Misstropolis

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Copia’s Anthony Caturano, This Great Chef is Really Cooking

by Andrea Pyenson

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Anthony Caturano was just 25 years old when he opened his North End restaurant, Prezza, in 2000. The Culinary Institute of America graduate, who was born in Revere and grew up in Danvers, named the restaurant for the town in southern Italy where his grandmother was born, and where he still has family. This past September, Caturano opened his second act, Copia, in Charlestown, expanding his culinary reach to all the countries that border the Mediterranean.

But that’s not the only difference between Copia and Prezza. The newer restaurant is expansive, where its predecessor is intimate. Caturano describes Copia’s portions as “large” and “bold,” while Prezza’s food is more “refined;” the menu at the Charlestown restaurant will remain “pretty consistent,” where its North End sister “changes more frequently.”

Caturano’s touch is evident in all the dishes at his new spot, and he has been packing in lively crowds since it opened nearly six months ago, especially at the bar. It’s tempting to make a meal right from the bar menu, with choices like Kobe beef burgers, beef tartare, shaved Serrano ham and fried calamari (all but the burger are on the appetizer menu in the main dining room, too).

On the main menu, a Mediterranean antipasto allows diners to design their own platters by choosing from among nine selections, including stuffed grape leaves, zucchini and mint fritters, and baba ghanoush. Other popular appetizers include mushroom risotto and wood-grilled sardines. Caturano has always been known for his generous portion sizes, and the crispy stuffed pork chop - 14 ounces of meat stuffed with gruyere cheese, coated with bread crumbs, seared and finished in the oven – became Copia’s signature dish soon after it opened nearly six months ago. Caturano says he finds inspiration for his menu “eating in different restaurants, in cookbooks and traveling.” Last year he spent some time in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Next year he has plans to go to the country’s Adriatic coast. 

Tomorrow night, for the second time in two years, Caturano will serve as honorary chef at the ninth annual Dana-Farber Great Chefs Cooking for a Cure, hosted by the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He became involved with the event a few years ago, when he was asked to contribute a recipe to Great Chefs Cooking for Great Friends, a cookbook that grew out of the event. He sold so many copies of the book at Prezza that the event organizers invited him to be an honorary chef.

“It’s a fun evening,” Caturano says. “We bring a few people” from both restaurants. The cooks do all the prep work at the restaurant, bring a heat source, a cutting board and a few other utensils with them, and then do their thing for the crowd. This year Caturano and his team will prepare tuna tartare with cucumber yogurt salad (from Copia) and crispy shrimp (from Prezza).

Great food from a great chef for a great cause.

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Copia’s Tuna Tartare with Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Makes 6 – 8 Appetizer Servings

For the cucumber yogurt salad:

3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup peeled and diced cucumber
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place the yogurt, cucumber, chopped mint and olive oil in a medium bowl. Stir until all ingredients are mixed well. Set aside.
(This salad can be made up to one day in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.)

For the tuna:

1 pound sushi grade tuna, diced small
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Juice from one-half lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
One loaf white sandwich bread, crust removed

1. Place the tuna, chives, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. To serve, toast the bread and cut each slice into small triangles. Spread each piece of toast with cucumber yogurt salad and top with a teaspoonful of tuna. Arrange the toasts on a platter.

Adapted from Anthony Caturano