The Dish: Boston chef Kevin O'Donnell

Kevin O'Donnell attended the famed Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute before heading off to Italy for a cooking internship. While there, he met fellow chef Michael Lombardi and the two became fast friends as well as cooking collaborators.

The pair went on to work at the same restaurant kitchens in Italy, France and New York, before heading back to their native New England. Last year in Boston's South End, they opened their dream restaurant, SRV, specializing in the regional food of the city of Venice.

Here are some of O'Donnell's signature recipes: 

Charred romano beans

Ingredients

1 pound yellow or green romano beans
3 ounces n'duja pork sausage
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pine nut butter (toasted and pureed pine nuts)
3 ounces of vegetable broth or water
1 ounce grated parmigiano reggiano plus 1 cup shaved for garnish
Lemon juice to taste
Extra virgin olive oil as needed
1 ounce pine nuts
Ground cumin, to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup pea greens

Directions

1. Lightly toast the pine nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325 degrees for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Season the pine nuts with salt and ground cumin and set aside. To make the n'duja sugo cook the n'duja in a small sauce pot with a little olive oil.

2. Once the n'duja starts to render some of it's fat, add the sliced garlic to the pot and saute until fragrant and translucent. Deglaze the pot with water or vegetable broth and bring up to a boil. Add the pine nut butter, parmigiano reggiano and some lemon juice to taste.

3. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the runner beans but not too thick that it is pasty. Adjust the consistency by adding additional water or broth if desired. Next cook the runner beans by searing in a hot saute pan with a little oil oil and season with salt. 

4. Once the runner beans are lightly charred and tender toss them in a bowl with the n'duja sugo and season with more lemon juice. Plate the beans and top with the pea greens, pine nuts and the shaved parm.

Marinated artichokes

Ingredients

1 lb baby artichokes
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried aleppo chili
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ cup shaved pecorino toscano
½ bunch parsley roughly chopped
¼ cup mint leaves 

Court bouillon ingredients

1 onion, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 lemon cut into wheels
Salt to taste
½ cup white wine
2 quarts water

Directions

1. Place all the court bouillon ingredients except the lemon together in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Next add the lemon wheels and reserve until ready to cook the artichokes.

2. Fill a ½ gallon container with cold water and add the juice of 2 lemons. To prepare the artichokes, remove all outer green leaves and discard. Once only the tender yellow leaves are visible, using a pairing knife shave off the green portion of the stem and smooth out the edges of the artichoke where the leaves meet the stem.

3. After cutting, soak the artichokes in the lemon water to prevent them from browning. Once all artichokes are peeled and trimmed cook them in the court bouillon until tender. When the artichokes are cool, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and zest, chopped parsley, chopped garlic, olive oil and aleppo chili. Adjust seasoning with salt then plate and top with shaved pecorino and mint leaves.

Heirloom tomatoes with horseradish salsa bianca and cucumbers

Ingredients

2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
1 each english cucumber, sliced
3 stalks scallions, finely chopped
½ bunch basil
1 sprig of dill
3 ounce good quality ricotta cheese
1 ounce sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Lemon to taste
4 Slices of sourdough bread 

Directions 

1.  To make the horseradish salsa bianca add the ricotta and sour cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Using a microplane grate the garlic into the bowl and add the horseradish, chopped scallions then season with salt and lemon. Cut the tomatoes in desired size and lightly toss in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, a touch of lemon juice, salt, sliced cucumbers and grilled bread then plate. 

2.  Grill or roast the bread until it gets lightly charred on the outside and still chewy on the inside. Rub the toasted bread with a clove of garlic to profume it then tear into bite sized pieces and season with olive oil and salt. Scatter the bread around the plate. Using a spoon splash the horseradish salsa bianca around the tomatoes and garnish with basil leaves and dill.

Swordfish milanese

Ingredients

1 ½ pound swordfish loin, thinly cut
3 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt
½ cup flour, seasoned with salt
1 cup seasoned Italian style breadcrumbs
Salt to taste
Lemon to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Good quality extra virgin olive oil for seasoning
5 ounces Giardiniera (recipe follows)
1 cup baby arugula  

Directions

1. Season the swordfish pieces on both sides with salt. Bread each piece by dredging them in flour, shaking off excess followed by dunking them in the eggs and finally coating them in the breadcrumbs. Reserve on a plate lined with a paper towel in the fridge until ready to cook. 

2. To cook, add a thin layer of cooking olive oil to a pan and place on medium heat. Once the oil is hot pan fry the swordfish on each side until golden brown and hot. Transfer to a paper towel to dry excess oil and lightly season with salt. Plate the swordfish and arrange pickled vegetables on top and around the fish. Dress the arugula with good quality olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of the pickling liquid and scatter around the fish.

Giardiniera

Ingredients

½ cup yellow wax beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup hen of the wood mushrooms
½ cup sliced white onion
½ cup halved radishes
½ cup cauliflower florets
½ cup sliced carrots
2 cups champagne vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt 

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pot and simmer until the vegetables are starting to become crunchy but still tender. Transfer into a mixing bowl and place in the fridge to cool.