Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (5 page)

“The food at Patsy’s is always so fresh and delicious. A great combo of the southern Italian food that we enjoy on our travels and the Italian-American cuisine of my New York childhood.”

—Michael Kors

Mussels Marinara

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Seafood in tomato sauce has a long history in Neapolitan cooking. In fact, marinara sauce is named for the mariners who supposedly created it. As mussels were plentiful and cheap in both Italy and America, my grandparents made this at home often. We serve it at the restaurant, too, usually over linguine as a pasta or main course. As an antipasto, serve it with crusty bread … but I didn’t really have to tell you that, did I?

2 pounds cultivated mussels, such as Prince Edward Island (see
Note
)

2 cups cold water

2 cups
Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pinch of dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sliced Italian bread, preferably toasted in a broiler or on a grill, for serving

1.
Put the mussels in a large pot and add the water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook just until the shells open, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the opened mussels to a colander, discarding any unopened mussels. Reserve the cooking liquid.

2.
Line a wire strainer with moistened paper towels and set over medium bowl. Strain the cooking liquid through the strainer. Measure and reserve ½ cup of the strained liquid. (You can cool, cover, and freeze the remaining mussel cooking liquid for another use or as a fish stock.) Wash and dry the pot.

3.
Bring the reserved cooking liquid, the tomato sauce, wine, parsley, and oregano to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring often, until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels, cover, and cook until the mussels are reheated, about 3 minutes more. Season again with salt and pepper. Divide the mussels and sauce evenly among four soup bowls. Serve hot, with the toasted bread.

Mussels Marinara with Linguine

Use 3 cups Tomato Sauce, ¼ cup dry white wine, and ¾ cup cooking liquid. Boil for 5 minutes, or until reduced to about 3½ cups. Use as a sauce for 1 pound cooked linguine. Top each serving with mussels.

Shrimp Casino

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

We have customers who love our clams casino, but we also have some who don’t like shellfish. This gives shrimp lovers a chance to enjoy the crispy topping on their favorite crustacean. This topping is very flavorful with extra helpings of bacon, pimientos, and Parmigiano.

24 colossal (U-15) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 small yellow onion, chopped

Two 6.5-ounce jars pimientos, drained

8 slices bacon: 2 slices coarsely chopped, and 6 slices cut into 24 pieces

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

2.
Transfer the onion to a food processor. Add the drained pimientos, chopped bacon, grated cheese, parsley, and butter and pulse until the bacon is finely chopped.

3.
Position the broiler rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler on high. Lightly oil a broiler pan.

4.
Arrange the shrimp, cut side down, with the tail sticking up, on the broiler pan. Spoon the pimiento mixture over the shrimp, dividing it equally. Broil until the exposed shrimp begins to turn opaque, about 1½ minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and top each with a piece of bacon. Return to the broiler and cook until the bacon is brown and crisp, about 2 minutes more. Serve hot.

Eggplant Caponata

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

My grandmother Concetta would start her array of antipasti with homemade eggplant caponata. Whenever I spread caponata on bread, I can’t help but think of those days in Queens. When I make it now, I roast the eggplants, a change from the traditional frying method. Some people serve caponata chilled, but our family prefers it warm.

2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each), trimmed, cut into ½-inch cubes

Olive oil, as needed

2 cups
Tomato Sauce

½ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives

8 anchovy fillets in oil, finely chopped

2 tablespoons drained nonpareil capers, rinsed

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)

⅓ cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf Italian bread, sliced and toasted in a broiler or on the grill