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Chef
Mario Batali |
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Mario Batali is executive
chef and owner of Babbo Ristorante
e Enoteca in New York City. Raised
in Seattle, Batali's initial career path
led to Rutgers University in New Jersey,
but soon after graduating, he enrolled
at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Yet Batali
withdrew from the culinary school almost
immediately due to "lack of interest."
An apprenticeship with London's legendary
Marco Pierre White and three years of
intense culinary training in the northern
Italian village of Borgo Capanne (pop.
200) instead gave Batali the essential
skills and knowledge to return to the
US and rout the checkered tablecloth-Italian
restaurant establishment. Today Babbo
is the flagship restaurant among half
a dozen spectacular ventures. Batali also
co-owns or oversees Lupa Osteria Romana,
Esca, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, Casa Mono,
Bar Jamon, and Bistro du Vent.
His latest project with partner Joseph
Bastianich is Del Posto, which
will open in November in New York's meatpacking
district. Here Batali shares five recipes
from his most recent book, Molto Italiano,
published by Ecco - Harper Collins in
May 2005. |
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MONDAY
Grilled Lamb Chops with
Garlic Confit and Mint
"Scottaditi are
little Roman-style lamb
chops that are impossible
to stop eating once
they have landed on
the table. Both American
and New Zealand lamb
are delicious, with
American chops being
larger than their Kiwi
cousins and down-under
lamb being substantially
less expensive. For
this dish, I prefer
smaller chops and buy
the New Zealand stuff.
Were I preparing a rack
of lamb cooked whole,
I would buy American."
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TUESDAY
Jumbo Shrimp Marsala
Housewife-Style
"The tradition of Sicilian
cooking is well documented
in Anna Tasca Lanza's
works, and she is the
zen mistress of all
the island's fascinating
food lore. Her school
at Regaleali Winery
is one of the best I
have visited, and it
was an experience to
cook shoulder to shoulder
with a modern national
treasure. This is a
variation on a dish
from her first book,
Flavors of Sicily."
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WEDNESDAY
Penne with Cauliflower
"Sometimes a recipe
can be so simple that
it seems, well, almost
pathetic, like this
one. But eating something
that's all about one
simple, amazing flavor
is what good food is
all about." |
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THURSDAY
Polenta with Clams
"Soup, risotto and polenta
are the true comfort
foods of the Italian
table. In the traditional
vernacular they are
referred to as primi,
or first courses, along
with the pastas, but
in the real sense they
represent the backbone
of the diet of an agrarian
society of farmers,
hunters and shepherds."
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FRIDAY
Turkey Cutlets Bologna-Style
"I first had this dish
at one of my favorite
places in all of Bologna,
a restaurant on Via
Indipendenza called
Diana. They serve classic
Bolognese cooking without
apologies to the modern,
and it rocks me every
time. The dish is easy
to make and can be prepared
up to an hour in advance
of the oven phase without
any problem. If you
cannot find a fresh
truffle, do not substitute
a canned one; they are
as unacceptable as truffle
oil." |
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Produce:
4 medium plum tomatoes
1 rib celery with leaves
1 head cauliflower
38 cloves garlic, or 3 heads
2 medium red onions
1 large bunch Italian parsley
1 small bunch fresh mint
Meats, Poultry, and
Seafood:
One 8-rib rack of lamb, trimmed
and cut into chops, preferably
New Zealand lamb
2 pounds jumbo shrimp (U-12),
peeled and deveined
20 littleneck clams or manila
clams
Six 4-ounce turkey cutlets,
pounded to ¼-inch thick
Dairy, Fresh-Prepared
Foods and Deli Items:
½ cup freshly grated young
pecorino Toscana, about 2
ounces
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese for grating and shaving
3 extra-large eggs
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 slices prosciutto di Parma
1 fresh white or black truffle
(optional)
Canned,
Bottled and Dry Goods:
1 pound penne
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
or fine cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive
oil
3 cups dry white wine, or
about 1 (750-ml) bottle
1 cup sweet white wine, such
as Malvasia
1 cup dry marsala
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
1 Tablespoon currants
2 Tablespoons small capers
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
Fennel seeds
Hot red pepper flakes
Black peppercorns
Salt |
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