Fantastico: Little Italian Plates and Antipasti from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen - Hardcover

Rick Tramonto; Mary Goodbody; Belinda Chang

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767923812 ISBN 13: 9780767923811

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2007

Synopsis

Rick Tramonto, one of America’s most renowned and award-winning chefs and author of Amuse-Bouche, among other titles, now has written a cookbook showcasing the best of Italian cuisine, the food he grew up eating and has explored in depth on his extensive travels throughout the country. The little plates in Fantastico! are all tempting, tasty dishes that can be mixed and matched for relaxed cooking and dining in true Italian style..

Italians have traditionally enjoyed this small-plate way of eating and now Americans have caught on. Increasingly, restaurants specializing in this kind of experience have been opening across the country. With Fantastico! fans of Italian food have the opportunity to reproduce at home the irresistible dishes served at enotecas, osterias, trattorias, pizzerias, and ristorantes throughout Italy, for quick weeknight meals or innovative entertaining.

Fantastico! is the ideal source for a stunning array of antipasti, assaggios, salumis, and cheeses, the perfect accompaniments to a variety of wines and surprising additions to everyday and formal meals. Tramonto’s terrific recipes, accompanied by wine recommendations and his tips on buying the best ingredients, provide readers with the inspiration and the know-how they need to make a big impression by thinking small. The selection includes such festive recipes as Tramonto’s Razor Clams Casino and Roasted Medjool Dates with Gorgonzola, Bacon, and Toasted Walnuts; innovative ideas for grilled breads with robust toppings (bruschetta) and little toasts with refined toppings (crostini); an extraordinary variety of panini, along with wonderful Venetian-style, open-faced mini-sandwiches (cicchetti); and a delightful assortment of simple-to-prepare dishes—including a spectacular canned tuna salad with a caper and herb vinaigrette—Tuna Conserva Cicchetti—that will enliven traditional antipasti platters and serve as the centerpiece of a light meal for family and friends.

With more than 100 simple recipes and beautiful full-color photographs, Fantastico! will inspire anyone who loves the casual charm of Italian cooking.

About this title

About the Author:

RICK TRAMONTO
Recognized in 1994 as one of Food & Wine’s Top Ten Best New Chefs and in 2002 as Best Chef: Midwest Region by the James Beard Foundation, Tramonto has garnered international attention and a host of prestigious awards for his work at Trio, Brasserie T, and his renowned four-star, Relais-Gourmand restaurant Tru in Chicago. Tramonto, who has written four previous cookbooks, has appeared on Oprah, Today, CBS This Morning, and on the Food Network’s Iron Chef. In 2006 he founded Cenitare Restaurants, a restaurant-management and development company, with concepts including Osteria di Tramonto, Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood, and RT Lounge. He lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Eileen, and their children.

Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer and editor. Her credits include Tru and Amuse-Bouche with Rick Tramonto, and Taste Pure and Simple with Michael Nischan. The editor of the IACP Food Forum Quarterly, she lives outside New York with her daughter.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

CHAPTER 1
The Glory of Italian Food
Small bites, little plates—whatever you call them, these delicious tastes of assertive, mouthwatering foods are endlessly appealing. Whether you plan to serve an elegant first course, a meal made up of small dishes, or finger foods for a cocktail party, the recipes on these pages will blow your mind!

Okay, no lack of modesty there, but it’s true. I have prepared these little dishes for years and never tire of them. For this book, I assembled a collection of recipes that celebrate all that is best about Italian food and Italian ingredients. I tailored them for the American home cook, who I hope will find them inspirational as well as accessible. Some are refined versions of the antipasti of my childhood, while others were motivated by frequent eating and drinking trips to Italy. (By the way: Is there any other kind of trip to Italy?)

I doubt I would get much argument when I say Italian food is universally loved. Everywhere. And why not? Think of fat–streaked cured hams, lightly pickled fish, and golden–green olive oil. Or how about pungent, earthy mushrooms; chubby, glistening olives, both green and black; syrupy balsamic vinegars; crumbly, salty cheeses; plump, juicy tomatoes; and crusty bread with a crumb so soft and pliant it mops up every last drop of goodness on a plate?

If you are salivating by now, read on. It gets better. As I put these and other ingredients together, the flavors conspire to explode in the mouth and make you hunger for more. The “more” may be another small, savory assaggio or crudo, a second glass of wine, or it may be the pasta course that comes next. Regardless, these treasures will prime your taste buds for all sorts of culinary adventures, regardless of their sophistication or simplicity.

Bruschetta, panini, bocconcini, and antipasti—heck, all categories of recipes in the book—can be made with nearly any ingredient that catches your fancy. Good news for the curious cook who eyes the jar of imported white anchovies or can of Italian tuna on the shelf and wonders what to do with it. Exhilarating for the intrepid shopper who is tempted by ruddy Parma ham, crumbly truffle–specked Sottobosco cheese, or Black Mission figs. And equally thrilling for the cook who sees baby artichokes, cans of white ceci beans (also called chickpeas and garbanzos), wild mushrooms, fresh fava beans, and other more mundane foods in the markets and yearns to cook with them.

I have divided the book into nine recipe chapters. While it’s tricky to categorize these little plates precisely, I explain the differences as I see them in the introductions to each chapter. But, if elsewhere you come across a recipe similar to one of mine that, say, is called a cicchetti rather than a crostini, no one is wrong. There is ample room for cross–pollination among these dishes.

Whether you indulge in a crostini, cicchetti, or a plate of fine Italian cheese, you will want a glass of wine to savor alongside it. These foods are nothing if not wine-friendly, and I am grateful to my friend and one of my sommeliers, Belinda Chang, for her spirited, thoughtful wine notes that accompany the recipes. Belinda shares my passion for all things Italian and my sense of fun when it comes to eating and drinking. I count on her to pour only the best wine for the food--and she succeeds every time!
go for excellence

The only hard–and–fast rule for these small taste treats is that the ingredients be the best you can find. This goes for meat and fish as well as for fruit, vegetables, and pantry items such as olive oil, vinegar, canned beans, canned tomatoes—even salt! Find a reputable butcher for prime or high–level choice beef and top-grade pork. Buy fish where turnover is constant and there is no odor in the air, except a whiff of the briny deep. Look for an Italian market or gourmet store that understands Italian salumi (all manner of cured meats), Italian sausage, and Italian cheese. Read through the recipes and their accompanying notes to learn more about these glorious gifts from the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Even if it means going a little out of your way, purchase fruits and vegetables in season and from local growers. I stand with the ever-increasing number of chefs who feel strongly about cooking with what is cultivated nearby, what is freshest, and what is least processed. How else, I ask you, can we guarantee the planet's abundance for our children and grandchildren?

This is the Italian way, too. When in Rome, literally do as the Romans do and feast on the produce from local farms and sip regional wines. Carry this philosophy to your own corner of the world. Of course, we hope you will buy the Italian wines Belinda and I suggest, but that should not be a problem. Experiment and have a good time with the food and the wine!

In the same spirit, buying seasonally can be fun. Where I live in Chicago, it’s exciting to spot the first slender spring asparagus in the market, to know that the peach I buy in July will be so juicy my mouth will fill with pleasure, and that August’s sun–ripened tomatoes will make all others taste like imposters! How about an azure October sky, red and gold leaves framing a country road, and a bushel basket of orchard-picked apples? Can you think of anything better? Because of this loyalty to the seasons, I arranged the recipes within each chapter so they progress from those best suited for springtime, though the summer and fall, to those perfect for a cold winter’s night.

A number of the little plates in this book give the home cook license to experiment with ingredients that might be unfamiliar, such as razor clams or bresaola. You also can try some that might be too expensive to invest in more than now and then, such as truffles and foie gras. Here is a chance to indulge in a little luxury without making the ATM sputter with outrage! You need only a few drops of truffle oil or slices of prosciutto de Parma for the recipes. Pour a glass of mature Barolo and go for it!

When it comes to kitchen staples, I always think you should buy the best you can afford. For instance, I talk about olive oil on page 78 and salt on page 67. I believe that good–quality olive oil satiates more completely than any other fat, and because a drizzle is often all you need, why not pour the finest? The same goes for balsamic vinegar. When aged, it becomes sweet and syrupy. And expensive. Aged balsamic is one product where price nearly always indicates quality. When it comes to salts, as I explain later in the book, not all are created equal. I season mainly with kosher salt but play around with any number of the sea salts and specialty salts now on the market. They are fantastic for finishing a dish.

I feel just as strongly about fresh herbs, quality spices (definitely purge your cupboard of those old, dried out, dusty little bottles), really good mustard, high–end butter, local honey, and freshly baked bread.This holds true for the wine. Italians make world–class wines that drink splendidly with this food. Wine suggestions accompany every recipe in Chapters 2 through 8. For the antipasti and the cheese course, Chapters 9 and 10, look for an umbrella wine note at the start of each chapter; these foods are so versatile when it comes to wine, we figured a wine note could occupy a page or more!

Finally, don’t neglect your equipment. No recipe in this book calls for anything that is not found in most well-stocked kitchens, but if you have not gotten around to replacing your mediocre knives with better ones or to buying that nonstick pan, do it now. It all matters. The knife will make slicing a tomato a breeze, and the pan will ensure success when you make a frittata. Cooking becomes more of a pleasure when you have a microplane grater for zesting citrus, a nest of nonreactive mixing bowls, and a few really good cutting boards. And your skill level improves, too. A little investment goes a long way.

After reading what I have written here, you get the idea. Go for excellence. Your guests will appreciate it, but most important, you will experience what I do when I serve the best and most honest food I can: the satisfaction of a job well done. Oh, and the chance to eat something that tastes fantastico!


CHAPTER 2 — ASSAGGIOA
a taste of something, a morsel
This salad speaks of spring, and when I first thought of pairing the beans with the radicchio, I knew it would taste splendid with the anise–flavored orange vinaigrette. My maternal grandmother, Adeline Gentile, made this vinaigrette more than any other, so star anise and Sambuca were staples in her kitchen. She spoke only Italian and had learned how to make the vinaigrette from her mother in Italy before emigrating to the United States. My grandmother’s house was flanked by the houses owned by her two sisters; these three houses formed a little community where we always felt safe, welcome, and extremely well fed!

fava and yellow beans with radicchio, goat cheese, and anise-orange vinaigrette
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups shelled fava beans
1 1/2 cups yellow wax beans
2 cups coarsely chopped radicchio
3/4 to 1 cup Anise–Orange Vinaigrette (see below)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
1. Bring two pots of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanch the fava beans in one pot for 3 to 6 minutes or until tender. Drain and immediately submerge in ice–cold water. Drain again. Dry on paper towels.

2. In the second pot, blanch the wax beans for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Drain and immediately submerge in ice–cold water. Drain again. Dry on paper towels.

3. In a large bowl, toss together the radicchio, fava, and wax beans. Add the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper....

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0767923812
• ISBN 13: 9780767923811
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288