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Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking Reviews
Featured Review
April 24, 2010 at 11:52 am
Reviewed by KYHeirloomer
Pros: Lots of great, simple dishes
Cons: Too much relience on hard-to-find ingredients
Cons: Too much relience on hard-to-find ingredients
Written by Brook Elliott
As we’ve discussed more than once, here at Cheftalk, the Food Network has brewed a stockpot full of programming errors the past few years. Of them all, so far as I’m concerned, the worst was not retaining Mario Batali.
Truth to tell, I was never enamored of the Food Network’s fascination with Italian food. For many years, in fact, it would have been easy to conclude that Italian was the only ethnic cuisine the folks at FN knew about. Even so, Batali’s style and expertise remained a major asset.
Take Iron Chef America as an example. There’s Bobby Flay frenetically bouncing around like an elementary school basketball player. And Morimoto, whose exceptional technical virtuosity often frustrates the rest of us. And then there was Mario, with his baggy shorts and signature orange Crocs. Laid back, with no sense of urgency, fazed by nothing. Taking the time to teach Alton Brown Italian pronunciation, and to bring the judges a little taste of grappa, and to explain the inspiration for some of his dishes and the ingredients being used. Almost lackadaisical as he sliced, and chopped, and sautéed, and roasted. And yet, at the end, he not only completed all his tasks, he did it better than anyone else. And made it all look easy!
Or look at Molto Mario. The same down-to-earth style brought to a format where you’re a guest in his kitchen. Mario didn’t demonstrate how to cook, or preach at you the way many of the celebrities do. He taught by involving you in the process; chatting about what was going on, rather than lecturing. And you came away the better for it.
In short, Mario Batali is the cook I’ve always wanted to be.
Now comes Molto Gusto, the latest of his eight cookbooks. Despite being totally unlike any of the others, it is, yet, quintessentially Mario. And thus, my favorite.
Molto Gusto is, at base, the service idea expounded at Batali’s Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. There you’ll find no main dishes, as such. Instead, a typical meal might include a couple of antipasti (often vegetable based), perhaps a leafy-green salad, some cheese and salumi, a small plate of pasta, and an individual pizza or two. “What seems to be all the rage in the smart world of foodies,” Batali says in his introduction, “is simply an extension of the traditional Italian table, where farming, foraging, and gardening have always yielded the bulk of the food in the daily diet.”
Both Otto Pizzeria and Molto Gusto, strive for that ideal. And, while I’ve never had the pleasure of eating at Otto, the book, with one caveat that we’ll explore, achieves it in spades.
Molto Gusto, physically, is a joy both to read and to look at. Amply illustrated with Quentin Bacon’s incredible photographs, much of the text and recipes are, themselves, printed on colored stock. Far too often, in the publishing world, that doesn’t work because the choice of colors makes the text all but unreadable. Such is not the case, here. In each instance, the text and background colors seem carefully chosen for extreme legibility.
There are seven chapters in the book, arranged to maximize the one-from-column-A philosophy being espoused by Batali. Each chapter is preceded by introductory remarks by Mario, followed by the recipes. Chapter titles say it all: Vegetable Antipasti, Seafood & Meat Antipasti, Bruschetta & Cheese, Insalata, Pasta, Pizza, and Gelato & Sorbetto. These chapters are followed by a short glossary, and a source listing for ingredients.
As I read the introductory remarks, and the instructions accompanying the recipes, it was as though Mario was right there, talking me through it all. I kept thinking, “if only I had a Mario bobble-head doll on the prep table, everything would be perfect. He actually would be right there”
Once I got into the recipes, however, all thoughts of perfection quickly fled.
Don’t get me wrong. So far as taste is concerned all the recipes we’ve tried have exceeded our expectations. Mario’s food is delicious, and each dish is relatively easy to prepare.
For our Molto Gusto meal, we chose Brussels Sprouts with Mustard and Octopus & Celery as the antipasti, Misticanza as the salad, Spaghetti all’Amatriciana for the pasta, and two pizzas: Sausage & Peppers and Balsamic, Onion & Goat Cheese.
Any criticism would be picking nits, and would be based on personal taste perceptions. For instance, for me, the Brussels Sprouts were a bit too lemony. But Friend Wife insisted it was just the right amount.
So what’s the problem? Actually, there are three.
First off, portion sizes are way too big. In each case, the suggested portion would be fine if that’s all you were having. But once you try his suggested progression of several antipasti, and a salad, and a pasta, and a pizza or two, you’re talking about an incredible quantity of food. Far more, I’d say, then a traditional main dish and sides. If you decide to make one or two of these dishes, that’s one thing. But as a full spread, better figure on at least halving each portion.
Second is prep time. While each dish is, as I said, relatively simple, they can be time consuming. Again, no problem if you’re only preparing one or two. But a full spread means you’ll be as busy as if you were doing Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately, almost all of them can be prepared up to three days in advance. So, for a party or special dinner, the concept makes sense. But don’t expect to serve one of these meals as a weeknight dinner.
I’ve listed portion size and prep time first to get them out of the way. While they are detractions, they’re manageable once you’re aware of them.
Which brings me to my third, and more significant, complaint: Batali’s choice of ingredients. Far too often he calls for rare or hard-to-find ingredients, and does not suggest alternatives.
For example. His approach to making pizza is ideal for the home cook, because after shaping the flatbreads they are precooked on a griddle. This negates the need for either a special oven or equipment, because the breads are merely topped and finished in the broiler. But he specifies “00” flour. Try and find that, locally! The fact that bread flour can substitute goes unmentioned.
Many of the recipes specify Pomi strained tomatoes. Pomi is an Italian brand, which might be common in New York, but can otherwise be difficult to find. And just what are “strained” tomatoes? Turns out they’re comparable to tomato puree, and that’s available in cans in any supermarket. Would have been nice if he told us that. Instead, buried in the longish glossary section called tomatoes, it says Pomi are “sold in most grocery stores.” Granted, it further says that Pomi tomatoes are available “either chopped or strained (pureed).” But how many people are going to work that hard to find out what can substitute for an otherwise little known ingredient?
The ultimate in this is cacio di Roma. Several of the recipes call for this cheese. Maybe it’s what Batali uses in his restaurant? And possibly it can be found in New York or San Francisco? Or maybe he imports it directly? But the fact is, not only is it not available locally, none of the sources listed in the book carry it either. It is not included in his glossary. Nor, for that matter, does the World Cheese Book list it. Fact is, I did some time-consuming research, both on-line and in my library, and I’m still not sure what it is.
I don’t mean to imply that all, or even most, of the recipes suffer from this problem. But there are enough of them and to spare. Frustrating, to say the very least.
While I appreciate Batali’s desire to use the best products possible, this over-specificity of specialized ingredients is a major flaw in an otherwise superlative book. Is it enough of a problem to avoid buying the book? I think not. But be prepared; you might not be able to make some of the most intriguing recipes.
Recipe:
Brussels Sprouts with Mustard
2 lbs Brussels sprouts
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼ inch dice
Maldon or other flaky sea salt
¼ cup black mustard seeds
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tbls mustard oil
Preheat the broiler. Trim the stems of the Brussels sprouts and remove any discolored leaves. Slice the sprouts lengthwise in half and transfer to a large bowl.
Set a 10-inch pan over medium heat, add the pancetta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has rendered some of its fat and is beginning to brown and caramelize, about 5 minutes.
Pour the pancetta and fat over the Brussels sprouts, tossing to coat. Season well with salt. Transfer to a baking sheet (set the bowl aside), spreading the sprouts out in a single layer. Broil 4 inches from the heat source, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned and just tender.
Return the Brussels sprouts to the bowl, add the mustard seeds, lemon zest and juice, and oil, and stir to mix. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Serve, or let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to bring out the flavors. (The Brussels sprouts can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
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Post Comment
April 27, 2010 at 10:41 am
Reviewed by phatch
The oddball ingredients stood out to me too as I thumbed through it at the store. I'd have difficulty sourcing much of it and certainly not fresh. The freezer case at the Asian grocer would cover some of the seafood.
1 person found this review useful
May 1, 2010 at 9:20 am
I am commenting only about Brook's comments that some items mentioned in Batali's book are difficult to obtain or obscure. They are very common here. I've been using Pomi for years, although I now use other brands, and it's commonly found on the shelves of many supermarkets in the area.
The cacio di Roma, if you're unfamiliar with it, was found with a simple Google search, and quite a few hits turned up. There are at least two cheese shops within a few minutes of Casa Schmoozer that carry the cheese.
Perhaps, in some areas of the country, it may be difficult to find some ingredients, but with the prevalence of on line searching and ordering, odd or obscure ingredients might be easy to find. That said, I'd agree that it would be nice to offer the reader some substitutes. A lot of cook books and cook book authors do that, even for what may be common ingredients.
BTW, Mario has a page on his site that lists and describes many of the ingredients he uses: http://www.mariobatali.com/food_wine_ingredients.cfm
The cacio di Roma, if you're unfamiliar with it, was found with a simple Google search, and quite a few hits turned up. There are at least two cheese shops within a few minutes of Casa Schmoozer that carry the cheese.
Perhaps, in some areas of the country, it may be difficult to find some ingredients, but with the prevalence of on line searching and ordering, odd or obscure ingredients might be easy to find. That said, I'd agree that it would be nice to offer the reader some substitutes. A lot of cook books and cook book authors do that, even for what may be common ingredients.
BTW, Mario has a page on his site that lists and describes many of the ingredients he uses: http://www.mariobatali.com/food_wine_ingredients.cfm
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