Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [19]
3 Coat a sauté pan with olive oil, add the bacon, and bring to medium heat. When the bacon is brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes, add the chili peppers and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the corn and toss to combine. Season with salt, stir in the vinegar, and taste—it should be really good by now. Toss in the scallions, remove from heat, and reserve.
4 Toast the baguette slices on the grill; when lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total, remove them and rub each slice with the whole garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil and top with the corn-bacon mixture.
This is super-corny!
SERVES: 6 • TIME: ABOUT 15 MINUTES
This is a classic that everyone should know how to do well. The trick here has nothing to do with cooking and everything to do with using only seasonal ingredients. When summer tomatoes are pristine and basil is at its peak, that’s when you want to whip this baby up. By the way, it’s pronounced “broo-SKET-ta”—NOT “broo-SHETT-ta.”
MISE EN PLACE
4 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped, plus 1 whole clove
¼ cup big fat finishing oil
1 baguette, cut into ½-inch slices on the bias
1 Preheat a grill.
2 Combine the tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt, smashed garlic, and big fat finishing oil in a large bowl, toss well, and reserve.
3 Toast the baguette slices on the grill; when lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total, remove them and rub each slice with the whole garlic clove. Top with the lovely tomato-basil mixture.
This is summer on toast!
A chiffonade is a thin ribbon cut used for fresh basil, mint, and other fragile leaves that can bruise very easily, turn black, and look gross. To chiffonade, you can either cut the herbs with kitchen shears or roll up the herbs and run through them with a very sharp knife. Either way, you don’t want to crash your knife (especially a dull one!) down on top of the leaves or they’ll certainly turn black. Ick.
SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES
This is another super-cinchy piccolini that packs a big wow factor. Start with high-quality ricotta, mix it up with lots of other yummy stuff, put it in a cute dish, and bake until it’s all warm and melty. Serve this cheesy pot of deliciousness with lots of warm bread, and I guarantee people will call you a rock star!
MISE EN PLACE
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
Big fat finishing oil
1 loaf of rustic Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2 Combine the ricotta, rosemary, zest, olive oil, red pepper, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Taste to make sure it’s delicious and reseason as needed.
3 Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the oven, drizzle with a little bit of big fat finishing oil, and serve immediately with the bread.
Hot and cheeeeesy!
I LOOOOVE appetizers. Nothing’s easier than walking into a restaurant, getting a glass of wine, and saying, “Let’s grab some apps!” They’re usually crispy and crunchy, gooey and cheesy, or bright and refreshing. They give you just enough of a taste to really appreciate how all the flavors work together, and the really good appetizers leave you wanting more.
I discovered the beauty and creativity of the first course when I was studying in Italy. I was going to school in Piedmont, way up in the northwest, the land of white truffles, Barolo, and Barbaresco. But Piedmont is also the land of antipasti—the Italian word for appetizer. Needless to say, it was quite an education.
When I’d go to a restaurant, the waiter would ask how many antipasti we wanted, three or four? I was in heaven! Antipasti are the beginning of the journey—they’re the first flavors you experience, they