Read Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook Online
Authors: Sal Scognamillo
Tags: #Cooking, #Regional & Ethnic, #Italian
Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (7 page)
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
12 ripe Black Mission figs, ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 4 ounces)
12 slices baguette, toasted in a broiler or on a grill
¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade, for garnish (see
here
)
1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a baking dish suitable for serving that is large enough to hold the figs in a single layer.
2.
Bring the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Set the reduction aside.
3.
Meanwhile, arrange the figs in the baking dish, cut sides up. Brush with oil. Top each fig half with a heaping tablespoon of Gorgonzola. Bake until the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes.
4.
Arrange the toasted baguette slices on a platter. Top each slice with a fig. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction and a little more oil. Sprinkle with the basil. Serve warm.
Tre Colore Salad
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
We served a salad of white Belgian endive and green arugula before it was fashionable, although the red radicchio is a fairly new addition. I think their slight bitterness makes a great appetite teaser. Sinatra agreed with me. I remember one time when he convinced an entire table of people that arugula is really green radish tops. (I grant you that they look and taste a lot alike, but Frank was only kidding.)
VINAIGRETTE
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 5-ounce bag baby arugula
½ small head radicchio, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 large Belgian endive, stem trimmed and outer layer discarded, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for shaving curls
1.
To make the vinaigrette: Whisk the balsamic vinegar, garlic, and basil together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2.
Toss the arugula, radicchio and endive together in a large bowl. Add ⅓ cup of the vinaigrette and toss again. (Leftover vinaigrette can be stored in a covered jar for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature and shake well before using.) Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper.
3.
Using a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, shave a couple of ounces worth of curls from the block of cheese over the salad. Serve immediately.
Insalata di Frutti di Mare
MAKES 8 APPETIZER SERVINGS
One of the best non-vegetable salads around, this mixed seafood salad is often served as an appetizer, but more and more, people are ordering it as a main course salad—it is a fantastic lunch, especially during a hot New York summer. It doesn’t matter what seafood you use, so use more of your favorites, or even add cooked and shelled clams or mussels. One hint, though: Don’t marinate the salad too long or the vinaigrette will “cook” and toughen the seafood. To accomplish this, have all of the seafood prepared and chilled and mix it just before serving. You can also serve this as part of a Seven Fishes Feast for Christmas Eve.
1 pound calamari, cleaned and cut into ½-inch rings
8 jumbo (21/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds octopus, cooked (see
here
), chilled, and cut into bite-size pieces
One 29-ounce can ready-to-eat scungilli, drained, rinsed, and chilled
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice
24 pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the calamari and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until tender. Using a wire strainer, transfer the calamari to a large bowl of iced water.
2.
Add the shrimp to the water and cook just until they turn opaque and firm, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to the bowl with the calamari. Let stand until they cool, about 15 minutes. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
3.
Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, and basil in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the cooled calamari and shrimp with the octopus, scungilli, tomatoes, celery, and olives. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until lightly chilled, about 30 minutes. Serve cold.
Joe’s Steak Salad
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
This is a great recipe if you follow our family’s mantra never to waste food. It was my dad Joe who started marinating leftover steak for lunch, and ever since a customer saw him eating this, we have had it on the menu as a daily special. To this day, if Joe orders prime rib at another restaurant (an item that we don’t serve at Patsy’s and have to go out for), he will bring the leftovers home for this salad. You can grill the steak, but we like it pan-cooked just as much.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
