Extra Virgin (5 page)

Kosher salt

1 pound farro

10 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered

8 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand

1 (5-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch chunks

2 ounces pitted Kalamata olives

Extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, toss in the farro, and cook for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse the farro with cold water.

Combine the farro, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and olives in a bowl. Drizzle with oil, then salt and pepper to taste.

Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate for the next day (this would be great for a picnic).

IMPORTANTE!  
Make sure you only use superior-grade mozzarella for this recipe. You are preparing a fresh salad, so stay away from the plastic-looking mozzarella blob sold at your regular grocery and find an establishment that carries the real deal.

Olive Tapenade

OLIVE TAPENADE

TAPENADE DI OLIVE

SERVES 4–6

G:
The Nostraline, or Tuscan olive, is revered in our culinary history, but it’s really only good for oil because it’s very small and the flavor is extremely pungent. They don’t marinate as well as olives from the south of Italy, where there is more sun during the summer and the olives can get big, chunky, and rich with flavor. My mother’s tapenade was made with store-bought olives marinated with orange zest, good olive oil, salt, and pepper. We’d then contrast the salty dominance of the olives with a wet, fresh taste, which is where the heirloom tomato comes in.

D:
This makes for a beautiful look, too, when spread on a piece of bread. It’s a form of bruschetta in a way. Making your own tapenade amounts to a lot of flavor.

2 anchovy fillets

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 cup black Nostraline olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1 cup green Sicilian olives, pitted and roughly chopped

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

½ tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped

Toasted country bread slices, rubbed with raw garlic, for serving

1 heirloom tomato, sliced, for serving

Mash the anchovies with the garlic in a mortar and pestle, then mix well with the chopped olives. Combine with the ½ cup olive oil, the lemon juice, parsley, and capers.

Spread the tapenade on the garlic-rubbed toasts. Drizzle with olive oil and top with a slice of beautiful heirloom tomato.

PECORINO AND HONEY DIP

PECORINO E MIELE

SERVES 6

D:
It doesn’t get much easier to activate your guests’ taste buds than this tried-and-true ménage à trois of salty, sweet, and hot. A good aged Pecorino will have the kind of granularity and tang that offsets the spiced-up honey. I have to confess that this was a pretty easy way for Gabriele to impress me when we first met, so maybe save this for your significant other, or that certain someone you’ve convinced should come over for a home-cooked meal. Add a glass of young Chianti and you’re good to go. It’s a suggestive starter in just the right way, especially with something as naturally drippy as honey! Just don’t forget you might have a roast going in the kitchen.…

¼ cup good-quality organic honey, for dipping

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

½ pound aged Pecorino (such as Sardo or Pienza), cut into 2-inch-long, ½-inch-thick sticks

In a small bowl, stir together the honey and red pepper flakes. Serve with the Pecorino to dip into the honey.

PROSCIUTTO AND MELON

PROSCIUTTO E MELONE

SERVES 4

G:
My Jewish grandfather on my mother’s side didn’t care about keeping kosher. So when I was a young boy at the beach with my grandparents—and my observant doctor father was still working at the hospital—I got to enjoy this classic combo of porky saltiness and fruity sweetness. Other times, when my dad was around, I’d look down the table and see Nonno Renato openly enjoying his forkful of prosciutto and cantaloupe. Then he’d just smile and wink at me. This can be an ideal kickoff to a barbecue, or—my favorite—a dish of
Spaghetti alle Vongole
.

1 cantaloupe or Tuscan melon

½ pound prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced

Halve the melon lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Then slice 6 wedges out of each half and remove the rinds.

Arrange the 12 wedges on a platter and drape 1½ slices of prosciutto on top of each cantaloupe slice. Serve.

IMPORTANTE!  
We find this to be especially delicious served with freshly brewed iced tea with a sprig of mint in it.

GUACAMOLE
with baked beet chips

BARBABIETOLE CROCCANTI E GUACAMOLE

SERVES 8–12

D:
I’m the queen of guacamole, and my first house in Los Angeles featured an avocado tree with many loyal, delicious subjects. So when Gabriele moved in with me, he was introduced to my wonderfully chunky, addictive guacamole.

G:
I had to Tuscanize it, of course, which is where the olive oil comes in. To me, olive oil always helps when making something soft and spreadable. I love avocados, but where I’m from, they’re imported from Africa or Sicily, so they’d arrive at the store as hard as a rock, and you’d have to wait two weeks for them to ripen.

D:
Gabriele’s mother will actually buy them in advance for me when she knows we’re coming to Italy, because I like to use them so much. That is so sweet. As for the beet chips, they’re my version of a fun, nutritious way for kids to eat guacamole. Sliced thinly enough, they get a nice crunch, plus the pink color is always a hit.

GUACAMOLE

SERVES 8

4 ripe medium Hass avocados, peeled and pitted

¼ red onion, diced (about ¹⁄³ cup)

1 small tomato, diced

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Baked Beet Chips (recipe follows) or store-bought fried beet or tortilla chips

In a large bowl, mash the avocados with a fork or potato masher to achieve a slightly chunky consistency. Add the onion, tomato, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro, and stir to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a bowl with Baked Beet Chips.

IMPORTANTE!  
Cilantro can be a polarizing ingredient—either you love its aromatic qualities or you don’t. For less cilantro punch, feel free to leave it out, or use some at the end as a garnish instead of mixing it in.

BAKED BEET CHIPS

SERVES 8–12

6 medium to large red beets

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.

Rinse and scrub the outside of the beets. Using a mandoline, carefully slice the beets into
¹
/
16
-inch-thick rounds and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, turning to coat the slices evenly. Place the beet slices in single layers on a baking sheet (or 2 if necessary) and season with pepper to taste (don’t add the salt yet, as it will make the chips less crisp).

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the slices are darkened around the edges and mostly crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool. The beets will firm up even more during cooling. They will also have shrunk by half. Once cooled, transfer the chips to a large bowl and toss with salt to taste. Serve with
Guacamole
.

IMPORTANTE!  
If using a convection oven, the chips will bake faster and get crispier. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Grilled Apricots with Goat Cheese Ricotta

GRILLED APRICOTS
with goat cheese ricotta