Michael Chiarello - Michael Chiarellos Easy Entertaining Deck: 50 Irresistibly Simple Recipes

50 Irresistibly Simple Recipes

By Michael Chiarello

TEXT MICHAEL CHIARELLO
PHOTOGRAPHS FOR CARDS 15, 714,17,18,4350 KARL PETZKE
PHOTOGRAPHS FOR CARDS 6,15,16,1941 DEBORAH JONES

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eISBN-13: 978-0-8118-7169-3

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CONTENTS

SWEET STARTERS

LIBATIONS

LIVING, FARMING, AND COOKING IN CALIFORNIAS NAPA VALLEY SINCE 1986 HAS OPENED MY EYES TO THE POSSIBILITIES OF ENTERTAINING. NOWADAYS, I AM BLESSED TO BE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STOVE: THE HOST OF THE PARTYAT HOME AND ON MY TELEVISION SHOWSAND THE GUEST OF WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINERS.

In the past, I could never understand why the home cook was nervous about throwing a dinner party. It was always easy for me. Whenever I entertained, I would write a menu and hand it off to a sous-chef, who would pull together the ingredients and prep them. Then the restaurant staff would help me load up my car, and Id take along a cook or two for the evening who wanted to cook with me. Throw the party, sit down with my guests, and enjoy the last glass of red wineit was as simple as that. Meanwhile, my apprentices cleaned the kitchen and loaded the car with all the dirty plates, glasses, pots, pans, and linens. It worked out beautifully for me. I was always in bed by eleven.

But for you, and for me when I remove my professional apron, the dynamics are much different. You know the drill: You get excited about throwing the party. You spend a leisurely Sunday morning over coffee with your favorite cookbooks and develop an ambitious menu of seven courses minimum, which yields a monster shopping list and an even larger prep list. You prep for two solid days, and then you scramble to get the table set, the wine at the right temperature, and your clothes changed before your guests arrive, only to find yourself one hour behind schedule when the first people show up thirty minutes early. And someone always does. You keep your best host smile going while trying to enjoy dinner without jumping up what seems like more than a hundred times to stir, plate, and serve. You finally say goodnight, only to be left with hours of cleanup. During the haze that follows, as you try to decide whether to have a beer and go to bed or have a coffee and watch the sun come up (because your cleaning task is monumental), you register the firm decision not to do this again any time soon.

But despite that vow, you do it again soon. Thats because deep down, perhaps now more than ever in our recent past, we yearn to bring people close and care for them through food. We need to share a laugh, to feel cozy in our homes and comfortable in our abilities. We need to celebrate our gifts, to be proud of our lives and of ourselves. This deck is for all of us who love great food, adore our friends and family, want to share our love for them by entertaining, and still want a life.

Times have changed, and how we want to live, entertain, and be entertained is always a reflection of the times. Our priorities have shifted back to caring for people with handcrafted foods and casual gatherings that happen more often. Most important, as hosts, we require that we enjoy throwing the party as much as our guests love coming to the party. To put the entertain back into entertaining you have to open your mind and start at the beginningstarting with appetizers. This deck will help you do just that.

When friends come to my house for dinner, I like to make sure that they are greeted warmly and with delicious appetizers. I often put out something a little salty to go with that first glass of winean antipasto thats made quickly, or already made before guests arrive, to wake up their appetite. Fusilli Mix and Spuma di Tonno, a creamy tuna mousse, always disappear fast. Dazzle your guests without dizzying yourself by serving inventive starters: Pop Culture Popcorn, Polenta Bites with Caramelized Mushrooms, and Crispy Sausage-Stuffed Olives, all washed down with Tomato-Water Martini.

Welcoming guests with a creative drink, served in a fun glass, is another delightful way to have your first course standing up. A Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary made with vine-ripened, peak-of-the-season tomatoes will launch any brunch with style and flavor. And I dont think life gets any better than sipping a cool, refreshing Mint Julep made with just-picked mint leaves before the last barbecue of the summer.

THE APPETIZERS IN THIS DECK SET A FESTIVE MOOD AND MAKE GUESTS INSTANTLY FEEL WELCOME, WHETHER FOR A COCKTAIL PARTY OR A BARBECUE. THESE DELECTABLES ARE THE BEST WAY TO BEGIN ANY EVENT.

MICHAEL CHIARELLO

If you change only one thing in your kitchen, make it the salt. You use it in almost everything you cook; upgrade your salt and the quality of your food will improve substantially. Youll find that many of the recipes included in this deck include sea saltmy own preference is to use gray salt, a chunky sea salt harvested off the Brittany coast in France. It has a richness of flavor that makes my dishes appreciably better. It is minimally processed, so it contains all the minerals and micro-nutrients present in the salt naturally.

Michael Chiarello is the host of the Food Networks Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello and the Fine Living Networks NapaStyle with Michael Chiarello. He is the author of The Tra Vinge Cookbook, Casual Cooking with Michael Chiarello, At Home with Michael Chiarello, and Michael Chiarellos Flavored Oils and Vinegars, all published by Chronicle Books.

He is also the creator of the NapaStyle line of products, including kitchen and cookware, tabletop, and furniture, which are available in his NapaStyle catalog, Web site and retail stores. Visit www.NapaStyle.com for more information. Chiarello is also a vintner and producer of organic wine for a sustainable table. Visit www.chiarellovineyards.com for more information.

2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas

cup buttermilk

cup olive oil

1 cups Arborio Rice Coating (see Card 2)

cup thinly sliced garlic

15 fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons thin serrano chile slices (optional)

1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt or gray salt

Zest of 1 lemon, julienned

Freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas in a colander, then rinse well under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel. In a bowl, combine the chickpeas and buttermilk, stirring to coat evenly. Drain the chickpeas again in the colander, then place the colander over a clean bowl.

In a large saut pan, heat the oil over high heat. While the oil is heating, sprinkle the rice coating over the chickpeas and shake the colander to coat them evenly. Repeat the process, using the coating that collects in the bowl. Dont worry if the chickpeas dont absorb all the coating.