back, lips part slightly, and you hear moaning. “Hmmmm …” “Ohhhh …” It’s like we’re hosting a swinging singles party. Suddenly there’s a very orgasmic vibe wafting through our home.
G: Sex noises are good, no?
D: Well, as long as there are multiple climaxes, meaning you’ve got room for a pasta or an entree that’s just as delicious! Nobody wants premature … um … meal satisfaction, let’s say.
G: In all seriousness, lardo is naturally heavy, so it’s very important that you have a later course that balances the richness of cured pork fat with something lighter, like Pici all’Aglione .
½ pound lardo, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
4 or 5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, thinly sliced
Using a sharp knife, very finely chop the lardo. Add the rosemary, sage, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well with the back of your knife or your hands.
Spread on the baguette slices.
FRESH CHEESE CURD CROSTINI
CROSTINI DI CAGLIATA FRESCA
SERVES 8–10
In making the soft, pillowy cheese known as ricotta, there are two steps. (That’s why ricotta means “recooked” in Italian.) The first step, when you add citric acid or rennet to whole milk, yields cagliata, which is the first separation of curds from whey, and it makes for a delicious crostini spread all on its own. It’s creamier and richer than ricotta, since the second step is a further cooking of the whey that gets you the lighter, airier taste associated with ricotta. We’re putting on the brakes at the cagliata stage, however, because we think it deserves a spotlight of its own!
4 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 baguette, thinly sliced and toasted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving
Line a colander with 3 layers of cheesecloth.
In a large, heavy pot, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the lemon juice and salt and heat until an instant-read thermometer reaches 175ºF. The milk will begin to just bubble and start to steam. At this temperature you’ll begin to see the curds separate from the whey.
Remove from the heat and stir for up to 5 minutes. Be mindful of overstirring while the curds are forming—you don’t want to make your cheese tough. Let sit for 5 minutes undisturbed and you will be left with a pleasantly creamy result.
Gently pour the curds into the colander, and very gently release some of the liquid. Tie the cheesecloth in a sack using butcher’s twine, lift the sack from the colander, and let drain without squeezing for 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid stops seeping out. Remove the curds from the cheesecloth and place in a bowl.
Spread warm on toasted bread with a sprinkling of lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
IMPORTANTE! You can refrigerate leftover cagliata in a covered container for up to 5 days.
STRIPED BASS CRUDO TRIO
TRIO DI BRANZINO CRUDO
SERVES 4
G: For me, summer with my parents on the coast of Tuscany in Castiglioncello was about the fishing I got to do, three to six hours every day in the water with spears and a snorkel. I typically caught our dinner: sole, cuttlefish, sea bass, whatever was in my line of sight. I’d gut the fish, scale it, then cook it. But I would often try it raw, too, and I have to say, there’s a primal enjoyment to eating something from the sea that was only alive mere moments before. This recipe comes from my time designing a menu for the Montauk Yacht Club, when I did my first deep-sea fishing in the Atlantic and caught a 38-pound striped bass. It was big enough to slice very thin and I turned it into a trio of raw, ocean goodness, complemented by flavors like lemon, orange, red pepper flakes, and shallots. It was an immediate hit, and goes very nicely before a pasta like l’Aragosta Arrabbiata . Remember that
G: Sex noises are good, no?
D: Well, as long as there are multiple climaxes, meaning you’ve got room for a pasta or an entree that’s just as delicious! Nobody wants premature … um … meal satisfaction, let’s say.
G: In all seriousness, lardo is naturally heavy, so it’s very important that you have a later course that balances the richness of cured pork fat with something lighter, like Pici all’Aglione .
½ pound lardo, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
4 or 5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, thinly sliced
Using a sharp knife, very finely chop the lardo. Add the rosemary, sage, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well with the back of your knife or your hands.
Spread on the baguette slices.
FRESH CHEESE CURD CROSTINI
CROSTINI DI CAGLIATA FRESCA
SERVES 8–10
In making the soft, pillowy cheese known as ricotta, there are two steps. (That’s why ricotta means “recooked” in Italian.) The first step, when you add citric acid or rennet to whole milk, yields cagliata, which is the first separation of curds from whey, and it makes for a delicious crostini spread all on its own. It’s creamier and richer than ricotta, since the second step is a further cooking of the whey that gets you the lighter, airier taste associated with ricotta. We’re putting on the brakes at the cagliata stage, however, because we think it deserves a spotlight of its own!
4 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 baguette, thinly sliced and toasted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving
Line a colander with 3 layers of cheesecloth.
In a large, heavy pot, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the lemon juice and salt and heat until an instant-read thermometer reaches 175ºF. The milk will begin to just bubble and start to steam. At this temperature you’ll begin to see the curds separate from the whey.
Remove from the heat and stir for up to 5 minutes. Be mindful of overstirring while the curds are forming—you don’t want to make your cheese tough. Let sit for 5 minutes undisturbed and you will be left with a pleasantly creamy result.
Gently pour the curds into the colander, and very gently release some of the liquid. Tie the cheesecloth in a sack using butcher’s twine, lift the sack from the colander, and let drain without squeezing for 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid stops seeping out. Remove the curds from the cheesecloth and place in a bowl.
Spread warm on toasted bread with a sprinkling of lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
IMPORTANTE! You can refrigerate leftover cagliata in a covered container for up to 5 days.
STRIPED BASS CRUDO TRIO
TRIO DI BRANZINO CRUDO
SERVES 4
G: For me, summer with my parents on the coast of Tuscany in Castiglioncello was about the fishing I got to do, three to six hours every day in the water with spears and a snorkel. I typically caught our dinner: sole, cuttlefish, sea bass, whatever was in my line of sight. I’d gut the fish, scale it, then cook it. But I would often try it raw, too, and I have to say, there’s a primal enjoyment to eating something from the sea that was only alive mere moments before. This recipe comes from my time designing a menu for the Montauk Yacht Club, when I did my first deep-sea fishing in the Atlantic and caught a 38-pound striped bass. It was big enough to slice very thin and I turned it into a trio of raw, ocean goodness, complemented by flavors like lemon, orange, red pepper flakes, and shallots. It was an immediate hit, and goes very nicely before a pasta like l’Aragosta Arrabbiata . Remember that
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