Whenever I visit NYC I have a tendency to frequent the Italian red sauce joints. It’s a little stereotypical, but NYC crushes it in the Italian American food scene. So naturally, I’m gonna share some recipes that reflect that. By the way, buy this cookbook.
Fried zucchini
I always recommend doing a little too much. If you’re gonna go through the effort of 3-stepping, you may as well commit.
You will need
3 lbs medium-to-large sized local zucchini
6-8 large eggs
6 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups grated Pecorino cheese
Garlic powder and dried herbs (optional)
Diamond Crystal kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Prep the zucchini by slicing it longways about a quarter inch thick. You may need to cut the thin outer skin off of the ends to help the dredge stick.
In a wide, shallow bowl, beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are emulsified.
Scoop all-purpose flour into another shallow bowl or large rimmed plate. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of garlic powder, if desired.
In a third shallow rimmed bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and pecorino. If you dry your own garden herbs and want to add them to the mix good for you! That’ll create more of an “Italian breadcrumb” vibe.
You’re gonna 3-step this zucchini like you’d 3-step chicken cutlets or eggplant parm. Drag the zucchini through the seasoned flour, then beaten eggs, then breadcrumb. Do your best to make sure you coat the zucchini slices well at every step. Make sure you push the zucchini into the breadcrumb pan with a little “oomph”. You don’t want any bald spots. Keep dredged zucchini slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towel or a roasting rack.
For frying the zucchini, I recommend a wide skillet, like a cast iron pan. Get it nice and hot with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a nugget of butter just before you add the zucchini. Fry to golden brown on both sides. Feel free test a few first to get your timing and temperature down. When cooked, transfer to a paper towel on a plate. Finish with a little sea salt and pecorino. Maybe some chopped parsley. If you’re vegetarian, you can serve this on the ammoglio (below) and top with parm and move on. But if you are like me, you’ll want to top with steak tartare (below).
Wagyu beef tartare
The beef
Ask your local butcher for a high quality, lean portion of fresh beef. Let them know it’s for tartare. Tenderloin works great. So does coulotte or teres major. It doesn’t have to be wagyu. You can also use lamb or venison. But ask your butcher to trim it well. Keep it very cold and dice it small just before serving. You can also mince it real small if you want it really tender. You’ll toss the diced beef in the anchovy dressing just before serving. It should be coated thoroughly. I like it a little wet and saucy. You do you.
The anchovy dressing
10 cloves garlic
2 shallots minced and rinsed
½ cup capers, drained
1 cup anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon chili flake
½ cup red wine vinegar
4 egg yolks
1 cup blended oil
Chopped parsley
Salt, black pepper, Tabasco to taste
Add everything except the oil in blender or food processor. Blend and slowly add in the oil. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. This also doubles as a Caesar Dressing if you like it strong.
Ammoglio
This is a fresh tomato sauce native to Detroit via Sicily. It has quite a few variations and spellings and claims of origin. This is a pretty good breakdown and base recipe.
But I like to pound mine with nice olive oil, quadruple the fresh garlic, a touch of smoked paprika, lemon zest and maybe a little chopped Calabrian chile. As you’d expect, I like to spike it a little. But if you prefer to keep it clean, that’s cool too. If you have a surplus of fresh tomatoes you can quickly blanch, peel and dice your tomatoes. But if you want this dish out of season, you can use high-quality whole plum canned San Marzano tomatoes and dice those and use the juices from the can as well.
Bodega Sour Cocktail
This cocktail is inspired by the New York Sour which enjoys a nice dry red wine float. Highly recommend the original. It’s delicious.
We turned it on its head with some inspiration from the kalimotxo, the Basque region red wine & coke drink. So instead of a red wine float, we do a red wine & Mexican Coke sink.
Red Wine & Coke Syrup
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups Mexican Coke
1 orange, peeled and halved, squeezed, everything in.
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
6 allspice berries
6 black peppercorns
2 star anise
1/2 cup sugar
Simmer gently and reduce by half. Strain. Cool.
The cocktail:
2 oz whiskey (your choice, but Rittenhouse Rye or Elijah Craig would work great)
1/2 oz simple
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
Pour into a shaker, shake hard and strain into a rocks glass over ice.
Pour about 3/4 oz the red wine/coke syrup into the drink carefully so it slowly sinks to the bottom.