Serves 6
3 dozen littleneck clams, cleaned and shucked
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
15 Castelvetrano olives, or other green olives, pitted, reserving a few olives for slicing and finishing the pasta
6 slices speck (or bacon, if preferred)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Salt
1 pound wholewheat orecchiette (can substitute plain orecchiette)
Pinch of peperoncino, or crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
To clean and shuck the clams : You will need a clam knife--don't use a paring or regular knife. Place the clams in a large bowl of cold water and swish them to clean the shells. Scrub the shells with a stiff brush. Dump the cleaned clams into a colander, and when all are scrubbed, rinse them under cold water.
With your hands over a bowl to catch the juices, place a clam in the palm of your hand so the hinge and smooth side of the shell rest against the fleshy part of your palm. With your other hand, insert the blade of the knife between the two shells and, with a little pressure, wiggle the blade between the shells. Pry the shells apart and work the blade of the knife along the top shell to free the clam and cut through the muscles that hold the shells together. Twist off the top shell and discard. Run the knife along the bottom shell and cut through the two muscles to completely free the clam. Strain the juice that was released by the clams through a fine sieve to catch all the grit.
To make the sauce: Chop the clams. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and half the sliced garlic, and gently sauté the garlic until it is lightly golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chopped clams and clam juice. Stir gently and set aside.
In a blender, add the olives, speck, parsley, and the rest of the garlic. Slowly add the oil and blend until creamy.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add the orecchiette and cook until just al dente. Drain the pasta well and add to the skillet with the clams to finish cooking over low heat. Finish with the blended pesto and a pinch of peperoncino for an extra kick. Remove the pits from the remaining olives and slice each into 4 pieces. Top the finished pasta with the olive pieces and serve.
Bake ricotta in foil for the perfect party hors d'oeuvres, toss it raw on just-boiled pasta to make a creamy and delicious sauce, or use it as a key ingredient in a cake, such as my Zia Donata's famous Italian cheesecake--the best part is minimum prep and cook time keeps you away from the stove, allowing you to actually enjoy the party at hand.
Baked Ricotta
Go to a good cheese store--not the cheese department of your local supermarket--and get really-good-quality ricotta cheese. Bake for ten minutes in tinfoil packets, then discard the foil for minimal, no-mess cleanup. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and top with Gaeta olives, pitted and chopped. Serve on a wooden tray with thick slices of rustic bread, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.
Bucatini withFresh Ricotta
Serves 4
The only cooking in this dish is boiling the pasta, since the sauce is raw. Actually, in Italian
cuisine, there are many pasta recipes that call for sauces that aren't cooked. I just thought of this recipe when my mother brought me some beautiful, just-picked zucchini flowers from her garden.
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb good-quality bucatini pasta, such as De Cecco
2 cups fresh ricotta-- buffalo ricotta, if possible
6-8 zucchini flowers, depending on size
Place lemon zest, salt and pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl, and let the flavors infuse. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, throw in the pasta, and cook according to directions. Place ricotta into a large serving bowl, and toss in lemon-infused olive oil. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water, and toss pasta into ricotta mixture until well coated. Add in coarsely chopped zucchini flowers and extra salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Zia Donata's Ricotta Cheesecake
8 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tspn vanilla extract
juice of 1 lemon
1 large container (3 lbs) ricotta
1/2 cup of sweet liquor, such as Limoncello
zest of 1 lemon
cinnamon
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat eggs until foamy. Add the sugar while beating continuously with a mixer. Once sugar is melted, beat in flour, followed by the heavy cream, and then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, ricotta, and finally the sweet liquor. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Pour in the mixture and sprinkle entirely with cinnamon on top. Bake in oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then check for doneness with a toothpick. Shut off the oven and leave cheesecake in there to settle for 10 to 15 more minutes.
Once cool, about a few hours, sprinkle with powdered sugar. (If you want to make the cheesecake the day before, let it cool for a minimum of an hour, then cover with a dishcloth and place in the refrigerator. Avoid tinfoil, as it creates too much moisture.)
Michael talks about Kefi
Reopening Kefi in a bigger space must be a dream come true--it confirms the popularity of dishes you grew up on. What hurdles did you encounter creating the new menu selections?
There were several new challenges due to the increased seating capacity. We wanted to stay true to the small Kefi and its uniqueness, but we had to make the menu a little more friendly and adapt it to the bigger, more mainstream audience we were bringing it to. Capturing a larger audience is the whole idea of family--and once you talk about family and children, one of the things that becomes critical in my mind are sandwiches, which were added along with a kids' menu.
Where did you source the décor for the new Kefi?
I was fortunate enough to have recently spent a few days in the Athens outdoor market, during a trip to Greece for a food exhibition, where I picked up a lot of great items. In addition, my wife and I enjoyed sourcing from barnyard antique stores in Long Island and upstate New York. Some of the stuff I actually rooted out of my parents' old toolshed! My wife--who studied textiles at FIT--sewed together the sheer two-story curtain that falls from the ceiling as you walk downstairs.
Do you have key purveyors that you depend on for the quality and flavor of your food, and have they been with you since the beginning, with the original Kefi?
Yes. We rely very heavily on Fantis, Titan, and Mediterranean, in particular. There are really only a handful of purveyors that specialize in Greek products, and we have been using them from the beginning. The authenticity of the ingredients has allowed us to bring quality Greek food to mainstream America, and have it recognized as a cuisine you can enjoy eating out more frequently.
How do you think these purveyors have benefited from Kefi?
The great thing about Kefi and Greek food is that not too many people are familiar with the
cuisine or the ingredients, so finding these small purveyors helped me achieve my goal to bring Greek products to the forefront. Now, because of the benefit of my name, recognition, and status, in using their products and highlighting them, I often go to other restaurants and find the same ingredients in play there. And knowing that they went to these same small Greek purveyors, because they are the only ones who have the product, gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I have helped these small companies grow their market share.
Donatella talks about Kefi
Why did you move Kefi?
When we opened the first Kefi, it garnered a word-of-mouth cult following--which was really something, considering how tiny the space was. But once you were inside, you quickly realized how special the place was. From the waitstaff, who were very passionate about the food and treated everyone and one another like family, to the menu itself--food that just made you happy, because it was not only different but also made from high-quality ingredients and didn't cost a lot. I think New Yorkers appreciated the whole experience. Moving to a bigger space--giving us the ability to take reservations, for example--opened up that experience to a bigger group of people, who perhaps come from a further distance or with a larger party and would have found it difficult in the past to wait an hour or two for a table.
Are there any changes to the menu?
We really only added to the menu, keeping in mind the old adage "Don't fix what isn't broken." There is a real danger when you take something that is as beloved as the original Kefi menu and change it. The move prompted the same questions from patrons: Are you going to raise the prices, or is the menu going to change? So it was important for the menu to stay the same, but we made it more comfortable, adding lunchand brunch-friendly items--since we are now open then, too--such as salads, the Kefi burger, and souvlaki sandwiches. As far as dealing with rising food costs, it's a constant dilemma since we offer food at such an inexpensive price. There are items we lose on, so the key is volume and keeping the place packed.
Do you foresee more Kefi outposts around the city, or even around the country?
Absolutely. Michael and I felt so strongly about how Kefi took off and hit a chord with everyone that we really focused on this particular incarnation being a prototype for others. I think the stars are aligned with Kefi--first, the cost is affordable and the food is wonderful, and I think what Michael has done is bring a very ethnic food to the masses, more so than any other Greek restaurant has achieved before us. And although Kefi is a taverna, serving casual food, you have a Michelin-star chef cooking it, so the technique and the quality of the ingredients are far superior to what you get anywhere else. That's what makes it so special: the items are still recognizable and yet unique at the same time. It's not pedestrian; it's not typical of what you find in other Greek places.
 Fresh from the Source
My line of all-natural Italian artisanal products imported from Italy (olive oils, sauces and cookies) is expanding. I am currently working on new products such as coffee, pasta, vinegar and more!
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