A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to participate in an online briefing with Michael Chiarello, renowned chef, Emmy award-winning Food Network host, cookbook author and recent contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.” The briefing was sponsored by Marie Callender’s and Michael showed us how easy it is to have a home cooked meal in 30 minutes. If there is anyone that needed this it’s me! And given the fact that we’re on a budget, it was nice to be given affordable meal options that taste as good as you’d find in a traditional Italian restaurant.
One of the things we’re not great about in our home are “courses.” We do good to make a salad and have ice cream (those are the compliments to our main entree). If you wanted to do hor d’oeuvres, sides, and a traditional dessert, it wouldn’t be terribly difficult, as Michael showed us. Here are some tips (by course) from the briefing that I thought you might be interested in, courtesy of chef Michael Chiarello:
Ambiance:
- Experiment on using the entire house
- Serve at the coffee table. Lay a few extra pillows on the floor.
- Set your dining table in the vegetable garden.
- Music – pick something you love and that motivates you.
Appetizers:
- Serve family-style antipasti
- Start with a variety of easy-to-find cured meats, Italian cheeses, marinated vegetables & olives, and tomato steaks
- Serve your bread hot and crispy from the oven
Recipe Option:
Late Summer Tomato Bruchetta
Ingredients
1 loaf day old country bread
6 whole canned tomatoes
6 roughly torn basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Directions
Preheat a grill or grill pan.
Slice your bread thickly, and place slices on a dry grill to brown, about 30 seconds on both sides. Take canned tomatoes, place on cutting board, and slice. Add the basil to the canned tomatoes in a large bowl. Add olive oil and season with black pepper, to taste.
Salad:
- Cook for all the senses
- Combine sweet, salty, cold and warm ingredients
- Prep some ingredients in advance
Recipe Option:
Sliced Orange Salad with Sauteed Olives and Ricotta
Ingredients
4 naval oranges
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup oil-cure black olives, pitted and halved
6 cups (about 6 ounces) lightly packed baby spinach or arugula
¼ cup of a citrus vinaigrette
Freshly ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dried sour cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins
Directions
Remove 1 tablespoon of zest from orange. Peel the remaining 3 oranges. Cut all 4 oranges crosswire into ¼-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice in half to form half-moons and remove any seeds.
Heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the rosemary and cook for a few seconds, then add the olives. Cook for 10 seconds, then add the zest. Cook for a few seconds longer, then remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
Pour the olive-orange mixture from the skillet over the spinach and add the vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat the spinach evenly. Add the reserved orange slices and toss a bit more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Grate the ricotta salata over the top. Serve immediately.
How to make the perfect pasta every time:
- Match the shape of the pasta to the texture of the sauce
- Smooth sauces are great with long, thin noodles
- Chunkier sauces are perfect with hollow noodles, like penne, rigatoni or ziti
Recipe Option:
Spaghetti with Uncooked Watercress
Ingredients
Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
1 pound spaghetti
For the Sauce
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
6 cups small watercress leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 tablespoons Prosciutto Bits
½ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: in a 12-inch skillet, combine 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and cook for 10 seconds. Scoop out ½ cup of the water from the pasta pot, add to the skillet and remove the skillet from the heat.
When the pasta is almost cooked, return the skillet to medium heat. Remove another ½ cup of the pasta water from the pot and reserve it to the side. When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss it with the hot oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and enough of the reserved pasta water to coat the pasta lightly. Cook, stirring and tossing for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the watercress, parsley and Prosciutto Bits and stir to wilt the leaves in the hot pasta.
Serve the pasta in warmed individual bowls or family-style on a warmed large platter. Sprinkle the pecorino cheese over the top.
Dessert:
He developed a “one-time” approach to biscotti
Prepare the dough ahead of time and then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Then just slice and bake the cookies as you need them.
Bake the cookies for 20 – 25 minutes – ONLY ONCE!
Recipe Option:
Marinated Pazzo Berries with Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and quartered
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup superfine sugar
6 large Italian biscotti, broken into small pieces
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, stirred to a smooth consistency
Sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the strawberries in a bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to completely dissolve the sugar.
Pour the marinade over the berries and gently toss to coat.
Divide the biscotti pieces into 4 bowls. Spoon the berries and some of the marinade over each and top with a dollop of mascarpone. Serve immediately.
Surprisingly, chef Michael likes Marie Callender’s Pasta Al Dente meals which can be cooked in 5 minutes. They’re available in ten flavors and inspired by Italian traditions. I have to admit that I haven’t had an opportunity to try them yet, but one of the reasons why I’m interested in trying them is that you can steam the steams the ingredients and pasta separately from the sauce so the vegetables are vibrant and crisp and the pasta is cooked perfectly al dente.
One of the best gifts you could get a foodie (or someone like my husband) is a good cookbook. And not just any cookbook. Something that helps you create affordable, feasible, gourmet meals in a reasonable amount of time. We actually have Michael’s cookbook, Casual Cooking and just added At Home With Michael Chiarello to our library. Check out this blurb about Michael’s latest cookbook:
Bringing together the tricks and tips I know to make a party both you and your guests will enjoy, my sixth book provides the knowledge you need to develop a style of entertaining that works for you. The book includes my six basic rules for entertaining, information on scaling recipes, wine do’s and don’ts, old-fashioned cooking and cleaning tips, kitchen organization and equipment advice.
This is the kind of cookbook you’ll love if you enjoy having people over for dinner. There are 125 recipes and they’re definitely meals you’d order at a high-end restaurant. The pictures are stunning, his menu suggestions for entertaining make it easy to plan, and the recipes are completely doable. Some of my favorite? Pumpkin Risotto, Cioppino, Lemon Oil Smashed Potatoes, and Molten Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes.
Be sure to check out his site, Napa Style for recipes, kitchen tips, gourmet food gifts, and more. You can find more of Michael’s cooking tips here.
For more fabulous Holiday Gift Ideas, visit The Mommy-Files
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