Cooking with Chef Michael Ferraro of Delicatessen

Delicatessen in SoHo is known as a see and be-seen  hot spot. The likes of Madonna, Tyra and Brooke Shields, to name a few, have been seen noshing at the restaurant. Chef Michael Ferraro is the man behind the food, dishing out comfort food favorites with a gourmet edge like duck confit mac and cheese and truffled spinach and artichoke dip. One of my favorites on the menu is the Asian-inspired tuna tataki with cilantro, sesame and yuzu soy.

Entrees include a guilty-but-worth-it fried chicken in a bucket, which is a buttermilk-marinated half chicken with coleslaw and a biscuit, and a beer-battered cod fish and chips with tartar sauce. To please your sweet tooth, make sure you don’t pass up their Milk and Cookies; the warm cookies are to die for.

I got to sneak into the kitchen with him to make one of his favorite home-style dishes (his father’s recipe), which he serves up as a special in the restaurant: chilled angel hair pasta with garlic, tomato and basil.

In classic Ferraro style, we started the cooking session with a glass of white wine. And then it was on to the cooking. In a Haute Living exclusive, we scored Chef Ferraro’s recipe. Not only is it delicious, but so simple to make!

Chilled Angel Hair Pasta with garlic, tomato and basil

Ingredients
1.  1 pound angel hair pasta
2.  4 ripe beef steak tomatoes
3.  1 bunch of fresh basil
4.  1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
5.  5 cloves minced garlic
6.  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7.  6 Tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
8.  Course sea salt (as needed)
9.  Fresh ground pepper
10. 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Method
1.  Cook pasta to al dente in salted water; when cooked lay out on a tray after tossed with one table spoon of extra virgin olive oil to cool.

2.  Dice the tomato disgruntling seeds, toss tomatoes with sea salt and pepper to taste.

3.  When pasta is cooled in a large bowl toss pasta, tomatoes and liquid from tomatoes, chiiffonade of basil and parsley, garlic, remaining EVOO, red wine vinegar, half the parmesan cheese and add final seasoning of salt and pepper

4.  For plating serve a 5-ounce portion in the center of a pasta bowl placing tomatoes on top. Use remaining parmesan cheese over the pasta.