Fabulicious!: On the Grill Read online

  New York Times bestselling author

  TERESA

  GIUDICE

  With Heather Maclean

  Photographs by Steve Legato

  Fabulicious!

  ON THE GRILL

  Teresa’s Smoking Hot

  Backyard Recipes

  © 2013 by Teresa Giudice

  Photographs © 2013 by Steve Legato

  Published by Running Press,

  A Member of the Perseus Books Group

  All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

  This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

  Books published by Running Press are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations.

  For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2013935106

  E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-4986-6

  987654321

  Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

  Cover and Interior design by Frances J. Soo Ping Chow

  Edited by Jennifer Kasius

  Food Styling by Debbie Wahl

  Prop Styling by Marieellen Melker

  Typography: Affair, Archer, Baskerville, Bodega Sans, La Portentia,

  Neutra, Samantha, Sweet Rosie, and Swingdancer

  Running Press Book Publishers

  2300 Chestnut Street

  Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

  Visit us on the web!

  www.runningpresscooks.com

  Fabellini is a registered trademark of Fabellini Brands, LLC.

  Nutella is a registered trademark of Ferrero SpA.

  Baci is a registered trademark of Perugina.

  Dedication

  We’re so lucky we get two kinds of family:

  the one we’re born with, and the one we make ourselves.

  This book is dedicated to all of you, my friends and fans, my second family. Your constant support means the world to me.

  Grazie di tutto! Ti amo, ti amo, ti amo!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to acknowledge the amazing people

  who help make everything possible:

  My juicy husband Joe, my beautiful daughters Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana, my wonderful parents Antonia and Giacinto Gorga, my fantastic co-writer and friend Heather Maclean, the world’s best agent Susan Ginsburg, culinary master Rick Rodgers, the entire team at Writer’s House and Running Press, especially Jennifer Kasius, Chris Navratil, Allison Devlin, Craig Herman, and Frances Soo Ping Chow, photographer Steve Legato, Debbie Wahl, Marieellen Melker, my photo co-stars Priscilla DiStasio and Edyta Keska, and all my other family, friends, and fans.

  Thank you for filling my life with love.

  I adore you all more than you’ll ever know.

  Contents

  Introduction

  HOT-HOT-HOT!

  Chapter 1

  Get Out of the Kitchen

  GRILLING 101

  Chapter 2

  Antipasti (Appetizers)

  KALE AND PANCETTA BRUSCHETTA

  TUSCAN WHITE BEAN CROSTINI

  OLIVADA

  GRILLED CIAMBOTTA

  MINI-PEPPERS WITH SAUSAGE-RICOTTA STUFFING

  GRILLED MARINATED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

  Chapter 3

  Pizza

  PRONTO PRESTO PIZZA DOUGH

  “THE QUICKIE” TOMATO SAUCE

  ZUCCHINI AND RED ONION PIZZA

  WHITE PIZZA

  FIG, PROSCIUTTO, AND GORGONZOLA PIZZA

  Chapter 4

  Insalate e Minestre

  (Salads and Soups)

  GRILLED FIG AND ARUGULA SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

  ICEBERG LETTUCE WEDGE WITH GORGONZOLA AND PANCETTA CRUMBLES

  MACARONI SALAD WITH PEPPERONCINI

  PATATA ROSSA (RED POTATO) SALAD

  MAMA’S FRUTTI DI MARE SEAFOOD SALAD

  SUMMER SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

  TOMATO AND BABY BOCCONCINI SALAD WITH PESTO DRESSING

  ITALIAN GAZPACHO

  SUMMER MINESTRONE

  Chapter 5

  Carne (Meat)

  STEAK MILANESE

  GRILLED STEAK PIZZAIOLA

  FLANK STEAK ALLA SALA CONSILINA

  MARE E MONTI (SURF AND TURF)

  MARINATED SHORT RIBS WITH RED WINE SAUCE

  GIUDICE BURGERS WITH PEPPERS AND GORGONZOLA

  PORK AND VEGETABLE SPIEDINI

  PANCETTA-WRAPPED PORK LOIN

  APPLE-STUFFED PORK CHOPS

  ITALIAN SPARERIBS

  GRILLED VEAL CHOPS WITH MARSALA MUSHROOMS

  LEG OF LAMB MEDITERRANEAN SALAD WITH RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

  MAMA’S SMOTHERED LAMB AND POTATO CASSEROLE

  Chapter 6

  Pollo (Chicken)

  WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN WITH HERB RUB

  CHICKEN ALLA DIAVOLO

  MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH GRILLED APPLE RINGS

  CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH ARTICHOKES AND FONTINA

  GABRIELLA’S GRILLED CHICKEN PARMESAN

  JUICY JOE’S CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI RABE DINNER

  CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SWEET AND SPICY RUB

  CHICKEN SPIEDINI WITH BASIL GLAZE

  Chapter 7

  Pesce (Seafood)

  CRAB-STUFFED SALMON INVOLTINI

  GRILLED SEA BASS WITH LEMON-WINE SAUCE AND PISTACHIOS

  TUNA STEAKS WITH PEPPER-OLIVE RELISH

  SWORDFISH WITH CHERRY TOMATO–CAPER SALSA

  CLAMS WITH LEMON-CAPER BUTTER

  PARMESAN-CRUSTED SCALLOP SPIEDINI

  SHRIMP SKEWERS WITH SALSA VERDE

  Chapter 8

  Pasta

  GRILLED VEGETABLE LASAGNA

  ZITI WITH GRILLED MEATBALLS AND TOMATO SAUCE

  PENNE WITH GRILLED PORTOBELLOS AND CREAMY PESTO

  HOMEMADE PESTO

  SPAGHETTI WITH GRILLED TUNA PUTTANESCA

  FUSILLI WITH GRILLED SAUSAGES, ZUCCHINI, AND RICOTTA

  JERSEY SHORE SEAFOOD PASTA

  SUMMER SPAGHETTI WITH GRILLED TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE

  Chapter 9

  Contorni (Side Dishes)

  GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH PESTO AND MOZZARELLA

  FABELLINI GLAZED CARROTS

  PARMESAN AND PAPRIKA CORN ON THE COB

  GRILLED PEPERONATA

  ALICI BAKED POTATOES

  GRILLED ZUCCHINI SCAPECE

  Chapter 10

  Dolci (Desserts)

  SUMMER CASSATA CAKE

  ITALIAN PEACH “SANGRIA”

  JOE’S JUICY APPLESAUCE

  GRILLED PEACH SUNDAES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

  GROWNUP FABELLINI SORBET

  WATERMELON GRANITA

  BACI SEMIFREDDO

  LA PACCHIA È FINITA!

  INDEX

  INTRODUCTION

  Hot-Hot-Hot!

  Chi mangia bene, vive bene.

  “Who eats well, lives well.”

  Everything about Italy is hot: the climate, the people, the fashion, even the shape of the country—how much hotter can you get than a tall boot with a high heel?

  Everything about Italians is hot, too—and not just on the outside. We’re hot blooded. We are famous for our passion and our tempers, for our love and our loyalty. And when it comes down to it, we just like things hot.
We like our partners hot; we like our weather hot; and we love our food hot.

  If you’ve read any of my previous cookbooks, you know red pepper flakes are one of my favorite ingredients because I love to eat hot. If you’ve seen me on The Celebrity Apprentice or The Real Housewives of New Jersey, you know that I find myself in hot situations far more often than I’d like. (Every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in!) But both of my parents are from Italy, and I was conceived in the “old country,” so at least I come by my heat honestly.

  I absolutely love-love-love the summer. I love when it’s hot outside. Maybe it’s because I love to be outside. The winters—especially the ones we’ve been having lately on the East Coast—are not my friend. When it’s cold, everyone seems to hibernate. We hide in our houses. We hide our bodies under layers of clothes.

  When it’s hot, there’s no hiding. You have to face yourself and your neighbors and your body . . . and that’s an amazing, happy thing! To me, there’s nothing better than sitting in the warmth, surrounded by family and friends, with the delicious smell of food sizzling on the grill and a cold drink in your hand—just relaxing. The rest of the year, holidays and homework have us all running around like crazy. But in the summer, we can finally kick off our shoes and really enjoy our blessings.

  * * *Only the Spoon Knows* * *

  English is my second language. I grew up speaking Italian first. It was all that was ever spoken in our house. I still speak Italian exclusively with my parents, and sometimes with my husband, brother, and kids.

  Not being a native English speaker, I do make mistakes sometimes when I’m talking—usually when I’m thinking in Italian and trying to translate to English. The biggest problem I have is with English sayings, idioms, and proverbs that I didn’t grow up with because I have never heard them and don’t have a lifetime of references for them. So “Jekyll and Hyde” comes out as “Heckyll and Jive” because I didn’t grow up hearing about these two British guys (or one guy?) . . . like most Americans don’t know who Il commissario Montalbano is. (Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a famous detective from Italian books and TV shows, kind of like the Italian Sherlock Holmes.)

  Since our sayings are totally different in Italian—and just as fun!—and almost all have to do with food or cooking, I thought that in this book I’d teach you some of them. We’ll start with this one: U defiette da pignate u sa sul u cuocchiare. It literally means “only the spoon knows the inside problems of the clay pot,” and is the Italian way of saying “never judge a book by its cover.” A great lesson for us all!

  One of my biggest blessings—besides my four beautiful daughters and my incredible family—is that I get the opportunity to share my family’s authentic Italian recipes with you. I am so humbled and honored to be writing my fourth cookbook! That the first three have all been New York Times bestsellers blows my mind. But it really shouldn’t because I know I have the best fans in the entire world. You guys are sexy, smart, and you don’t miss a thing. I wish I could have a big, fabulous summer party and invite all of you! I can give you the next best thing, though: a book full of my summer party favorites.

  In just a few chapters, you’ll become a grill god/goddess, learn ancient Italian secrets of cooking delicious and juicy food over an open flame, and unleash your own inner hot Italian. I’ve also adapted some of the most popular recipes from my previous cookbooks so that they can be cooked on the grill. Think you can’t make lasagna or chicken Parmesan or pizza on the grill? Think again!

  So fire up the grill, pop open a bottle of Fabellini, and let’s get this party started!

  CHAPTER 1

  Get Out of the Kitchen:

  Grilling 101

  Amicizie e maccheroni, sono meglio caldi.

  “Friendships and pasta are best when they are warm.”

  Iadore summer food. Unlike in the winter when even our food hides in cans and under thick creams, summer food comes out to play. Everything is fresh, crisp, colorful, and extra healthy. The farmers’ markets are open; the produce section of the grocery store is overflowing; and we’re spoiled for choice: avocados, berries, eggplant, figs, grapes, green beans, peas, peppers, peaches, plums, summer squash, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini (my favorite), and tons more. They’re all my favorites, actually, especially when they’re in season, inexpensive, and outrageously delicious.

  There’s a saying in Italy: Pesche, fichi, e meloni sono migliori quando sono in stagione. It means “peaches, figs, and melons are best when they are in season.” It’s used as a proverb to explain that “everything has its time,” but it works literally as well because it’s true: things taste so much better when they’re in season. Think about a tomato. Sun-ripened and picked fresh from a local vine, they are sweet, tangy, zesty, and meaty. Grown in a hothouse and shipped across the country during winter months, they are tasteless, slimy, and—Madonna mia!—mealy.

  Out-of-season and out-of-state-grown food doesn’t just taste worse, it also doesn’t cook as well, and isn’t as good for you. Hothouse or imported produce has to be harvested before it’s ripe, after which it is chilled, transported, stored, transported again, handled by multiple people and machines, and sometimes even treated with chemicals and/or radiation to give it the correct color (and sometimes an artificial shine) and to protect it from a world of germs. The premature picking and long journey means that the food doesn’t have as many nutrients as it could, and it also loses moisture. Dense produce like apples can handle the trip better, but something soft and vulnerable like a tomato has no chance. This is why, during the summer, I buy as many fresh tomatoes from farmers’ markets as I can, why my family cans hundreds of jars of them every August, and why, if I’m out and in a pinch, I’ll go for canned tomatoes over winter pickings in the produce department every time.

  SEXY GRILLING

  I also adore the way we cook summer food because grilling is healthier, sexier, and keeps the heat out of your house. For starters, you can’t really grill super unhealthy foods. Anything fatty or extra processed, like a Twinkie, is not going to work. It will melt or dissolve back into the mess of chemicals it came from. To stand up to the high heat and wide spaces on a grill, food needs to be real, solid, and raw.

  Grilling food is also healthier because you are essentially burning the fat off of it. When food is fried or even baked, it sits in its own oil and absorbs the oil that you added to the pan. The higher heat also means grilled foods generally have a shorter cooking time, which means that veggies lose less of their precious nutrients.

  Finally, my favorite part of grilling is that you can do it in your bikini. It’s not only sexy, but also great for weight maintenance and weight loss. Preparing and eating food in a bathing suit is a great way to keep you motivated to eat healthy and exercise, and naturally keeps you from wanting to eat too much. I heard once that if you really want to lose weight, you are supposed to eat in your underwear. Not very practical, but it keeps you accountable. There’s no hiding your “yummie tummie” when you’re staring at your belly button between bites. That might sound extreme, but swap it for your swimsuit and surround yourself with good, positive friends, and you may just find the kick start you’ve been looking for. In fact, if you start right now—eating healthy food and moving your bones—you can look even more amazing by the end of the summer.

  * * *Grilling for Girls* * *

  I don’t know how grilling became a man’s territory, but a lot of my girlfriends have no idea how to even turn their burners on (and really, that’s just sad). They tell me it’s too dirty, too smoky, too hot, and a little scary. I tell them that it’s only dirty and smoky if you’re doing it wrong; that—repeat after me—we like it hot!; and that there’s nothing to be scared of, I promise! I come from a family of grill masters, but you wanna know who’s the best? My mama! My tiny, adorable, sweet mother. My mother-in-law, too. And I make a mean, mean grilled steak.

  Girls have been grilling food since fire was invented. Remember the whole man hunts, wom
an cooks thing? It’s time to take back our firepower, ladies! There’s nothing wrong with letting your man handle the tongs, but I want you to know that you can grill just as well as anyone—Y chromosome not required.

  GRILLING VS. BARBECUING

  Believe it or not, I am positive this is not the best barbecue book that you’ll ever buy. Why? Because it’s not a barbecue (or barbeque or BBQ) book at all. It’s a grilling book. Although some people use the words “grilling” and “barbecue” interchangeably, there is a difference.

  They are both methods of cooking food over an open flame, but, technically, when you barbecue something, you cook it at a low temperature for long, long time; when you grill food, it’s hot and fast. Barbecued food, like pulled pork or beef brisket, depends on smoke and rub flavors and lots of sauce to give it its signature tender taste. It’s mostly done in the South and over charcoal or wood fires. Grilling, which we do in Italy, uses the heat from a grill to cook, but not really flavor the food, like chicken, seafood, steak, and vegetables. That’s where we come in!

  * * *The Mother of All Slang* * *

  One of the most common exclamations in Italy—and my personal favorite—is Madonna mia!, which literally means “my Lady” and refers to the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother. I guess it’s technically blasphemous, but it’s really using a nickname, so it’s kind of like saying “OMG” in America today. While I use the full phrase, many Italian-Americans, especially in Jersey, use the shortened version “Madon” or “ah Madon,” which can sound like “mah-dohn,” “mah-dawn,” or even “marrone.” It can be used to express that something is great or super terrible, but I usually use it to mean something is bad as in “I can’t freakin’ believe this,” or “sweet mother of God, no!”