To kick off this weeklong series of small plates with wine pairings. Ihave adecadent little appetizer, Prosciutto-Wrapped Truffle Fries. My brother Grant chose to match this small plate with Montaudon Brut Champagne NV.
The recipe comes from Michael Chiarello’s latest cookbook Bottega: Bold Italian Flavors from the Heart of California’s Wine Country.
I gotta admit, Iam kind of aMichael Chiarello groupie. But this has nothing to do with his multiple appearances on Food Network nor would Iever consider buying any of the overly thematic ‘lifestyle’ merchandise he sells at his Napa Style stores andonline.
Nope, I’m afan from his days as the chef-owner of Napa Valley’s Tra Vigne, and most especially from his cookbook of the samename.
You see the 1990s were when Istarted developing an interest in cooking. And though Ilike to say I’m an untrained cook, that’s not entirely true. Istarted learning to cook from Michael Chiarello, and his first few cookbooks were my primary tools
Tra Vigne especially helped guide my journey in the kitchen and develop my palate for ‘bold tastes and refined techniques’. The recipes in that book were presented by seasons, giving me my first real lesson in the concept of eating seasonally and locally. Certainly Chiarello did not invent this style of eating. He grew up eating that way in afamily of Italian food lovers in rural Northern California. But Ihave to give Chiarello the credit for introducing me to these ideas long before they were fashionable.
So all during Chiarello’s worldwide wonderings as apaid shill, Istill held him and his cooking in high esteem. But with each passing year the luster of his glory days at Tra Vigne began to fade abit in my mind. Istill pulled out his cookbooks. His style of cooking and choice of ingredients made it easy for me to be inspired and to adapt some of his greatest creations on my own. As my culinary skills grew, my confidence to create food (inspired by his books and his style) grew as well. So I’ll always owe him something for guiding me along apath that has become apassion.
Naturally Iwas intrigued when Iheard Chiarello had opened up anew Napa Valley restaurant in 2008 called Bottega. Iput avisit on my ‘to do’ list. But for some reason Inever made it to the restaurant to see if my hero worship was ready to be buffed up and brought back out on the plate. Maybe it was the economy, maybe it was my feeling that he wasn’t the chef he once was (as fair or unfair as that may be). But Inever made the trip out there to see formyself.
I suspect my loss of interest in his new venture may have been more than just geography or economics. Because the simple fact is the restaurant business is not an easy life, even for aFood Network Star. Could he slip back into that grind? Ihonestly figured once he had left the stress and the long hours of day-to-day restaurant work behind him it would prove too difficult to return, because it seems to me the Food Network churns out primadonnas as much as anything else.
But here Iam, ready to eat those words because if the restaurant is half as good as the new cookbook, then Bottega (the restaurant) needs to go right back on my ‘to-do’ list.
With this his 6th cookbook, Chiarello brings me back to the culinary creations that so inspired me more than adecade ago. As he does in his previous books and on the television Chiarello shares his cooking philosophy in awide-open and personable manner. He even opens up the pantry at Bottega with asection of cooking staples even the home cook can master. There are also plenty of great antipasti like the bruschetta trio, green eggs and ham, or torn figs with burrata. There are also Italian standards– executed with so much flair you’ll wonder why you have not mastered them before. Take gnocchi. In this book he brings us both potato and ricotta versions; one following the other. Read these two recipes one after the other and you will finally understand the difference between the two. He includes plenty of tempting meat, as well as chicken and duck. But it is his pork recipes that will bring me back quite soon. Particularly the Crispy Pork Shanks with Red Wine Agrodolce.
Any of these could have easily been adapted to suit my menu of small plates. But Ichose his Proscuitto-Wrapped Truffle Fries (pg. 46) because the bold ingredients and daring combination is perfect for sharing just afew bites among friends. It’s aplate of big flavors, with enough decadence to drop your jaw. So this recipe is agreat way to set the stage for aluxurious evening spent dining fireside with friends in my ownhome.
My brother Grant has chosen anon-vintage Champagne– special enough to mark the occasion, but with enough casual elegance to comfortably sit alongside Chiarello’s simple yet romantic Prosciutto-Wrapped Truffle Fries serves 6CLICK here for aprintable recipe.
SERIOUS FUNFOOD
Greg Henry
SippitySup
