Las Vegas Weekly

July 23, 2010 · 5:06 PM

Steak Pizzaiola, Chicken Scarpariello from Frank Pellegrino Jr.

By Robin Leach

Rao's co-owner Frank Pellegrino Jr.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Opened in 1896, Rao’s in New York’s East Harlem is widely regarded as one of the most difficult restaurant reservations to land in the United States. Barring a special circumstance and unless you have table rights to one of the restaurant’s 52 seats, you won’t be sitting down to dinner. Just ask the celebrities and politicos who have all been turned away at the door because there wasn’t room.

In December 2006, getting a table got a little easier when Rao’s opened a sister location inside Caesars Palace. Now fans of the iconic restaurant can get their fix of the comforting and delicious Southern Italian cuisine in Las Vegas, although a reservation is still suggested.

We caught up with co-owner Frank Pellegrino Jr., or Frankie as he’s known to his family and friends, and asked him to share a couple of his favorite Rao’s recipes with our readers.

“I love summertime and grilling outside by my pool entertaining with family and friends,” Frankie said. “This Steak Pizzaiola dish is one that I recently cooked on NBC’s Today show with Kathie Lee (Gifford) and Hoda (Kotb), and the entire thing can be done on the grill.”

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Rao's at Caesars Palace.

STEAK PIZZAIOLA

(Bistecca alla Pizzaiola)

Serves 2

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 16-ounce rib eye steak trimmed of all fat

1 bell pepper cored, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

1 small white onion sliced

1 cup white mushrooms sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup hand-crushed, canned, imported San Marzano Italian plum tomatoes

1 pinch dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Light a grill to medium-high heat. Rub the steak on both sides with a little oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill approximately 3 to 4 minutes a side (looking for a medium-rare temperature). Remove from grill and reserve.

At the same time, take a sided tinfoil grill pan (a disposable bread pan works well) and heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Add the peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic to pan and simmer for several minutes until soft.

Add 1/2 cup dry white wine to pan and simmer for a few more minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup tomatoes, a pinch of oregano and black pepper and salt. Lower heat and allow sauce to cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. (If sauce is too thick, thin with a bit of chicken broth or dry white wine.)

Return steak to pan and allow to cook in sauce for 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove steak, let rest. Slice on a bias, plate and spoon sauce on top before serving.

“Another of my favorite dishes to prepare is something traditionally done on the stove but also can be cooked on the grill,” Frankie said. “My version of Chicken Scarpariello incorporates the dish’s original recipe from the Rao’s Cookbook, but I’ve changed it slightly to work on the grill.”

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Rao's at Caesars Palace.

RAO'S CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 lb. sausage, a combo of hot and sweet cut into bite-size pieces

1 chicken halved

2 large bell peppers, red, green or yellow, cored, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

1 large yellow onion cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup halved vinegared hot cherry peppers (recipe follows)*

1/2 cup vinegared sweet bell peppers (recipe follows)*

1/2 cup vinegar from vinegared sweet bell peppers

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

On a gas grill, oil grill grates well by wiping with paper towels dampened with olive oil or by spraying nonstick grilling spray. Pre-heat grill on high for 20-30 minutes with cover closed until the temperature reaches 450 F.

Grill sausage whole until browned and cooked through. Set aside.

Lightly dust chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper, let sit until ready to grill.

Place the chicken halves skin side down. When placing the chicken on the grill, quickly slide pieces vertically 3 inches using a set of long tongs as soon as it is placed. This is to allow the skin of the chicken to release some of its fat and help prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.

Allow to cook on a high flame for 6 minutes with cover down, then reduce flame to a medium setting for an additional 6 minutes or until lightly and evenly charred. Once the skin side is evenly charred, turn chicken over and grill for another 5 minutes with the grill cover closed.

After the 5 minutes have passed, remove chicken from the grill and place on the grill’s upper rack bone side down facing the flame and cook for an additional 6-10 minutes. Remove from upper rack and place on a cutting board bone side down. Allow chicken to rest for 7 minutes.

While chicken is resting, coat bell peppers, onion and garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil on a baking sheet or an aluminum tray and place on the grill over medium high heat. Turn ingredients every 3 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add sausage and chicken halves to the vegetables.

Add wine and chicken stock to the chicken, sausage and vegetable mixture while scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil.

Stir in hot and sweet vinegared cherry and bell peppers, vinegar from the peppers, oregano, salt and pepper. Return to a boil.

Simmer for 10 minutes or until flavors have married, chicken and sausage have been heated through and sauce has reduced.

Remove from heat and serve.

*You can find vinegared hot and sweet cherry and bell peppers at Italian markets, specialty food stores and regular supermarkets.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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