Carne

(Hardback, Main)

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Carne is the fifth in the series of cookbooks documenting the renowned farm-to-table meals served at the American Academy in Rome. Following volumes on biscotti, vegetables, pastas, and soups, this cookbook focuses on Executive Chef Chris Behr's favorite subject, meat: beef, lamb, and pork; chicken and turkey; rabbit; quail, squab, and duck. There are also recipes using ground meat, including sausage, meatballs, and meatloaf. Included are roasts appropriate for holiday feasts (spring lamb roasted with rosemary, sage, and garlic still in its papery jacket), and those simply sliced and served cold in sandwiches (a baked prosciutto brined with peppercorns and aromatics, which Behr, a native of New Jersey, calls his "deli ham"). The Italian food of the New Jersey shore is near and dear to Chef Behr's heart, and when he's homesick he cooks those iconic dishes, although his versions reflect his experiences in California, New York, and Rome. Chicken cacciatore isn't the traditional red sauce rendition, but a streamlined, braised version with the flavors of garlic, rosemary, anchovy, white wine, and the surprising addition of white wine vinegar. Similarly, his "eggplant parm" - the dish that garnered him a devoted following at the specialty grocer and restaurant Brooklyn Larder - is lighter than the classic version but nonetheless delivers all its robust satisfaction. Chef Behr also includes a chapter on the contorni, or side dishes, he serves with meat entrees. Among them are the legendary roasted potatoes that, using a special but simple technique, are crisp and golden on the outside while the inside cooks to the creamy consistency of mashed potatoes.

Author Bio

In college, while majoring in English Literature, Chris Behr saw a "cook wanted" sign posted at his favorite bar. He offered to work for beer money, and without any formal training, ended up running the kitchen for the next two years, often skipping classes because he'd rather be cooking. He then went to culinary school and was eventually hired to cook at the esteemed A16 in San Francisco, a restaurant pioneering Southern Italian farm-to-table cooking. He next was named chef de cuisine at SPQR, and in that capacity was sent twice to Rome to study the food there. After working in New York City at the bakery at Balthazar, he went on to Brooklyn Larder where he propitiously met Mona Talbott, who eventually proposed that he become a sous chef for the Rome Sustainable Food Project. In 2014, he became the program's Executive Chef. Annie Schlechter has been working as a photographer since 1998. She spent from September 2009 to June 2010 living at the American Academy in Rome. Her clients include The World of Interiors, House Beautiful, The New York Times Magazine, Real Simple, W Magazine, Travel & Leisure, and many more.