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Phil Lempert
PhilLempert
TODAY Food Editor
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In this special weekly feature, “Today” food editor Phil Lempert brings you recipes “stolen” (with permission) from notable restaurants across America. See how much fun you can have (and money you can save) by cooking these dishes at home.
THIS WEEK: Zuppa di Pesce e Fagiolio from Lattanzi Ristorante in New York City.
We’ll bet that you’ve never tried this recipe before! This week we “steal” a recipe from Lattanzi Ristorante, which cooks up classic Roman Jewish cuisine. The Roman Jewish community is the oldest Jewish community in Europe — they arrived roughly 2,000 years ago from Palestine. Until 1870, the Jews were confined to the ghetto and even today they still firmly hold onto their traditions. This special Venetian stew, Zuppa di Pesce e Fagiolio, is popular even outside of the old Jewish ghettos of Rome and will be a hit in your kitchen.
About the chef: Executive Chef Paolo Lattanzi grew up in Rome and as a child lived near the Jewish ghetto. There Lattanzi developed a love of the flavors in Roman Jewish food, and learned much of his culinary skills from his Sicilian mother, Ermina.
Upon coming to America, he worked in a number of Italian restaurants throughout Manhattan until he ended up as chef at Tartufo (now called Fiorella), where his brother Maurizio happened to be working as dining-room director. He, along with his brothers, he’s the youngest, decided to open Trastevere. Since then, together they have opened up a number of restaurants in Manhattan.
At Lattanzi Ristorante, Lattanzi cooks in the slow-food tradition he learned from his mother. Lattanzi’s brother Vittorio says, “Our philosophy is to take the time to do everything just right so that all the flavors come out ... Our mozzarella, for instance, is homemade. We prepare it ourselves using the traditional method of pulling the cheese like taffy. It comes to the table fresh-made and warm from the process. Even though it takes longer than anyone takes to prepare these days, we believe that cooking is worth doing right.” Lattanzi’s clean, pungent and satisfying dishes have become a Lattanzi Ristorante hallmark.
Zuppa di Pesce e Fagiolio is served at Lattanzi Ristorantefor $28. The recipe is for a serving size of two.
leftfalsefalse0falsefalse25Lattanzi Ristorante
361 W 46th St.
New York, N.Y. 10036
212-315-0980
www.lattanzinyc.com
Want to nominate your favorite restaurant dish for a "Steal This Recipe" feature? Just e-mail Phil at Phil.Lempert@nbc.com (or use the mail box below) with the name of the restaurant, city and state, and the dish you would like to have re-created. Want to know more about Phil and food? Visit his Web site at www.supermarketguru.com.