Bottega - Michael Chiarello [15]
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
Whisk together the cream and buttermilk and pour into a glass jar. Cover it with two layers of cheesecloth and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that, seal the jar with plastic wrap and refrigerate if you don’t plan to use the crème fraîche right away. It will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Dried Bread Crumbs
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
I sometimes buy Progresso bread crumbs, and I also buy panko crumbs because they make crispier fried foods. But my mother always saved her stale bread and never, ever bought bread crumbs, so when I’m able to make my own crumbs from leftover bread, I think it adds something to the dish.
Stale bread makes better crumbs. You need a good amount of bread for the processor to do its job, but bread crumbs freeze beautifully; seal up any extra bread crumbs in small freezer bags.
2 loaves (1 pound each) country-style bread
Cut the bread into cubes about 1 to 2 inches wide. Leave the crust—don’t slice it off. Spread the bread cubes on trays and let them air dry for several days, until the bread is very dry. In damp weather, you may need to heat the cubes in a 200°F oven for an hour to reduce moisture. Let the bread cool completely before you grind it.
Working in batches, place the cubes in a food processor and whir until the bread is reduced to fine crumbs. Seal in freezer bags any crumbs that you don’t need and freeze for up to 1 month.
Chapter 2
Tantalizing Snacks
Stuzzichini
Stuzzichini are foods eaten out of hand, snacks that tease and tantalize. The Italian version of tapas, stuzzichini are meant to stimulate your appetite. At Bottega, we serve them as bar food or as a small bite while you read the menu and decide what you’d like for dinner. To me, they symbolize a kind of graciousness, a warmth at the start of the meal. At home, I make them as hors d’oeuvres to pass before the meal; they’re wonderful for a cocktail party. Pick one of our cocktails—I’d go with the Negroni—and make a party of it.
When I’m at Bottega, I can’t help thinking about Belle and Barney Rhodes. Perhaps more than anyone, they encouraged this valley’s growth. As Napa wines became known worldwide, the valley’s vintners realized they needed to learn world-class entertaining. Twenty-five years ago, there were few restaurants here, and none of the caliber we have today. When Belle helped found the Napa Valley Cooking Class, chefs came from all over the world to teach which foods best complemented our Napa Valley wines. It’s incredible to see how the valley has changed since those first cooking and wine classes. I’m inspired by the thought that Bottega is located where it all began.
I dined with Belle and Barney in their home many times, and one detail stands out in my memory: Most dinners ended with warm pistachios and the passing of a port decanter. The decanter had a round bottom—it couldn’t be set down—so the bottle had to be passed from hand to hand. We felt contented after the meal, with Barney often dozing in his chair. The conversation was relaxed, and the passing of port and pistachios sealed the circle that had begun around the table, connecting us once more before the evening came to an end.
Stuzzichini can be as simple as warm pistachios. It’s the passing from hand to hand that matters.
Chicken Wings Agrodolce
Pesto Arancini Stuffed with Mozzarella
Bruschetta Trio: Tomatoes and Basil; Pepperonata; and Carrot, Onion, and Eggplant Caponata
Prosciutto-Wrapped Truffle Fries
Chicken Wings Agrodolce
SERVES 6 TO 8
This is Bottega’s answer to kung pao chicken: crisp outside, juicy inside, with a sweet-spicy sauce that makes it hard to stop reaching for another. Agrodolce is Italian for “sour-sweet,” but this is more about the Calabrian chile paste than the sour. While I tested batch after batch, looking for just the right blend