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CLARKSON POTTER

CARLO MIRARCHI, BRANDON HOY, CHRIS PARACHINI & KATHERINE WHEELOCK

ART DIRECTION BY RYAN RICE

CLARKSON POTTER/PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK

Copyright 2013 by Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy,

Chris Parachini, and Katherine Wheelock
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/
Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com
CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with
colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mirarchi, Carlo.
Robertas / Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris
Parachini and Katherine Wheelock.
pagescm
Includes index.
1. Pizza. 2. Robertas (Restaurant) I. Hoy, Brandon.
II. Parachini, Chris. III. Wheelock, Katherine. IV. Title.
TX770.P58M572013
641.82'48dc232013004300
ISBN 978-0-7704-3371-0
eISBN 978-0-7704-3372-7
Printed in China
Book design by Jennifer K. Beal Davis for Ballast Design
Cover design by Ryan Rice
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition

All photographs are copyright by the following

contributors : Neanna Bodycomb: 288;
Anthony Falco: 11 (right), 1415, 19
(top right), 2021, 22 (top left), 101, 110,
192193 (middle), 223, 259 (bottom right),
285; Flora Hanitijo: 6869; Brandon
Hoy: 10 (left), 19 (middle left), 22 (bottom
right), 23 (top right, middle center, middle
right, bottom right), 5051, 76 (top right,
middle left), 98 (right), 157, 225 (bottom),
260 (middle right), 275 (middle left), 279 (top
left, bottom), 280, 287; Greg Minig: 43;
Carlo Mirarchi: 210, 279 (middle right);
Damian Neufeld: 232233; Steve Perriloux: 234235; Dave Potez: 23 (bottom),
67, 10 (right), 13, 19 (bottom right), 46, 47,
52, 5455, 5859, 7071, 7677 (top right,

middle three right, bottom three right), 81, 86,

89, 90, 104, 107, 108109, 113, 114, 119,
120, 123, 128, 133, 136, 138139, 141,
143, 145, 146, 150, 154155, 158, 162,
164165, 168, 171, 172, 175, 180, 185,
186, 189, 191, 192 (left), 193 (right), 195,
196, 200, 202, 205, 206, 209, 214, 217,
218, 219, 225 (top), 227, 228, 230231,
237, 238, 241, 247, 248249, 251, 255,
259 (bottom left), 260 (top right, bottom
right), 267, 268, 271, 272, 275 (top right),
277, 278; Austin Rhodes: 1, 45, 6061,
8485; Ryan Rice: 8, 16, 19 (top left,
bottom left), 3031, 4445, 63, 7677 (top
left, top third in from left, bottom right), 82,
124, 127, 149, 242; Robertas: 252, 259
(top right); Eric Safyan: 2425, 29, 3637,

259 (top left, middle right), 260 (top left,

bottom left); Ryan Slack: 98 (left); Hannah
Spinelli: 22 (middle right); Nathanael
Staneck: 275 (top left); Kenji Takigami:
93, 94, 102, 131, 135, 167, 177, 179, 263;
Joe Talman: 23 (top), 19 (middle right), 22
(top right, middle left, middle right), 34, 39,
40, 78, 212, 259 (middle left), 275 (middle
right, bottom), 279 (middle left); and Michael
Harlan Turkell: 260 (middle left). The
following illustrations are copyright Robertas:
Anthony Falco: 279; Benjamin Haft:
22; Robertas: 64; and Andrew Steiner:
26, 161. The remaining illustrations are copyright by the individual contributors: Anthony
Falco: 42, 57, 286; Marilee Grashin: 48;
and Zachary Kinsella: 117.

To the staff at Robertas, past and present

Contents
Introduction

The Food

17

Pizza

27

Vegetables

79

Pasta

125

Seafood

163

Meat

197

Dessert

249

Drinks

273

sources

282

Acknowledgments

283

Index

284

M ar gh e r ita
tomato, mozzarella, basil

This is a classic margherita. As much as weve tinkered with the pizza

M a k e s 1 ( 12- i n c h ) pizza

dough over the years, we havent messed with this formula.

pizza dough (pages

Preheat the oven to the highest temperature possible. Place a pizza

3235)

stone or tiles on the middle rack of the oven and let it heat up for
1hour.
Put the sauce in the center of the dough round and use the back of a
spoon to spread it evenly over the pizza, stopping about half an inch
from the edge. Drizzle a little olive oil over the sauce and scatter the

it over the cheese, but weve grown to like it this way.)

Break the mozzarella into several large chunks and distribute it over
the pizza. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and bubbly.

43 grams (3 tablespoons)
sauce (recipe follows)

Some good olive oil

4 or 5 basil leaves, torn into
pieces

basil on top. (We put the basil under the cheese so that the heat from
the wood-fired oven doesnt incinerate it. If you prefer, you can scatter

1 (12-inch) round of

80 grams (2 ounces)
fresh mozzarella
(recipe follows)

sauce
M akes abo ut 3 5 0 grams
(1 cup s )

1 (794-gram/28-ounce)
can San Marzano
whole peeled tomatoes

The recipe for this sauce is simple. All that matters is that you use the best-
quality canned tomatoes you can find. Depending on where you are, that
might mean San Marzanos or it might mean tomatoes from California or
Mexico. Try a few different labels before you decide on your go-to. Some are
sweeter, some are more acidic. And often the flavor of one kind varies from
year to year. We like a subtle sweetness, good acidity, and strong tomato
flavor.

Some good olive oil

Fine sea salt

Drain the tomatoes and discard the juice (or use it for Bloody Marys).
Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the tomatoes
until almost smooth.
Add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt, blend until smooth, and
taste. Add more olive oil and salt to taste, if needed, but keep in mind
that the sauce will reduce a little bit when its baked on a pizza, so it
will only get saltier. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a
week, and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Fairy Tale Egg p la nt

mascarpone, black mint

The only way to screw up this dish is to use garden-variety eggplants

S e rv e s 2

the kind youd use for eggplant Parmesan. Fairy Tales are much
smallerjust two or three inches longand have incredibly delicate

5 or 6 Fairy Tale eggplants

flavor and very tender flesh. The secret to this dish at the restaurant is

(or 3 of the smallest

roasting the eggplant in the wood-fired oven just until its just starting to

you can find)

brown at the edges. The smokiness from the fire works magic. But a
quick roast in your own hot oven or a few minutes in a scorching pan
will get you more than close enough.

Japanese eggplants

Some good olive oil

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black
pepper

If youre using an oven to roast the eggplant, preheat it to the h

ighest
temperature possible, ideally 500F. Slice the eggplants in half length-

30 grams (generous
2 tablespoons)

wise, dress them with a little olive oil, and season them generously with

mascarpone, at room

salt and pepper. Place them skin side down on a baking sheet and roast

temperature

them for about 15minutes, until they begin to color. Let them cool to
room temperature.
If youre cooking the eggplant on the stovetop, coat a cast-iron pan with
olive oil and put it over almost high heat. Slice the eggplants in half

A small handful of
black mint leaves*

* Black mint is a Peruvian

variety with an incredibly pure,

lengthwise and season them with salt and pepper. Cook on one side for

really strong mint flavor. If you

5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook the same amount of time on the other

cant find it, use any fresh mint.

side. (These are little guys; they dont take long. You want them firm,
with a bite, not mushy.) Let the eggplant cool to room temperature.
Spoon the mascarpone onto two plates. Arrange the eggplant on the
plates, drizzle with a little olive oil, and season with a little more salt
and pepper. Scatter the mint leaves over the eggplant and serve.

Pur
chas
eacopyof

ROBE
RT
A
S
COOKBOOK
atoneoft
hes
er
et
ai
l
er
s
:

CLARKSON POTTER