The Mozza Cookbook

Chapter 1

Apertivi and stuzzichini

One of the things I enjoy most about my time in Italy is the rituals that punctuate every day-a particular favorite being cocktail hour. In my town, in the summertime, every afternoon at around six o'clock, the entire population descends on the one bar in town, Bar del Gallo, which everyone refers to as Aldo's, after its owner, for an aperitivo. In the hour or two between a postlunch nap and dinner, we sit at the tables that spill out from the bar into the piazza and enjoy relaxed conversation at a slow pace that I rarely experience here.

The primary difference between Italian cocktail hour and American cocktail hour is that Italians don't eat. Italians might have seven salty peanuts at the bar, or they might indulge in a little cube of mortadella or mozzarella at a stand-up reception. The word for these little bites is stuzzichini, which comes from the word stuzzicare, meaning "to tease" or "to whet." The idea is to stimulate the appetite, not ruin it. And Italians would never, as we might, turn cocktail snacks into dinner.

All that said, when we host private parties in the Primo Ministro room, the private dining room in the Osteria, or in the Scuola di Pizza, the special-events room attached to Mozza2Go, our customers request to start with a cocktail hour that includes tray-passed stuzzichini.

But since Mozza is, as I've said, an Italian restaurant as seen through the eyes of American owners, the stuzzichini that we offer are a bit more substantial and flavorful than cubes of mortadella. We serve bite-size morsels that are easy to eat with a cocktail in one hand, such as crostini (pages 46-50) and Pancetta-wrapped Figs (page 54). You probably won't find anything so rich or filling at a cocktail hour in Italy, but we hope you enjoy these. And for you purists, forgive us the transgression, and enjoy your peanuts.

Italians are deeply habitual when it comes to what they eat and drink and in what order. They would

Nancy Silverton is the co-owner of Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Mozza2Go in Los Angeles, where she makes her home. She is the founder of the La Brea Bakery and formerly owned and operated Campanile (recipient of the 2001 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant). She is the author of A Twist of the Wrist, Nancy Silverton s Sandwich Book, Nancy Silverton s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (recipient of a 2000 Food & Wine Best Cookbook Award), Nancy Silverton s Breads from the La Brea Bakery, and Desserts. She has three children.

Matt Molina, a graduate of the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, began his career with Nancy Silverton at Campanile in Los Angeles. After six years, he went on to train at Del Posto in New York City in preparation for his role as executive chef of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza. At both restaurants, Matt has received three stars from the Los Angeles Times and in 2008 he garnered Osteria Mozza a Michelin star. Matt has been nominated for Rising Star Chef, Best Chef Pacific, and Best New Restaurant at Osteria Mozza by the James Beard Foundation.

Carolynn Carreño is a James Beard Award winning journalist and the coauthor of several cookbooks, including Eat Me (with Kenny Shopsin), A Twist of the Wrist (with Nancy Silverton), Fresh Every Day and Sara Foster s Casual Cooking (with Sara Foster), 100 Ways to Be Pasta (with Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene), and Once Upon a Tart (with Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau). She lives in Los Angeles and New York.

This cookbook is freaking awesome. Silverton truly wants to share what she knows with her pupils. Usually, that knowledge is passed on to her restaurant chefs and cooks. But with The Mozza Cookbook, for a brief moment, it gets to be us. Jenn Garbee, LA Weekly
 
Filled with beautiful rustic food photography and all the staple recipes. Kat Odell, Eater Los Angeles

I was struck by how fully and faithfully a chef's personality can translate from restaurant to page. [The book s] lavish presentation of unusually lovely photographs seemed just right. Silverton takes full advantage of California's vivid produce. Her book, like her menus, casts the universe as a luxurious garden. . . . lyrical and nurturing. Frank Bruni, Food and Wine