Celebrity chef Mario Batali teams up with Fairway Market's executive vice president Dan Glickberg to prepare a hearty Italian-American meal. All of the recipes are courtesy of Molto Italiano and Mario Batali. Promotional consideration furnished by Fairway Market.
Gamberoni fra Diavolo: Shrimp from the Devil Priest
Recipe courtesy of Molto Italiano (Ecco 2005)
This “guido” red sauce restaurant dish has probably never been served anywhere in Italy, but Mario Batali has tasted thousands of versions in Little Italys all across the United States. Usually it is served with the option of “linguine, fettuccine, bucatini, or capellini,” but Mario likes it as a main course, after a light antipasto and a plate of spaghetti with bottarga. Italians serve most of their shellfish head and shell on, but you could use peeled shrimp here as well. You can opt for homemade red sauce using the recipe below or store-bought sauce.
Makes 4 servings
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
1 cup dry white wine
20 large shrimp, head on, split down the back and deveined
Four 1-inch-thick slices rustic peasant bread
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves
¼ cup toasted bread crumbs
Preheat the broiler. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, and wine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
Lay the shrimp in the sauce and simmer until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning once. Place a slice of toasted bread in the center of each of four plates.
Place 5 shrimp on each piece of toast, and spoon the sauce over them. Sprinkle with the marjoram leaves and bread crumbs, drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup oil, serve.
Basic Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Molto Italiano (Ecco 2005)
Makes 4 cups
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut in ¼ inch dice
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
½ medium carrot, finely shredded
2 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Kosher salt to taste
In a 3-quart saucepans, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and brint to a boil, stirring often.
Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Sauteed Green and Black Olives
Recipe courtesy of Mario Batali
In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the olives with a pinch of red chile flakes and freshly cracked pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until warmed through.
Add the tomato sauce (see recipe above), bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute at a simmer. Alternately, for a different texture where the olives fall away from the pits and become softer, cook them for 20-30 minutes. Either way, serve it with crusty bread.
