Mario's book Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home Among Food Network chefs, Mario Batali carries the most street cred with me. The pony-tailed Batali owns more than a dozen eateries, including New York's legendary Babbo -- and inspired my favorite writer, Bill Buford, to quit his job to become Batali's "kitchen slave." The true test of any chef, of course, is his food. Rather than flying to NYC to visit Batali's restaurants, I enlisted my friend Joey to test one of his recipes. Joey -- officially Joey Francesca Lorenzo Favaloro -- has more Italian and San Francisco roots than you can shake a breadstick at. Her Sicilian-born father was a baker in The City's Italian district for years, and her family's kitchen turns out the best white clam sauce I've ever had. To test out Batali's chops, we chose a classically southern Italian dish from his repertoire: penne with calamari and Malvasia (a full-bodied red wine made from Mediterranean grapes). On Joey's dad's recommendation, we bought fresh calamari from a Chinese seafood market in San Francisco's Richmond District. Next, we picked up fresh breadcrumbs from the French Italian Baking Company (where her father had worked). For dessert, we chose a semi-frozen rum cake from the Victoria Pastry Company, which baked Joey's parents' wedding cake more than two decades ago. Once we got back to my apartment, we opened the bottle of Malvasia and started cooking. Thankfully, Batali's recipe impressed us all -- the simple tomato sauce spiked with red pepper flakes, wine, parsley, and sliced onions was the perfect backdrop for the fresh calamari. (And don't skimp on the toasted bread crumbs and Pecorino cheese on top of the pasta - they really make the flavors pop.) I asked Joey what her dad would say about the dish. "He would love it just as it is," she replied. Higher praise can't be found. Suggested Sites... Mario Unclogged - the folks at Serious Eats test out more of Batali's goods. Chef Mario Batali - everything you might want to know about Batali. The Marco Pierre White Risotto Incident - Batali talks about a little kitchen bravado back in the day.

Directory categories: Chef Mario Batali, Italian Recipes, Culinary Tours

Archived under: Cooking, Food and Drink, Italian Food, Mario Batali, Recipes, Restaurants, San Francisco

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