Easy seasonal dishes that are perfect for eating with friends or family this weekend.

Restaurant cooking at the highest level isn’t all about tweezers, truffles and technical dazzle. Some of our finest chefs are celebrated for dishing up unfussy, generous plates of food that make you want to roll up your sleeves and dig straight in rather than stand back and admire the artistry. We asked three London chefs to come up with a seasonal recipe for sharing with friends and family, something really delicious that you can plonk down in the middle of the table on a spring weekend and let everyone help themselves. Get stuck in.

Messrs Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram_Chef-owners of The Marksman _

“If you’ve got people coming round, this is a lovely thing to put out,” says Mr Tom Harris of the Marksman, an award-winning pub in east London. “Make sure it’s good-quality English rose veal. We get ours from Bocaddon farm in Cornwall. If possible, start it cooking the day before (until the point where you add the peas) and then reheat it the next day, as it needs time to cook and you don’t want to be stressed.”

_**marksmanpublichouse.com

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Slow-braised veal with wild garlic, peas and anchovies

Serves 6-12 with leftovers for sandwiches

2-3kg deboned breast of rose veal 2 handfuls of wild garlic leaves Handful of anchovies 1 tbsp olive oil 1 litre chicken stock Glug of wine 2 handfuls of peas, fresh or frozen 2 bunches of spring onions, whole Jersey royal potatoes, to serve Green sauce, to serve

Preheat the oven to 120ºC. Lay the veal flat and cover it with a handful of wild garlic leaves and anchovies. Roll it up and tie it, then place in a large pot with a touch of olive oil and colour lightly. Cover completely with chicken stock and a glug of wine. Bring it to the boil on the hob, then cover the pot with baking parchment, foil and a lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3-4 hours.

Remove from the oven and throw in the peas and spring onions. Put the pot back in the oven uncovered and cook for another half hour or so. The veal at this point should be soft and giving, holding together just enough to slice. Before serving, add a fistful of wild garlic leaves to wilt. Carve the veal and serve it with Jersey royal potatoes and a green sauce.

Mr Leandro Carreira Chef-owner of Londrino

“This is my take on Taiwanese chicken rice,” says Mr Leandro Carreira. “It’s something that I’m completely obsessed with. We have it for our staff meal at Londrino and I often cook it at home when we’re having people around. Rice, chicken and chilli sauce: they’re like three best mates together. Everyone digs in and there are never any leftovers.”

_**londrino.co.uk

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Chicken with chilli sauce and steamed rice

Serves 4-6

1.5kg chicken 3 bay leaves 1 clove garlic 1 stick lemongrass 800g basmati rice, washed Salad, to serve

For the chilli sauce 30g sugar 120ml soy sauce 80ml vinegar 2 cloves garlic, chopped 10 bird’s-eye chillies, chopped (with seeds for extra kick) 1 shallot, sliced

Place the chicken in a large pot with the bay leaves, garlic and lemongrass. Cover with water and boil for 45 minutes over a medium heat. Reserve the stock and set the chicken aside to cool.

Now make the chilli sauce. Put the sugar in a small pot over a low heat and let it caramelise. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, then add bird’s-eye chillies and shallot and cook for another few minutes. Add 150ml of the chicken stock and reduce the sauce by half. Blitz in a processor and check the seasoning.

Heat the oven to 250ºC and roast the chicken until golden brown – the meat should be very moist inside. Meanwhile, add the basmati rice to a large pot with 1.2 litres of the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes with the lid on. Serve the chicken with the warm rice, the chilli sauce on the side and some salad.

Mr Karam Sethi Owner of JKS restaurants

“This is what we call a tawa-style biryani,” says Mr Karam Sethi. “It’s eaten a fair bit on the streets in Mumbai, but it’s also great for a family meal at home. It’s an easy dish to put together and delicious with some pomegranate seeds, yoghurt and pickles.”

jksrestaurants.com

Spring lamb with wild garlic pilau

Serves 6-8

1 tbsp ghee 1 tsp black peppercorns, cracked 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick 3 onions, blitzed in a food processor 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste (equal parts ginger and garlic blitzed with a splash of water) 1kg spring lamb, diced 500ml lamb stock ½ tsp garam masala, plus extra to season Handful of coriander, chopped Handful of ginger juliennes, plus extra to garnish Rice, to serve Pinch of cumin A few cardamom pods Handful of wild garlic leaves Salt  Fresh mint, to garnish Browned onions, to garnish

Heat the ghee in a large pan and add the peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and the cinnamon stick. After a minute, stir in the onions and cook until brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the lamb and sear for 25-30 minutes. Add just enough lamb stock to cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Finish with garam masala, chopped coriander and some of the ginger juliennes.

Meanwhile, boil the rice with the cumin, cardamom pods and a bay leaf, then leave to cool. Add the lamb curry to a frying pan and cook until most of the liquid has been reduced. Toss in the rice and stir-fry for a few minutes with wild garlic leaves. Season with salt and a little more garam masala. Garnish with fresh mint, browned onions and ginger juliennes.

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