Gianni's North Beach

Making the Same Pizza in North Beach for 77 Years

Gianni — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:23:25 +0000

Gorgonzola, Prosciutto and Pear Pizza

North Beach’s Tommaso’s opened in 1935. The Crotti family bought it in 1973 and they’re still serving the original menu from 77 years ago.

Agostino Crotti boasts that Tommaso’s was the first to have a wood-burning oven on the West Coast . “That’s written in the books.” Augstino says “this place is famous for one reason and one reason only: the brick oven.”

Agostino gave the oven design to Alice Waters who built one at Chez Panisse in 1980 and California-style pizza was born. Alice passed the design on to Wolfgang Puck who built one at Spago opened in 1982. The rest is history. “So everything started here,” Augustino proclaims.

Pizza in San Francisco has come a long way since 1935. The pizzeria choices in most neighborhoods are incredible. Just in North Beach you can get a dazzling array of pizza at a dozen places. Pizza delivery has evolved too. Not just home delivery anymore. We had fantastic pizza truck pies from Casey’s parked downtown on Mission for lunch a few weeks ago.

Agostino isn’t too impressed with all these developments. He only eats pizza out of his 77 year old wood-burning oven. “I’m more simple. Give me a margherita pizza and I’m a happy camper.” That’s my Tommaso favorite too but the half-sausage/half-meatball ain’t bad either.

Make your own pizza at home with my easy recipe. The dough is foolproof. Make Pizza Margherita or the Gorgonzola, Prosciutto and Pear pizza (Agostino might not approve of this one) or use your favorite toppings.

EaterSF’s Pizza Week 2012 posts are a goldmine for everything you need to know about pizza in San Francisco, including Del Popolo, the new monster pizza truck with a wood-burning oven. Don’t miss A Snob’s Guide, a virtual SF pizza encyclopedia. You can read Chloe Schildhause ’s full interview with Agostino Crotti and his sister Carmen too.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara from Roma

Gianni — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:11:00 +0000

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

A Roman friend’s son Luca shot a video of Claudio, the chef/owner of Osteria Dar Bruttone making spaghetti alla carbonara, a classic Roman pasta dish. I had to share it with you.

Claudio is passionate about Roma and about its food. His osteria in the San Giovanni neighborhood where he serves simple traditional Roman fare is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Claudio beams as he talks about the virtues of the most beautiful city on earth and Roman culinary tradition, a vital part of Roman life. Walk with Claudio as he shops in the markets near his osteria for the food that he will cook at his restaurant that day.

The spaghetti alla carbonara video is in Italian but even if you don’t speak the language watch it anyway. The shots of Rome, the markets and the kitchen techniques are priceless. Everyone I know who watched the video, fluent in Italian or not, had to make spaghetti alla carbonara right away. Here’s my translation of Claudio’s recipe for you to enjoy in your kitchen.

Spaghetti alla carbonara only has 4 ingredients and is ready to eat in the time it takes to cook the spaghetti. Search out guanciale. It’s integral to the dish. (In a pinch you could use pancetta.) Use a dried durum wheat pasta extruded through bronze dies imported from Italy so the sauce will cling to its rough surface. Don’t be shy with the black pepper. Use pecorino for it’s more robust flavor, not parmigiano.

The spaghetti takes on a golden hue. Creamy, silky sauce coats every strand. Rich pecorino flavor plays off salty, crispy guanciale and black pepper tickles your throat with every bite.

I miss Roma. Buon appetito!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients

1 pound or 500 kilograms imported durum wheat pasta
4 slices guanciale, about a half-inch thick
5 eggs (4 yolks, 1 whole egg)
1 cup grated pecorino romano
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 tablespoon grated black pepper
2 tablespoons sea salt for the pasta water

Cooking Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Put the egg yolks and one whole egg in a bowl and beat them well.
Add the percorino and a healthy amount (about a tablespoon) of freshly ground black pepper.
Mix the egg mixture well. Set aside.
Cut 4 half-inch guanciale slices and cut the slices into one-inch strips.
Over a medium flame heat the EVOO in a large skillet.
When the oil begins to sizzle add the guanciale and saute until the guanciale starts to develop a crispy, brown crust.
Drain all but two tablespoons of the fat from the saute pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Pull the al dente spaghetti out of the water with tongs or a spider and put it in the saute pan. (If you drain your pasta save 2 cups of the pasta water.)
Add a cup of the hot pasta water and mix the spaghetti to distribute the guanciale well. Saute the spaghetti in the sauce for about a minute to finish cooking.
Make sure the pasta is hot so it cooks the egg mixture.
Close the flame.
Add the egg mixture and coat the spaghetti well all over. Be quick you do not want to scramble the eggs. If the sauce is too dense add more pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Serve family style or twist a nest of spaghetti onto a warm plate.
Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and grated pecorino over the top of the spaghetti.
Serve immediately.

A Peek Inside Capos on Vallejo

Gianni — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:27:24 +0000

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Tony Gemignani’s Capos in the former Pucinella Pizzeria space on North Beach’s Vallejo Street is taking shape. The brick facade on the front of the building is in place. Soon a big black awning will hang out over the sidewalk. A beautiful custom-built wood Art Deco bar is in place on the left just inside the front door and red leather banquettes sensually line the opposite wall in the dining area. This is going to be a hot eating spot.

A while ago I noticed a wood-burning beehive pizza oven in the open kitchen. Since Capos will offer Chicago deep dish and stuffed pizza this traditional Neapolitan pizza oven puzzled me. One of the pizza makers told me that pasta dishes will be baked and steaks roasted on a rack in the beehive to impart a smoky flavor. Can’t wait to taste these delights.

I’m off to Chicago soon and my first stop will be at Gino’s East for a deep dish pizza. I know we’ll wait at least 40 minutes for the pie to bake. They won’t take that long once Capos opens. I’m told Tony and his pizza makers have come up with a way to get their pizza out of the oven in about 20 minutes. I hope so. This place is going to be mobbed and I hope the tables turn quickly. I only have Chicago deep dish pizza a couple of times a year when I end up in the Windy City. Now I’ll be able to eat it any time I want right here in NoBe. My guess is that Capos will open by the end of the month.

Thank God for Capos. It’s the last North Beach business on this critical block of Vallejo. The big Piazza Market space near Columbus is still for lease. Victoria Pastry on the Stockton corner soon will move to Filbert near Washington Square. So the Vallejo Street bookend spots are still in play. Will the new tenants maintain this as a North Beach block or complete its attachment to Chinatown? I’ll keep you posted.

Frittata: Italian Egg, Sausage and Potato Pie

Gianni — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:46:52 +0000

Frittata

Frittata is a versatile dish and you can make it in less than 20 minutes start to finish. Use whatever ingredients you want to make it your own. Here I use some of my favorites. Browned potatoes and onions are the base. Fresh mozzarella, roasted sausage, grated pecorino, and chopped parsley enhance the egg mixture.

Make yours vegetarian. Saute a couple of your favorite veggies to bring out their flavor. Roasted asparagus or sauteed zucchini work well too. Let the sauteed vegetables cool before adding them to egg mixture. Prosciutto or ham are good substitutes for the roasted sausage. Fontina or another soft cheese can replace the mozzarella. Or just use grated pecorino, parmigiano or grana padano.

Serve frittata for brunch or dinner. A side fruit or green salad completes the plate. Frittata is a nice addition to an antipasti platter too. However you serve your frittata make sure you have enough left over so you can enjoy frittata panini (sandwiches) later on.

I use a well-seasoned 11-inch cast iron pan for my 10 egg frittata. Non-stick saute pans work well too. For my smaller 9-inch cast iron pan I use 6 or 8 eggs. If you are anxious about flipping the frittata to cook the second side use an oven-proof pan and put it in the oven to finish cooking.

The golden crust is nutty and the frittata is cooked through but still a moist on the inside. Enjoy a mouthful of flavor in every bite.

Buon appetito.

Frittata - Italian Egg, Potato and Sausage Pie

Ingredients

10 extra large eggs
3 small Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 onion
2 thick slices fresh mozzarella
1 roasted Italian sausage
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons EVOO

Cooking Directions

Par boil or microwave the potatoes until just knife tender.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat well.
Add the parsley, pecorino and salt and pepper to taste to the eggs. Mix well.
Cut the mozzarella and the roasted sausage into half-inch cubes. Add to the egg mixture. (Roast the sausage in a 425 degree oven until fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Cool before adding to the egg mixture.)
Place a cast-iron or other saute pan over medium-high heat.
Add the EVOO.
When the oil begins to ripple add the potatoes and onions.
Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Mix well.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Saute until the potatoes begin to brown.
Make sure that the oil coats the bottom and the sides of the pan well. Add more oil if needed and bring it to temperature so that the egg mixture does not stick to the pan.
Add the egg mixture to the pan.
Use a fork to make sure that the ingredients are equally distributed.
As the egg mixture starts to set up use a fork to loosen the bottom so that some of the egg mixture seeps through.
Move the pan around to ensure that the fritatta cooks evenly all over.
As a crust begins to form on the edge of the fritatta use a spatula or flat wooden spoon to move the egg mixture away from the side of the pan so that some of the liquid egg mixture fills in behind to cook.
When the frittata forms a solid edge all around and begins to move away from the side of the pan run the spatula gently under the fritatta to loosen it completely from the bottom of the pan.
The frittata should move freely when you shake the pan.
When the frittata is fully formed and set in the middle place a plate over the pan and holding the plate firmly against the rim of the pan carefully flip the pan over.
Slip the frittata from the plate back into the pan to finish cooking the second side, about 3 minutes.
Press down on the fritatta with you fingers to make sure that it is fully cooked. It should be springy to the touch.
Place a large serving dish over the pan and flip the pan to remove the fritatta. You can also carefully slide the frittata onto the serving dish.
(If you do not want to flip the frittata you can finish cooking the second side in the oven instead. Place the oven-proof pan in a pre-heated 425-degree oven or under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is fully set and begins to brown.)
Serve the frittata hot out of the pan or at room temperature.
Buon appetito.

North Beach Walking Tour Saturday!

Gianni — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:53:59 +0000

Gianni Guiding a North Beach Tour

Fans who took my tour a few months ago called to see if I would do a tour of North Beach for out-of-town guests this Saturday, April 28 at 11:00 a.m.

Do you want to join us?

Get to know my my favorite restaurants, bakeries, food shops, art galleries and North Beach history as we take a 90-minute stroll through the Village on a delightful spring day. We’ll eat together at one of my favorite caffes. Enjoy antipasti, focaccia and a sampler of 3 Tuscan pastas with a glass of a special Chianti. Then we’ll head to another nearby caffe for espresso and the best cannoli or tiramisu in North Beach, your choice.

Tour with food–$50 per person. Tour without food–$25 per person. You can pay by cash or check at the start of the tour.

Just send me an email and I’ll save a spot for you or your group and I’ll let you know where to meet up. http://gianni.tv/about/contact-gianni/

Space is limited so sign up soon.

Pasta Primavera: Bowtie Pasta with Spring Vegetables

Gianni — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:52:57 +0000

Farfalle with Early Spring Vegetables

The farmers markets are overflowing with early spring vegetables so I just had to make Pasta Primavera, farfalle (bowtie) pasta with just-arrived asparagus, fava beans and sweet peas.

Pasta Primavera is a classic Italian-American dish concocted by Sirio Maccioni and made famous at his Le Cirque restaurant in New York City in the 70s.

I adapted the classic recipe to lighten up the cheesy sauce. Sirio used spaghetti but today I chose farfalle to ensure that every forkful has some pasta and vegetables for a full flavor explosion in every bite.

This is a glorious bowl of springtime. The sweet fresh vegetables are bathed in the light cream sauce and their fresh taste shines through. The farfalle absorb the sauce full of spring vegetable flavor. The ricotta salata grated on top ties the dish together and kicks it up a notch.

I had an ulterior motive for cooking up the dish today. I’m making Pasta Primavera at a demonstration and tasting for 50 San Jose fans later this week. I wanted to make sure I still had it right this season.

Here’s the Farfalle with Spring Vegetables recipe just in case you get inspired at the market. Use my spring veggie trio or use whatever spring vegetables turn you on. Just don’t use more than 3 vegetables or the flavors will get muddled.

You can make the primavera sauce in the time that it takes to cook the pasta. Buon appetito.

Pasta Primavera: Pasta with Spring Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pound or 500 grams Farfalle dried pasta
2 cloves garlic
2 spring onions
8 thin asparagus spears
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1 cup shelled fava beans
10 ripe cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup EVOO
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup basil leaves, ripped by hand
1/2 cup grated ricotta salata or grated parmigiano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rapid boil. Add the farfalle and cook until just al dente.
In a large saute pan heat 1/3 cup EVOO over medium-high heat.
When the oil starts to ripple add the garlic.
When the garlic becomes translucent and gives off its aroma add the spring onion, asparagus and fava beans. (To prepare the fava beans remove them from the pod and blanch them in the hot pasta water for less than a minute. This loosens the skin so you can peel it off easily.)
Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and mix vegetables well.
Saute vegetables for about a minute.
Add a 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the saute pan.
Cover an cook the vegetables until tender, about 4 minutes.
Remove the cover and add the peas and tomatoes.
When the peas and tomatoes start to wrinkle drizzle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons EVOO and another 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Bring to a rapid oil and cook until the sauce is reduced by half.
Drain the farfalle and add to the primavera sauce pan.
Pour in the cream and 2 tablespoons EVOO. Mix well. (Add more pasta water if the sauce is too dense.)
Taste for salt and pepper.
Stir in the basil.
Off the heat add the grated cheese.
Serve immediately.

Discovering North Beach–A Post From Italia

Gianni — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:53:51 +0000

Gianni Guiding a North Beach Tour

Nuok is an Italian travel, art and food site. A recent post by Alessandra Maffei who lives in Roma celebrates North Beach.

“The air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great that I thought I was in a dream.” is Alessandra’s North Beach memory.

Gianni was her online tour guide as she discovered the Italian treasures in our Village. She loved all that North Beach has to offer and here’s what she said about Gianni.

Se avete voglia di scoprire dove la gente del posto scova le migliori prelibatezze made in Italy abbiamo un nome per voi: Gianni Mola, chef di origini italiane e profondo conoscitore sia della nostra cucina che dei segreti gastronomici di North Beach, famoso per il suo show online e le sue visite guidate in giro per il quartiere.

Insieme a Gianni scoprirete la focaccia della Liguria Bakery, i cannoli del Cavalli Café e la pizza di Baonecci; comprerete la migliore carne al Little City Market di Stockton Street, per poi recarvi allo Union Street Produce per trovare tutto l’occorrente per cucinare un perfetto piatto italiano.

Oh, don’t speak Italian? Here’s my attempt to translate for you.

If you want to discover where the locals seek out the best made in Italy delicacies we have a name for you: Gianni Mola, chef and connoisseur of the Italian cuisine that is the secret of our food in North Beach, famous for his show online and his tours around the neighborhood.

Together with Gianni discover the focaccia from Liguria Bakery, cannoli from Cavalli Café and Baonecci’s pizza; the best meat you can buy at Little City Market on Stockton Street, before heading to Union Street Produce to find everything you need to cook a perfect Italian dish.

Wow, thanks to the folks at Nuoc. Here’s the post with some great North Beach pictures. For those of you fluent in Italian how’s my translation?

Gianni Hosts a North Beach Antipasti Party?

Gianni — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:56:13 +0000

Gianni's Antipasti Platter

The other night my Emerald Tablet friends and I put together a tasty family-style dinner at North Beach’s Vicoletto, the Calabrian restaurant on Green. We were talking about a Gianni’s North Beach cooking demonstration and tasting at their gallery and creative learning space. They don’t have a full kitchen so it would be a challenge.

Then it hit me. When I’m in Bologna I always stop at least once in at an enoteca (wine bar} for a plate of assorted Italian cured meats and cheeses. Your group huddles around a high table and nibbles on a plate full of distinctive tastes and textures. I pair Prosecco or a sparkling rose with this spuntino (little snack) that will tide us over until dinner much later in the evening.

A Bologna Salumeria

We decided it would be fun to make believe we’re in Emilia-Romagna. We could host a salumi and cheese tasting with wine pairings at the gallery. I’ll source all of the meats, cheeses and wines right here in North Beach and demonstrate how to make some of my antipasti treats.

I’m excited about Bay Area artisan salumi and cheeses. We’ll taste the best of Italia and America. Will the local products stand up to their Italian cousins? Gianni’s North Beach most popular antipasti treats–vinegar peppers, giardiniera, and celery mostarda (chutney) pictured above–or other Gianni goodies will be on the antipasti platter. Maybe I’ll make my toy-box tomato focaccia too.

Learn where to buy the best in the Village. See how easy it is to put together a spectacular antipasti platter at home for a cocktail party or as the first-course for a home-cooked meal. Watch me make a few of my most popular antipasti dishes and take some with you to enjoy at home. Once you’ve tasted them, with my easy recipes you’ll be able to make them for yourself.

Let me know if this is an event that you’d attend. If there’s enough interest we’ll set a date at North Beach’s Emerald Tablet. As a bonus you’ll see the restored Song of Pulcinella mural there.

An Easter Dinner Menu for You

Gianni — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:13:09 +0000

Here’s a 4-course Easter dinner suggestion. I even threw in Italian wine pairings.

Follow my easy video demonstrations and text recipes (a fan suggests I call these “videocipes” or “recideos”) and make dinner for yourself. Bake the 2 traditional Easter Pies the day before and let them sit overnight. They’ll taste better after all the flavors meld. Make the soup the day before. It tastes best the next day too.

That’s 3 courses ready to go. You can make the main course–roasted herb-infused pork with 2 delicious sides–on Easter in just a couple of hours including cooking time.

Don’t forget to pick up your Columba Pasquale the traditional Easter bread in the shape of a dove. They’re at every North Beach caffe, deli and bakery. Hopefully you’ll find one near you. Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter!

Antipasto

A slice of Pizza Rustica the savory cheese, salumi and ricotta deep-dish pie. A dry Prosecco pairs well.

Primo Piatto

A nice bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. Finish up the Prosecco.

Secondo Piatto

Pochetta, Sweet-Sour Onions, Truffle Roasted Potatoes go well with a hearty Aglianico, Taurasi or Lacryma Christi (Tear of Christ) all from near my mom’s village in Campania.

Dolce

A sweet slice of the traditional deep-dish ricotta pie Pastiera Napoletana.

Espresso

Easter Savory and Sweet Ricotta Pies

Gianni — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:54 +0000

Pastiera Napoletana and Rustica Easter Pies

The Spring holidays are upon us.

Passover is covered. We’ll be at Joyce Goldstein’s Seder celebrating the Italian Jewish kitchen. (Our private table is full. Sorry to those of you who wanted to join us. Maybe next time.)

Now I’m getting ready for Easter. I’m making Pizza Rustica and Pastiera Napoletana, the traditional deep-pan pies that bookend the Easter dinner. The savory Pizza Rustica has a ricotta, mozzarella, prosciutto, salami and sausage filling and is served as the Easter dinner antipasto. Pastiera Napoletana is the traditional Neapolitan sweet pie filled with ricotta, wheat berries and candied orange and lemon peel and ends the Easter dinner.

I’m not making as many pies this year as I did for family in Virginia last year. Eight of the pies are displayed on my sister’s table in the picture above. Three generations were in the kitchen baking pies on Saturday to let the flavors marry over night. We needed enough pies so that everyone at the table had some to eat on Easter and some to take home and enjoy during the week. It’s a long-standing family tradition.

When growing up in Jersey our neighbors shared their pies too. My Easter-time job was to bring a fat slice of my mom’s pies to our neighbors and bring home some of their pies for our family to taste. I have to admit that after tasting a half-dozen samples I always thought my mother’s were the best.

Watch me making my Mom’s Pizza Rustica and Pastiera Napoletana. You can make them too. Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter!