Featured recipe

Shānyào ní (Chinese yam purée)

Chinese yam (shānyào, the long, hairy-skinned root sold in bundles in markets from Beijing to Guangzhou) is valued in Chinese homes as easy on the tummy, and steamed shānyào ní is one of the classic first purées offered at six months. Once steamed, the crisp, slippery flesh turns floury and pale, and pressed through a sieve it gives a smooth, slightly sweet, potato-like purée. Nothing else is added: no salt, sugar or honey for babies. It is free of the major allergens. Chef's tip: wear gloves or oil your hands before peeling; the raw sap makes skin itch, but cooking destroys it completely.

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55 min

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Shepherds from Amatrice, a mountain town in northern Lazio, carried guanciale and pecorino up to summer pastures, and once tomatoes arrived from the south the sauce took the shape it has kept ever since. The town still holds a sagra every August, and the dish became a Roman staple through the cooks who moved to the capital. Thick, hollow bucatini catch the sweet-sharp tomato inside and out, while the guanciale gives rich, porky pockets and the chilli a gentle warmth. Locals are firm that onion and garlic do not belong in it; they soften the clean taste of the pork. Chef's tip: lift the browned guanciale out of the pan before the tomatoes go in and return it just before serving, so it keeps its bite instead of turning soft in the sauce.

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Roman trattorie from Testaccio to Trastevere serve carbonara at lunch to people who would be scandalised by a drop of cream: the gloss comes only from egg yolk, sharp pecorino romano, rendered guanciale fat and starchy pasta water. Made well, it coats each strand in a golden, peppery custard that just holds together, with crisp-edged nuggets of cured pork through it. It needs nothing alongside but a green salad dressed with lemon, eaten after the pasta as Romans do. Because the eggs are only warmed through, use pasteurised eggs if you are cooking for anyone pregnant, very young, older or otherwise vulnerable. Chef's tip: use mostly yolks and only a couple of whole eggs; whites set first and turn grainy, while yolks give that silky, deep yellow sauce.

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