Hot Off The Presses

Mario Batali, he of the orange clogs and awesome restaurant empire, just invited himself to your next backyard cookout.

With his hot-off-the-presses “Mario Batali Italian Grill” cookbook, the relentlessly exuberant chef will nudge you, ever so gently, beyond bratwurst and BBQed ribs and into some pretty delicious dishes you might never have thought of on your on.

“No way is mine going to look like that,” I said, looking at a glossy photo in the book and unfurling a massive boneless turkey breast on the cutting board. But, much to my amazement and glee, my version of Mario’s Spit-Roasted Turkey Breast Porchetta-Style did, indeed, look just as good and tasted great, too.

(The recipe calls for a stuffing of sautéed sausage, onion, shallots and garlic, mixed with bread cubes and fresh herbs. The stuffed breast is rolled horizontally, rotisseried, and cut into glamorous “swirled” slices.)

I also felt pretty smug with the Charred Tuna Spiedini with Spicy Peppers I made by rolling one-inch cubes of sushi-grade ahi tuna in a blend of fennel pollen, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. The bumpy little cubes were then threaded on wooden skewers and grilled until pink inside and voluptuously browned and crispy on the outside. (The multi-colored bell pepper mixture gets its spice from four sliced jalapenos, probably more heat than most palates can handle.)

The book is attractive, colorful and user-friendly. The layout is neat and airy; the typeface is one baby-boomers can live with. And many recipes fit completely on one page, giving them a “Sure, I can do that” appeal.

Batali’s instructions are clear, complete and conversational.  There’s lots of “toss this”, “smear that” and ”Things may seem a little smoky and hectic – do not worry.” OK, Mario, if you say so.

Oh, yes. Almost forgot the Marinated Zucchini. That recipe also made me look like a genius. (Hey, when did you ever think of dumping fresh ricotta cheese, mint and Serrano chilies on marinated, grilled zucchini?)

The book sells for $29.95; available at Amazon.com.