Erica De Mane

Recipes:

Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella Bocconcini
Grilled Skirt Steak with Salmoriglio Sauce
Broccoli Rabe with Hot Chili and Cumin
Amaretto-Marinated Cherries

This meal is admittedly a little substanial for a serious dieter. It just might be more appropriate when you’re at the maintenance stage.

Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella Bocconcini

I’ve been finding imported buffalo mozzarella in my Italian market lately that seems much fresher than the stuff I’d been able to buy in the past. I don’t know if this is because more people buy it now and there is a better turnover or if the exporters have finally realized that we know what sour cheese tastes like, but it is certainly nice to have. Look for the little balls called bocconcini; they’re the perfect appetizer size. I’ve been buying ones that are fairly substantial, typically a little bigger than an egg; if you find tiny ones, use two per person. I should mention that buffalo mozzarella has a little more fat than the cow’s milk type. Substitute the latter if you desire.

(Serves 4 as a first course)

4 buffalo mozzarella bocconcini
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves sweet summer garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pints sweet cherry tomatoes (a mix of red and yellow is pretty)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A splash of balsamic vinegar
A few basil leaves, chopped
A few sprigs of fresh marjoram, the leaves chopped, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish

Choose four small salad plates and place a bocconcini in the middle of each (the mozzarella should be at room temperature and ideally have never been refrigerated, which tends to toughen it a bit).

In a large skillet, heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the garlic and the cherry tomatoes and sauté quickly just until the tomatoes start to burst, about 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and add a splash of balsamic vinegar, letting it boil away for a few seconds. Mix in the herbs.

Pour the tomatoes around the bocconcini. Drizzle a little olive oil over everything and garnish with the marjoram sprigs. Serve warm.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Salmoriglio Sauce

Skirt steak is an incredibly flavorful and relatively inexpensive cut of beef. It is perfect for grilling but needs to be kept rare or medium rare to stay tender. Get your grill very hot and sear the steak quickly, and you’ll be rewarded with an elegant but quick and easy steak dinner.

Salmoriglio is an olive oil-based Sicilian sauce flavored, at its simplest, with lemon and oregano. Sometimes anchovies, garlic, or capers are added as well, and I’ve actually added all three to this version. Traditionally, salmoriglio is used to flavor fish, but I’ve found that its pungency also marries well with the char taste of grilled meats.

(Serves 4)

For the salmoriglio sauce:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
The juice and zest from 1 large lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 anchovy fillets, minced
A palmful of salt-packed capers, soaked in several changes of cool water for 1/2 hour and then rinsed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few sprigs of fresh marjoram or oregano, the leaves chopped
A few large sprigs of flat leaf parsley, the leaves chopped, plus a handful of whole parsley leaves for garnish

For the steak:

2 pounds skirt steak
About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

To make the salmoriglio, pour the olive oil and the lemon juice and zest into a small saucepan. Add the garlic, anchovy, and capers and simmer over low heat until it just reaches a boil, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper, and add the herbs. Give the mixture a few more whisks before pouring it into a sauceboat. This is a semi-emulsified sauce and will no doubt break as it sits, but that’s the nature of the thing, so don’t worry if it starts to look a little weepy half way through the meal. Make it right before you start to grill the steak, and cover the sauceboat with foil to keep it warm. This should keep it in good shape.

Set up an outside grill or a stovetop grill plate and get it hot. Pat the steak dry and rub it all over with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season generously with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

Grill the steak, without moving it, until nice char marks appear, about 4 or 5 minutes. Turn the steak and grill the other side, about another 4 minutes for rare (leave it a little longer for medium rare, but try to resist letting it go any longer than that). If you’re uncertain about doneness, just poke it with a sharp knife and look inside; remember that the steak will continue to cook a little after you take it off the heat, so it’s best pulled off a bit less done than you like it. Place the steak on a carving board and let it rest a few minutes. Slice the steak thinly against the grain (this will make the slices tender) and place it on a serving platter. Pour on a little of the salmoriglio and scatter on the whole parsley leaves. Bring the rest of the sauce to the table.

Broccoli Rabe with Hot Chili and Cumin

Ground cumin can make food smell like body odor if used heavy-handedly. This is not necessarily bad, but as on people, a little goes a long way. I’ve found that whole cumin seeds produce a much fresher, gentler flavor than ground ones, and they blend extremely well with bitter vegetables such as broccoli rabe (they’re also good on radicchio). And the heat from the chilies brings all the flavors into balance. If you’re not crazy about cumin, especially after reading this paragraph, use whole fennel seeds instead. They’re a more traditional Southern Italian flavor anyway.

(Serves 4)

2 bunches of broccoli rabe, the tough stems trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
A palmful of whole cumin seeds
A hot, fresh green chili, minced, including the seeds
Salt
A splash of dry white wine

Set up a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the broccoli rabe and blanch it for 3 minutes (it should still be a bit firm). Scoop the broccoli rabe from the water into a colander with a large strainer spoon, and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and preserve its bright green color. Squeeze it dry with your hands.

In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and the minced chili and let them sauté for a minute or so to release their flavors. Add the broccoli rabe, season with salt, and sauté until tender and well coated with the flavorings, about 3 minutes (try not to cook it longer or it will become mushy). Add a splash of white wine and let it boil away. Add a drizzle of fresh olive oil and serve hot or warm.

Amaretto-Marinated Cherries

If and when you’re not on a diet, try these homemade Maraschino-like cherries over vanilla ice cream.

(Serves 4 or 5 )

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup Amaretto liqueur
3 strips of lemon peel
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds cherries, with the stems on if you can find them that way

Choose a large saucepan, wide and shallow rather than very deep, so the cherries can spread out and don’t require excessive liquid to cover them. Pour the white wine and Amaretto into the pan. Add the lemon peel and sugar. Boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The sugar will have dissolved and some of the alcohol will have burned off. Add the cherries and cook at a low boil for about 5 minutes longer, just until they are tender. They will give up some of their skin color to the liquid, creating a dark red syrup. Turn off the heat and let the cherries cool in the liquid. Refrigerate them overnight to deepen their flavor. When you’re ready to serve them, return them to room temperature. The dish will keep about 5 days in the refrigerator.