Extra Virgin (4 page)
Authors: Gabriele Corcos
TIMER:
A timer is essential, one that buzzes loud enough for you to hear even if you leave the kitchen.
BUTCHER’S TWINE:
We have two rolls of butcher’s twine for trussing meats.
INSTANT-READ THERMOMETER:
This is a must, for either determining the doneness of meats, or checking the temperature of hot oil for frying.
IMMERSION BLENDER:
Meet the appliance we use the most: the handheld Cuisinart immersion blender. We use it to emulsify sauces and dressings, and to blend peeled tomatoes for sauces and soups. We love it because we can detach the bottom part, rinse it, dry it, and stick it in a drawer. It saves us from transferring food in and out of a huge mixer or blender, which then becomes a pain to clean. Trust us on this one: This is
the
sound gadget investment!
STAND MIXER:
We’ve just told you how much we hate cleaning these, yet here we are recommending it. But oh, the things you can do! The attachments are wonderful, a mini-lab at your disposal. We have one for grinding meat, making pasta, and have the dough hook and paddle attachments.
FOOD PROCESSOR:
We wish we had the time to apply the ancient technique of grinding, crushing, and pulverizing with a mortar and pestle, but we have kids. We need to press a button and move on.
STOVETOP TOASTER:
This flat tool for toasting bread is one way you can really show your friends how Italian you’ve become. When I gave one as a gift to our friend Margy, she said it looked like a space-age fan for a robot Geisha. It’s a perforated grate with a handle that you place over high heat on your gas stove for grilling bread. It’s commonplace in Italy (called
“La Gratella”)
, and has started to make inroads in America, so be the first on your block to make bruschetta or even your morning toast this way!
PIZZA STONE:
This is the flat stone (sometimes ceramic) that’s used often in pizza-making and baking. Our pizza stone lives in our oven, no matter what we cook. It works well for everything, helping to diffuse heat properly and develop a core temperature. If we’re baking a lasagne, we’ll just put the pan on top of it.
PASTA MACHINE:
If using a rolling pin feels too daunting, spend a little extra money on this product and get the solid steel, hand-cranked kind.
SAUCEPANS:
We suggest 1.5-quart, 2-quart, and 2.5-quart saucepans, with lids.
SAUTÉ PANS/SKILLETS:
An 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch, and 14-inch pan should do the trick.
STOCKPOTS:
Either a 12-quart or 16-quart stockpot will get the job done for your stocks, while a pot in the 8- to 10-quart range should handle your pasta and soup needs.
ROASTING PANS/DUTCH OVENS:
Le Creuset is king when it comes to these necessary items. Their 6- and 8-quart cast iron Dutch ovens are great, as are their roasting pans: We have a 14 × 10-inch and a 12 × 9-inch. Lodge makes wonderful cast iron pots, too.
BAKING DISHES/SHEETS:
We recommend one 7 × 11-inch baking dish, as well as a 9 × 13-inch. For sheets, we have on hand a 13 × 18-inch and a 9 × 13-inch, both rimmed.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND BURRATA CAPRESE
MOZZARELLA, TOMATO, AND FARRO SALAD
GUACAMOLE WITH BAKED BEET CHIPS
GRILLED APRICOTS WITH GOAT CHEESE RICOTTA
GRILLED ASPARAGUS WRAPPED WITH LARDO
SEARED SCALLOPS OVER ENGLISH PEA PURÉE
WHITE BEAN AND PANCETTA BRUSCHETTA
D:
If we think of a table as something to be set before a meal, Italians think of their stomachs in the same way. The antipasto—literally “before the meal” in Italian—is that very course, the one that excites you and prepares you for the deliciousness that will follow. Although, as we like to joke, it’s often an excuse to drink more wine.
Appetizers are almost celebratory. When we have guests, there’s that initial thrill of seeing a table filled with cured meat, cheese, olives, bread, and good olive oil, and watching everybody dig in as the conversation revs up. It’s the opener not just for your stomach, but the talking. The dishing before the main dish!
In Italy, appetizers are not about getting stuffed with food. If you’re entertaining, it’s about creating in your house that little corner where people keep going to meet each other. We love how a piece of cheese or a crostini with a smear of fresh ricotta can spark an exchange between two people.
G:
I remember days in Italy, especially during Christmas, when relatives stayed at our house. The whole day—all the meals—were tied together by what was on the appetizer table. Let’s say your parents are in town, or friends are visiting for the weekend: If after lunch the cheese and the cold cuts and the dried apricots stay on the table—and the wine stays open—it keeps the buzz of entertaining alive, and eventually culminates in a delicious dinner.
D:
Of course, pacing can be an issue. If it’s just a few people over for dinner, saving everyone’s appetite for the main course—or courses—is important. What helps people stay honest at our house is that they’re eating their salumi and cheese—or their bruschetta, or their crostini, or
whatever—while their noses are also detecting what’s going on in the kitchen. Knowing that a roast is coming, or a fragrant pasta sauce is on the way, certainly helps keep their appetites in check. Or if they say hi in the kitchen, always a favorite spot to hang out before the formality of sitting down, they can actually see what’s on the stove, and that usually puts an appropriate halt to the possible overconsumption of appetizers.
G:
Appetizers can also act as a meal, which is why any of the antipasti recipes in this book just as easily work as an entree if you’re thinking about a small lunch, or—if you had a big meal earlier in the day—whipping up a lighter dinner that won’t fill you up all over again. What I love about our antipasti recipes is that while they’re great for those times when you’re entertaining and you want the many-course experience, they also double as healthy ways to placate hungry kids in the afternoon or as a simpler, less-complicated dinner.
Tuscans are famous for not liking to waste anything, so it’s also important to remember that your leftovers can act as appetizers. The spinach from the night before becomes the spinach frittata that you eat for the next day’s breakfast or snack. This kind of thinking allows you to be creative with bruschetta and crostini, too.
So consider these recipes as highly adaptable dishes, ready to delectably tease your guests with the leisurely, flavorful evening to follow, or to meet the snacking needs of a hungry family between meals.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND BURRATA CAPRESE
CAPRESE DI BURRATA E COSTOLUTO FIORENTINO
SERVES 4
G:
This staple of my childhood depends on the perkiness and freshness of the ingredients. Because it’s so simple, its components need to be superb. The tomatoes have to be ripe, sliced thick but not too thick, and the cheese has to be soft and creamy. Burrata, which is cream and mozzarella enclosed in a sack made of mozzarella, is literally translated as “buttery.” It’s a classic for a reason, so don’t settle for less. Use burrata made from mozzarella di bufala, which is by nature more supple, more yielding, and exquisitely delicious.
2 heirloom tomatoes
1 pound burrata
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
Cut the tomatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices, then dice 4 slices and set those aside for garnish. On a large plate, arrange the tomato slices, slightly overlapping, to cover the entire surface.
Place your thumbs on top of the burrata and open it gently. Place the burrata in the center of the plate, on top of the tomatoes.
Pour the diced tomato on top, and dress with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle the basil leaves over the top.
IMPORTANTE!
Serve with a slice of Tuscan bread and a glass of young wine, and you have a fresh, healthy lunch.
MOZZARELLA, TOMATO, AND FARRO SALAD
CAPRESE DI FARRO
SERVES 4
D:
I love my farro. When I met my husband and I visited his mother for the first time, she made a farro salad, with tomatoes, fresh parsley, lemon, onion, and white beans, and it was so light, refreshing, and health-conscious I knew I’d met a kindred spirit. I learned that this ancient grain was eaten by Egyptians and Romans and is one of Italy’s heritage foods, so its history as a sustaining source of nutrients runs deep. The northwest side of Tuscany—namely a town called Lucca—has the best farro we’ve tried, but you should be able to find farro easily at your local gourmet food store or online. This nutty salad is perfect for summertime and easy to prepare. Even if you overcook the farro, don’t worry. Farro is forgiving and won’t glue up or get sticky like rice.