Wealden Times | WT258 | November 2023 | Christmas Gift Supplement inside

Originally from Brazil, chef Maz Cogo has recently moved
from London to the South coast to join The Union Rye
as its new Head Chef, having held head chef and senior
kitchen positions at Brat, Legare and Padella. She brings
with her a passion for seasonal vegetables and produce,
whole animal butchery skills, live fire cooking and a
love of hospitality. We visited her and The Union team
in their beautiful 15th century building in the heart of
Rye to shoot three gorgeously autumnal recipes that are
simple enough to recreate at home and truly delicious
Recipes: Maz Cogo Photographs: David Merewether
Homemade ricotta with
slow roasted pumpkin,
sherry, walnut & sage
Serves 6 Prep time: 20
mins, plus resting time
This is a gorgeous recipe which is
simple to make but suitably indulgent
for an autumnal lunch or dinner party.
I like using Red Kuri squash with its
dry and rich flesh which roasts beautiful
and pairs perfectly with the creamy
ricotta. I source Kuri squash from
Tablehurst Farm, near Forest Row in
East Sussex. For the dressing, use the
best vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
you can, such as a sherry or muscatel
vinegar, or perhaps a sweet apple
vinegar from your local farm shop.
For the ricotta:
• 1L whole milk
• 300ml double cream
• 55ml lemon juice
• 55ml white wine vinegar
• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
Measure out the lemon juice and
vinegar into a bowl and set aside,
while you heat the milk, cream, and
oregano in a saucepan over a medium
heat, stirring to avoid burning. Once
at the boil, take off the heat and add
the lemon juice and vinegar mixture
and stir well. Leave to cool until room
temperature and then strain and season.
Keep refrigerated until needed.
Note: When straining, be careful not
to strain it too much. Collect the whey
in a bowl in case you need to loosen
the ricotta so it’s rich and creamy.
For the pumpkin:
• 600-700g of pumpkin or squash
such as Red Kuri, Delicata,
Crown Prince or Butternut
Heat the oven to 200°C and line
a large baking tray with baking
parchment. There is no need to peel
the squash, simply halve, deseed, cut
into wedges and arrange onto the
tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season
well with salt, a crack of freshly black
pepper, and a bunch of sage. Roast
for 35-45 mins or until very tender.
For the dressing:
• 1 clove of garlic
• 50ml sherry vinegar
• 200ml olive oil
• 30g dark brown sugar
• 200ml rapeseed oil
Crush the garlic in a large bowl
and whisk in the other ingredients.
The flavour will greatly improve if
you leave to infuse overnight in the
fridge and sieve before serving.
To serve:
• toasted and crushed walnuts
• fried sage leaves
Arrange the roasted pumpkin on a
large platter, or individual plates, and
spoon on dollops of the ricotta. Sprinkle
with a handful of toasted and crushed
walnuts, fried sage leaves and generously
drizzle over the sherry vinegar dressing.
Any left-over dressing will be happy
in the fridge for up to ten days.
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