Beginnings

The first cookbook from innovative and highly regarded chef Chris Cosentino, Beginnings presents more than 60 recipes for Italian-style first courses. Organized by season, the book draws upon Chris’s years of experience cooking both at home and in restaurant kitchens. The seasonal, yet creative ingredient combinations found in each of the dishes exemplify the style of cooking Chris employs at his San Francisco restaurant, Incanto, and many of them make use of his love of Italian salumi from his artisan salumeria, Boccalone. Hand-rendered sketches of many of the dishes and personal stories throughout, combined with the simple and rustic, yet contemporary and inspiring recipes give you a rare glimpse into one of today’s most exciting culinary minds.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Traci Des Jardins

Introduction

Salumi

Spring recipes

Summer recipes

Fall recipes

Winter recipes

Italian Cheese feature

The Larder

Sources

Index

Chef’s Last Supper

Sample Recipe List:

Spring

- Charred young fava beans with mint & aioli

- Grappa-cured artic char with pickled onions & watercress

- Green garlic brodo with olive oil–fried croutons & poached egg

- Marinated sardine & nduja bruschetta

- Broccoli rabe & potato frittata

- Spring lamb, anchovy & mint

Summer

- Roasted olives & cherry tomatoes

- Grilled peaches, gorgonzola & dandelion greens

- Papa al pomodoro (version 2.0)

- Lobster crudo fra diavolo

- Charred eggplant, summer onions & chiles

- Beef tartare puttanesca

Fall

- Pickled mushroom & ricotta bruschetta

- Braised dandelion greens & pecorino bruschetta

- Roasted grapes, turnips & grape leaves

- Dungenous crab fregola

- Pork & porcini polpitini

- Shaved persimmon, black walnuts, watercress & nocino

Winter

- Roasted chestnuts, pears & bitter honey

- Acorn squash & stracciatella with sage brown butter

- Savoy cabbage, chantrelles & ricotta salata

- Duck conserva & white bean bruschetta

- Charred brussels sprouts with walnuts and country ham

- Lardo with Asian pears

Chris Cosentino graduated from the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and went on to build his resume at several top restaurants in Washington, DC and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he resides today. Chris took his first executive chef position at Incanto restaurant in 2002 where he continues to create inspired and innovative interpretations of rustic Italian fare. Chris is also the co-founder of Boccalone artisanal salumeria and has gained international acclaim as a leading expert and proponent of offal cookery. Chris has appeared on numerous television cooking shows, has been featured in many national publications, and has consulted on a line of clothing, shoes, and knives, to name just a few of his many ongoing projects.

Michael Harlan Turkell is a once-aspiring chef and now freelance photographer. Based in Brooklyn, he is the former photo editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan, and captures the inner workings of kitchens for his award-winning “Back of the House” project, which documents the working lives of chefs. Michael’s work has garnered industry awards and has been published in an array of magazines and books. He also hosts a show on HeritageRadioNetwork.com called “The Food Seen,” which touches on the intersections of food and art.