Extra Virgin (28 page)

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Grill the eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and onion for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. The vegetables should be soft and seared, but not mushy. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Endive with Gorgonzola and Sage Oil

GRILLED ENDIVE
with gorgonzola and sage oil

INSALATA BELGA E GORGONZOLA

SERVES 6–8

G:
A real joy of grilling season is serving up this elegant treat, which weds the smoky goodness of grilled endive with the strong flavors of melted Gorgonzola. These two don’t overpower each other, although they will jockey for your taste buds’ attention. The endive offers fabulous crunch, and the Gorgonzola serves up a sweet-and-sharp tang. It’s a great balance, and the sage-infused olive oil helps bind them together. If you don’t have a grill on hand, this dish can also be roasted in the oven.

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 sprigs fresh sage

3 heads Belgian endive, halved lengthwise

4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a grill to high heat.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil until hot. Add the sage and cook for about 3 minutes to allow it to infuse the oil and until it becomes fragrant and slightly crispy. Remove from the heat.

Place the endive on the grill and grill for 4 minutes per side, until the leaves become lightly wilted and grill marks are prominent. Turn the endive cut-side up and top with the Gorgonzola. Close the grill lid and grill for 2 more minutes, until the cheese has softened.

Transfer the endive to a platter, drizzle with the sage-infused olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

Fried Artichokes

FRIED ARTICHOKES

CARCIOFI FRITTI

SERVES 6

D:
These crisp delights are an appetizer staple all over Italy, usually served in a cone of paper, to go with a great roasted meat dish. For a dream combination, we recommend these with the
Roasted Pork Loin
. This recipe calls for a quick dredging in flour before frying, but if you want an extra layer of mouthwatering crunch, try the beer batter mixture we use in our
Fish Taco
recipe.

Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, for serving

5 medium artichokes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for serving

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

Vegetable oil, for frying

Fill a large bowl with water and add the lemon juice. Snap off the outer leaves from the artichokes until you reach the pale green leaves. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the stems to remove the woody outermost layer. Halve the artichokes lengthwise, through the stem. Using a spoon, remove the inedible hairy leaves (the chokes). Cut the artichokes into quarters. Place the artichokes in the lemon water to keep them from oxidizing and discoloring.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper.

In a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven, add the vegetable oil up to 2 inches, and heat over high heat until hot and smoking.

Dredge the artichokes in the seasoned flour, add to the hot oil, and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping them occasionally with tongs, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels to drain. Season with salt and serve warm with the lemon wedges.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES

CARCIOFI ALLA FIESOLANA

SERVES 4

D:
I consider the artichoke romantic. It is a vegetable that has a journey to it, where you peel away layers to get to the heart. Here, Gabriele and I have modified the traditional Roman method of slow-cooking artichokes by using the baby kind. They require less cleaning, are more tender, and yield a perfectly edible choke. After they’ve been softened in the guanciale-infused oil and onion soffritto, you’ll have a side dish to die for.

Juice of 1 lemon

20 baby artichokes

1 cup
vegetable stock, homemade

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¹⁄³ pound guanciale or pancetta, cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 red onion, finely diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Fill a large bowl with water and add the lemon juice. Snap off the outer leaves of each artichoke to uncover its pale green heart. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the stem of the artichoke until smooth. Using a knife, cut off the tip of the artichoke, as close as possible to the heart. Place each cleaned artichoke in the lemon water to prevent it from oxidizing and becoming discolored.

In a small pot, bring the stock to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the guanciale and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often, until golden and crisp. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the artichoke hearts head down, one at a time, in the soffritto. Add a ladleful of warm vegetable stock and cover the pan. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until very tender, adding a ladleful of stock as necessary as the liquid reduces and occasionally shaking the skillet gently to prevent the artichoke hearts from sticking to the surface. (You can also move them around with your fingers.)

Transfer to a platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

PEPPER AND POTATO STEW

PEPERONATA DI PATATE

SERVES 8

G:
This is a real hunter’s dish. All winter long you’ll find this in Tuscan restaurants, especially on Sunday, because it would go perfectly with whatever was caught from that morning’s hunt: pheasant, venison, rabbit. Those meats aren’t always readily available in America, but this stew is a great accompaniment to grilled sausage or
Pollo al Mattone
.

D:
The first time Gabriele made this for me, I couldn’t believe how creamy it was, because the potatoes just melted into the peppers. It transcended every notion I’d had about sweet peppers.

1 cup
vegetable stock, homemade

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, cut into 3 chunks each

8 bell peppers (different colors), each cut into eighths

1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), puréed in a blender

1 pound russet (baking) potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into ½-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 handful fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped

In a small pot, heat the stock over medium-low heat until just before boiling. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until completely softened but not browned. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.

Add the bell peppers, reduce the heat to medium-low, stir, partially cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until softened.

Add the tomatoes and potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and cook for about 1 hour, occasionally adding a ladleful of vegetable stock as needed to keep the ingredients cooking. The resulting stew should have a thick consistency. To check for doneness, using a wooden spoon, isolate one piece of potato and press it against the side of the pot. If it doesn’t offer any resistance as it mashes, the stew is ready to serve.

Stir in the parsley and serve.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

OVEN-ROASTED POTATOES

PATATE ARROSTO

SERVES 4–6

D:
When these roasted beauties reach that stage where they’re caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside, you have achieved the perfect side dish. The Yukon Golds can also be parboiled whole and sautéed on the stovetop (see note), in which case the serving time is more forgiving than in an oven. Roasting in an oven really affects a potato chunk’s texture in such a way that the potatoes need to be served immediately, otherwise they’ll dry out.

6 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes

4 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into chunks

5 garlic cloves

1 handful fresh rosemary sprigs

1 handful sage leaves

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper