While San Pasqual may be the Patron Saint of cooks, Mario Batali comes in a close second. An Iron Chef who has won numerous “Best Chef” awards, Batali is perhaps best known as the host of the Food Network’s Molto Mario. But that’s just the start of his culinary achievements. Batali has created acclaimed restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York City; launched his own line of cookware; and owns a vineyard and wine shop. He’s also the author of six top cookbooks, including his new Mario Batali Italian Grill (Harper Collins, 2008).
Italian Grill combines Batali’s passion for Italian food with his love of grilling. The book offers everything you need to know about preparing fresh, delicious food on the grill. From equipment and techniques to safety tips, ingredients and resources, Batali has created an indispensable guide. The enticing recipes feature antipasti; pizza and flatbreads; fish and shellfish; poultry; meat; and vegetables–and the photography is luscious.
Batali acknowledges that “America is a wild world of grill experts … from the Carolinas to California, from Texas to Toronto.” But unlike American grilling–which often relies on thick sauces, marinades and baths–Batali’s techniques focus more on ingredients, such as quality olive oil, citrus, wine, herbs, garlic and hot pepper. Traditionalists won’t be disappointed, though. Italian Grill offers plenty of new twists on old favorites, including Batali’s own “kick-ass barbecue sauce,” for those who can’t live without it.
Mario Instructs: Cooking on a Piastra
Cooking on a piastra is a time-honored technique throughout Italy, especially in Friuli and along the Adriatic Coast. Alla piastra essentially means cooking on a flat griddle over a hot fire.
Today the free-form sheets of metal used in ancient times mostly have been replaced by griddles of cast iron or another metal. You could use a regular stovetop griddle with a smooth surface, such as the ones sold in housewares shops, some hardware stores and online. A large rectangular griddle that fits over two burners is a good choice. An old-fashioned cast-iron pancake griddle also would work, although these are on the smaller side. Best of all is my piastra (see www.ItalianKitchen.com), which is made of thin but durable, and remarkably light, granite. At 10 x 14 inches, it gives you a generous cooking area.
The advantage of a piastra is its very hot surface–hot enough to make mussels dance when they are tossed onto it. It’s a fun and easy way to cook many foods, from shrimp to flat breads. Be sure to give the piastra enough time to get really hot–let it preheat, covered, on the hot grill for at least 10 to 15 minutes. —Mario Batali
Shrimp Rosemary Spiedini alla Romagnola
Serves 6
Rosemary skewers impart an herbal fragrance to the shrimp, and they look rustic and elegant at the same time. To make them, choose large, sturdy sprigs about 8 inches long. Pull off most of the leaves from each sprig, leaving a nice tuft of leaves at the top. Use a sharp knife to cut the bottom of each sprig on a diagonal, producing a sharp point for skewering.
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only (about 2 cups loosely packed)
- 1 bunch basil, leaves only (about 2 cups packed)
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds large shrimp (21 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 12 large rosemary sprigs, prepared as skewers and soaked in water for at least 2 hours or overnight
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges
- Toss parsley and basil leaves into a food processor. Add bread crumbs, salt, pepper and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Zap until herbs are chopped and bread crumbs look green. Transfer to a pie plate or wide, shallow bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat well.
- Skewer 4 or 5 shrimp on each rosemary sprig. (The easiest way to do this is line up 4 or 5 shrimp at a time on a work surface and run a skewer through them; separate them slightly so they cook evenly). Dredge both sides in additional bread crumb mixture. Place skewers on a platter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal grill. Put a piastra on grill to preheat. (See “Cooking on a Piastra.”) Spritz or brush piastra with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place skewers on piastra and cook, turning once, just until shrimp are opaque throughout and some of the crumbs are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve on a platter with lemon wedges.
–Recipe and “Cooking on a Piastra” from Italian Grill by Mario Batali with Judith Sutton. ©2008 by Mario Batali. Reprinted by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers.
Where to Find …
• Mario Batali Italian Grill by Mario Batali (Harper Collins, 2008, $29.95) is available at your local bookstore or at www.amazon.com.
• Catch Mario Batali on the Food Network’s Iron Chef and Molto Mario. He’s also slated for the fall TV series Spain …on the Road Again on PBS.
• Visit www.MarioBatali.com and http://SpainOnTheRoadAgain.com to read more.
• Order Mario’s Italian piastra at www.ItalianKitchen.com.
• Read Mario Batali’s Bio on the Food Network Web site.
• Find more Mario Batali restaurants.
