Extra Virgin (23 page)

FLORENTINE OSSO BUCO

OSSO BUCO ALLA FIORENTINA

SERVES 4

D:
This tender, slow-cooking classic from Milan typically gets paired with a risotto, but in Tuscany we like it with roasted potatoes or sautéed greens. We also use red wine instead of white, because of our beloved Sangiovese grapes. The
gremolata
is a chopped herb mixture for the dish, and it should really be fresh, so make it in the hour before the osso buco is ready, never earlier in the day or the night before.

OSSO BUCO

4 (¾-pound) ossi buchi (beef or veal shanks)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small white or yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cups beef broth

Flour, for dusting

½ cup dry red wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

GREMOLATA

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Grated zest of 1 lemon

To make the osso buco:
Using a paring knife, make a few small incisions around the ossi buchi. (This prevents the meat from curling up during cooking.)

In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the broth to a boil, then set it aside to be used when warm.

Dust the ossi buchi with flour. Place them in the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Add the wine and cook until reduced to less than half, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and reduce the heat to medium-low. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Partially cover and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Meanwhile,
to make the gremolata:
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, parsley, and lemon zest.

Stir the gremolata into the osso buco and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

BRAISED PORK LOIN

ARISTA ALLA FOCETTINA

SERVES 4–6

G:
My name for this is a dedication of sorts to my L.A. bicycling buddy Marzia, a transplant like me who hails from Focette, a coastal Tuscan town. She helped inspire this dish. The pork gets a wonderful golden color, but it’s really all about the sauce. This dish goes wonderfully with
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
and
Sautéed Zucchini
.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

12 fresh sage leaves

2½ pounds pork loin

1 cup dry white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup whole milk

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, rosemary, and sage and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the herbs start to crisp.

Add the pork loin, laying it on top of the herbs, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn it over and cook the other side for 5 minutes. Add the wine to the Dutch oven, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the scent of alcohol has disappeared.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, season with salt and pepper to taste, and partially cover with the lid. Cook for about 1 hour, turning the meat and scraping the bottom of the pot every 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add warm water in small increments, ¼ cup at a time. Remove the pot from the heat and place the pork loin on a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes.

When the sauce in the Dutch oven has cooled, add the milk and cook, stirring constantly to prevent curds from forming, over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is lightly creamy, but not thick.

Thinly slice the pork loin and serve with the sauce poured on top.

PORK CHOP
with tuscan kale

BISTECCHINA DI MAIALE COL CAVOLO NERO

SERVES 4

D:
Wintertime in Tuscany means celebrating the arrival of cavolo nero, which is also known as Tuscan kale or lacinato kale. There is much love for this bitter, earthy leaf in Italy, and it ends up in soups like
Ribollita
, or gracing entrees like this one, where it goes wonderfully with the wine-glazed pork chops.

Kosher salt

2 bunches Tuscan kale (aka lacinato, black kale, cavolo nero), stems removed, roughly chopped

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 ounces guanciale, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (8-ounce) bone-in pork chops

12 fresh sage leaves

¼ cup dry white wine

Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the kale in the boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, until it wilts but still has a sturdiness. Drain and rinse the kale under cold running water. Squeeze it dry and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the guanciale and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to crisp. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the kale and toss for 2 minutes. Remove the kale from the heat and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture.

In a second large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork and sage leaves, cooking 1 side of the chops for 4 minutes, then turning and cooking the other side for 4 minutes. Remove the chops to a plate.

Add the wine to the hot pork chop pan and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to release the browned, cooked bits. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the pork chops back to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half and the scent of alcohol has disappeared. The pork chops should look crisp on the outside, but still feel soft to the touch.

Serve each chop with some kale, drizzling the chops with the juices from the pan.

BEEF STEW
with polenta

SPEZZATINO DI MANZO

SERVES 4–6

G:
My mother made this comforting stew in a cast iron pot over a fireplace during our Christmas vacations. The flavor base, or soffritto, of onion, carrots, and celery gives your beef the perfect start for slow-cooking. It’s a winter warmer, so don’t try it in August! The patience it requires is well returned: the meat will just fall apart.

BEEF STEW

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 celery stalks, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 pounds stew beef, such as boneless chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1½-inch cubes

2½ cups dry red wine

8 sprigs fresh thyme

3 medium tomatoes, halved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

POLENTA

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 cups
vegetable stock, homemade
or store-bought

1 cup instant polenta

To make the stew:
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 10 minutes, until the soffritto is soft and translucent. Add the beef and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until browned on all sides. Add the wine and thyme, stir well, and bring to a boil.

Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer partially covered for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the beef is tender.

To make the polenta:
Coat the inside of a large serving bowl with the olive oil and set aside.

In a large pot, bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes—or however long the box indicates—stirring constantly, until the polenta thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Transfer to the oil-coated bowl and let set for 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the polenta out of the bowl, slice, and serve alongside the beef stew.

Hunter’s Chicken

HUNTER’S CHICKEN

POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA

SERVES 6

G:
In my homeland, all the farmers become hunters on Sunday. I remember this hunter’s shack on our property that was used to wait for animals. One guy named Mario had a little gas burner and some pots, and during winter he’d bring with him a metal tin—the kind soldiers once used to keep food—containing chicken that his wife had marinated the night before. He would get a soffritto going with anchovy and garlic, braise the chicken in the pot, cover it with the marinating sauce and some tomatoes, and cook it all morning while he waited for his unlucky prey. Then, as the sun went down, he’d walk home, rifle in one hand and a meal in the other. That’s why
cacciatora
is a hunter’s classic, and this is the recipe Mario taught me when I was eight years old.

3 tablespoons olive oil

12 chicken pieces (a mix of white meat and dark pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 oil-packed anchovy fillets

3 garlic cloves, quartered