The Babbo Cookbook Hardcover - 2002

First line

One thing the savvy cook will quickly notice is the total absence in this book of the reduced stocks and demi-glaces often found in many restaurant cookbooks.

Excerpt

Ziti with Tuscan-Style Cauliflower
Serves 4

We call all vegetables cooked in this manner "Tuscan-style," fitting, as I learned this blanch-free method in Faith Willinger's Florentine kitchen, perhaps one of the most Tuscan in Italy.


kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh mint, leaves only
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 heads of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound ziti
Pecorino Romano, for grating


1. Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

2. In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the onion, mint, red pepper flakes, and garlic, and sauté over medium-high heat until the garlic is just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.

3. Cook the ziti in the boiling water according to the package directions, until tender yet al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the cauliflower. Toss over high heat for 1 minute, then divide the pasta evenly among four heated bowls, grate Pecorino over each bowl, and serve immediately.

Media reviews

“Every time I go to New York, I see Mario at the [Union Square] farmers’ market. It is his attention to fresh, seasonal ingredients that makes these dishes so irresistible.”
—Alice Waters

“Historically, when we adapt an ethnic cuisine to our own uses we start with the most ordinary and work our way up, frequently making a mess along the way. In our lifelong search for the genuine we need a guidebook to get close to the pinnacle and, in the case of Italian cuisine, it has been delivered in the shape of Mario Batali’s Babbo Cookbook, which is a new standard of excellence. Babbo is my favorite American restaurant and this book allows me to bring its grace to my home kitchen.”
—Jim Harrison

“Funny. Bold. Beautiful. Full of life and full of flavor. From the Blood Orange Bellini to the Mint Love Letters (irreverent ravioli) and Barbecued Skirt Steak with Endive, this book is pure Mario. Great food, great snapshots (they exude the restaurant hustle-bustle), and Joe’s great wine notes take you right to the heart of the Babbo experience.”
—Rick Bayless, chef, author, and host of Public Television’s Mexico—One Plate at a Time

“Babbo is revelatory—the freshest ingredients, simply or elaborately prepared, combine into nothing short of a celebration. If food could rule the world, Mario Batali would be Emperor. In fact, he is. Or should be.”
—Michael Stipe