You’ve got to make choices,” says Spiaggia chef Tony Mantuano as he places six chubby steaks on his patio grill. “And I didn’t want to look back with regrets about never seeing my family.”
That’s why on this hot Tuesday night the laid-back chef-who’d usually be overseeing two of Chicago’s finest restaurants-has taken the evening off to cook dinner for his wife, Cathy, their son, Carlo, and a couple of close friends. It’s a low-key affair that starts with cold prosecco and finishes with hot espresso.
In between, guests enjoy tomato salad with basil and buffalo ricotta, grilled zucchini, blanched green beans, grilled potatoes with herbed olive oil, steak tagliata, plum crostata and a crisp Italian rose.
Each dish is spectacular in its simplicity-“The most important ingredient in Italian cooking is the one you leave out,” he says. And during their preparation Mantuano never breaks a sweat-or answers his cell phone.
Instead, the chef, who tries to cook for his family at least once a week, is more worried about the usual dad stuff. “My son just started playing high school soccer and the schedule is really tough,” he says, shaking his head and bisecting potatoes.
Out on his spacious Old Town patio he gathers fresh parsley, basil and a soft leaves of sage. With a sharp knife, he minces the fragrant herbs, slides them in a bowl and drowns them in fine olive oil, advising: “Always look at the pressing date on the oil. The fresher, the better.”
As he removes the meat from the grill, Mantuano recounts how he and Cathy fell in love with steak tagliata during their time living in Tuscany. “You just grill it, let it rest, slice it and top it with salt, pepper, olive oil, arugula and lemon.”
The juicy beef couples beautifully with the crisp fragrant potatoes. “Normally,” he says, “we’d have a pasta, but in this heat . . .”
Conversation flows from food, politics and neighborhoods to how he and Cathy met 28 years ago working in a Milwaukee restaurant. “At the end of the night we’d go out as a group,” she says, “but the group kept shrinking until we said, ‘Let’s ditch the others and go off on our own.”
And although they don’t work in the same restaurant anymore, the couple tries to keep the Mantuano family trattoria open for dinner at least one night a week.
STEAK TAGLIATA WITH ARUGULA
Serves two as a main course
1 pound flat iron steak, about 1-1/2 inches thick, trimmed*
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 ounces arugula
1 lemon cut in half
1. Place the steak in a 1-gallon-sized storage bag with the rosemary, garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Remove the steak from the marinade. Generously season the beef with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grill and sear, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 120 degrees F, or medium rare, 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill, transfer to a cutting board and let the meat rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain on an angle, into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices down the middle of a warm serving platter and place the arugula on each side. Dress the meat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Squeeze the lemon over the arugula and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Be careful not to squeeze the lemon over the meat, or it will discolor. Serve immediately.
*Much confusion exists over the cut of meat called “flat iron steak.” The recipe was tested using a steak cut from the “chuck blade roast.”
ITALIAN-STYLE GRILLED POTATOES
Serves two to four as a side dish
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Boil over medium-high heat until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a colander and drain.
2. Combine the parsley and oregano with the 1/4 cup olive oil, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, brush the halves with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the potatoes on the grill, cut side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Turn the potatoes over and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a platter. Drizzle with the herb oil mixture and serve immediately.
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meng@tribune.com
