Bottega - Michael Chiarello [1]
Many thanks to Michael Mabry, Peter Soe, and Lilyana Bone at Mabry Design. After the many projects we’ve done together, you still blow my mind with amazing, one-of-a-kind design as well as your calm and sureness at all the right times.
My publisher Chronicle Books for being a true partner in a world where that is hard to find. To Bill LeBlond, my editor and, more important, my friend. Thanks for your courage for letting this book be exactly what it needed to be. Thanks to Sarah Billingsley, Vanessa Dina, Doug Ogan, Tera Killip, Peter Perez, David Hawk, and Carolyn Miller for assuring it read and looked like the book we all dreamed it could be.
My NapaStyle family for knowing that if I followed my dream it would enhance the dream we built together. Much more fun to come!
My father Fortunato, my mother Antoinette, and my brothers Ron and Kevin. Forever you put up with my dreaming bigger than I could reach, working longer than I should, missing more than I wanted to, but your steady love and encouragement brought me around to what is truly important. My in-laws Denis and Judy Gordon, and my brother-in-law Tim, thanks for playing such a great supporting role in getting this off the ground. I promise I will keep my date nights with our little girl.
Mom, you are with me each day as I step into my clogs and, more important, each day as I take them off. You are forever etched into my culinary being as the person who taught me that flavor is more important than taste. That simple fact – and your love—changed my life.
Let’s go “throw the party.”
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Pantry
Chapter 1
Make Your Own
FACCIA IL VOSTRI PROPRI
Chapter 2
Tantalizing Snacks
STUZZICHINI
Chapter 3
Before the Meal
ANTIPASTI
Chapter 4
Soups and Salads
MINESTRE E INSALATE
Chapter 5
Pastas and Risottos
PASTE E RISOTTI
Chapter 6
Fish and Shellfish
PESCE ED I MOLLUSCHI
Chapter 7
Meats and Poultry
CARNE E POLLAME
Chapter 8
Side Dishes
CONTORNI
Chapter 9
Desserts
DOLCI
Chapter 10
Libations
LIBAGIONI
Resources
Index
Table of Equivalents
Introduction
With this book, I hope to share the recipes for Bottega’s food and drinks but also to share our cooking philosophy: That you can make anything in your kitchen at home—anything you truly want to make—but how well you cook depends on how often you are willing to practice.
I grew up with some fantastic cooks, and none of them had expensive cooking tools or formal culinary training. Yet, night after night, they put great food on the table, food that was slow-cooked before “slow cooking” was a slogan. People ask me how they can “get up to speed” on their cooking skills, which classes they can take, which chef they should study under, which countries and regions they can visit to improve their cooking skills overnight. My answer is there is no answer—there is no credit-card path to instant cooking abilities. The good news is that the power to cook well is in your own hands, literally. The three main tools you’ll need to cook good food are your hands, your mind, and your heart.
For most home cooks, about a dozen recipes account for 75 percent of the dishes they serve. That’s fine. If three or four of my recipes find their way into your repertoire, then I’ve succeeded. With this book, I’ll tell you what I tell every cook who’s ever worked with me in a restaurant: “Cook these dishes my way until you have it right. Don’t innovate until you’ve made the dish three dozen times