We hope you've been enjoying MOLTISSIMO, our new series with chef Mario Batali. In our latest episode, we invite Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett of Saturday Night Live to come and enjoy an afternoon of laughs, stories, and of course, Batali's incredible Italian cooking. Amid Aperol spritz toasts and horror stories about the Tooth Fairy, the trio indulges in Anatra in Porchetta ("duck cooked in the style of pork") and freshly made tortelli with potato and chives. And here's the fabulous thing about cooking shows: You, too, can enjoy the onscreen meal you're drooling over.
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"Dude, I'm making this for you!" Batali exclaims to Mooney and Beckett, and really, he means you, too.
Start with the Anatra in Porchetta, a duck dish prepared similarly to porchetta, which, unsurprisingly, is traditionally made with pork. Although it may look fancy, especially with that jaunty pile of shaved fennel on top, it's actually simple to prepare, requiring little more skill than basic sautéing, searing, and roasting. And combining sweet Italian sausage, pancetta, duck liver, and duck breast is a fabulous idea—sorry, vegetarians.
But, should you wish to opt for something equally satisfying but less meat-inclined, there's this tortelli dish that you'll certainly want to bookmark for the incoming colder months.RECIPE: Anatra in Porchetta
Though this recipe is an improvisation on the wondrous food turned out by the poor kitchens of wartime Bologna, this pillowy pasta is more satisfying than a five-star hotel bed, stuffed with mashed potatoes and chives and topped with a savoury sage brown butter.
Serve this meal to your friends, and you'll definitely get applause—but you'll have to share your own weird Tooth Fairy anecdotes if you want the laughs, too.RECIPE: Tortelli of Potato and Chives with Brown Butter and Sage