Fabio's American Home KitchenMore Than 125 Recipes With an Italian Accent

 

 

 

Fabio Viviani

Fabio Viviani was born in Florence, Italy, where he started working at the Trattoria Il Pallaio when he was fourteen. Fabio appeared on the fifth season of Top Chef and was among the final four contestants; he was named “Fan Favorite,” and returned to Bravo to compete in Top Chef All-Stars and appeared on Life After Top Chef.

Fabio is the author of Fabio’s Italian Kitchen, and the owner and executive chef of Café Firenze in Moorpark, California; Firenze Osteria in Los Angeles; and Siena Tavern in Chicago. He will be opening more restaurants in Chicago and Miami soon. Fabio Viviani is a brand ambassador for Bertolli products.

Fabio Viviani is never at a loss for words which is one of the many reasons that we love talking with him. Recently he was kind enough to take some time away from his hectic schedule of writing books opening new restaurants as tell as his TV work to talk with us about his latest project Fabio’s American Kitchen

Booksaboutfood.com (BAF):Was this book planned as sequel to your last book, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen?

Fabio Viviani: As a chef, a restaurateur and author, there is always something else cooking! The reality is that, no, it is not a sequel, because clearly Fabio’s Italian Kitchen is Italian, and my new book, Fabio’s American Home Kitchen, is about American cuisine. But because I’ve been so long in this country—a decade–it is time for me to embrace the culture—the multitude of cultures—that are in the United States, and express myself in a collection that is more American rather than Italian.

BAF: How did you go about collecting such an eclectic selection of recipes?

Fabio: That’s the easy part, I’m a chef. I love to eat, but I work with food for living. I create recipes all the time. My experience of American food come from my extensive travel—I’m traveling every month, every week, for ten years, so I’m very very familiar with American food and what Americans like. In my new book, there are just more than 125 recipes, which do not encompass all the food that Americans love, but I think Fabio’s American Home Kitchen is a fair representation of what I’ve come to love.

 BAF: What was you conception of American food before your arrived in the US?

Fabio: I had no knowledge. Honestly, all I [knew about American culture] was from watching Baywatch, and I thought that Malibu was much cooler than it really is. I didn’t know much about American food, but Americans include chicken, tomatoes, pasta, and fish in the same way we [Italians] do, although you spin it off in a different way, add a little tweak here, a little twist there. But as I’ve come to discover, good food remains good food. Everything in my new collection of recipes can be made by shopping locally, and in a good neighborhood supermarket.

 BAF: You have added some interesting Italian touches to some of these recipes. Was that a fun process?

Fabio: Yeah! Every time you combine history and years of tradition and then you try to mix it up and recreate it, it’s a fun project. Sometimes my recipes were a disaster, sometimes they worked out. Of course the recipes you have right here are the ones that did work out.

BAF: In collecting these recipes did you learn anything unexpected about American cooking or food?

Fabio: Not unexpected: I loved it, which I already knew. The food I do doesn’t really reinvent the wheel. It makes it spin in a different way, but still round and goes around.

 BAF: Can you tell us a little about your restaurants?

Fabio: I have a lot of restaurants across the United States and plan to have few thousand more in the next couple of years. My goal is to open a restaurant a week. (It’s not happening yet.) For now I settle for a few each year. I have several different concepts: We have the classic steakhouse; we have high-end Italian cuisine; a more casual Italian concept; we have the commissary-style locations. Americans do not like to eat in one kind of place, with one kind of menu; they like multiple options, and we try to serve as that as possible. I’m excited that in early November we’re opening Siena Tavern Miami in South Beach. It’s fantastic.

BAF: What’s next?

Fabio: What’s next? I’m done with this interview, and I’m going to go lay down for an hour. Cheers!

© 2014 Booksaboutfood.com

A “true and delicious voyage of a passionate cook in both Italy and the U.S. Every one of these recipes makes me want to head to the market and then rush home and cook the tasty and [authentic] Italian food in the simple way of the smart and powerful women in Fabio’s life. He learned everything from them, including a wicked sense of humor, and now we can learn through him. This book is destined for much use in my home, and I already know how to cook!” -Mario Batali

Fusilli with Smoked Salmon and Dill

Braised Collard Greens with Beans, Peperoncino, and Pancetta

Boston Vanilla Cream Pie

 

 

Fusilli with Smoked Salmon and Dill

Serves 6

Fabio says: “If you love your morning smoked salmon with a bagel and cream cheese, you’ll die for this dish—creamy, smoky, and tasty from the fresh herbs, this will be a sure winner in your home.”

 

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup white wine

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

12 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

Juice and pulp of 2 roasted lemon halves

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 pound fusilli

Lemon wedges, for garnish

 

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat. In­crease the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and continue to cook until it is about three-quarters evaporated. The time this takes depends on your stove, so you will need to watch carefully for this.

Pour in the cream, add the garlic, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue boiling until the sauce has reduced to a creamy consistency.

In a bowl mix the salmon, dill, lemon juice, and pulp. Add one grind of pepper, the sour cream, and mix again.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, add it to the pan with the sauce, and cook for 2 minutes more over medium heat. Stir in the salmon and cook for 1 minute more.

Serve hot with lemon wedges if you like.

Braised Collard Greens with Beans, Peperoncino, and Pancetta

Serves 4

Fabio says: “This is great in chillier months when collards are at their peak. You can also use cabbage, Swiss chard, or kale in this recipe.”

 

2 pounds collard greens, stems removed and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 red onions, sliced in half and then very thin

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces chopped pancetta

1 cup vegetable stock

15 ounces canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Juice of 1 lemon

 

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the collard greens, and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to stop them from cooking further. Remove from the ice bath, drain, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat, add the on­ions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, raise the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the onions have caramelized, another 5 minutes or so.

Add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes, or until it has started to crisp. Add the collard greens, and stir together for a few minutes to combine the flavors, then add the stock. Bring to a sim­mer, cover partially, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes more. Add the beans and the lemon juice and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.

Serve really hot.

Boston Vanilla Cream Pie

Serves 8; or Fabio alone on a Sunday Morning

Fabio says: “To grate the chocolate for this recipe, get a big chunk and do it with a regular cheese grater. Boom!”

Butter, for greasing the pan

4 eggs

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

2 vanilla beans, split length­wise, seeds scraped and reserved

1 cup flour, sifted, plus more for dusting

Grated semisweet chocolate, for garnish (optional)

1 recipe Fabio’s Crème Anglaise (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch spring form cake pan.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer (or a really fast grandma) until fluffy and pale in color, 5 to 7 minutes.

Heat the milk and the vanilla seeds in a pot over medium-low heat and whisk to help the vanilla infuse the milk. Be careful not to boil it. When it is warm, pour it slowly into the egg mixture while continuing to beat with the electric mixer. Gently fold in the sifted flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 min­utes, or until the center feels firm to the touch. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a serrated knife around edge to loosen the cake. Once it is out of the pan, cut it into 3 layers and let them cool completely.

Place one layer on a plate and spread with one-third of the crème anglaise. Top with another layer, another third of the crème anglaise, then the third layer and the remaining crème anglaise. Chill the cake until the crème anglaise is set, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the refrigerator.

If you want to add grated chocolate you’re going to purgatory for piggishness but it is totally worth it.

Quick Crème Anglaise

 

Makes 3 cups

Fabio says: “This is also delicious spooned over berries or pound cake.”

 

2 cups milk

2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped out and reserved

7 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

 

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk, vanilla seeds, and bean pods to a simmer.

In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat until foamy. While continuing to beat, gradually add the hot vanilla milk in a thin stream.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat. Stir slowly and constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for at least an hour. The sauce will thicken slightly. Add the Grand Marnier and stir to combine.

To store, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. The crème anglaise will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Variation, FOR COFFEE CRÈME ANGLAISE:

Follow the same recipe, but when you return the mixture to low heat, add ½ cup espresso beans. Re­move these from the sauce before using or storing.

From Fabio’s American Home Kitchen by Fabio Viviani; published by Hachette Books, a division of the Hachette Book Group. Copyright ©2014 FV Legacy, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission