Authentic Italian Cuisine With Marc Vetri

Grilled Zucchini With Mint and Orange • Roasted Herbed Fingerling Potatoes • Charred Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta

Authentic Italian food may not be what you think it is. “In Italy, they’ve never heard of a meatball,” says Marc Vetri, chef and owner of Vetri and Osteria restaurants in Philadelphia and author of Il Viaggio di Vetri: A Culinary Journey, his debut cookbook.

Vetri doesn’t want to offend anyone, and he certainly thinks people ought to eat what they like. “But it’s just that most food that people think of as Italian, the typical eggplant Parmesan, ziti with meatballs, and those kinds of dishes, are an Americanized version.” According to Vetri, what the Italians care about is fresh ingredients and food prepared with love and passion—and that is the recipe for his success.

Vetri found that people in Philadelphia were just as eager to eat authentic Italian as he was to create it, so he began serving the dishes his mentors taught him how to create when he studied in Italy. That was early in his career, when he turned his back on the fusion cuisine he was exposed to in California while working for Wolfgang Puck. “People would come back from vacationing in Europe, and they would remember these incredible meals. Maybe they didn’t even know what they were eating, but they knew they liked it. They were ready to experience that kind of cuisine here at home,” Vetri explains.

He summons the warmth of the foods he grew up with at home when he cooked alongside his Sicilian grandmother. He created his menu by paying homage to the dishes that came from il viaggio (his journey), the apprenticeship he undertook as a young man—with a degree in marketing and finance and a guitar slung over his shoulder—getting passed around from chef to chef.

He knew the authentic approach had worked for French food in the States. And even more, he had to go with what he could cook from the heart. That included tender pasta made by hand, simple salads made from only a handful of market fresh ingredients and dressed in olive oil and herbs, and make no mistake, those foods that people recalled but couldn’t name—tripe stew, veal kidneys in a well of soft egg yolks and polenta, pig’s head Bolognese, and octopus served with a pungent side of juicy grapefruit and bitter arugula greens. These were worlds away from the tomato-saucy, grown-up versions of Chef Boyardee that many diners expect.

Vetri’s new cookbook represents what is served from his kitchen, but is it do-able for home cooks? “Sure it is,” Vetri says. “There are some recipes here that really are for the restaurant chef, that’s true. But the recipes are laid out simply, and they’ve been tested in a home kitchen. I believe people can make homemade pasta, vegetables that are really appealing, genuine main course dishes, and a good cheesecake or frozen cappuccino.”
Veteran cookbook author David Joachim lent his expertise to this book, ensuring that the instructions are concise and no helpful details were omitted, which is key since chefs are usually so familiar with their own methods that they could cook in their sleep. Italian wine recommendations, an important complement to Vetri’s dishes, follow the recipes throughout the book, reflecting the long-time partnership of Vetri and his sommelier, Jeff Benjamin.

Other classic, creative notes are found at Vetri’s namesake restaurant on Spruce Street in Philadelphia. An intimate dining room, big on old-style charm, is grounded in the center by a substantial oak hutch that supports a 1958 Faema Urania espresso machine and a 1948 Berkel meat slicer—both of which are not just for looks. Vetri hand paints colorful designs on the Saturday night tasting menus—just another personal touch that comes from the heart.

Grilled Zucchini With Mint and Orange

I always strive to undercook grilled vegetables. After all, most vegetables can be eaten raw, so they don’t need much heat. The intense fire of a grill can quickly overwhelm a vegetable, leaving it a flabby, lifeless shell of what it once was. For this dish, grill the zucchini just long enough to create nice browned marks. The slabs should still be somewhat firm when you take them off of the fire. Residual heat will continue to soften the slabs after they are removed from the grill, ensuring a tender-crisp texture when served.

Makes 4 servings

2 zucchini (about 6 ounces each)
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 orange, segmented

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 3⁄8-inch-thick slabs. Coat the slabs all over with about 1 tablespoon of the oil, and then season with the salt and pepper.

Grill the slabs, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side, or until covered with grill marks on both sides. Transfer them to a platter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the honey, and the mint. Stir in the orange segments. Pour the dressing over the zucchini. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

(The zucchini can be grilled, dressed, covered, and refrigerated for up to 6 hours ahead. Return to room temperature before serving.)

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 190; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 810 mg; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Fiber: 2 g; Protein: 1 g

Roasted Herbed Fingerling Potatoes

Italian cooks make great use of lemons. Think of limoncello or piccata. Here, a squeeze of lemon sparks up crisply roasted potatoes. Be sure to cut the fingerlings lengthwise to create a greater surface area for crisping. Once the cut sides are browned, these taste like oven-roasted French fries with a splash of vinegar (well, lemon juice, but it has the same acidifying effect as malt vinegar).

Makes 4 servings

10 fingerling potatoes (about 12 ounces total), skin on, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chives and sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and half of the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Place the potato halves, cut side down, on a sheet pan and roast for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and fork-tender.
Return the potatoes to the same bowl, add the lemon juice, Parmesan, and the remaining herbs and toss to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 136; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 1 mg; Sodium: 36 mg; Carbohydrates: 16 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 3 g

Charred Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta

Some people don’t like Brussels sprouts. Okay, a lot of people. But that is probably because they have only eaten this poor vegetable after the life has been boiled right out of it. This recipe redeems the humble sprouts by pan roasting them on their cut sides and then deglazing the pan with vinegar. They come out tender-crisp with a rich char and bright flavor, and they cook in less than 15 minutes. If you are in a hurry, skip the step of rubbing the sprouts with garlic.

Makes 4 servings

18 to 20 small Brussels sprouts
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 tablespoon grape seed oil
1 ounce pancetta, diced
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the root end of each sprout, and then cut in half lengthwise. Rub the flat side of each half with the cut sides of the garlic clove.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the sprouts and shake the pan to coat them with the oil. Turn the sprouts cut side down and scatter the pancetta in the pan. Cook undisturbed for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the sprouts are deeply browned (almost black) on the cut sides. Add the vinegar and butter, tossing to coat the sprouts. Season with salt and pepper.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 143; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 21 mg; Sodium: 234 mg; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Fiber: 3 g; Protein: 4 g

Improv — You can use balsamic vinegar in place of the sherry vinegar. If you like your sprouts softer, cover the pan immediately after adding the vinegar and butter and cook until fork-tender. Then toss with the butter, salt, and pepper.