Recipes Warm Castelfranco with Vincotto and Blu di Bufala Be the first to rate & review! This simple and magical combination of ingredients from Carlo Mirarchi includes Castelfranco (a mild radicchio), vincotto (aged vinegar) and the superb blue cheese blu di bufala. It’s a very Italian dish, but Carlo Mirarchi gives it a personal imprint by adding fish sauce to the dressing. Slideshow: Fast Italian Summer Recipes By Carlo Mirarchi Carlo Mirarchi Video Best New Chef Carlo Mirarchi. Born 1980; Queens, NY. Raised Long Island, NY. Education New York University, New York City. Experience Good World, New York City. How he got into cooking "My mom is from Panama and my dad is from Italy, and both sides of my family were really serious about food and going to markets. Every August when I was growing up, we'd go to Calabria, Italy. We'd go diving for sea urchin, we'd spear-fish, then we'd eat all day. We'd crack open the sea urchin right on the beach and eat them. And take a lot of naps." Near-death experience "I was in Australia and went swimming at a beach called Brunswick Heads. The current was really strong, and it pulled me out. The waves bashed me like I was a doll against a jagged rock covered with dirty oysters. I'd had a mediocre falafel for lunch, and I thought, I can't believe the last thing I'm going to eat is a mediocre falafel. Two fishermen heard me crying and dragged me out. I was in the hospital for five days. Since I was so beat up, I couldn't work, so instead of going home, I traveled around Australia and Thailand." Influences David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos, CA, and Mark Ladner of Del Posto in New York City. "Kinch's food is amazing. And Ladner is incredibly talented, incredibly intelligent; the food he produces is like a proper translation of what it means to eat in Italy." Memorable cooking experience Making dinner for renowned French chef Michel Bras and 20 other people at Roberta's. "It was for an Omnivore event. I thought they were kidding when they first said Michel Bras was coming. We did a bunch of seafood, a 50-day dry-aged rib eye, a lot of vegetables. I can barely remember it; that whole day was a blur." Equipment obsession Holbein painting knife. "It's good for picking up uni and other delicate items." Favorite food city A tie between Tokyo and Rome. "Their approaches to food are so similar but so, so different. They both have so much respect for their food traditions and for cooking." Guilty pleasure Häagen-Dazs chocolate–chocolate chip ice cream. After-hours hangout The Brooklyn Star. "They're open until two. The pig tails, the tripe chili, the chicken wings; they're all really good." Favorite thing about New York City The chef community. "Guys like Mario Batali really supported us. We were not a busy restaurant when we first opened. But we had chefs coming in, and chefs drove people to us; they made people get on that train and come out to Bushwick." Favorite cookbooks Famed Italian gourmand Pellegrino Artusi's books, especially Science in the Kitchen and Art of Eating Well. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 25, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Chris Court Total Time: 20 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 2 heads of Castelfranco, trimmed and leaves separated (see Note) 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges, for serving 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar 3 ounces blu di bufala or Gorgonzola picante cheese, crumbled Vincotto or aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling Directions In a large bowl, combine the Castelfranco leaves with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the fish sauce and lemon juice and toss to evenly coat the leaves. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the Castelfranco and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden in spots and just wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the white balsamic vinegar. Transfer the Castelfranco to plates and top with the cheese. Drizzle with the vincotto and serve with lemon wedges. Notes Castelfranco is a mild member of the radicchio family. It has pale yellow leaves with red speckles. Suggested Pairing Light-bodied, fruit-forward Dolcetto d’Alba. Rate it Print