Osteria Morini: Chef Michael White in Soho

One of New York’s hottest chefs, Chef Michael White's Osteria Morini introduces New Yorkers to the heart-felt cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, birthplace of the sensational flavours and ingredients associated with Italian cuisine worldwide: prosciutto, parmigiano and aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena. Named after White’s mentor Gianluigi Morini, the owner and founder of Ristorante San Domenico in Imola, Osteria Morini draws strongly from Chef White’s personal experience in Emilia-Romagna, where he worked for seven years. This lovely restaurant, located on a small square between Little Italy and Soho, was our first dining destination after arriving in NYC, giving us a taste of an old-world osteria with the soulful food of Chef White's acclaimed Italian cuisine.

Original timbers from an Italian farmhouse line the ceiling and vintage photos frame the walls

The small lively interior of Osteria Morini 

An absolutely charming restaurant full of character, portions of an Italian 1700s-era farmhouse were dismantled and shipped to New York by White, to create Osteria Morini's unique decor, such as the restaurant's terracotta floor and aged wood timbers that line the ceiling. A large cast iron door from the farmhouse greets diners as they enter the restaurant, and the even the doors leading to the restrooms are originals from the farmhouse bedrooms.

It's a Mamma!

Osteria Morini's menu is no less authentic with guests encouraged to begin their meal with a variety of affettati, formaggi, crostini, antipasti and other small starters to share, to be followed by Chef White’s signature dishes including traditional ragus and stuffed pastas from Emilia-Romagna, including Garganelli with cream, peas, truffle butter and prosciutto and Carne ai Ferri, Torcia Squid Ink Pasta with shrimp and sepia ragù or Spaghetti alla Vongole with clams, leeks, white wine and chiles. Entrées include Brodetto Adriatic-style seafood soup of calamari, scallops, fish, shrimp, clams and mussels, Petroniana crispy veal cutlet with prosciutto cotto, buttered spinach, parmigiano and truffled cream or a selection of simply grilled meats and spit roasts. The fabulous wine list includes over 130 wines from Liguria, Umbria, Tuscany, Southern Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche, as well as cocktails such as an Aperol Spritz and along list of sparkling wines like prosecco and my absolute favourite, lambrusco. Morini's open kitchen offers glimpses of Chef White or executive chef Matt Adler as they conjure up their culinary magic, allowing guests to enjoy the theatre of their meal unfolding before their eyes. As Fellini said, "Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

Aperol Spritz

A flight of three types of Lambrusco

The bartender showed us his favourite Lambrusco

 A sparkling verdicchio

The menu at Osteria Morini

A fan of Umbrian wines, we ordered a 2011 Montefalco Rosso by Milziade Antano from Umbria

And to keep us hydrated on some other liquid than wine, we ordered some Aqua Panna also

Baskets of warm foccacia, freshly baked and straight from the ovens at Osteria Morini

A selection of prosciutto, felino (the "King" of salami) and fegatino (duck liver louse with passito wine), plus pecorino and a soft cow's milk Squacquerone served with puffed Tigelle Modenese and a basket of warm grilled bread

The basket of warm grilled bread had been brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt

The Fegatino duck liver mousse is made each day at Osteria Morini

Stracci wide ribboned pasta with braised wile mushrooms and rosemary oil

Tagliatelle with ragù antica and parmigiano

Brodetto, and Adriatic-style seafood soup of calamari, shrimp, scallops, clams, fish and mussels

Good to the last shell

The busy kitchen at Osteria Morini

Chef Michael White

Chef White's cookbook - Classico e Moderno: Essential Italian Cooking

osteriamorini.com

Prosciutto di Parma with Garganelli and Peas
Serves 6
Recipe courtesy Chef Michael White, Osteria Morini NYC

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 pound fresh or dry garganelli or penne
2 tbsp unsalted butter or truffle butter, divided
5 slices Prosciutto di Parma, cut into ribbons
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add peas and cook just until they turn bright green, about 30 seconds; immediately pour into a colander and rinse under cold water to preserve their colour. Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water and salt liberally. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh or 7 minutes for dried. Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, in a large heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, tilting the pan to coat evenly. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring 1 minute just to warm and infuse the butter with its flavour. Stir in the cream; lower the heat and simmer gently 5 minutes or until it reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the peas and the remaining butter; remove from heat. Drain the pasta in a colander; shake off excess water. Add the hot pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the cream. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to wilt the arugula. Divide the pasta among individual plates; finish with a few grinds of black pepper. Serve right away.

“Everything you see I owe to pasta.” 

 - Sophia Loren -

A Culinary & Cultural Journey to New York City

A Culinary & Cultural Journey to NYC

April 4 - 12, 2014 

Scrumpdillyicious will be touring the 'Big Apple' from April 4 to 12, exploring the magnificent museums and culinary hotspots of New York City's most delicious and historic neighbourhoods. Our Culinary Journey will take us from the upper west side to NYC's historic meatpacking district with it's vibrant Chelsea Market and famous 'High Line', New York's only elevated outdoor park. We'll explore Greenwich Village and the Best of Brooklyn on tasty food and culture walking tours, take in an opera at the Met, dine at Babbo, Mario Batali's bastion of Italian cuisine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market, Daniel Bolud's Med-inspired Bolud Sud and have cocktails at Bemelman's Bar in the Carlyle. So pour yourself a Manhattan, sit back and enjoy the ride. "Taxi!"

Salmon Teriyaki with Bok Choy, Mushrooms & Noodle

Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. The word 'teriyaki' comes from the noun teri, which refers to a shine or lustre given by the sugar content in the tare, which is boiled and reduced to the desired thickness, then used to marinate the meat. Yaki refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling, where the meat is dipped in or brushed with sauce several times during cooking, which allows the sugars in the sauce to caramelize, for a deep, rich full-bodied flavour. Many kinds of teriyaki sauce are sold in grocery stores, but the basic sauce is so easy to make from scratch, and can be used to baste on salmon, chicken, vegetables and other fish all year round. This recipe for Salmon Teriyaki is delicious served with a fragrant side dish of stir-fried Sesame-Mushroom Bok Choy and a bowl of Cold Soba Noodles, to soak up the lovely sauce.

Two organic Norwegian Salmon filets

The teriyaki sauce: soy, mirin, sake and sugar

The teriyaki sauce cooked and reduced by half

3 heads of Shanghai bok choy

The bok chou is trimmed, halved and set to soak

8 ounces of trimmed and sliced cremini mushrooms

The sauce for the bok choy: oyster sauce, ginger and garlic

A tablespoon of oil and the garlic are quickly sautéed over medium-high for about 30 seconds

the bok choy, mushrooms and ginger are added to the pan and cooked for 5 minutes, 

until the leaves have wilted 

Oyster sauce, sesame oil and a little salt are added to the mushrooms and bok choy 

towards the end of the cooking time

Garnished with sesame seeds and crushed red pepper, 

the sesame-bok choy and mushrooms are ready to be served

Salmon Teriyaki
Serves 2

3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup mirin
6 tbsp sake
1/4 cup sugar
2 skin-on salmon filets
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 scallion, cut into 2" lengths and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Sesame-Mushroom Bok Choy:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 lb Shanghai bok choy, trimmed and thinly sliced
8 oz cremini or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 pinch crushed red pepper, optional


Bring the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring well until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Place the salmon and soy mixture in a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Remove salmon from the marinade and set aside on a plate to come to room-temperature. Meanwhile, drain the marinade into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook stirring occasionally until reduced by half and starts to turn syrupy, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and sear the salmon fillets skin down to crisp up the skin, about 3-4 minutes. Then baste the salmon with a half of the boiled teriyaki marinade and cook in the oven, basting with the boiled marinade regularly, until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes depending on the size of the filets.

Meanwhile, start the sesame-shiitake bok choy by heating one tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy, mushrooms and ginger, and cook, stirring until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oyster sauce, sesame oil and salt, and serve when the salmon is ready, with a garnish of sesame seeds and crushed red pepper.

Transfer the salmon to warmed serving plates, and drizzle with the remaining marinade. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve with the Sesame-Mushroom Bok Choy.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Serves 2

2 bundles of Japanese soba noodles, about 4-ounces

3/4 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 lime, zest and juice

1/4 orange, juiced

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp sriracha chili paste or similar, to taste

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook soba noodles for 5-7 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Add all of the ingredients together in a medium size bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold noodles, cover and refrigerate one hour. The flavours will meld and the noodles will absorb the flavourful liquid. Serve with an extra scattering of chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

Indian-Style Monkfish Curry with Tomato & Cilantro

Often compared to Lobster, Monkfish's firm-fleshed and meaty texture is ideally suited for this warm, fragrant and delicious Indian fish curry. Inspired by a recipe from The Cooking of India by Santha Rama Rau, this curry recipe is simple, easy to prepare and absolutely addictive. Onions, garlic, ginger and kari leaves are sautéed in olive oil until golden brown, then an aromatic mixture of cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne and fennel seed are added, infusing the kitchen with an intoxicating mouth watering aroma. Chopped tomatoes, yogurt and cilantro are mixed into the sauce, producing a rich fragrant gravy into which sautéed monkfish are added, then simmered for a few more minutes. Served with jasmine rice, papadam and a selection of chutneys, this easy Monkfish Curry is a light and flavourful salute to my tattered Time-Life series of cookbooks.

The monkfish is sliced into 1-inch medallions

Onions, ginger, garlic and kari leaves are sautéed for 8 minutes

Tomato sauce, yogurt and cilantro are added 

The curry is stirred, covered and simmered for 20 minutes

The monkfish is seasoned and sautéed over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side

The monkfish becomes opaque once it's almost cooked through

The cooked monkfish is added to the curry

the fish is covered with the sauce and topped with garam masala and the remaining cilantro

Covered and cooked for another 15 minutes, the Monkfish Curry is complete

Served in a warmed serving bowl and garnished with some cilantro, the Monkfish Curry 

is delicious served with some chutneys, rice and papadam

Papadam can be easily cooked in a microwave covered with paper towel for 3-4 minutes for a crisp, low fat and excellent addition to an Indian meal

Jasmine rice with chopped chives, ghee and a sprig of cilantro

Homemade Coriander Mint Chutney for a blast of heat

Patak's Lime and Mango Pickle are mainstays in my pantry

Monkfish Curry
Serves 2

1 lb monkfish tail
2 1/2 tsp salt
7 tbsp vegetable oil
6 oz finely chopped onions
2 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
12-16 Kari leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground fennel seeds
4 tbsp water
1 lb can tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
6 tbsp plain yogurt


Heat 5 tablespoons of oil over high heat in a large skillet, until water flicked into it splutters instantly. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and kari leaves, and sauté for about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are soft and golden brown. Reduce the heat to low, add the cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, fennel and one tablespoon of water, and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, the yogurt and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat to medium, add the remaining water, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Cut the monkfish tail into 1-inch medallions, pat dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat in a small skillet, and sauté the monkfish for 2-3 minutes on each side, until each medallion is opaque.

Place the monkfish medallions side by side in the sauce, and sprinkle with the garam masala and remaining cilantro. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

To serve, ladle the Monkfish Curry into a warmed bowl, and garnish with some chopped cilantro. This is delicious served with basmati rice, papadums and selection of chutneys.

Beef Bourguignon: A Salute to the Silver Palate

Imelda Marcos had a shoe fetish. For me it's cookbooks. The most tattered tomes in my ever-expanding culinary library are the original Silver Palate series written by Julee Rosso and the late Sheila Lukins. With unerring reliability, every recipe I've made from their cookbooks have been a great success. Favourites over the years include Chicken Marbella, Salade Niçoise, Dilled Blanquette de Veau, Pasta Puttanesca, and one of the ultimate comfort foods, their meltingly tender Beef Bourguignon. Less of a stew and more of a main event, classic Boeuf à la Bourguignonne is well marbled beef chuck braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy, and flavoured with bacon, onions, tomato paste, herbs and spices, which are reduced to create a densely flavoured, dark and silky sauce. Parboiled pearl onions, carrots and sautéed mushrooms are added towards the end of cooking, for a dish Julia Child called "one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by mankind."

Smoked side bacon chopped into a small dice

The bacon is sautéed until crisp then drained on paper towel

Beef chuck cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

The beef is then sautéed until browned on all sides

1 cup of diced onion

The chopped onions, salt, pepper and flour are added to the beef and cooked over high heat for 5 minutes

Red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, fresh rosemary and the reserved bacon are added to the beef, brought to a boil, then transferred to a 325°F oven for 2 hours

Meanwhile the pearl onions are trimmed, blanched then rinsed under cold water

The pearl onions are then peeled and set aside 

The crimini mushrooms are cleaned, timed then sliced or quartered, depending on their size

The mushrooms are sautéed in a little butter for 10 minutes then set aside also

Parboiled carrots, pearl onions, sautéed mushrooms and red currant jelly are added to the cooked beef and heated through for another 10 minutes, then served garnished with chopped parsley

Beef Bourguignon
Serves 6
Recipe adapted from The Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook

8 oz thick sliced smoked side bacon, cut into small dice
3 lb well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onions
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups Burgundy wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch julienne
2 cups white or red pearl onions
8 oz fresh cremini, shiitake or chanterelle mushrooms
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp red currant jelly
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley


Preheat the oven to 350F. In a flameproof casserole or Dutch oven, sauté the bacon until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings. Over medium-high heat, sauté the beef a few pieces at a time, until browned on all sides. Add the chopped onions to the beef, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Add the wine, stock, tomato paste, reserved bacon and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven and bake until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Bring a small pot of water to boil. Drop in the carrots and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again, then set aside. Make a small X in the root end of each pearl onion. Drop them into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Peel and set aside. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise. Melt butter in a skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, then set aside.

When the meat is cooked, transfer the casserole to a stovetop burner and add the carrots, onions, mushrooms and red currant jelly. Heat through, about 7 minutes. Serve garnished with the chopped parsley.