RECIPE INSPIRATION
An Italian-inspired Christmas Eve feast from Luca head chef Robert Chambers
RECIPES ROBERT CHAMBERS
Meet Robert
Robert is the head chef at Luca, one of London’s most-loved Italian restaurants, where his focus is on giving beautiful British produce a sprinkle of Italian magic.
T he passion that I have for Italian food is inspired by my grandparents; my grandmother was born in a village in the south of Italy and she came to this country about 50 years ago. I lost my parents when I was six, so it was my grandparents who raised me, and childhood Christmases were all about getting the family together, enjoying course after course, sharing food and telling stories. We’d sit around the table for a good four hours!
Fish is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve in Italy, and that’s what I wanted to put at the heart of this meal. I also wanted the menu to be fairly straightforward – after all, Christmas Day involves a lot of work in the kitchen, so the last thing you want to have to do is spend time preparing food the day before.
The whole idea of a starter is that it should be a beautiful ingredient that you really love, like a burrata, garnished with something you like – nothing you have to spend a lot of time on. You can get ahead with the main course by making the caponata two to three days before – it intensifies the flavour. Then, on the day, put the cod parcels in the oven and put a timer on. Take them out, slide them onto a nice warm plate, and they’re ready to go. The panettone dessert is just like a bread and butter pudding… and for me, that delicious smell is what Christmas is all about. When you open the oven door, it puts a smile on your face.
I’ve been at Luca since 2016, creating the dishes that are close to my heart, which remind me of my childhood. I’m really proud of the food that we do. Yes, it has an Italian heritage, but there are little twists here and there, and we use beautiful British produce. I also love to cook for family and friends at Christmas. I don’t usually get to see people’s reactions to the food, as I’m in the kitchen, so being around a table with the people I love, and seeing their smiles and enjoyment when they eat, is what it’s all about.
INTERVIEW: SARAH MABER
Get ahead
Make the pickled chilli up to 1 week ahead and store in the fridge in a sterilised jar. The pesto can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container. Any pesto leftovers can be tossed through pasta or spread on bruschetta and topped with crumbled soft goat��
