Mario Batali: Molto Italiano

By JULIETTE ROSSANT You're really getting molto in Molto Italiano (Ecco / HarperCollins, May 2005), a cookbook whose subtitle proudly declares that it contains 327 recipes. Of course, you're getting these from one of America's biggest Italian chefs, Mario Batali -- soon to take his place among super chefs (watch for forthcoming article) and most famously star of Food Network series Molto Mario. One might think that Mario was trying to corner the market with so many recipes, but this book is by no means exhaustive of Italians cuisine. Instead, Molto Italiano serves as a guide to Italian home cooking, by presenting a collection of fine recipes, clear notes, and superb photographs of dishes -- a number of the maestro Molto Mario himself in various New York City locations. The book starts with antipasto; in fact there are three sections, vegetables, seafood and meat. The vegetable antipasto range from the extremely simple to more elaborate. Mario points out, rightly, that a few good slices of salami on a plate are perfectly fine. The essential idea is that each course has standing an weight (p. 14). Many of these recipes are familiar but presented in light versions like Eggplant Parmigiana (p. 23), Fritata with Spinach and Cheese (p. 48) and light soup called Scafata of Fava Beans and Escarole (p. 41) that is full of young artichokes and topped with mint leaves. Mario identifies which area in Italy inspired the dish so that the recipes are almost a tour of the peninsula. But often the photos differ from the dish's description, thus the Scafata photo shows little mint. There are a few oddities, such as a Winter Caprese Salad (p.30), in which Mario uses plum tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Plum tomatoes are passable in the winter months, but basil is either difficult to impossible to find, or its a tasteless hydroponic variety. Why not make this dish in the summer when good tomatoes and great basil are plentiful? The seafood antipasto section has a handful of clam and fried seafood recipes and a more interesting recipe for Tuna and Ricotta Fritters (p. 86), which calls for Italian tuna packed in Olive Oil, so different from the ho-hum American version, marjoram and well-drained ricotta. Too bad fried balls look, well, like fried balls. There are more fried balls in the meat antipasto section like Stuffed Rice Balls Roman-Style (p. 107), but Mario is better known for his love of cured meats. Unfortunately, there are no recipes here on how to make your own salami or bresaola, but he does offer interesting recipes like a Herb Sandwich from Parma (pp. 109-10) that is much like a Greek spanikopita or a Turkish borek – though the Turks would never dream of adding pork! The Soup, Rice and Polenta has many recipes for clams, mussels and lobster in soups, rissoto, and polenta. There are recipes for dried pasta, like the quartet of photographs of spagetti dishes: with mussels, green tomatoes, green olive sauce, with Bottarga, and Carbonara (pp. 166, 174, 184). There are twice as many recipes for fresh pasta including the odd Tagliatelle Pancakes (p. 203) that are made of leftover tagliatelle with mushroom ragu (p. 201) mixed with egg and cheese and served sweetened with sugar. I will take Mario's word that it makes a good hangover cure at 4:00 a.m. The fish, fowl and meat chapters are full of simple dishes, fish with just herbs, olive oil and lemon in true Italian style. There are good, hearty stews for winter fare like Chicken Stew with Polenta, Celery Root and Sage (p.313) which I shall certainly dig up for a cold winter night or the Whole Veal Shank with Marjoram (p. 361). I was glad to see a few rabbit dishes like Braised Rabbit with Leeks, Turnips and Vin Santo (p. 381) since I remember well trying rabbit for the first time in Italy as a youngster and regretting how difficult is was, and often still is, to get rabbit in America. There is even a very interesting Meatballs with Ricotta in Milk (p. 398) in which the veal and pork meatballs are simmered in a "broken white sauce." (I wonder, what Rocco DiSpirito's Mama would think of these?) The chapter on vegetables is full of wandering over the geography of Italy, like Artichokes in the Style of the Italian Jews, (p. 414) that are deep fried, or Eggplant Caponata (p. 426) from Sicily that uses cocoa powder. Mario adds a sidebar on the history of Italian chocolate. There is a narrow section at the end of the book of Italian desserts, from Easter Grain and Ricotta Pie (p. 463) often served in New York's Little Italy pastry shops to Coffee Granita (p. 491) that refreshing frozen coffee dessert that can revive anyone on a muggy hot summer day. Mario claims that "Italy measures up pound for pound with rance and Austria in the development and love of the sweeter comestibles" (p. 450). I am still not convinced. I firmly believe that the French outdo the Italians in the pastry department. In fact, I remember Julia Child's general dismissal of Italian food (and anything that wasn't French, for that matter) to me a few years back. Julia believed Italian food was too simple. It was not cuisine, not prepared. Yet, I know from experience that the look and taste of an average Italian peach outclasses any peach in America. I hold cuisine to be the preparation of food and admire greatly minimalism, so, Mario, serve me up an Italian peach any way you want, the simpler, the better -- you know, "home style." Previous articles: Newsweek Bets on Mario Batali's Basting Brush Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali's Mozza Molto Mario Massascres Mahi The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero Suvir Saran Spins Indian Home Cooking Biro: European-Inspired Cuisine July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger July 4: East Meets West Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue Christy Campbell: The Botanist and the Vintner Kathleen Daelemans: Getting Thin and Loving Food! Aroma: Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel Tyler Florence: Eat This Book The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Paula Deen & Friends Roland Mesnier's Dessert University Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean Don Pintabona: Shared Table Annabel Karmel: First Meals Nigella Lawson's Feast Cook Like a Kyrgyz Ozzi Dining Downunder and Bushfood Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willan: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Book links: Publisher Amazon.com Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cookbook television Italian --> back to superchefblog