Last supper #16: Jonathan Waxman

I know, I know. I've been really bad about my Last Supper posts. But this is a good one. For his last supper, Chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in New York City, listed a number of our favorites: Grilled spring lamb, gnocchi with truffles, and grilled porcini salad, among other things.

I prepared the lamb our favorite way. I marinate the rack for several hours in a mixture of salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, more garlic and lots of fresh rosemary. Then my grill-master husband takes over and grills it until it's charred but still pink and juicy! delish!

I also made the gnocchi from scratch. This was my second attempt at homemade gnocchi and these turned out better than the first. It does help when the potatoes are sufficiently cooked :)

I boiled them and then tossed them into a saute pan with a little butter, olive oil and garlic. (I always cut butter with olive oil to reduce the fat. You still get the nice buttery flavor, but less saturated fat). I added some sea salt and just before serving I sprinkeld with chopped truffled and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. I finished it with a touch of white truffle oil.

The Porcini salad was really a portabello salad. Try though I might I couldn't find porcinis. So I drizzled a little olive oil, salt and pepper on a few portabello caps and then we grilled them. Here's my recipe:

Grilled Portabello Salad with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

• 2 Portabello mushroom caps
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Small bunch of fresh baby arugula
• 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
  

Gently clean the mushroom caps then rub each with a little Extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until just cooked thru, a couple minutes a side. Remove from grill.

Prepare the dressing. Whisk together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour just enough dressing on the arugula to gently coat it. Pile the arugula on two plates. Slice the mushrooms and arrange over the arugula. Top each with a good amount of fresh shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.