Considered to be one of the best Italian restaurants in Toronto, Chef Rob Rossi and David Minicucci's sleek trattoria is known for its wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta and sharing-style menu. Rossi is passionate about food and creating the right atmosphere for people to enjoy it in. "I used to cook with my mum all the time," he says. "It’s one of those jobs that doesn’t feel like a job. It’s just part of my life." Giulietta's menu is inspired and features sweet sausage-wrapped Castelvetrano olives, breaded, deep-fried and dusted with pecorino, are a taste of Ascoli-Piceno's celebrated snack from Italy's Marche region, and the Grilled Moroccan Octopus with cannellini beans and salmorglio is simply sensational.
In fact, incorporating exceptional, seasonal ingredients into his menu is first and foremost for Rossi. He brings kampot peppercorns for his cacio e pepe from Cambodia, while his octopus served with heritage cannellini beans is shipped in from Morocco three times a week, fives crates at a time. Even the pizza dough has been taken to an ethereal level, made using a combination of special flour and yeast, and left to proof for at least 5 days, the dough becomes lighter than air. With his father having grown up in Molise, Rob goes back to Italy often and is where he feels most at home. The inspiration for many of the dishes at Giulietta come from this place in his heart that drives the culinary direction of what is most certainly, one of the most authentic Italian experiences in Toronto. Rossi's sensational Torta della Nonna, a wildflower-honey and pine-nut tart with vanilla mascarpone, is a recipe he learnt from his grandmother, and is a highlight on Giulietta's dolce menu. It comes from the heart.
Chef Rob Rossi
Salumi e Formaggio with prosciutto cotto, piave cheese and castelvetrano olives
La Campagnola Pizza with wood roasted mushrooms, ricotta, fior di latte,
sage and black pepper
Pappardelle al Ragù with red wine and tomato braised oxtail ragù,
carmelized onions and pangrattato
Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe with kampot black pepper and pecorino
Girasole Primavera with ricotta and goat's cheese filled pasta,
morel mushrooms and spring peas
Grilled asparagus with pecorino fonduta, truffle and lemon
Tiramisu Classico with espresso, dark chocolate and rum zabaglione
Torta della Nonna with wildflower honey, pine nuts and mascarpone crema
Veal & Ricottta Meatballs
Makes 12
Recipe courtesy of chef Rob Rossi
1 lb ground Ontario veal
16 oz Ontario ricotta cheese
1 cup aged Ontario cheddar, freshly grated
2 large eggs
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Olive oil, enough to fill a pan 1 1/2 inches deep, for frying
All-purpose flour, for dusting a baking sheet
Combine the veal, ricotta, eggs, cheese, salt, nutmeg and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands until nice and homogenous. Put in fridge for 20-30 minutes to chill. Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, dust a parchment-lined baking sheet with flour. Coat your hands with flour and shape the meat into balls, setting them on the baking sheet. Lightly flour the tops of the meatballs, cover with plastic and chill in fridge for another hour.
Heat up olive oil to a medium-high heat. Fry meatballs in batches until golden brown. Transfer meatballs to your favourite tomato sauce to continue cooking. Once they are all fried and in the sauce, cook for an additional 30 minutes on low. Enjoy these meatballs on their own, with your favourite veg or serve on a plate with a generous amount of sauce and chopped parsley and a good sprinkling of your favourite aged Ontario cheddar.
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