Without fanfare, without the cachet of the "celebrity chef," Thomas Ky is building a restaurant empire. Assaggio focus
on freshnessIn three years he has opened three restaurants -- all called Assaggio Ristorante Italiano -- in Hawaii Kai, Kailua and Mililani. In these neighborhoods far from town he is building a reputation for fine Italian food. His fourth restaurant, a Thai place in Koko Marina, is to open next month.
Malia Santiago and Carol Brittingham are loyal patrons and have asked for recipes for two Assaggio specialties, Chicken Assaggio and the Cold Antipasto.
"My boyfriend and I always order this dish whenever we go there," Santiago says of the chicken entree, made with bell peppers, olives, mushrooms and served over linguine. "Our 14-year anniversary is coming up and I would like to make this dish for him."
Brittingham says she LOVES the antipasto dressing as well as the pickled vegetables served with it.
Ky gladly passes on the chicken recipe. The antipasto dressing, however, is made in huge quantities and would be difficult to recreate at home. It is for sale at the restaurants, for $5.90 a pint or $10.90 a quart; the pickled vegetables can be purchased as well.
As a consolation to Brittingham, though, we offer the Assaggio recipe for Hot Antipasto, a seafood dish.
Ky says he relies on lots of spices to create his deep flavors, as well as the freshest possible ingredients. The chicken dish, for example, calls for fresh island chicken, and Ky says you should accept no frozen substitutes.
Fresh pasta, similarly, absorbs the juice of each sauce and all its flavor, better than dry, he says.
And if you have trouble locating anything, call, Ky says. "If the store doesn't have it, they can come to us and we will share our ingredients."
Chicken Assaggio
6 ounces fresh island chicken, boned, in strips 1/4 inch wideSear chicken in olive oil in an oven-proof skillet; add salt, pepper and basil. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon dry basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup pepperoncini, diced
1 cup roasted bell peppers
1 tablespoon capers
3/4 cup button mushrooms
18 medium black olives
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
5 ounces fresh linguine, cooked
Return pan to stove top and add garlic, pepperoncini, bell pepper, capers, mushroom, olives and wine. Saute for 1 minute, then add butter. Stir until sauce thickens, then serve on a bed of linguine. Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving, using skinless chicken breast: 760 calories, 36 g fat, 16 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, greater than 1800 mg sodium. Using whole chicken with skin: 940 calories, 48 g fat, 20 g saturated fat, 135 mg cholesterol, greater than 1800 mg sodium.*
Hot Antipasto
2 cloves garlic, choppedHeat skillet with garlic and olive oil. Add seafood and spices. Cover for 5 minutes at medium high heat, or until clams open. Add wine and butter and stir until sauce thickens. Serve 2.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 dozen fresh clams
1/2 dozen mussels
1 cup calamari strips
1/2 dozen jumbo shrimps
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
