Stowell Ethan - Ethan Stowells new Italian kitchen: bold cooking from Seattles Anchovies & Olives, how to Cook a Wolf, Staple & Fancy Mercantile, and Tavolàta

I owe everything to my dog, Cleo (see picture belowcute, huh?) After Cleo, there are probably a few people I should thank, starting with my wife, Angela, who helps me keep everything in perspective. I love you. I would like to thank my mother and my father, who set great examples for me growing up and would probably agree that Im not quite there yet, and my brothers who show me that the hours and work I put in arent much by comparison.

There are so many amazingly talented people that I work with that I can only say you inspire me and make me look good on a daily basis. Thank you. Eli Dahlin, who helped create the wonderful desserts contained in this book, and Union and its crew that gave me my start have my deepest appreciation. Many thanks to Old John, who taught me a lot and helped me grow up. Though if you dont stop using so much salt I wont come over for dinner anymore.

To Aaron, Melissa, and the rest of the Ten Speed crew, thank you for being incredible to work with and making this book happen. Geoff, you took the book to another level with fabulous photographs.

Kirsten Graham, my publicist, knows Im not always pleasant to work with and getting recipes back on time is not my strength. Thank you for putting up with me since the beginning and saving my ass time and again. For Lam, my co-writer, it has been a distinct pleasure getting to know you and work with you. Hopefully this is just the start of many projects together.

Okay, this is my ideal dinner. There are two of youcozy, but not alone. Laughter and music float around you, as does the muted percussion of silver on porcelain. Theres that soft light that makes everyone look better and a bottle of wine on the table. It doesnt have to be pricey, just good. Out come a series of plates, not too small, not too big, but shareable. Im not talking about doling out little bits onto dainty saucersmore like a bowl of handmade pasta set down between you with two forks sticking out of the steam. Or maybe its an impeccably fresh crudo, the ocean flavors clean and bright, that preps you for the grilled zucchini salad, or maybe a tangle of white beans and grilled shrimp. What follows is a perfectly roasted quail or fresh branzino you unapologetically suck off the bones.

The goal is a series of tastes. Each of you gets to try a little bit of everything, eating just enough of each dish so you feel sated, but not so much that it dulls your enthusiasm for the next dish issuing from the kitchen, whether thats a soft-boiled egg with anchovy mayonnaise or beef carpaccio or maybe some orecchiette with grilled octopus and Taggiasca olives. This is the way I cook in my restaurants, and this is the way I eat. This is the way I hope you will eat, too.

When I opened each of my Seattle restaurants, I tried for places that were sexy without being slick; I wanted intimate spaces that glow with soft wood and copper, or that gather strangers at a thick communal table, la tavolta. Overall, I wanted to reinforce the idea that food shouldnt be formal or fussy, just focused. And, more than that, that eating is an art more walk-up than doorman, more warehouse than gallery. Its got to be good, but its also got to be fun.

Youll find very few lengthy ingredient lists inside this book, no foams or caul-fat wrappers or four-page spreads. You will find recipes meant to be both modern and seductive, every recipe designed for a shareable meal that would be at place at my ideal dinner table. Id like you to think just as much about the method as the meals, and make different choices about not only what you eat, but how you eat. Instead of doubling the recipes for bigger parties and families, Id like you to consider adding another dish or two instead, allowing each of your guests even more delectable forkfuls, scoops, nibbles, and tastes. There is joy and abundance inherent in thoughtful food done rightyou dont need to douse it with truffle oil to make food special. Incredible, pristine ingredients suffer from being overly dolled up, but if there were no magic in how we put ingredients together, then Id be out of a job. Lets get back not to the food we used to eatthis isnt nonnas Italianbut to a more time-tested philosophy of how we eat, allowing us to create and share food at its best, eating the way we were meant to, with each other.