Rustic summer meal from lauded chef, on a budget

Chris Cipollone is a rising star in the culinary world, with a particular expertise in Italian dishes.

Chris grew up knowing he wanted to be a chef, and now he's showcasing some of the best cooking in New York City at his new midtown Manhattan restaurant, Tenpenny, in the historic Gotham Hotel in New York's theater district.

Chris is executive chef and co-owner of the critically-acclaimed eatery, which serves a menu as inventive as it is delicious, featuring seasonal dishes in a casual setting - everything from burgers to pastas made fresh daily.

Chris accepted the "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," and attempted to make a delicious, three-course meal for four on our meager, $40 budget.

His menu started with an English Pea and Pecorino Cheese Crostini. For the main course, he had a fresh Ricotta Gnocchi with Summer Sausage and Roasted Cauliflower. And he rounded out the meal with Seasonal Farmer's Market Fruits with a Basil Syrup.

FOOD FACTS

English pea: This is the common garden pea , also known simply as green pea . But there's nothing common about its flavor, particularly during the peak months of March, April and May and again from August to November. The French are famous for their tiny, young green peas known as petits pois. Choose fresh peas that have plump, unblemished, bright green pods. The peas inside should be glossy, crunchy and sweet. Because peas begin the sugar-to-starch conversion process the moment they're picked, it's important to buy them as fresh as possible. Refrigerate peas in their pods in a plastic bag for no more than 2 to 3 days. Shell just before using. Both English peas and the French petits pois are available frozen and canned. (Source: Epicurious.com)

Ricotta Cheese: This rich fresh cheese is slightly grainy but smoother than cottage cheese. It's white, moist and has a slightly sweet flavor. Most Italian ricottas are made from the whey drained off while making cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone. Technically, this type of ricotta is not really cheese because it's made from a cheese by-product. In the United States, ricottas are usually made with a combination of whey and whole or skim milk. The word ricotta means "recooked," and is derived from the fact that the cheese is made by heating the whey from another cooked cheese. Ricotta is a popular ingredient in many Italian savory preparations like lasagna and manicotti. (Source: Epicurious.com)

Caper: The flower bud of a bush native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The small buds are picked, sun-dried and then pickled in a vinegar brine. Capers range in size from the petite nonpareil variety from southern France (considered the finest), to those from Italy, which can be as large as the tip of your little finger. There are also the Spanish-imported stemmed caperberries that are about the size of a cocktail olive. Capers are generally packed in brine but can also be found salted and sold in bulk. Capers should be rinsed before using to remove excess salt. The pungent flavor of capers lends piquancy to many sauces and condiments; they're also used as a garnish for meat and vegetable dishes.

RECIPES

English Pea and Pecorino Crostini

Makes 4 portions

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pint fresh or frozen peas
• 5 basil leaves
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 ounces pecorino (or any other favorite grating cheese)
• About 1 ciabatini loaf cut into 4 thick slices

METHOD:

Blanch peas in boiling, salted water until tender. Shock in ice water and drain thoroughly.

Place peas with basil leaves in a food processer and pulse with the olive oil until a nice pea

"mash" is made. Season with salt and black pepper.

Take the slices of bread and drizzle with a little olive oil on one side and start grilling on the side that was not oiled. (You do this to let the oil soak into the center of the bread and not flare up on the grill) Grill until slightly charred on both sides. Alternatively, if you have no access to a grill, the bread can be sautéed in a pan.

Top with the pea mixture and grate the cheese liberally on top.

For more of Chris' recipes, go to Page 2.

Smoked Ricotta Gnocchi with Fennel Sausage

Makes 4 portions

INGREDIENTS:

For Gnocchi:

• 1 cup smoked fresh ricotta (I use Salvatore Brooklyn, but you could use any kind you like)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all purpose flour

METHOD:

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Take ricotta and egg and mix together. Season with salt and pepper. GENTLY fold the flour in, being careful to not over work the dough. Take the dough to a floured surface and roll into logs 1/2 inch diameter. Dough should be smooth and soft. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Drop into salted boiling water and cook about 2-3 min. They should float to the top. Gently shock them in ice water, then drain dry. Coat with a little olive oil and reserve.

For the sausage:

• 1/2 pound fennel or sweet sausage (about 2 links) Taken out of casing.
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cup chicken stock

METHOD:

Heat a skillet pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil and begin to brown the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon. As the sausage cooks, add the shallot and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook out the tomato paste for about 2-3 more minutes, then deglaze with the chicken stock. At this point, season with salt and chili flake if you have it.

To finish dish:

Take the cooked gnocchi and put them in with the sausage. Simmer and reduce the liquid until it coats the gnocchi and heats them up. Plate immediately and top with grating cheese if desired.

Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Capers and Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Makes 4 portions

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
• 2 shallot, sliced thinly
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small jar of capers, drained thoroughly.
• 1 stick of butter, unsalted
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced.

METHOD:

For the cauliflower:

In a large skillet pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil until a light smoke. Drop in cauliflower and begin to pan roast. As the cauliflower begins to color, add the shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper at this point. When the shallots are wilted, transfer everything to a baking sheet. And bake at 350°F until the cauliflower is cooked.

For the capers:

This works best if you have access to a deep fryer but you can do it in a pot with about an inch off canola oil. Heat oil until 350°F-375°F degrees. CAREFULLY place the capers in the oil. I recommend using a large spoon or spider strainer. They will violently pop and blister, fry for about 2 minutes as they will calm down. CAREFULLY scoop out and drain on a paper towel.

For the brown butter vinaigrette:

Place the butter in a small pot and turn on the heat. Stand by with a whisk and the zest and juice of the lemons. Watch carefully as the butter starts to boil and foam, when the milk solids of the butter stick to the bottom of the pot and brown, it is ready for the lemon juice. CAREFULLY add the juice and whisk off the bits off the bottom of the pot. The hot butter will rise when you do this so be sure to cut the heat and have a pot with tall enough side so it does not spill over. Season with salt to taste and keep warm.

To assemble:

Warm the cauliflower in an oven or pan and toss the cauliflower with the vinaigrette. Top with Crispy capers.

Green Market Fruits with Basil Syrup

Makes 4 portions

For this dessert, simply go to the market (or grocery store) and see what inspires you. You cannot go wrong with what you choose but try to have at least five different fruits and make sure they are ripe.

For example, take a 1/4 cantaloupe and dice it small, 3 apricots cut into slices, 4 strawberries quartered, 10 pieces grapes halved and 1 mango, diced small and place into a bowl.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Basil syrup

• 1 bunch basil, picked, blanched and shocked
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

METHOD:

Place water and sugar into a pot. Bring to a boil and boil for a minute. Cool completely.

Put basil and cooled syrup in a blender and blend on high for 3 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer.

To assemble:

Toss fruit with a few tablespoons of the basil syrup, serve immediately.

So, how did Chris do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?

Quite well!

His grand total: $36.42

That was gooe enough to almost get him the lead on our year-to-date Leaders Board!:

1.Marco Canora $36.33

Hearth

2. Christopher Cipollone $36.42

Tenpenny at The Gotham Hotel

3. Michael Psilakis

MP Taverna $36.56