Summer at RSJ Restaurant: Italian Sunday lunches

Our Summer schedule of lunches with the passionate Italian cook, prolific food writer and personality, Ursula Ferrigno continues with the following dates at the RSJ Restaurant. Starting at 1.00pm these events will include a glass of wine on arrival.

                                                                    

Sunday 19^th June   ‘Roman Holiday’    £30.00

Fig & rocket bruschetta

Freshly made pasta with broad beans, asparagus, mint and peas

Sea bass with Gaeta olives, cherry tomatoes and fennel

Roasted Roman pepper salad

Chocolate truffle ice cream

Pecorino Romano cheese with apricots

Sunday 14^th August  ‘Estate Preferiti’  £30.00

Miniature rolled herbed omlettes with ricotta and tomatoes

Gnocchi with roasted aubergine and courgettes

Marinated swordfish with lemon and mint

Panzanella salad beans

Three melon sorbet

Specially sourced Cheeses

We have a few places [strictly limited] for anyone who wishes to assist Ursula during the morning, making bread, pasta soup and sauces associated with these lunches.* This will cost each person an additional £30.00 for this cookery tuition.

           

For reservations please contact:

RSJ Restaurant

33 Coin Street,

London

SE1 9NR

Tel : 020 7928 4554                        

E-mail: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

‘Enchanted Liguria’ with Ursula Ferrigno: Sunday 20th March

Italian Sunday Lunch with Ursula Ferrigno

Unfortunately we had to postpone this event in January but we have now been able to reschedule it for March:

Sunday 20th March

‘Enchanted Liguria’

Focaccia with antipasti, marinated squash, peppers and artichokes

Pansotti – fresh pasta filled with herbs and greens, topped with walnut cream sauce

Fritto Misto – mixed seafood including squid and prawns

Insalata Mista – mixed green leaves with a light lemon dressing

Torte – Chestnut and chocolate tart with mascarpone

Ligurian cheese fruit and honey, specially sourced for RSJ

If anyone would like to assist and learn from Ursula in the kitchen, there will be a limited number of spaces available [£30.00]

For reservations, please contact:

Tom King

RSJ Restaurant

33 Coin Street

London SE1 9NR                   Tel: 020 7928 4554  e-mail: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Raising money for SCOPE

On the 4th March, George Harvey, our intrepid pastry chef and regular assistant to Ursula for her Sunday lunches, will be heading off to Tanzania to take part in a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro , in aid of SCOPE the charity that assists people with cerebral palsy and also campaigns on behalf of all disabled people. At a height of nearly 6,000 metres Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa . George is aiming to raise £3,500. If you would like to help in achieving this goal you can donate on-line at www.virginmoneygiving.com/georgeharvey  or to find out more about the work that SCOPE does visit  www.scope.org.uk  Thank you.

Around Italy in six dishes; Sunday 27th June

Italian Sunday lunch

with Ursula Ferrigno
27th June

£30.00

‘Around Italy in six dishes’

Ursula Ferringo

Cherry tomato marmalade on semolina flat breads,
Classical sweet & sour flavour of this famous sauce from Naples,
Served with crisp flavoursome bread.
 
Pizza rustica - savoury ricotta pie made with Italian pastry encasing creamy ricotta, mozzarella and herbs – light and delicious.
 
Asparagus ravioli - the pasta is made from Italian eggs, rich and light.
The full flavour of the asparagus, garlic and basil is delectable.
 
Broad beans with red onion and mint salad - not only visually beautiful
but also very harmonious. Enjoyed in the Tuscan hills.

Peccorino Romana -  Roman Peccorino cheese served with Roman honey, which has a faint hint of rosemary.

Stuffed apricots – an early summer fruit stuffed with amaretti and poached in amaretto – rather decadent and divine.

In addition Ursula is likely to add a few enticing extras!

We also have  a few places available to learn from and assist Ursula
in the kitchen  – £30.00

For bookings please contact:
Tom King
RSJ Restaurant
33 Coin Street
London  SE1 9NR
Tel: 020 7928 4554
E-mail: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Ursula's Italian autumn favourites: 20th September 2009

Photos taken in the RSJ kitchen as Ursula, Penny and Alex prepared the dishes for Sunday lunch.

Ursula practising taking-off

Penny preparing courgette cases (above and below)


Ursula forming pizza balls

Penny rolling out the pizza bases

Zucchini flowers

Now for the pizza toppings

Ready for the oven

Delicious looking Pizza bianca with zucchini flowers straight from the oven

Alex slicing up cooked red peppers

Tray of baked tomatoes

Alex multitasking on the mini dog and bone, while stirring a pot on the stove


Yesterday's menu:

Pizza Bianca with zucchini flowers

Tomato Risotto & Panzanella salad

Stuffed courgettes

Mixed seasonal salad

Formaggio – Caciotta Castellina from the Veneto

Chocolate & hazelnut torta with chocolate sauce
(a speciality from Piemonte)

Ursula has promised me some of the recipes, which I will post when I get them. However, Sunday was Ursula's sixth wedding anniversary, so I may not get them until later this week.

•

Ursula's next Sunday lunch is on 18th October featuring the ‘The Italian Classics’. Details here and here.

Ursula Ferrigno: Trattoria 12th July + 20th September

There are still a few places left for Ursula's next Sunday lunch (12th July) £30:

Ursula and the pasta machine

Classical weekend family dishes from around Italy. A quick gastronomic tour of some of the country’s favourite dishes:

Spiedina alla Romana [Roman skewers)

Open textured country bread on skewers with buffalo mozzarella, roasted red peppers and basil.

Cannelloni with saffron sauce

Not only is the colour enticing but the filling is Ursula’s all time favourite, a combination of artichoke hearts, ricotta and gorgonzola with, needless to say, fresh home made pasta – rich and delicious.

Zucchini farcita

Slow baked courgettes with seasonal vegetables and mint make this versatile dish even more appealing. Every Italian family has their own special recipe

Insalata mista
A salad of apples, frisee and asiagio cheese with RSJ’s special dressing

Apricoti farcita con gelati
Stuffed apricots with lemon ice cream

••

20th September: Italian autumn favourites – £30:

Tomato rissotto and Panzanella salad
Pizza bianca with zucchini flowers
Stuffed courgettes
Mixed seasonal salad
Chocolate and hazelnut torta with choclate sauce
Fromaggio



Bookings on: 020-7928 4554

Ursula Ferrigno forthcoming dates and menu

Sunday 26th April: Emilia-Romagna £30.00

Ursula Ferrigno

The people of Emilia-Romagna eat more, cook more and talk more about food than anyone else in Italy. They like nothing better than to get together eat, drink, tell jokes, sing and discuss the merits of dishes. We wish to recreate this atmosphere at our Sunday lunch.

Pasatelli soup

A light flavoursome broth of noodles with fine breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese worked to a paste and passed through a mincer, scented with herbs

Tortelli
Famous in this glorious gastronomic region. Freshly made ravioli using Italian eggs ( RSJ use Italian eggs for all their cakes, pastries and ice creams), this ravioli is filled with spinach and ricotta and then the cheese with a sage butter.

Funghi Trifolati, Cipolline a Agrodolce, Pomodori Ripieni
A selection of delicious vegetables prepared simply to enhance their natural goodness in the typical style of the region. They look stunning on the plate.




Insalata Mista
A cleansing mix of fresh salad leaves, dressed with a simple extra virgin oil and lemon juice

Formaggi
The one and only cheese from this region - Parmesan. You will enjoy an aged wedge of this famous cheese with honey and grapes.

George, RSJ ‘s pastry chef

Dolci

Panna cotta. Cooked cream is the likened translation. George, RSJ ‘s pastry chef, will stun us with his creation - he never disappoints!

If you would like to assist Ursula during the morning – making bread, pasta soup and the sauces associated with these lunches- there are a limited number of places available. As you can see here and here, theses sessions are both great fun and very informative. The cookery tuition will cost an extra £30 per person. You are advised to book early.

Summer Sunday lunches with Ursula

Sunday 14th June


Sunday 12th July

We’ve fixed the dates and Ursula (we are counting on you!) will be letting us have the themes and the menus next week.

Bookings now being taken on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com


Great feedback on Ursula's Sunday lunch last week:
We were delighted to read this on Kym's Gidday from the UK blog:

'It was a fabulously sunny Sunday here in London and a couple of friends and I went to a restaurant near Waterloo called RSJ for a bit of a foodie event. Italian chef 'extraordinaire', Ursula Ferrigno, was hosting one of her monthly Sunday lunches where she creates a set menu - this one being Italian Springtime Favourites. Hosted upstairs in the converted stable building, four long tables were set out so we got to sit with other people and chat - we were fortunate enough to be at the table where three of the people had been in the kitchen with Ursula helping to prepare the lunch so we got a bit of 'inside information' on some of the recipes!'

To read the rest, please click here

Ursula Ferrigno cooks Sicilian style

Ursula with a tray of Pasta al Norma

On a drab January Sunday Ursula Ferrigno brought some welcome Sicilian sunshine to the RSJ. She was in early this morning with her five apprentices plus Chef George Harvey and Abbie to prepare a delicious meal – the first of her 2009 Sunday lunches. RSJ News took the opportunity to capture some of the action and excitement, especially the making of the pasta.

The team hard at their various tasks

The menu:

Involtini di Spada
Swordfish with chilli, pinenuts, olives, capers & cherry tomatoes

Preparing the swordfish

Dama di Bianca
'Woman in White' fennel, celery & mozzarella salad

Feeding the pasta carefully through the machine

That looks about right

Counting the pasta – beats counting sheep!

Still counting pasta....



Definitely lively pasta!

Pasta al Norma

Luxurious freshly made pasta using Italian eggs famous for their colour and flavour. The hand made pasta is accompanied with a rich aubergine sauce flavoured with wine and Oregano.

Ursula and one of her apprentices

Insalata Mista
A great combination of richly coloured & textured leaves designed to cleanse the palate.

It's all go.....

Dolce Casata Sicilia
The classical dessert - layers of homemade ice cream encased in a liqeuer soaked light sponge.

Chef George Harvey checks a detail

Formaggi
Special selection of cheese from our artisan supplier to compliment the menu.

Abbie

Forthcoming Sunday treats from Ursula:

15th March - Italian springtime favourites £30
Three generations of family favourites - light fragrant dishes using seasonal produce and the finest ingredients.

Cannelloni with broad beans and ricotta
A wonderful flavour of broad beans and mint combines magically with the freshly made pasta.

Foccacia farcita
Freshly made bread using six year old starter dough - a real joy!

Pappa con pomodoro e porri
Leek & tomato soup with a hint of chilli oil make this a light and fragrant soup with a slice of bread at the bottom of each bowl to thicken the soup

More preparation

Insalata Mezzogiorno
Prawn & artichoke salad - In Italy 'mezzogiorno' has two meanings: noon and the Southern regions. This salad celebrates the South using capers, prawns and of course, new season artichokes.

Dolci – Zuppa Inglese
Cream & marsala trifle - there are many variations of this popular dessert which loosely translate means 'English soup' but is a creamy trifle flavoured with Marsala.

Formaggi
Special selection of cheese to compliment the menu.

Abbie – the boss?

We are still awaiting details of the 26th April event from Ursula but I will post them as soon as I have them.

If you would like to assist Ursula during the morning – making bread, pasta soup and the sauces associated with these lunches- there are a limited number of places available. The cookery tuition will cost an extra £30 per person. You are advised to book early.

Read a great account by one of Ursula's apprentices of the morning and lunch here.

For bookings please contact: tel: 020-7928 4554, fax: 020-7928 9768, email: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Ursula@work

Photos © Jim Budd

Ursula Ferrigno: 2009 lunches

We now have details of the dishes that Ursula will be cooking for her first two lunches of 2009. First off is Glorious Sicily. This is followed by Italian springtime favourites.

25th January - Glorious Sicily £30
Hugely important, both historically and gastronomically, this sunshine island's most famous dish is swordfish.

Involtini di Spada
Swordfish with chilli, pinenuts,olives,capers & cherry tomatoes

Dama di Bianca
'Woman in White' fennel, celery & mozzarella salad

Pasta al Norma
Luxurious freshly made pasta using Italian eggs famous for their colour and flavour. The hand made pasta is accompanied with a rich aubergine sauce flavoured with wine and Oregano.

Insalata Mista
A great combination of richly coloured & textured leaves designed to cleanse the palate.

Dolce Casata Sicilia
The classical dessert - layers of homemade ice cream encased in a liqeuer soaked light sponge.

Formaggi
Special selection of Cheese from our artisan supplier to compliment the menu.


15th March - Italian springtime favourites £30
Three generations of family favourites - light fragrant dishes using seasonal produce and the finest ingredients.

Cannelloni with broad beans and ricotta
A wonderful flavour of broad beans and mint combines magically with the freshly made pasta.

Foccacia farcita
Freshly made bread using six year old starter dough - a real joy!

Pappa con pomodoro e porri
Leek & tomato soup with a hint of chilli oil make this a light and fragrant soup with a slice of bread at the bottom of each bowl to thicken the soup

Insalata Mezzogiorno
Prawn & artichoke salad - In Italy 'mezzogiorno' has two meanings: noon and the Southern regions. This salad celebrates the South using capers, prawns and of course, new season artichokes.

Dolci – Zuppa Inglese
Cream & marsala trifle - there are many variations of this popular dessert which loosely translate means 'English soup' but is a creamy trifle flavoured with Marsala.

Formaggi
Special selection of cheese to complement the menu.

We are still awaiting details of the April event from Ursula but I will post them as soon as I have them.

If you would like to assist Ursula during the morning – making bread, pasta soup and the sauces associated with these lunches- there are a limited number of places available. The cookery tuition will cost an extra £30 per person. You are advised to book early.

For bookings please contact: tel: 020-7928 4554, fax: 020-7928 9768, email: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Ursula Ferrigno: autumn 2008 schedule

Sunday 21st September
Returning from Tuscany £30.00
Ursula’s best recipes from autumn’s bountiful harvest in this memorable region.

Sunday 19th October
Nonna’s Kitchen’ £30.00
Special recipes passed on to Ursula by her grandmother.

Sunday 23rd November
Classical Italian winter dishes £30.00
A collection of Ursula’s favourite winter warmers.

As usual lunch will start at 1.00pm and will include a glass of wine on arrival

For further details visit: www.rsj.uk.com/events.htm

For bookings please contact: Tel: 020 7928 4554, Fax: 020 7928 9768, Email: tom.king@rsj.uk.com