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| MORNING, ITALIAN STYLE: Alberto Lombardi at Taverna. |
Italian Style
Italians love food. Here is where to dine, what to sip, and what’s cooking Italian style.
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COOKIE CUTTER >>
The biscotti at Iris is handmade three times a day by owner Susie Priore, who uses a classic Italian recipe for Cantuccini di Prato, or Italian Christmas biscotti, which includes dried cherries, cranberries and pistachios. The fruits and nuts make the biscuit chewy, while adding flavor and color. Priore – who inherited her Italian name by way of marriage – bakes the biscuits twice, as the Italians do for crispness, an essential quality for proper dunking.
Iris. 5405 W. Lovers Ln. 214-352-2727.
MORNING, ITALIAN STYLE
Every morning restaurateur Alberto Lombardi (pictured above) and his wife Vivian begin their day with coffee and croissants at a local café. “We don’t make coffee in the morning at home,” says Lombardi. “That’s not the Italian way.” Instead, they have their espresso, greet the regulars, and then set off for work. “In Dallas, we visit the café in the morning only. But in Italy, we go to the café three or four times a day. We like to have a place to gather, to feel we belong somewhere,” he says. For the Knox-Henderson district, Lombardi has created Taverna, which serves simple Italian fare. Not exactly a café, but already the heart of the neighborhood. And Lombardi’s sensibility has hit a cord. More Tavernas are in the works with the next one opening in Coconut Grove, Florida, in November. Taverna Pizzaria & Risottoria, 3210 Armstrong Ave. 214-520-9933.
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HAM I AM >>
Prosciutto is really country ham, but only in the way that polenta is really fried grits. Leave it to the Italians to make ham gourmet. This seasoned, salt-cured, air-dried, and pressed delicacy is light and intensely flavorful. When you buy prosciutto, always ask for a taste. It should be thin, not too salty, and the fat should be very white. A beautiful first course: prosciutto paired with figs and fruits such as star fruit, blackberries, or melon. A variety of proscuittos available at: Central Market. 5750 E. Lovers Ln. 214-234-7000; 320 Coit Rd., Plano. 469-241-8300.
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<< JAVA JUICE
In 1895, Luigi Lavazza discovered that one could blend coffee beans, much like vintners blend grapes, and produce a better result. Lavazza Qualita Rossa is still Italy’s number-one seller and the popular Café Espresso, a sweet, aromatic blend of 100-percent Arabica, is still produced in the northwest Italian city of Turin. One-pound bricks are available at Whole Foods for $5.99. Whole Foods Market. 2218 Lower Greenville Ave. 214-824-1744. Preston Forest Village. 11661 Preston Rd. 214-361-8887. Highland Park. 4100 Lomo Alto Dr. 214-520-7993.
CLAM BAKE
Even the most inexperienced cook can prepare Linguini Su Barchile, say Sardinian brothers Efisio and Francesco Farris, who’ve made Arcodoro & Pomodoro restaurant one of the top Italian eateries in town. Fresh ingredients are mandatory in Italian cooking, so get your littleneck clams from Central Market, which flies them in fresh year round from the east coast. Vermentino wine (Lughente) is also available at Central Market, and the bottarga can be purchased online from www.gourmetsardinia.com. The recipe below is from Arcodoro’s private collection. Arcodoro & Pomodoro. 2708 Routh St. 214-871-1924. www.arcodoro.com.
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LINGUINI SU BARCHILE >>
(Linguini pasta sautéed with fresh clams, skinless tomatoes, and garlic, drizzled with Sardinian bottarga – serves four)
- 1 pound littleneck clams (small) or cockles
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of Vermentino di Gallura (Lughente) or a gentle, dry white wine
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 roma tomatoes, peeled and julienned, seeds removed
- 4 sprigs Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons grated bottarga (Sardinian pressed caviar)
- 1/2 pound dried linguini
Wash clams thoroughly with fresh water. Heat olive oil over medium heat in large sauté pan. Add chopped garlic and simmer until golden. Add clams and simmer a few minutes until shells open. Add white wine. Let wine evaporate. Add broth, tomatoes, and parsley. Simmer for another two minutes and set aside.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta. Add to clam mixture and toss together over low heat. Sprinkle the bottarga and mix together.
Garnish with slices of bottarga and sprig of fresh herbs.
