Restaurant Inspired - Scarpetta's Tomato Basil Sauce

So many of my family's favorite at-home meals are inspired by incredible restaurant experiences. In the years where we were footloose and fancy free, we did a really good job of getting out for great meals around town, several that were really special and memorable with amazing dishes like:
Chili Lobster With Texas Toast, Brussels Sprouts With Figs and Mint Yogurt, and this unbelievable Mac & Cheese.   

Scarpetta's Famous Spaghetti with Tomato Basil Sauce at home! Photo: NK

Nowadays, as parents, life may be a bit slower and budgets may be tighter, but the few times we do make it out, we really go and do it up. When date nights are scarce, it's a great excuse to make them count!

The latest wow dish came to us courtesy of NYC's impeccable Scarpetta, an elegant yet bustling high-end Italian joint that is not to be missed. Though everything we ate was excellent, their most famous dish, a humble bowl of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, was the stand out. Part of me didn't want to order it because I typically like my out-on-the-town dinners to be a bit more exotic, but I'd read so much hype, I just had to taste for myself. The secret to Scott Conant's brilliant sauce is two-fold as far as I can tell: lots of extra fat (oil, butter, etc. what could go wrong?) but also, Conant infuses Olive Oil with the fresh flavors of Classic Marinara, so that you get all the essence and freshness in an unmuddled, more forward way. The flavored Oil is applied at the end, and the various essences come through to your palate magnified and bright. It's pure genius.

Our interpretation of Scarpetta's famous Spaghetti Tomato Basil Sauce is based heavily off the Serious Eats piece and because we use high quality canned Tomatoes, it's done the fastest possible way possible. Obviously fresh Tomatoes are best, but I would only use themwhen they are at their best and perfectly in season. Though there are multiple steps to Conant's recipe, I've tried to write it up for you in a way that maximizes ease and cuts down prep time. 

I threw this together on a weekday and I was done in just under 40 minutes. SO worth it. While I could tell you my results were as good as the real deal, I'd be lying. Still, I must say, it came pretty darn close to the original and really blew our socks.


Scarpetta's Famous Spaghetti Tomato Basil Sauce (the fastest way)
By Scott Conant
Ingredients:

28 Ounce Can Whole Peeled (or diced) San Marzano Tomatoes
1 Pound Good Quality dry or fresh Spaghetti (Garofalo, De Cecco are good choices)
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon
Bunch of Basil, 2 large sprigs set aside, 6 large leaves cut into thin ribbons
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes + extra for infusing the Oil
6 Cloves of Garlic, whole  
1 Tablespoon Salted Butter
2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Parmigiana Reggiano


Method:

Set a large Pasta Pot of well salted water to boil.

In another large, high sided pan, warm the 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the can of Tomatoes and a big pinch of Salt and 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes then mush them well with a potato masher. (Start prepping your Oil infusion below). Allow to cook about 20 minutes or more (if you need to buy time) over medium heat, mashing and stirring from time to time. If the sauce gets too thick, add a Tablespoon or two of water to loosen.

While the Tomato Sauce cooks, infuse your remaining Olive Oil in another small pot. Add 1/4 Cup Oil, 2 large sprigs of Basil, a good pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flake and 6 Large Garlic Cloves. Turn the flame very low and allow flavors to slowly infuse, ideally for about 20 minutes.

Pasta Water should be boiling now so add your Spaghetti and cook until just under al dente according to package instructions. When Pasta is done, scoop out about a cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the rest of the Pasta and add it to the pan with the Tomato Sauce. Toss. Add Pasta Water, Tablespoon by Tablespoon and turn up the flame to medium. Continue to toss until Sauce and Pasta moves together in the pan. The Pasta Water will help it to bind thanks to the starch in it. Turn off the flame.

Throw a pat of Butter on top of the Pasta and Sauce and toss. Then stream in the Infused Oil, using a spoon to block the solids as you pour. Discard all but the oil. Toss. Now the add the Parmigiana Reggiano and remaining Basil Ribbons. Toss again. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of Salt if needed.

Serve and ENJOY!!!!!!

The Easy & Fast Way - Marc Forgione's Chili Lobster & Texas Toast

 Marc Forgione/TriBeCa, Photo Courtesy of Restaurant Marc Forgione

"Chef Way, Real Way" is one of my favorite features in Food and Wine Magazine. In it, the magazine's contributors figure out ingenious ways to make even the most involved and time consuming pro chef dishes more accessible to the home cook. 

This week, motivated by a fierce, ever-burgeoning obsession with a restaurant dish that "had me at hello," we're tackling Iron Chef Marc Forgione's bestselling appetizer "Real Way" style:

Chili Lobster with Texas Toast

Restaurant Marc Forgione in NYC's TriBeCa is a delightful place for a special night out. Check out their website HERE.  Forgione's creative and playful take on New American fare is as unique as it is well executed. The restaurant's rustic yet still modern ambiance is warm and inviting, and the service is always on point.  Order Chili Lobster as your appetizer. Please. You won't be sorry. What's it like? Well just imagine bite-sized chunks of Lobster bathed in a super spicy, buttery, and herbacious Asian Chili Sauce served along with thick slices of Sourdough Texas Toast that's just begging to be dipped. So now you know why we just had to to remake this showstopper recipe for the home cook.

Photo Courtesy of ChefShop.com

Our Changes to the Forgione Version:
Forgione's original recipe calls for Lobster Stock. Stock can be time consuming to make and requires you to have several lobster carcasses on hand, which both drives up the price of the recipe as well as the time it takes to prepare. Some specialty food markets do carry a paste-like Lobster base specifically for Lobster Stock. If you can find it, that would be a great option. Instead, my gourmet market carried a more widely available high-quality seafood stock concentrate that listed Lobster as one of its ingredients - it's called Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold from a brand called More Than Gourmet. Use this appropriately red-hued concentrate at full strength for this recipe and you will be left with a fast and fantastic lobster-ish stock that does the job. If you can't find it, regular Seafood Stock is another great option. We like the one from Kitchen Basics. 

Photo: NK 

Forgione also calls for various parts of the Lobster to be sauteed and baked separately. To make our Chili Lobster the faster home-cook way, we exclusively use easy to find frozen Lobster Tails that need only to be thawed, sliced in the shell, and very briefly stir fried in a blazing hot wok. Our version of Chili Lobster will save you time and the hassle of buying and processing several whole lobsters. As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about boiling live lobsters if you are squeamish about executing the poor guys - which I absolutely am, hypocrite though I may be.

Time to get out your fish forks. We're ready to cook. 

NK's Chili Lobster with Texas Toast
Adapted from Chef Marc Forgione of Restaurant Marc Forgione 
Serves 2 as a large appetizer or light entree 

Ingredients: 
1 Lb of Lobster Tails - Four 4 Ounce Tails (defrosted if frozen)

1 Cup Lobster Stock - Or prepare your own Mock Lobster Stock according to the below* OR 1 Cup Seafood Stock (We prefer Kitchen Basics) OR** 3/4 Cup Clam Juice mixed with 1/4 Cup Water

Mint Chiffonade and Scallion Threads, Photo: NK

2 Tablespoons Sriracha
1 Tablespoon regular Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Ginger, minced
1.25 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Mint, cut into a chiffonade
2 Scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced lengthwise into skinny threads (optional) 
4 Thick Slices of Sourdough, toasted
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

*Ingredients & Prep of Seafood Stock 
(Yields 3.75 Cups/Adjust to the amount you desire - **you will only need 1 cup of stock per every 2 servings)
3.75 Cups Water
1.5 Ounce Container of "Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold" Stock Base by More Than Gourmet 

~To make Seafood/Lobster Stock, simply combine the entire 1.5 Ounce container of Glace de Fruits de Mer with water and stir over low heat.

~**Alternate Seafood Stock Substitute**- Simply Mix 3/4 Cup Clam Juice with 1/4 Cup Water

Chili Lobster & Texas Toast, Photo: NK

Method:
If you haven't already, toast the Sourdough and set aside. 

Using a kitchen scissor, clip all the tiny legs off the underside of the Lobster Tails.
Place Tails on a cutting board and cut, keeping the shell on, into 1 inch pieces. Note that it is easiest to cut through the crease in the shell segments and it requires a little elbow grease. 

Pan Sauteeing the Lobster Pieces, Photo NK

Over a medium flame, add Canola Oil to a Large Saute Pan or Wok and heat until the oil begins to smoke. 

Add the Lobster Tail pieces carefully (the oil may spit) and cook about 1 minute, stirring. Flip pieces over and cook for another minute. 

Toss the Garlic and Ginger into the wok and deglaze the wok by adding 1 Cup of Lobster Stock or Storebought Seafood Stock. 

Remove Lobster to a plate.

Turn flame up just a bit and allow Stock to reduce by half. This should take a few minutes but make sure to keep your eye on it. 

Next, add Sriracha (less if you are spice sensitive), and whisk in the Butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, into the wok. Stir to combine. 

Add Soy Sauce, several generous squeezes of the Lime, and Salt and Pepper according to your taste. Turn off the flame and toss Lobster back into Wok and give it a quick stir to coat. 

To Plate: Portion out Lobster Pieces into two bowls. Pour equal amounts of Chili Sauce over each serving. Perch 2 Slices of Texas Toast on the rim of each bowl. Garnish the Toast with Scallion Threads and the Lobster with the chiffonade of Mint. Serve with fish forks and enjoy!