Fabulicious!: On the Grill (5 page)
Read Fabulicious!: On the Grill Online
Authors: Teresa Giudice
(Appetizers)
La cucina piccola fa la casa grande.
Literally: “A small kitchen makes the house big.”
What it means: “The best things in life are free.”
T
he key to starting any partyâor even any meal for Italians!âis the first course, the
antipasti,
which literally means “before the meal.” It's beyond important because it's how you greet your guests, how you show you've been preparing for them and prepping for their arrival with love. It sets the tone for the entire event, both in mood and appetite.
While some people serve hors d'oeuvres on individual china plates in the dining room, Italians prefer to put out big platters of
antipasti
to keep people moving around, walking, talking, drinking, and socializingâespecially in the warm summer months when we can be outside. We typically put the antipasti on the bar or tables near the grill so everyone can talk to whomever is cooking the food, and no one is left out or off to the side. So you can see why I don't mind grilling. At our house, it's not a thankless, sweaty job in the corner; it's more like a master-of-ceremonies position!
To tell you the truth, I more than don't mind. I really love doing the actual grilling myself. No joke, I was just outside last night at two in the morning with Joe grilling up some burgers. The women in my family are proud that we can work the grill as well as the guys can. My very first grill was actually my bridal shower present from my mother-in-law!
Formaggio
Is for Lovers
* * *
I
talian cheese is no joke. In fact, they take it so seriously in Italy that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests decidesâbased on specific ingredient and quality standardsâwhich cheeses from which regions can be labeled as “official.” These cheeses are considered so important to the culture of Italy that they are given “protected” status by the government.
Buying imported Italian cheese is like buying imported Italian fashion. Sometimes you just gotta have it and spend the money, but other times, a knockoff is just as good. Don't feel like you always have to drive across town and pay twenty-five dollars per pound for imported Italian cheese. I'd go authentic when the cheese will be eaten on its own, like on a meat-and-cheese platter, but when it will be added to an already strongly flavored dish, American-made equivalents will do just fine. There are wonderful cheeses from Wisconsin and California. To keep the cost of cooking down, I list “Parmesan” in these recipes, but feel free to substitute with Parmigiano-Reggiano if you like.
Here are the most popular cheeses that are easily available in America, that taste amazing, and that you'll find over and over in my recipes:
Asiago
A white cheese with small holes, asiago is a smooth, mild cheese with a slight tang (it gets tangier the more it ages). It is a good substitute for Parmesan cheese.
Burrata
Named for the Italian word for “buttered,” burrata is a hollow pocket of soft cheese that resembles fresh buffalo mozzarella on the outside, but has a creamy, curdy cheese that resembles ricotta on the inside. Created in Pugliaâthe “heel” of Italyâto use up the “extra bits” left behind from making other cheese, burrata is delicious all by itself, but is also great in salads, on pizza, and even as dessert. Just drizzle some honey and put some nuts on it for a very fast and yummy way to end dinner.
Fontina Valle d'Aosta
One of the all-time great Italian cheeses. A light yellow, creamy cheese, fontina is mild tasting with an earthy, slightly nutty taste. You can find domestic “fontina” cheeses, which are also really good.
Gorgonzola
A semisoft, creamy blue cheese, Gorgonzola has a strong aroma and taste but a sweet aftertaste. Italian Gorgonzola comes in two varieties: Dolce is smooth and creamy, and piccante is firm and crumbly. If you are given a choice, buy the kind that suits the recipe at hand. For example, for a salad or pizza, choose piccante because it crumbles best. For most cooking, the American Gorgonzola, which strikes a middle ground between the two Italian varieties, is perfect.
Mozzarella
A bright-white cheese with a smooth, wet, silky texture, mozzarella has a very mild, milky flavor. When I want a treat, I use fresh mozzarella, which is usually shaped in balls and packed in water. When the balls are small, they are called baby bocconcini (pronounced bok-on-CHEE-nee, Italian for “little mouthfuls”) or ciliegine (chee-LAY-gee-nie, meaning “little cherries”). The firmer supermarket “pizza-style” mozzarella is fine, too, and it melts beautifully.
Parmigiano-Reggiano
The great-grandfather of the American version we call Parmesan (which has two-thirds more salt than its Italian ancestor) and considered “the king of cheeses” in Italy, Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, crumbly, light-yellow cheese with a sharp nutty and fruity taste. This is one of the protected cheeses of Italy; you can't call cheese “Parmigiano-Reggiano” unless it is made in the designated area around Parma. This is one reason why it is more expensive, but worth it.
Pecorino Romano
A white cheese with a straw-yellow tinge, Pecorino Romano is a bold, peppery, nutty cheese that grates beautifully. It is made from sheep's milk and is a lot sharper than “Parm.”
Provolone
Most often served in America in slices, provolone is a semihard-but-smooth white cheese with a mild, smoky flavor. (Aged provolone can get very sharp tasting and crumbly, though.)
Ricotta
It's technically not a cheese, but a dairy product made from the whey left over from cheese. Ricotta means “recooked,” which is what happens to the whey to firm it up. Ricotta is white, soft, creamy, and slightly sweet.
REPPING
M
AKES
P
ERFECT
No matter what you're making for each course, make sure that you're good and prepped. Have all the ingredients you need collected, and cleaned, chopped, diced, shredded, and ready to be added to your dish
before
you start cooking it, especially since your “oven” is farther away from your refrigerator or sink than you're used to. There's nothing worse than scrambling to peel garlic while your steak shrinks into a charred hockey puck. You can't be everyplace at once, so have all you need right next to you at the grill.
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Teresa's Tips for Great Grilling
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* * *
âHave an extra gas tank on handâbut not stored near the grillâin case you run out mid-sear.
âAlways let the grill preheat for between ten and fifteen minutes before you start cooking.
âNever leave a lit grill completely unattended, especially around children.
âDon't let your kids near the grill, period.
âDon't rush.
Nice and slow, nice and low
is better than
hot and burned
.
âRelax! It's definitely not a good idea to get ripped while you're roastingâit's dangerous for you and the foodâbut a glass of wine or a cold beer while you're basting is almost an Italian tradition.
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Makes 8 servings
Most Americans don't regularly grill bread; they reserve the grate for meat and the occasional veggie. But toasted bread was originally made crispy over open flames, not in a little metal box. In fact, bruschetta got its name from the fact that it's supposed to be cooked on a grill. If you've never made it this wayâand even if you haveâyou are in for a treat. My version marries bold kale with smooth pancetta. This recipe works with broccoli rabe standing in for the kale, too.
Kale:
2 pounds kale, either dark green curly or the “Tuscan” variety
â
cup diced (¼-inch cubes) pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice
Bruschetta:
1 loaf crusty Italian bread, cut into about 24 (¼-inch-thick) slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
1.
To cook the kale:
Tear the kale leaves from the thick stems; discard the stems. A few at a time, stack the leaves and cut crosswise into strips about ½ inch thick. Wash the strips well in a large sink of cold water (kale is gritty). Lift up the strips and transfer to a colander, leaving any grit behind in the sink. Do not dry the kale.
2.
Heat the pancetta and oil together in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the pancetta is crisp and browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels, leaving the fat in the pan.
3.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. In two or three additions, stir in the kale, letting the first addition wilt before adding more. Return the pancetta to the skillet. Stir in the red pepper flakes and season with salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is very tender, adding a few tablespoons of water if the liquid cooks away, about 20 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to very low and cover to keep warm.
4.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (400°F).
5.
To make the bruschetta:
Brush the bread slices on both sides with the oil. Place on the cooking grate and close the grill lid. Cook, turning as needed, until toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove the bread slices from the grill.
6.
Spoon the kale mixture on the bread slices. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve hot.
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Bruschetta vs. Crostini
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* * *
W
hile both are slices of toasted bread topped with cheese, vegetables, or meat, there is a difference between
bruschetta
and
crostini
. Bruschetta, from the Italian
bruscare
, which means to “roast over coals,” is made with large slices of bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted on a grill over open flames (like we're doing here). Sometimes the toasted bread is rubbed with garlic before topping. Crostini or “little toasts” in Italian, are cut from a thinner loaf of bread (such as a baguette), and they can be baked or grilled until they are crisp and crunchy.
Whichever one you're serving, be sure to get started with a loaf that doesn't have too many holes in it, or your yummy topping will fall through.
