Italian Grill - Mario Batali [28]
When all are done, slice each round horizontally in half with a serrated knife: Hold the round with your non-cutting hand as you carefully cut it into two even halves. Place a slice of prosciutto on the bottom half of each one and smear 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone on the other half. Replace the top halves and press gently together.
Place the piadine on the grill for a minute or two to rewarm them, then wrap in a napkin and serve.
Piadine are a favorite snack in Romagna, the eastern part of Emilia-Romagna, where you will find them in every panini bar. Traditionally they were cooked on special embossed tiles, which imprinted them with a decorative pattern.
PIADINA
WITH TALEGGIO, COPPA, AND APPLES
MAKES 12 PIADINE
Piadina Dough (page 80)
2 Granny Smith apples
½ lemon
1 pound ripe Taleggio, at room temperature
8 ounces thinly sliced coppa
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Place a piastra (see page 9) on the grill to preheat.
Cut the dough into 12 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a 6-inch round, and place on two baking sheets or trays.
Quarter the apples, core them, and, using a mandoline or other vegetable slicer, cut them into paper-thin slices. Put them in a shallow bowl and squeeze a little lemon juice over them, tossing gently so the slices don’t break (don’t worry if a couple of them do). Set aside.
Working in batches, place the rounds on the piastra and cook until light golden brown on the first side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side. Transfer to the baking sheets.
When all are done, smear the soft Taleggio evenly over the piadine and cover with the sliced coppa. Pile the apples on top of the coppa.
Place the piadine on the grill for a minute or two to rewarm them, then serve.
Taleggio is a creamy Italian cow’s-milk cheese with a slightly nutty flavor. You could substitute Teleme from California, a creamy Fontina, or even Bel Paese, which has a similar texture.
FISH AND SHELLFISH
In Italy, cooking fish is all about freshness and simplicity—as I’ve said before, the philosophy of Italian fish cookery can be summed up in three words: Leave it alone. Complicated sauces and techniques are not part of the repertoire, and, in fact, Italians almost never serve any sauce at all with fish, other than an excellent olive oil. Lemon may sometimes appear, but even that is often considered beside the point. The one exception is salsa verde, the fragrant green herb sauce, which may sometimes accompany a fish with character enough to stand up to it, such as a whole grilled branzino (see page 126).
Few Italians would consider cooking anything other than local fish, whether from a mountain stream or the ocean, and I urge you to think in the same way: find a good fish market, and remember that what is freshest is best. If the specific fish called for in your recipe is not available—or doesn’t look pristine and glistening—the fishmonger can help you choose another option (I include suggestions for substitutions in many of the recipes). If you are able to get fresh king mackerel for Mackerel “in Scapece” with Amalfi Lemon Salad, you will have the best mackerel dish you’ve ever tasted; if you can’t find it, make the recipe with very fresh bluefish, or move on to another one. Most of the other fish recipes in this chapter, such as Monkfish in Prosciutto with Pesto Fregola and Swordfish Involtini Sicilian-Style, call for widely available varieties. But you’ll want to be sure to get the best tuna available—sushi-quality, that is—for Tuna Like Fiorentina, and you really should use wild salmon for the Salmon in Cartoccio with Asparagus, Citrus, and Mint.
Cooking shellfish on the grill is easy, and the recipes in this chapter use several different techniques for achieving simple perfection. Clams in Cartoccio are wrapped in a foil package and allowed to steam in their fragrant juices. The shrimp in Shrimp