The Red Cat Cookbook: 125 Recipes from New York City's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

Bradley, owner of Manhattan's Red Cat restaurant, provides a new twist on familiar dishes in this delightful collection. Compiled for home cooks, the book offers an unlikely synthesis of the Italian-American classics Bradley grew up on and the down-to-earth sensibility of his native New England. He tweaks the classics enough that they are fresh but still recognizable, offering simple, big-flavored dishes that can be prepared with relative ease, such as Osso Buco with Saffron Couscous and Escarole and New England Fish Chowder. Conventionally arranged, with starters, soups, pastas and risottos, main courses, vegetables, and desserts, recipes include headnotes that provide information about the dish, its backstory and tips for successful cooking. Bradley includes details on essential ingredients that he uses liberally: olive oil, lemons, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, olives, pepperoncini and red pepper flakes. He also advocates use of high-impact cooking techniques to enhance the ingredients' natural flavor and texture, such as the char of grilling or the crunch of frying. Notable recipes include Baked Fontina with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Thyme; Chicken, the Red Cat Way, with Lemon Sauce and Summer Vegetable Salad; Chanterelles with Capers; and Risotto Fritters. Recommended for all home cooks, this collection will add new life to much-loved but tired favorites. 65 color photos. (Nov.)