FARMERS’ MARKETS ARE BIG IN PHILADELPHIA. Every neighborhood has its own, and each claims theirs is the best. The reality is, they are all great. Some are smaller than others, but they all have great products. We have honey vendors, meat vendors, jam and marmalade purveyors, and, of course, sellers of incredible fruits and vegetables. Think about it. Pennsylvania was the country’s first agricultural state. Dairy farms and fruit orchards are everywhere. Now that people like buying directly from farmers, there’s even more variety and better-quality produce available.
It’s a field day for chefs. I walk through my local farmers’ market in a daze for the first few minutes. The colors, the smells, the bushels and baskets and tubs and tables filled with vegetables and fruit are just overwhelming. Then I start picking things up, feeling them, smelling them, and talking to the farmers. “When did you pull these carrots?” “What variety are they?” “Did you spray these peaches?” “Do you have Honeycrisp apples?” “How long ago was this corn picked?” “How many more weeks until you get fennel?” I start filling up my bags. I never have enough bags.
For my kids, the best thing is the flowers. They love to choose the bouquets and carry them home and help put them in water. It’s a great family activity that we all look forward to. But more than anything I love watching their faces. When we get to the flower vendors, their faces just light up at the sight of all the colors and shapes and smells. A circle of yellow here, a cone of red there, a burst of pink, some shaggy purple—all of the flowers exuding a sweet perfume that sends you into a daydream. Watching their faces makes me feel like I’m five years old again. The way they take in all the sensations at the market, it reminds me to be thankful I’m alive. As a chef, it reminds me to use all my senses when I walk through the market—to let the colors wash over me, to breathe in the aromas at each stall, and to let my own instincts guide me toward what is good to eat.
CHOOSING PRODUCE
With our five senses, we have all the tools we need to choose good foods. Forget what you’ve been told and go with your instincts. By nature, fruits and vegetables are designed to be attractive. If you’re attracted to them, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy eating them. The colors should be vibrant, the skins should be taut, and the flesh should be plump and juicy. Who said vegetables can’t be sexy? Pick one up and feel it. If it feels heavy for its size, it’s voluptuous and full of juice. Choose that one.
PREPARING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
If you start with great ingredients, then your job as a cook is merely to enhance the natural qualities of the food itself. When I look at a vegetable or fruit, I think about how I can respect the integrity of the food. What kind of preparation will enhance its best qualities without destroying its essential character? Let’s say it’s celery root. It’s a root vegetable. Firm and crunchy. You may want to just leave it raw to show off those natural qualities, as in Cold Farro Salad with Crunchy Vegetables. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to finely chop the vegetable so it’s easier to chew.
But root vegetables also become nice and creamy when pureed. Think mashed potatoes or pureed carrots or whipped sweet potatoes. You could decide to highlight that characteristic of celery root by making Celery Root Puree.
Think about the nature of the specific fruit or vegetable. Is it juicy like an apple? Or starchy like a potato? Try to pick a preparation that will amplify those essential qualities. For instance, I would never puree fresh fennel. It’s just too fibrous. And that’s what’s so great about it. It’s crunchy and juicy. For Fennel Gratin, I just cut the bulb into wedges and roast the wedges in the oven with some oil. The oil softens the fennel and makes it taste even more juicy—still with a little bit of crunch.
Potatoes are starchy. So I slice them as thinly as possible for Potato Torta so they will release lots of starch and meld together into a torta when layered and cooked. But the Roasted Mushrooms in Foil are left whole so you can still see their beautiful folds after cooking them.
Whenever you’re working with a piece of produce, keep in mind its defining characteristics and try to enhance those characteristics as best you can. In choosing a cooking technique, I usually try to make fennel taste more fennel-y, potatoes more potato-y, and mushrooms more mushroom-y. But sometimes, it’s better to just get out of the way and let the produce speak for itself by simply cutting it up and making a salad like Apple and Endive Salad with Lemon and Thyme or Lima Bean Salad with Shaved Red Onion.
SEASONING
It’s important to taste as you go. This principle applies to all cooking, but especially to produce. Fruits and vegetables taste different at different times of year and in different regions and from variety to variety. Taste them raw by taking a bite. What you’re tasting for is sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and pungency. Fruits and vegetables are very much alive, and each one will have a different balance of these essential flavors. You need to taste the produce so you can adjust the balance when you’re preparing the dish. If the apples taste super sweet, add a little salt to balance them out. If the endive tastes really bitter, add a pinch of sugar. Spritz the red onion with a little sherry vinegar to offset the pungency. You get the idea. You’re looking for balance.
Lima Bean Salad with Shaved Red Onion
Lima Bean Salad
WITH SHAVED RED ONIONEvery fall, I look forward to the lima beans at the farmers’ market. They’re like the most tender little fava beans, bright green and soft and sweet. You just have to get them when they’re small and use them fresh—not frozen. I use fresh limas all over my menus. This is a beautiful preparation that I like to serve as an amuse-bouche or even on coarsely torn Rustic Loaf as it comes out of the oven. My son Maurice loves to peel the limas and nibble on them while we’re making dinner in the kitchen.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
2½ cups shelled lima beans (about 2½ pounds in the pod)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ small red onion, sliced as thinly as possible
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup shaved or grated pecorino cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lima beans and blanch for 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. When cool, pinch open the pale green skin and pop out the deep green inner lima beans. You should have about 2 cups.
Put the vinegar in a medium serving bowl and gradually whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the limas, onion, mint, parsley, and pepper flakes and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Just before serving, top with shaved pecorino.
You can blanch and peel the limas 1 day in advance and keep them covered in the refrigerator. You can also assemble the whole salad 1 day ahead and refrigerate it.
BEVERAGE—PAUSA Café, Tipopils NV (Piedmont): Bright with citrusy hops and subtle caramel flavors, PAUSA’s Tipopils beer makes a refreshing match for the hearty flavor of lima beans.
Apple and Endive Salad WITH LEMON AND THYME
Whenever new chefs comes to work with me, I have them rummage through the fridge and use up stuff. I help them out. “Look, you have four endives here and a couple of apples there. Let’s make a salad.” You can make a salad out of almost anything, but pairing bitter flavors with sweet is one of my favorite ways to do it. The combination always works. With endives and apples, the salad comes out so crisp and delicious, it only needs some fresh herbs and squeeze of lemon to bring it all together. Perfect with Chicken Halves on the Grill.
MAKES ABOUT 4 SERVINGS
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 apples (Honeycrisps are my favorite), peeled and cored
2 Belgian endives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Put the lemon juice in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream until blended. Then whisk in the thyme leaves.
Cut the apples and endives into thin strips about 2 inches long. Add the apples and endives to the dressing, then taste and season with salt, pepper, and a little sugar if necessary.
The salad can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before serving.
BEVERAGE—Germano Ettore, Riesling 2008 “Herzu” (Piedmont): Riesling is incredibly food-friendly, and Herzu, with its classic profile of apple, citrus, and tingling acidity, is just perfect here.
Celery Puntarelle Salad with Anchovy Dressing
Celery Puntarelle Salad
WITH ANCHOVY DRESSINGPuntarelle is a bitter green found in the winter in Italy. It tastes a little like dandelion greens, and has serrated leaves attached to a pale green and bright white base. It’s hard to find in the States, but if you have a source or can grow it yourself, by all means use puntarelle. Otherwise, endive makes a fair substitute. On Sundays, I make this salad for my wife, and she can’t get enough of it.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
2 ribs celery, cut lengthwise into very thin strips 3 to 4 inches long
½ small head puntarelle, or 2 heads endive, trimmed, cut in thirds on a diagonal, and separated
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 salted whole anchovies, rinsed and boned (4 fillets)
1 canned peeled San Marzano tomato
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper
⅓ cup Parmesan shavings
Refrigerate the celery in ice water until slightly curled, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and toss with the puntarelle and parsley in a bowl.
For the dressing: Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, and anchovies in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the anchovies break up, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato, pinching off and removing the core. Tear the tomato into pieces and drop into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomato breaks down a little, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes (or it will splatter when the vinegar is added). Stir in the vinegar and the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil. Remove and discard the garlic clove and vigorously whisk the dressing or puree it with an immersion blender or in a small blender. Taste and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add 6 to 8 tablespoons of the dressing to the salad bowl and toss until mixed. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Divide equally among chilled plates, piling the ingredients into small mounds. Garnish with the Parmesan shavings.
The dressing can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Mix it with the salad just before serving.
BEVERAGE—Araldica, Gavi di Gavi 2008 “La Luciana” (Piedmont): Made from the Cortese grape, Araldica’s Gavi di Gavi is the perfect summer wine—light and fresh with soft acidity and briny minerality.
Cold Farro Salad
WITH CRUNCHY VEGETABLESI love cold bean and grain salads. With some crunchy baby vegetables, they’re just so simple and beautiful. Now that farro is easy to get in the States, you should try it in this salad. It’s like barley but with an earthier, wheatier flavor, because farro is one of the oldest forms of wheat. I usually use pearled or semipearled farro, but if you have whole farro, just allow a little more cooking time.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1½ cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pearled or semipearled farro
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
¼ red onion, diced
½ small celery root, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the water, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and the salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the farro and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the farro is just tender, about 20 minutes. Pour off any excess water, then spread the farro on a baking sheet.
Scrape the cooled farro into a bowl and mix with the carrot, celery, onion, celery root, mint, vinegar, and remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.
You can cook the farro up to 1 day ahead, then cover and refrigerate it. Mix it with the rest of the salad ingredients a few minutes before serving. Or prepare the entire salad, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days before serving.
BEVERAGE—Bastianich, Refosco Rosato 2009 (Friuli): Refosco, a grape varietal indigenous to Fruili, yields a vibrant rosato with exciting plum, spice, and vegetal notes that highlight the taste of the farro and vegetables.
I love it when people call or e-mail the restaurant and say, “We are coming in tonight and wanted to let you know that we are vegetarians. Will you have something for us to eat?” Will I have something for you to eat?!? I mean—seriously? This is Italian food. We do vegetables, and we do them well. In the late spring, summer, and early fall, more than 50 percent of my menus are vegetarian. The right vegetable, picked at just the right time, served in a way that enhances its natural qualities, can be a breathtaking experience.
Once a year, I take my Vetri chefs out for a great culinary experience. Sometimes, we fly to Italy or take a weekend field trip. One year, I decided to take them to Blue Hill at Stone Barns just upstate from New York City. I have known Dan Barber for ten or fifteen years, since the days when I worked in New York. But I had never eaten his food. Dan gave us a tour of the farm and talked about growing food with such passion and commitment that my chefs were already impressed. Afterward, we sat down for a truly memorable evening. But how can I tell you what we ate so you will understand how great it all was? We had baby cherry tomatoes on a toothpick. Big deal, right? Anybody can do that! Beautiful young carrots dipped in brine and served as is. Purple potato chips. Zucchini just cooked past al dente and wrapped in pancetta. Squash, lettuces, celtuce (which I had never heard of until then), all just brought from the earth to our plate. Nothing composed. Nothing over manipulated. Some people may ask, “When do you get to the cooking part?” I mean, putting baby cherry tomatoes on a plate is not cooking—or is it? Well, I think it is. Appreciating what comes from the earth is one of the most important first steps in cooking. We didn’t see a piece of fish or meat until two hours into our meal. And then it was simply a piece of exceptional fish. A beautiful roasted suckling pig. Ninety percent of our meal was from the vegetable garden, and it was masterful. Vegetables are not just a side dish. They should be respected as if they were rare jewels and cooked or prepared with care to highlight their best qualities. You need to truly understand the differences among vegetables and fruits to serve them with only the barest of preparations.
For me, that meal underscored just how important vegetables are in Italian cooking. It inspired me to change the way I present my tasting menus at Vetri. Instead of a complicated amuse-bouche, I like to start everyone with a sampling of the season’s finest little bites, most of which are vegetables or fruits.
So, yes, I will have something for vegetarians to eat. And not just something, but something truly delicious. To make it clear that vegetables aren’t just for the side of the plate, wine pairings are included with all of the dishes in this chapter.
Corn Crema
WITH CORN SAUTÉ AND SCALLIONSWhen I make risotto, I like to make a vegetable crema, or puree, then dice up some more of the vegetable for a different texture. That’s the concept here. You get the whole kernels of corn, deliciously browned on a grill, surrounded by a smoother, simpler puree of corn. It allows you to taste the vegetable in two different ways and enjoy it even more. Try the same method with other vegetables, too.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
6 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked
5 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Light a grill for medium heat. Grill the ears of corn, turning them every 3 or 4 minutes, until the kernels are tender and tipped with brown, about 12 minutes. You can also use the broiler, keeping the corn 4 inches from the heat, turning as directed. Let cool enough to handle, then cut the kernels from the cobs. You should have about 3 cups.
Heat the corn crema in a large sauté pan until simmering. Add the grilled corn and scallions and heat through. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar as needed.
You can make the crema a day or two in advance, then reheat it in a saucepan.
BEVERAGE—Movia, Ribolla Gialla 2006 (Brda, Slovenia): Tropical, smoke, caramel, and earth flavors make this wine a great match for both crunchy corn kernels and creamy puree.
Roasted Mushrooms in Foil
Roasted Mushrooms
IN FOILTurn to this side dish when you run out of burners on your stove top, or when you’re cooking outside. You can put the packet of mushrooms on a grill, over a wood fire, or in an oven. The oven method is easiest, but if you put them right over a fire, just keep moving the packet around so the mushrooms don’t scorch on the bottom.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1¼ pounds chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and halved if small or quartered if large
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs rosemary, or 6 sprigs thyme
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Pile the mushrooms on 2 large sheets of aluminum foil, then scatter on the garlic, rosemary, oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fold over the foil and crimp it down tightly over the mushrooms. Pop the packet in the oven and roast until you can hear the mushrooms simmering when you put your ear near the packet, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the packet from the oven and let stand for 5 to 6 minutes before opening.
Open the packet, remove the herbs, and transfer the mixture to a platter or plates, drizzling the juices over the top.
BEVERAGE—J. Hofstatter, Pinot Nero 2008 “Meczan” (Alto Adige): Pinot Noir is classic with mushrooms, and the light cherry and cedar character of Hofstatter’s Pinot Nero doesn’t disappoint.
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
ROSEMARY Roasted Potatoes
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
Leaves from 8 sprigs rosemary, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Toss the potatoes with the rosemary, butter, and oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer, then bake for 15 minutes, until the bottoms are browned. Add the garlic and dislodge the potatoes from the pan with a flat metal spatula, then toss and bake another 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
I like to bake these potatoes and then refrigerate them for several hours before serving. Then I toss them in a hot pan with a little grapeseed oil and crisp them up minutes before they go on the plates.
BEVERAGE—Alois Lageder, Pinot Bianco (Alto Adige): Rosemary is the deciding factor here. With Pinot Bianco’s clean mouthfeel, fresh fruit, and hint of herbaceousness, it’s as if you’ve added more seasoning to the potatoes.
I make frittatas all the time, and this dish is a play on the Italian frittata and the Spanish torta: thin slices of potato are roasted, then mixed with eggs, onions, garlic, and parley and packed in a big sauté pan until it’s almost overflowing. After the bottom cooks, the Spanish usually flip it to cook the other side. It’s easier to just put the pan in the oven, so that’s the method here. Just be careful not to cook the torta too fast or you’ll have scrambled eggs. To gild the lily, top this with mozzarella or Parmesan and broil it until browned. I like to serve it with roasted tomatoes and a hunk of Rustic Loaf for a light meal.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
7 russet potatoes, about 12 ounces each
¼ cup plus 5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
12 eggs
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Peel and slice the potatoes about ⅛ inch thick. A mandoline, even an inexpensive handheld model, makes the slicing go much faster.
Put the potato slices on a large rimmed baking sheet (or 2 small ones) and drizzle with the ¼ cup olive oil. Using your hands, toss and rub the potatoes with the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread into a thin, nearly single layer. Roast for 22 minutes, then let the potatoes cool down a little.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until blended, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked potatoes, sautéed onion, parsley, and garlic.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in the sauté pan over medium heat until just smoking. Add the potato mixture and pack it into the pan to form a cake. Cook until the bottom and sides are set, about 5 minutes.
Put the torta in the oven and bake until firm and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.
You can bake the torta up to 1 day in advance, then reheat it in the same pan in the oven for about 20 minutes.
BEVERAGE—DeForville, Chardonnay 2008 (Piedmont): This Chardonnay is lean and focused, with medium body and green apple, pineapple, and lime flavors along with a vegetal earthiness. It’s a great accompaniment to the earthy potato torta.
Italians make these with whatever is left in the pot after pouring out enough hot porridge for the meal. You spread it flat, then leave the polenta in the fridge overnight. The next morning, you slice it and grill it or sear it in a pan. Nothing wasted. Everything gained.
MAKES 3 CUPS, ENOUGH FOR SIXTEEN 2-INCH SQUARES
6 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup polenta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, then add the salt. Very gradually add the polenta while constantly stirring with a whisk.
Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is thick enough to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour. It should have a consistency similar to mashed potatoes. In the last half hour of cooking, you’ll need to stir more often to keep the polenta from scorching on the bottom.
Stir in the ¼ cup oil and taste it. Add more salt as needed.
Pour the polenta onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer about ½ inch thick and 8 inches square. Let cool, then cut into 2-inch squares.
To grill the squares, coat them with a little olive oil, then grill them over a medium fire until nicely grill-marked, about 2 minutes per side. You could also sear them in a hot cast-iron pan the same way.
Increase the water to 6⅔ cups. Replace ⅔ cup of the polenta with ⅔ cup freshly milled buckwheat flour, adding it gradually along with the polenta.
The polenta can be cooked, cooled, cut, and refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance. For the best taste, look for polenta that is freshly milled and made from “polenta integrale,” which is whole cornmeal rather than degermed cornmeal. I get mine from Cayuga Pure Organics in upstate New York (see
Sources).
BEVERAGE—Castello della Sala, Chardonnay 2008 “Bramito del Cervo” (Tuscany): Think Chardonnay with polenta—or corn in general—particularly a buttery Chardonnay!
Tuna and White Bean
BRUSCHETTADon’t bother buying expensive tuna loin for this dish. You’ll just be wasting your money. Ask your fishmonger for the scraps. The ends and the stuff with all the white veins are perfect here.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
½ cup dried white beans, rinsed and picked over
½ ounce Pancetta or purchased pancetta, preferably in a chunk
¼ onion in one big chunk
1 pound tuna scraps, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary
1 rib celery, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ to ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
For the topping: Soak the beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Drain the beans, then put them in a saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches; add the pancetta and the onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain and remove the pancetta and onion. Let the beans cool.
Rub the tuna with the salt until evenly coated, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse the tuna and put it in a wide pan deep enough to submerge the fish in water. Cover with cold water and add the lemon juice and rosemary. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat; the water should register 165°F. Adjust the heat to maintain the 165°F water temperature and gently poach the fish until it is just firm and registers about 120°F internal temperature. Remove from the heat and let cool in the poaching liquid.
Remove the tuna from the liquid and break it into small pieces, dropping them into a bowl. Add the celery, red onion, oregano, pepper flakes, vinegar, and just enough olive oil to moisten everything. Fold in the beans, taste, and season with salt and pepper. Makes about 3 cups.
To serve, brush both sides of the sliced bread with oil and toast the slices until golden brown on both sides, preferably on a grill (but you could broil them in a pinch). Arrange the toasts around the bowl of topping and put the vinaigrette and parsley on the table. Allow guests to make their own bruschetta by spooning some of the topping onto a toast and drizzling on some vinaigrette with a pinch of parsley.
To skip the overnight soaking, cover the beans with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside for 1 hour. Drain and proceed with the cooking as directed.
BEVERAGE—Nicodemi, Cerasuolo Rosé di Montepulciano 2008 (Abruzzi): Flavor intensity is so important in food and beverage pairings. Here, the earthy meatiness of tuna and beans is counterbalanced by an intensely fruity, spicy rosé from Nicodemi.
Fennel Gratin
Once you start, you won’t be able to stop eating these salty little jewels of fennel. You cut the bulb into wedges, scatter on some red pepper flakes and Parmesan, and slowly roast the fennel wedges in oil. After this cools a little, it’s almost like fennel confit. The Parmesan gets nice and crispy, so you have soft, crunchy, sweet, salty, and spicy all in one bite. I love serving this alongside roasted meats and fish.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds), fronds trimmed and reserved
About 2½ cups olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim the base of the fennel and remove all dark and light green parts down to the white bulb. Slice each bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges and remove the cores. Lay the wedges on a rimmed baking sheet and add olive oil to a depth of ¼ inch. Sprinkle each wedge with a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top each with about 1 teaspoon of Parmesan.
Bake until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the oil until just warm.
Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer the fennel to plates and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.
You can make this 1 hour ahead because it needs to cool until just warm. It tastes great cold, too.
BEVERAGE—Pieropan, Soave 2008 (Veneto): Soave is enjoying a surge in quality, and Pieropan is at the forefront of this movement, making exciting, delicious, and affordable wines. Pieropan Soave, with its palate of apple, pear, almond, and citric notes, provides a welcome counterpoint to the herbal intensity of the fennel gratin.
Escarole Gratin
WITH RAISINS AND PARMESANI’ll say it again: you can’t go wrong combining something bitter with something sweet. Raisins provide the sweet here, and anchovies give you some salt to balance out the escarole’s bitterness. It’s just the perfect combination. Always has been, always will be.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 heads escarole (about 1½ pounds total)
2 salted whole anchovies, rinsed, boned, and tails discarded
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup golden raisins
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the broiler. Cut the escarole in half lengthwise. Finely chop the anchovies and discard the tails.
Put the olive oil, garlic, and anchovies in a large ovenproof sauté pan and heat over medium heat until the anchovies start to break down, about 1 minute. Add the escarole to the pan, cut sides down, and sprinkle in the raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and cook until a knife easily pierces the stem ends of the escarole, 5 to 8 minutes.
Top the escarole with the Parmesan and broil until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Cut into wedges to serve.
BEVERAGE—Planeta, La Segreta Bianco 2008 (Sicily): Often the best beverage pairing for food is a local wine. The bitter and sweet qualities of escarole and raisins brings Sicily to mind, and Planeta is one of the wineries that put Sicily on the wine map.
When you are considering what to drink with your meal, keep in mind that this is not a chemistry exam. You do not need a science degree to analyze all the flavor compounds in wine and food and then match them up. Successful pairings can be much simpler. One of the principles that works consistently well is that of geographical complements. Before intercontinental commerce, you drank what you had. The Piemontese drank Barbera, and the Tuscans drank Sangioviese. Those were the grapes that grew in the region, and those were the wines drunk with the meals. That could easily explain why so many of the dishes from these regions have the “ideal” pairing right out the back door. On my travels to Rome, I drank much of the wine from the Roman province of Lazio. The best known of the wineries north of the city is Falesco, owned by the renowned wine makers Renzo and Ricardo Cottarella. Their entry-level whites and reds called Vitiano exhibit many of the key flavors that play well with those of the local fare. Drinking a Falesco Vitiano with Snails alla Romana serves to illustrate this concept.
Eggplant Fries and Zucchini Waffle Chips
Eggplant Fries
AND ZUCCHINI WAFFLE CHIPSBack in 1994, this recipe was one of the coolest things I learned working at Dall’Amelia outside Venice. We cut these zucchini chips on a mandoline and crisscrossed them into a waffle shape, then soaked them in milk, dredged them in flour, and fried them. I started doing the same thing with other vegetables that had a similar consistency, like eggplant, but it’s more fun to serve different shapes on the same plate. So I cut the eggplant into thick sticks here. I like to serve the eggplant fries by themselves with Rigatoni with Swordfish.
MAKES ABOUT 6 SERVINGS
1 Italian globe eggplant, about 1 pound
1 zucchini, about 6 ounces
Canola oil for deep-frying
2 cups whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel and cut the eggplant into sticks about ½ inch thick and 2½ inches long. Cut the zucchini ⅛ inch thick on a mandoline (a handheld one works fine), preferably with the waffle cutter, though a flat blade is fine, too.
Pour 2 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or deep fryer and heat to 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Meanwhile, dip the eggplant pieces and zucchini chips in the milk, then dredge in the flour. Working in batches to maintain the 350°F temperature, drop the vegetables into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes for the zucchini, 3 to 4 minutes for the eggplant.
Using a wire skimmer, transfer the vegetables to paper towels to drain, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
BEVERAGE—Castaldi, Franciacorta Brut Rosé (Lombardy): Fried foods and sparkling wine are a match made in heaven. Try Franciacorta or Champagne with French fries! Here, Castaldi’s sparkling rosé, with its notes of herbs, red berries, and cedar, lends just the right spark.
My Italian friends hike up the Dolomites and come back with huge bushels of snails. They soak them in water with polenta for a day so the snails eat and get fatter. When the snails eat, it helps clean out their insides so they can be safely eaten by us! To cook them, they scrub the shells, then boil the snails for 5 minutes in water with a little salt and vinegar. Then they follow the simple preparation below. Fresh snails can be hard to come by, so I wrote the recipe using canned snails, which are ready to use. Look for high-quality canned snails from Potironne (see Sources). If you’re lucky enough to have fresh snails, soak and boil them before following the recipe below.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
3 dozen canned extra-large wild Burgundy snails (about one 14-ounce can)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 salted whole anchovy, rinsed, boned, tail discarded, and finely chopped
2 canned peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, torn into pieces
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Drain the snails and cut each one into halves or thirds, depending on the size. You want them in nice little bites.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, shaking the pan a few times. Add the anchovy, cover, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the snails and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, white wine, and water and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens a little and becomes creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, taste, and season with salt and pepper.
BEVERAGE—Falesco, Rosso 2009 “Vitiano” (Lazio): From the hills north of Rome, Falesco’s Cabernet, Merlot, and Sangiovese blend offers the right amount of freshness and concentration with a distinct herbal hit to enliven the snails.
People swear by salting eggplant first to leach out the bitterness. The truth is, bitterness has already been bred out of most eggplant varieties, so there’s no need to salt them. If you use small eggplants, you don’t have to peel them either. This recipe uses whole eggplant as is and makes a beautiful caponata that you can serve with almost anything. I usually make a big batch because it goes so quickly. People have asked me to jar it and sell it at supermarkets. Not a bad idea!
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
5 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 or 4 small Italian eggplants (2 pounds total), stemmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into bite-size pieces
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 canned peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup golden raisins
2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat 4 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant cubes and sauté until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a drip pan or paper towels.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and sauté the fennel and onion until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the sautéed eggplant, pine nuts, and raisins and mix gently so that you don’t break up the eggplant. Add 2 teaspoons of the vinegar, then taste and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar as needed.
Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Make the caponata up to 5 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring it back to room temperature for the best flavor.
To toast the pine nuts, heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan now and then.
BEVERAGE—Proprieta Sperino, Rosa del Rosa 2008 (Piedmont): Eggplant and tannin make good bedfellows. The soft tannins of this Nebbiolo-based rosé coupled with its rose petal aroma and spicy berry palate create a complex wine and a remarkable pairing of a Northern wine with a Southern dish.
Artichokes alla Guidia
This is a classic Roman ghetto dish: Jewish-style fried artichokes. They were the bane of my existence for six months when I opened my restaurant Amis. I had such perfect ones in Rome, but when I started making them, they were inconsistent. I found out that the size of the artichoke is important. About 3½ inches in diameter is perfect. If they’re much bigger or much smaller, this preparation won’t work. The other thing I discovered during my six months of hell is that it’s best to leave the choke in. Just trim the outer leaves well and trim the stem. That way they develop amazing texture inside and out. It’s like biting into an ice cream cone—you get the crunch outside, then the tender heart inside. It’s a welcome change of pace from plain old steamed artichokes.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
1 cup fresh lemon juice
12 artichokes, each about 6 inches long and 3½ inches in diameter
Grapeseed oil for deep-frying
1¾ teaspoons coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, plus a few fresh sprigs for garnish
Fill a large nonreative container with water and add the lemon juice. Snap off and remove 2 or 3 layers of the outer green leaves from each artichoke until you are left with only light green-yellow leaves in a bullet shape. Leave the stem on but trim the outer layer with a paring knife down to the light green inner flesh. Pare off any dark green leaf bases around the outside of the artichoke so you reveal the inner white part. Cut the artichoke in half crosswise and remove and discard the top half. Drop each artichoke into the lemon water to prevent it from browning as you work.
Pour 3 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or deep fryer and heat to 300°F on a deep-fat thermometer.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels and top with a large wire rack. Remove the artichokes from the lemon water, shake off the excess water, and place them upside down on the rack.
Gently stretch the remaining leaves of each artichoke to separate the leaves. Mix together the salt and pepper and season the artichokes inside and out with the mixture.
Working in batches to maintain the 300°F temperature, fry the artichokes in the hot oil for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked artichokes to the
wire rack and drain upside down for 5 minutes. When all the artichokes are fried and have drained, refrigerate them on the wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Just before serving, heat the oil in the fryer to 350°F. Working in batches to maintain the 350°F temperature, fry the artichokes until very crisp and browned on the edges, about 2 minutes. Drain upside down on a paper towel–lined baking sheet and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Mix the parsley and 1 tablespoon mint together. Serve 2 artichokes on each plate and sprinkle on all sides with the herb mixture. Garnish with mint sprigs.
After the first frying, let the artichokes drain and cool, then loosely cover and refrigerate them for up to 8 hours. Fry the second time just before serving.
BEVERAGE—Tenuta Pietra Porzia, Frascati 2008 “Regillo” (Lazio): Perfumed with fresh flowers, pears, and almonds, this Frascati has enough natural acidity and dry character to pair well with artichokes.
Last year, I went to Italy and had lunch in Cene, just outside Bergamo, at Pina Cagnoni’s house. She’s my chef Jeff Michaud’s mother-in-law. When I walked in the door, I opened my mouth to say hello and Pina shoved some food in there instead. It was hot and crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. What was that flavor? I couldn’t quite get it, and she never did give me the recipe. But I figured it out on my own. If you like, add about ½ cup finely chopped onion and ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley to the mix. And if you can’t find robiola, substitute mascarpone or cream cheese.
MAKES 32 SMALL FRITTERS
1 (9-ounce) tuna steak
2 teaspoons kosher salt
9 ounces robiola cheese
9 ounces ricotta impastata or drained whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup dried bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Grapeseed or olive oil for deep-frying
1 cup tipo 00 or all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups dried bread crumbs
Rub the tuna with salt until it is evenly coated, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Rinse the tuna and put it in a large sauté pan with water to cover. Bring to a low simmer (165°F) over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain the 165°F temperature and gently poach the fish until it is just firm and registers about 120°F internal temperature. Remove from the heat and let cool in the poaching liquid.
Remove the fish from the water and buzz it briefly in a food processor until it’s still a little chunky. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the robiola, ricotta, egg, and bread crumbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add 2 inches of oil to a Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof casserole and bring to 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer.
For the breading: Put the flour in one shallow bowl, the eggs in a second bowl, and the bread crumbs in a third. Form the tuna mixture into 1½-inch diameter balls (about the size of a golf ball) and roll in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs. Transfer the balls to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet as you work.
Working in batches, fry the balls until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, maintaining the oil temperature at 350°F. Cool on a rack set over a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
If you can’t find ricotta impastata, drain whole-mik ricotta instead. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place over a bowl. Put the ricotta in the sieve, cover, and let drain in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
You can mix, cover, and refrigerate the tuna mixture up to 3 days ahead. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to take off the chill, then roll it into balls and bread it just before frying.
BEVERAGE—Planeta, Rosé 2009 (Sicily): Planeta’s Syrah rosé, with its light and fresh strawberry and spice flavors, will take you straight to the Southern Italian seaside.
Certain foods come from certain places. Montasio is a semifirm cow’s milk cheese from Friuli. Frico was invented there with this cheese. It’s just the local cheese, so that’s what they used. But you could use another semifirm cow’s milk cheese, like Bitto or Crucolo. The cheese shouldn’t be as hard as Parmesan or as soft as Taleggio—somewhere in the middle. Fruilians grate it, layer it with potato and onion in a pan, and make a little pancake out of it. I mean, fried cheese with potato—is that ever going to be bad? It’s like sex. Even when it’s bad, it’s good!
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled
½ onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups shredded Montasio cheese
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Slice the potato on a mandoline, even an inexpensive handheld model, so the slices are about ⅛ inch thick. Slice the onion to the same thickness, then lay both the onion and the potato on a baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan.
Leaving some gaps so you can see the bottom of the pan, make a thin layer of the potatoes and onions in a 12-inch nonstick sauté pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Scatter an even layer of cheese over the potatoes and onions. The cheese should be about ½ inch thick, with no gaps.
Set the pan over a medium heat. As the cheese melts through to the pan bottom, it will crisp up and create a lightly browned crust. Push the sides of the “pancake” in toward the center to help shape it into a firm cake. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes. Then flip it with a wide metal spatula and cook until brown on the other side and gooey in the center, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.
You can shred the cheese and keep it covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours in advance, but the rest of the preparation is so simple, it should be done on the spot.
BEVERAGE—Anselmi, Friulano 2009 (Friuli): Local to Friuli, Anselmi’s wine is perfect here. Its mineral and citrus flavors clean the palate for the next bite of frico.