The Dish: Chef Anthony Sasso

Anthony Sasso was born in the Hudson River valley of New York to a family with roots in Spain. After culinary school in New York City and jobs at some of the city's top restaurants, he traveled to Spain to master its secrets.

He brought that knowledge back to New York's Casa Mono where he earned five consecutive Michelin stars. This year, he became executive chef at Tapas Bar at La Sirena in Chelsea's Maritime Hotel. The main restaurant is all Italian, a project of Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, but the bar is all his and features an entirely separate menu of small Spanish dishes. 

Here are some of Sasso's signature recipes: 

Pan con tomate

Ingredients

1 baguette, cut into 4 pieces, about 5 inches long per piece (cut each piece in half lengthwise)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

4 vine ripened tomatoes, cut in half horizontally

1 tbsp. coarse sea salt, like Maldon

1-2 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Toast bread either in the broiler (cut side facing heat) or in a toaster (if it fits) until golden on entire surface and a little darker on the edges.  You want a good amount of color for a pan con tomate, since you will be saturating the bread with tomato juice. Note: if you are using an oven/broiler, you can halve the entire baguette lengthwise and proceed with each of the following steps on two halves from a whole baguette and cut into portions later if it's easier. 

2. Once toasted, remove each piece of bread and rub the toasted side with the garlic cloves (3 rubs per each side of toast is enough) and then grate one tomate half on each piece of cut toast, simultaneously pressing the juice into the bread and squeezing out any seeds and meat.  Season each piece generously with the sea salt and olive oil. 

Not Babbo's chickpeas

Puree ingredients

1 avocado, extra ripe, pitted peeled and quartered

8 oz cooked chickpeas (or canned, as long as they are rinsed under cold water set in a colander for at least ten minutes to wash away the canning liquid and "canny" taste)

1 cup roughly chopped parsley stems and leaves

1 small shallot, peeled and halved

1 lemon, halved and juiced

1 ½ - 2 cups water

Salad ingredients

1 cup torn sourdough bread, no crust, wripped by hand into 1 inch pieces

24 oz cooked chickpeas (same logic as above re: fresh/canned)

1 avocado, ripe but not too soft, just a little give to the touch

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped basil

1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 canned chipotle pepper, finely chopped

2 lemons, juiced

2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

12 parsley leaves and 12 basil leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Make your torn bread croutons for the salad. Set a large saute pan over very low heat with at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the bread to the pan and toss with tongs as the pieces get golden around the edges.  You may need to add more oil as the bread absorbs most of it. You want the pieces to be toasted on the outside and soft on the inside. This will take about 10 minutes.  Set aside on paper towels. 

2. For the puree: Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.  Working in two batches (when making a thick puree, you never want to overstuff your blender), place the mixed chickpeas and seasonings in the blender with about ½ cup of water.  Puree on high and if you need to add more liquid to get the puree going, add more.  You are aiming for a similar consistency to hummus.  Puree until smooth and empty into a bowl.  Repeat with other half.  Season with salt and set aside in the refrigerator. 

3. For the salad, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, season with salt.  

4. To assemble, smear about 3 T of puree on the bottom of 4 bowls. Using a slotted spoon, scoop about 8 ounces (1 cup) onto each of the bowls.  Garnish with 3 -4 pieces of toast and some parsley and basil leaves. 

Lamb chops with black garlic romesco

Ingredients

8 New Zealand lamb chops, single cut For piquillo pepper vin:

8 oz piquillo peppers

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

8 oz piquillo peppers

¼ cup marcona almonds, salted

1 head of black fermented garlic (can omit if unavailable)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbsp chopped jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Directions

1. For the piquillo pepper vin, add the peppers, garlic and sherry vinegar to a blender and puree on medium while slowly adding in the olive oil.  Once you have a smooth, bright orange puree, remove and season with salt.  Set aside at room temperature. 

2. For the romesco, add the peppers, almonds, black garlic, raw garlic, jalapeno and sherry vinegar to a food processor.  Process for about 30 seconds, slowly adding in the olive oil to create a wet "pesto" like consistency.  Season with salt, remove and set aside at room temperature.  

3. Set a grill on high, or place a dry cast iron skillet over high flame for 5 minutes until smoking.  Season the lamb pieces on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little bit of olive oil.  Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side for medium rare on the inside.  Take off heat and let sit on a rack for at least 4-5 minutes.  Pour some of the piquillo vinaigrette in 4 plates.  Put two chops on each plate and spoon over some of the romesco on top of the meat.  parsley on top to garnish.