Theo Randall says his new book will 'make you feel confident' in cooking at home

Virgin Radio

13 Jun 2024, 13:45

Chef Theo Randall visited Virgin Radio with some tasty offerings as he turned the pages of his new cookbook, Verdura: 10 Vegetables, 100 Italian Recipes.

Joining the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with webuyanycar (and bringing some Broccoli and Potato Frittatas for the team), Theo said: “The book is designed to be cooking at home. It's things that make you feel confident. So the picture gives you the inspiration, and then you go on to cook the recipe.”

The book is a modern take on the best Italian ingredients and has 100 recipes using 10 different types of vegetables. These include aubergines, zucchini, asparagus, artichokes, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, beans, squash and potatoes.

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“The philosophy behind the book is, it's 100 recipes, 10 different vegetables, 10 recipes per vegetable,” Theo explained. “Every recipe has been photographed, because I'm convinced that cookbooks without photographs are never cooked. I mean, you look at a cookbook, there's probably about 70 percent of the recipes are photographed, and if you do all 100 percent, everyone will cook every single recipe.”

He continued: “The book is quite seasonal, almost accidentally, because each vegetable is obviously seasonal. You've got asparagus at the moment, which is on the front cover, which is the most wonderful seasonal ingredient. But that finishes in a few weeks time, the English asparagus, and then you move on to other ingredients. And then you have tomatoes. So there's a whole 10 recipes on tomatoes. And then there's squashes…”

The Michelin Starred former Head Chef at the River Café in London has previously appeared on a number of shows including Saturday Kitchen, Masterchef and Sunday. Speaking about the inspiration behind his new cookbook, he told Chris: “This book was inspired by my daughter wanting to eat vegetables. She's 22 now, but at the age of 12, she said, ‘Daddy, I want to eat more vegetables,’ and so I started cooking more and more vegetables at home.

“This is very much a home cookbook, and it just sort of took off from there. I've just sort of found myself eating and cooking far more vegetables than I ever used to.”

He added: “We need to have a healthier lifestyle, so eating more vegetables is better for you.”

Verdura: 10 Vegetables, 100 Italian Recipes is out now.  

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with webuyanycar weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.