Chef on a Shoestring More Than 120 Inexpensive Recipes for Great Meals from America's Best Known Chefs

Mario Batali's Mushroom and White Bean Bruschetta Serves 4Mario Batali is the ponytailed chef-proprietor (chef-general might be more accurate) behind a growing New York City restaurant empire that includes Po, Babbo, and Lupa, with plans to culinarily conquer additional neighborhoods as well. Discussing his recipes, he exudes such effortless charisma, charm, and smarts that one gets the impression that if he hadn't discovered chefdom, he might have become the hippest history professor on the planet. Ask him about an Italian dish, and without a moment's hesitation, he fires off a historical and geographic context that adds intellectual interest to the most deceptively simple composition of ingredients. He even makes bruschetta beguiling, explaining that the name derives from the Italian wordbuscare,or "to cook over open coals," and refers to the toasted bread that forms the base of this starter.This bruschetta evokes the white bean version Batali offers up at many of his outposts in New York. Among its attributes are that it may be reproduced over and over again with great consistency, a crucial quality in a restaurant dish and not a bad thing at home either.4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean with a damp cloth or paper towel, TK2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves1 clove garlic, thinly slicedCoarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste1 16-ounce can cannellini beans8 1-inch-thick slices Italian peasant bread, toasted in the oven (preferably while cooking the mushrooms)In a medium saute pan, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes until wilted.In a mixing bowl, gently stir together the cooked mushrooms, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, basil, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper.Drain the water from the beans and gently mix them with the mushrooms. Arrange 2 warm toast slices on each plate. Divide the mushroom mixture evenly among the slices and serve. Copyright copy; 2001 by CBS Worldwide Terrance Brennan's Pear and Gorgonzola Salad Serves 4In this salad from Picholine chef Terrance Brennan the succulent sweetness of pears contrasts with the creamy richness of Gorgonzola cheese. Rather than using mesclun greens, Brennan plays this combination against the slightly bitter flavor of crisp watercress.2 ripe Bartlett pears1 lemon (optional)1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil3 tablespoons balsamic vinegarCoarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste8 ounces Gorgonzola or goat's milk cheese, at room temperature, cut into 4 same-shape wedges2 bunches watercress, tough stems trimmed and discarded, washed and dried16 walnut halves, coarsely chopped and lightly toastedCut the pears in half and remove the cores and stems with a melon baller. Cut off a thin slice of the round part of each pear half so it will sit flat on a plate. Set aside. (If not serving immediately, rub all cut surfaces of the pears with lemon juice to keep it from oxidizing and turning brown.)Whisk the olive oil into the vinegar. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.Set a pear half in the center of each salad plate. Lean 1 cheese wedge against each pear half or stack it on top of the pear. Drizzle a total of 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette evenly over the pears. Toss the watercress with the remaining vinaigrette and mound it on top of the pears, being careful not to topple the cheese. Sprinkle with the walnut pieces and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Copyright copy; 2001 by CBS Worldwide Bobby Flay's Saffron Risotto with SaFriedman, Andrew is the author of 'Chef on a Shoestring More Than 120 Inexpensive Recipes for Great Meals from America's Best Known Chefs' with ISBN 9780743211437 and ISBN 074321143X.