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Review of 

Mario Batali

Holiday Food

Photographs by Quentin Bacon

Clarkson Potter/Publishers, New York

What better way to close the year than with a holiday book written by Mario Batali? Mario Batali Holiday Food brings his culinary passion into your home with Mario’s personal and Italian recipes to become part of your own tradition. With only seven short chapters, four of which are menus for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, this is a book for rolling up your sleeves and creating some wonderful food.

The Batali family took holidays seriously and began planning their food at the end of October. From organizing the rentals to flavoring grappa, each morsel was choreographed. “We did all this, not out of need, but out of pride and respect for custom, and also because the joy of creating good things together is what great traditions and holidays are all about.” This little book is a reminder of how food is not just about eating but creating memories and family traditions.

At the heart of an Italian Christmas is La Vigilia, a fish based meal that can include seven to thirteen fish dishes served on Christmas Eve. Batali entices us to try Marinated Fresh Anchovies, Sea Bass Ravioli with Marjoram and Potatoes, and on the sweet side, Classic Cannoli Di Ricotta. If you have never tried fresh cannoli, indulge yourself this year; you’ll never waste calories again on the pre-stuffed bakery shells. Batali’s Christmas Eve chapter contains sixteen recipes representing this important holiday. Granted Marinated Eel and Salt Cod with Capers, Mint and Chiles are not part of my gene pool but Batali’s infectious voice and recipes make me confident that they are the best representation to try. There are more approachable dishes such as Braised Broccoli and the classic Linguine with Clams that should be a part of everyone’s repertoire.

Christmas Day finds the Batali family hunkering down to a meal of Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Prunes, Marinated Butternut Squash, and a Potato Cake flavored with Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino cheese and studded with salami. Antipasti includes a recipe for a pickled vegetable salad that is an easy do ahead dish which can be served as a starter or with boiled or braised meats. It contains the usual suspects- carrots, celery, and cauliflower but the addition of fennel and anchovies gives a nice sweet-salty counterpoint to the marinated brine. No Italian celebration is complete without pasta and Batali serves up Spaghetti with Sheep’s Cheese, and Eggs a recipe similar to spaghetti alla carbonara rich in eggs, cheese and comfort. Two desserts stand out. Baba, a yeast cake that is traditionally soaked in rum syrup, made with a Batali twist substituting limoncello and Grandma’s Biscotti, a childhood favorite.

Batali pulls out all of the culinary stops for his New Year’s Eve chapter. Just reading the menu makes me want to call twenty of my favorite friends to imbibe, indulge, and if need be spend the night. An aperitivo of tangerine juice, campari, and soda is served with an elegant mozzarella                                                                                

sandwich, a cross between a grilled cheese and croque messieurs, octopus slowly cooked in a tomato vinegar sauce and stuffed ricotta fritters. Pasta weighs in with basil pasta tossed with shrimp and zucchini and Timpano Di Maccheroni, Batali’s rendition of the timpano from the movie The Big Night. This recipe is calling to me. A four quart metal mixing bowl is lined with fresh pasta and filled with rigatoni pasta, meatballs, white sauce, red sauce, prosciutto, and parmesan. Baked and unmolded this is definitely the ‘turducken’ of pasta dishes! If you still have room, Batali’s secondi e contorni includes Sausage with Lentils, Braised Pork Roll with Ziti, Potato Pizzas, Stuffed Onions and Cardoon Custard. To satisfy your sweet tooth, have on hand Coffee Semifreddo, Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding, and Pizzelle cookies. Come to think of it, I need to find more that twenty guests for this meal! 

After peaking with the New Year’s Eve dinner, Batali lets us down gently as he suggests a New Year’s Day menu that doesn’t require too much last minute cooking and fits into a lazy football day. For those “early risers” there is a Balsamic Bloody Mary, and Eggs in Purgatory, a baked egg dish with tomatoes, basil and cheese to chase the hangover away. A casserole of sausage and peppers, stuffed artichokes, and one of my favorites, Linguine with Walnut Sauce, are a few of his easy entertaining suggestions.

I have promised myself next year to plan the holidays earlier a la the Batali clan but in the mean time I’m going to lose myself in my kitchen with some Puccini and this fabulous little book!

“The most important part of holiday get-togethers is exactly that: getting together. So either plan it so you can get out of the kitchen, or get everyone else in there with you. Buone Feste!” Mario Batali

Happy Holidays!

Read! Eat! Enjoy!

Judith Bishop

www.ingoodtastestore.com

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