Chef, restaurateur and Food Network star Mario Batali – recognized by his signature bright orange clogs, pulled-back red hair and beard and khaki walking shorts – is on the bandwagon to make Italian cooking simple for home cooks.
You’ll find 150 colorful, accessible creations in his latest cookbook, “Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking” (Ecco; $29.99), written with Mark Ladner, the executive chef at Del Posto and a partner at Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria, New York. It may just be his best book yet.
It offers a departure from many chefs’ volumes in that it’s really down-to-earth with appealing, quick, doable recipes – pizza, pasta, vegetable, seafood and meat antipasti, salads, bruschetta and cheese, gelati and sorbetti – that taste terrific and require no special or fancy equipment.
“The trend right now in cookbook writing is trying to make things not so intimidating and not take so much time,” points out Batali by phone.
Unlike some of his other eight books, “this one concentrates on a more traditional, lighter snack approach to traditional Italian,” he adds. “It is radically different from all the others I have written in its complete lack of traditional main courses. Most of the protein comes from small portions of cured meats, cheeses and grains,
with any animal protein as the flavoring and the bulk of the actual comestibles plant-based, whether leaf, stalk, flower, seed or drupe.
“You could literally make three of these recipes in an hour. The signature of these dishes is big beautiful flavors and variations with the season. Think smaller plates of food in a meal much less reliant on a big main course.”
Inspiration comes from the farmers markets and the simple everyday cooking of people in Italy, adds Batali, noting that recipes are based mostly on those served at Otto along with a few from Lupa, two of his New York restaurants dishing up casual Italian fare.
“The single most exciting word in food for me is geo-specificity, meaning eat things grown within a couple of hundred miles of your house. Learn to be creative with all things that grow near you.”
The vegetable dishes have been organized by the season to utilize ingredients when most abundant, flavorful and least expensive. Many of the tempting-looking creations – among them Fava Beans With Ricotta Salada, Artichokes With Grana Padano, Fregula With Corn, Cauliflower With Olives, Brussels Sprouts With Mustard – can be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
As for salads, it’s hard to resist the likes of Summer Caprese Salad, Arugula With Tomato Raisins, Celery and Pancetta Salad and Beet Salad With Robiola.
“The Italians eat their pasta quite al dente and sauced in a very light and minimal way,” says Batali. Among the pasta dishes, which represent those Italians eat at home every day and can mostly be prepared in less than 20 minutes, are Linguine With Lemon, Penne With Pomodoro Cotto and Crudo, Penne alla Puttanesca and Penne alla Primivera.
“We use dried pastas only in this book,” as is routine in Italy on a daily basis. For dry pastas, he recommends Barilla, De Cecco or Rustichella d’Abruzzo, which he grew up eating in Seattle.
“An ideal meal for several people from the book might consist of two or three vegetable antipasti and a salad, followed by a pasta or two and a cheese course. Or maybe a plate of salumi and then some pizzas, with a couple of gelati and a coppetta or two.”
Prompted by seeing himself on a 2008 PBS series shot in Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow, Batali lost 35 pounds, by “eating half of what is served to me in restaurants and eating a lot more vegetables and subsequently less protein like in the book. I don’t know how I used to eat all the food put in front of me.” His weight is a work in progress; he hopes to lose another 20 pounds.
His philosophy of food comes down to it “should be simple, tasty and fragrant and remind me of something I’ve tasted before, or excite me like I’ve never tasted it before.” As for presentation, “it should not look like it has been handled by more than one person.”
On the horizon for Batali is perhaps another restaurant in Southern California.
“We’re thinking of doing a Pizzeria Mozza in Orange County – and are looking at Corona del Mar,” says the owner of 14 restaurants, including two in Los Angeles (Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza) and three in Las Vegas.
natalie.haughton@dailynews.com
ASPARAGUS & PECORINO SALAD 
1 pound asparagus, tough bottom ends snapped off
2 to 3 ounces Pecorino Romano
¼ cup Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Using a Benriner (Japanese mandoline) or other vegetable slicer, or a vegetable peeler, thinly shave asparagus, making long diagonal shavings. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Shave or thinly slice Pecorino and add to bowl (save a few slices for top). Drizzle with ½ of Lemon Vinaigrette, season lightly with salt and pepper and toss gently. Top with reserved Pecorino slices. Serve with remaining vinaigrette on the side. Makes 6 servings.
LEMON VINAIGRETTE: Whisk together ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon marmellata (marmalade) OR a generous pinch of grated lemon zest and ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Tuscan, together in a small bowl. (The vinaigrette can be refrigerated up to 3 days.) Makes ¾ cup.
From “Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking,” by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner.
ROASTED PEPPERS WITH CAPERS 
2 pounds red bell peppers (4 large)
2 pounds green bell peppers (4 large)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, cut into thick slivers
¼ cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and soaked overnight in cold water (change the water several times)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Maldon OR other flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes OR to taste
Preheat the broiler. Rub peppers all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil; place on a baking sheet, and broil, turning often, until blistered and charred all over, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer peppers to a paper bag and seal tightly or put them in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to steam and cool 10 minutes.
Peel peppers, remove cores and seeds, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Put in a medium bowl.
Combine garlic and remaining 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) olive oil in a 10-inch saut pan and warm over medium heat, stirring, until garlic just starts to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Combine capers and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in garlic oil with the garlic. Season with salt and red pepper flakes and whisk again.
Pour vinaigrette over peppers, turning gently to coat. Serve or let stand at room temperature 1 hour to bring out the flavors. (The peppers can be refrigerated up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.) Makes 6 servings.
NOTE: This vinaigrette is also a great way to punch up jarred roasted piquillo peppers.
From “Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking,” by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner.
PENNETTE WITH 3 PESTOS 
1 pound pennette
2/3 cup Basil, Walnut OR Broccoli Rabe Pesto (recipes follow)
Chopped walnuts for garnish if using Walnut Pesto
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Drop in pasta and cook until just al dente.
Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta water, and transfer pasta to a serving bowl. Add Basil, Walnut OR Broccoli Rabe Pesto and ¼ cup reserved pasta water and stir and toss until pasta is well coated (add a splash or two more of reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen sauce). Serve immediately, with a sprinkling of walnuts if using Walnut Pesto. Pass grated Parmigiano on the side. Makes 6 servings.
From “Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking,” by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner.
BASIL PESTO
3 garlic cloves
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Generous pinch Maldon OR other flaky sea salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano
With motor running, drop garlic into a food processor to chop it. Add basil, pine nuts and salt and pulse until basil and nuts are coarsely chopped, then process until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in oil. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the Parmigiano and Pecorino. (The pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed jar, topped with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, for several weeks in refrigerator.) Makes about 1 cup.
WALNUT PESTO
3 garlic cloves
1 cup walnuts, toasted
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
With motor running, drop garlic into a food processor to chop it. Add walnuts and pulse until coarsely chopped, then process until finely chopped; do not pulse to a paste. With motor running, drizzle in oil. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in Parmigiano. (The pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed jar, topped with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, up to 1 week in the refrigerator.) Makes about ¾ cup.
BROCCOLI RABE PESTO
½ pound broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add broccoli rabe and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking; drain well.
With motor running, drop garlic into a food processor and finely chop it. Add broccoli rabe and pine nuts and pulse until finely chopped. Add mustard and blend well. With motor running, drizzle in oil. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in Parmigiano. (The pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed jar, topped with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, up to 1 week in refrigerator.) Makes about 1 cup.
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