtered water
1 tbs caster sugar
4 sage leaves
1 kg beetroots, boiled until cooked
10g cumin seeds, toasted and seasoned with crushed sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g natural Greek yoghurt
1 bunch rocket leaves
house dressing (see below)
2 tbs chopped mint

Put all the carrots, butter, water, sugar and sage into a pan, cover with a lid and bring up to the boil. Remove the lid and continue boiling to allow all the water to evaporate away, by which time the carrots should be cooked, sweet and buttery. Reserve, and when cool, cut into irregular shapes.

I don't peel my beetroots as the skin is so good for you. Cut them into irregular shapes as well, and arrange on a platter, along with the carrots.

Mix the cumin seeds and some salt and pepper into the yoghurt, and drizzle this over the arranged vegetables. Then comes the rocket, a drizzle of the house dressing to taste, and a final sprinkle of the chopped mint.

Artichoke and parsley risotto

Artichokes oxidise (discolour) quickly when cut. To prevent this, break parsley stalks into water with a little salt and add the artichokes. This avoids the need for added vinegar or lemon juice.

Serves 6

1.5 litres chicken stock
8 young artichoke hearts
light olive oil
100g butter
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 head celery, finely chopped
1 tbs chopped parsley
420g vialone nano risotto rice
50g parmesan, freshly grated
1 small bunch rocket leaves, chopped
6 tbs torn basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the stock in a pan and keep it simmering. Slice the artichokes and reserve in parsley stalk water.

In a thick-bottomed saucepan, cover the base with olive oil and melt half the butter. Add the onion and celery, and fry until soft with a touch of colour. Add the parsley and artichokes and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until the rice becomes slightly opaque.

Add enough hot stock just to cover and every time the liquid disappears, keep adding some more, stirring all the time, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked to your liking.

Finish with most of the parmesan, the chopped rocket, basil and the rest of the butter. Season to taste, stir together, and serve with a dusting of parmesan.

Pea and mint torte, with asparagus, broccoli and sun-dried tomato salad

This is a great dish for vegetarians, but meat-eaters can add some prosciutto.

Serves 6

115g unsalted butter
215g parmesan, freshly grated
250g spring onions, chopped
3kg fresh peas, podded
2 tbs chopped mint
4 tbs chopped basil
150ml vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g ricotta cheese
4 tbs double cream
4 large eggs

For the salad:

3 bunches asparagus
1 head calabrese broccoli
100g sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted
extra virgin olive oil
6 tbs sunflower seeds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 190C/ fan 170C/ gas 5. Use 15g of the butter to grease a 25cm round spring-release cake tin, then dust with 15g of the grated parmesan.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan, add the spring onions, and fry gently until soft, about 3 minutes. Add half the peas, mint and basil and all of the stock. Season and then cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Put half of this mixture into a food processor with half of the ricotta and cream, and blend quickly. Add the rest of the ricotta and cream, and while blending, add the eggs one at a time.

Remove the mixture to a large mixing bowl, season, then fold in the remaining peas and herbs and most of the parmesan. Spoon into the prepared tin, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan, and then bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. When cooked, it should be firm in the centre and pulling away from the sides.

Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Blanch the asparagus and broccoli in a pan of boiling filtered water until just soft, about 6 minutes, then drain well. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Arrange all the vegetables and tomatoes on a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil and top with the seeds.

Let the torte rest for 5 minutes, then lift and release on to a large service dish. Serve in wedges, with the salad.

House dressing

This is the basic dressing used at the restaurant and at my home. To make it even more delicious, you could use two parts olive oil to one part hazelnut oil.

Makes about 6 tbs

2 tbs white wine vinegar (Volpaia is the best)
1 tbs Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar together with the mustard and seasoning to taste in a small bowl. Add the oil and whisk until emulsified.

Penne with raw tomato and rocket

I always use soft and juicy tomatoes raw for pasta sauces. There is no need to cook them.

Serves 6

1kg ripe plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small dried chilli
150g salted capers, soaked for 30 mins
200g black olives
2 bunches rocket leaves
900g penne
extra virgin olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in half. Squeeze out and discard the excess juice and seeds, and chop the flesh coarsely. Peel the garlic and squash with a teaspoon of salt. Crumble the chilli. Rinse and dry the capers and stone the olives. Roughly chop the rocket.

Combine the tomatoes with the garlic salt, chilli and capers. Season generously, add the olives and put aside for 30 minutes.

Cook the penne in a large pan of boiling, salted filtered water until al dente. Drain, and stir the pasta into the tomatoes. Add the rocket, and finish with good olive oil.

Rhubarb sorbet

You could use some champagne instead of some of the water for a very special sorbet.

Serves 6

1kg forced rhubarb
250g caster sugar
250ml filtered water
50ml gin
5 juniper berries

Put all the ingredients together in a saucepan, cover and cook until soft, but without any evaporation. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Purée the mixture in a food processor. Check for sweetness, adding a little more sugar, if necessary.

Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn until pink and fluffy, or freeze in suitable containers, mixing every now and again (more of a granita than a sorbet but still delicious). In the restaurant I serve it with biscotti.

· The Acorn House Cookbook by Arthur Potts Dawson is published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20. To order a copy for £18 with free UK p&p, got to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0870 836 0885