Bottega - Michael Chiarello [58]
1 bay leaf
Small piece of prosciutto heel
Sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
“ANGRY” PRAWNS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons pure California chile powder
1 tablespoon sea salt, preferably gray salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds extra-large prawns (16 to 20 count), shelled and deveined, tails intact
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
4 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
2 tablespoons seeded and thinly sliced serrano chiles
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste (see Resources), or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE PASSATINA: Pour the beans into a large stockpot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour, then drain. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches, and then add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and prosciutto. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and let the beans cook gently, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender. The timing will depend on the age and size of the beans you’ve used; start tasting for tenderness after 60 to 90 minutes. Let the beans cool completely in the cooking liquid. Set the pan aside or refrigerate for up to 3 days, keeping the beans in their cooking liquid.
When ready to purée the beans, discard the prosciutto and drain the beans but reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. In a food processor or blender, process 3 cups of the cooked beans (not the liquid) until smooth. Stir in the 3/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. If the mixture needs to be thinned slightly, add 1/4 to ½ cup of the reserved liquid. (Set aside until ready to serve, or cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring the beans to room temperature, then spoon into a saucepan over medium-low heat until the beans are warm, stirring occasionally.)
FOR THE PRAWNS: Before you begin cooking the prawns, have everything you’ll need at hand. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, chile powder, salt, and pepper. Stir with a whisk to blend. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture and set them aside on a baking sheet. Discard the leftover flour.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over high heat, add 1/4 cup of the oil, and sauté one-half of the prawns (8 to 10 prawns) for 2 minutes, or until evenly pink on both sides but not browned. Using a slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer the prawns to the prepared sheet to drain. If needed, add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat it before adding the next batch of prawns. Repeat until all the prawns are cooked. Remove the paper towels and transfer the sheet of prawns to a 250°F oven to keep warm.
Here’s where you shift to high-powered-chef mode: Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to the same pan in which you cooked the prawns and heat over high heat; add the garlic and turn your kitchen fan to high. As soon as the garlic begins to turn light brown, add the chiles, shake the pan, and add the basil. The leaves will pop and spurt, so stand back! Cook until the leaves are crispy and translucent, about 2 minutes. Make sure you have at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Add more if necessary. Add the chile paste, stir, and remove from the heat. Add the orange zest and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon a mound of the beans on each of 6 warmed plates. Top with 5 or 6 prawns. Drizzle with some of the pan sauce and top with the basil leaves. Serve with small dishes of Calabrian chile paste so guests can add more to suit their tastes.
Seared Day-Boat Scallops, Chickpea Passatina, and Cauliflower Agrodolce
SERVES 6
Day boat means just that: the boats go out in the morning and come back the same day with a fresh catch. Ask for these scallops by name, and take note of one way they differ