>> MING: Hey Ming Tsai here with Simply Ming.

I've got one of the best chefs in Boston, and now around the country, in the house-- Michael Schlow.

My kids call him Schlow-Schlow.

He's got over 12 restaurants, and he's growing.

He cooks amazing Italian food.

He's going to be doing a spicy shrimp with fregola and chickpeas.

>> Taste this right here.

It's a little nutty.

And I love this because it's not just plain pasta, you know, it's got a different element, a different level.

>> MING: I'm gonna be taking the same shrimp, spice it up with a little bit of togarashi and make a little bit of miso risotto.

There's never cream in risotto.

>> No, there's not.

>> MING: Creamy risotto does not mean you add cream.

Creamy risotto is the starch that gets creamy.

We're cooking spicy shrimp, right here, right now, on Simply Ming.

♪ ♪ >> MING: Schlow-Schlow.

>> Thanks for having me back.

>> MING: So good.

You've been... you are the... Schlow is the longest-running guest ever on Simply Ming.

You have the title.

>> Well, thank you, I'm honored...

I'm honored.

I don't know how I keep getting invited back.

>> MING: Because you can cook, and you can explain, and you're a hell of a guy.

>> Well thank you, very kind.

>> MING: That simple.

So I'm making you an Aviation No.

2 So if you could just dump that.

Because obviously, as you know, you can spend all the time, you make great cocktails, if you don't chill your glass, why are you shaking and getting everything cold and putting it in a glass that's 72 degrees.

So you chill your glass to like 33.

So dump that for me.

>> You got it.

>> MING: So this is a drink, you probably know, history is from the 20th century.

There's a man named, a bartender, named Hugo Ensslin at the Hotel Wallick in New York City.

>> Okay.

>> MING: And he created this drink.

It's gin with a little bit of maraschino liqueur.

Make sure it's really good gin.

>> Right.

>> MING: And Creme de Violette.

Which Creme de Violette actually disappeared for awhile and it's finally made its way back in about the last ten years.

And that's kind of the secret to... to an Aviation.

And a touch of lemon juice.

So here's... just make sure you have really good gin.

>> So, also, how important you know, I think people get a little annoyed with us in the restaurants when we're measuring, but it's a recipe for a cocktail.

>> MING: You have to measure.

>> And we're not being cheap.

It's probably more alcohol than sometimes free pouring, right?

But you have to measure if you want a perfect cocktail.

>> MING: You have to measure.

So that's exactly three ounces of the gin.

And here we're doing exactly an ounce, this is a half ounce side of the maraschino.

It's, it's just like baking.

>> Yeah.

>> MING: You can't wing it when you bake, right?

I don't care how good you are.

The Violette, we're gonna do just an, also an ounce of that.

Beautiful.

>> And is this one of those sort of two parts, one part, half a part, is that... >> MING: Yeah, basically.

>> Because that's the basic, like, classic cocktail.

>> MING: Yup, and then acid, right?

Fresh lemon-- we're gonna spend all this time making a fantastic drink, juice your lemon.

Ounce and a half, all right?

>> This is gonna be good.

>> MING: Should be pretty darn good.

And a very pretty color too.

>> So this is the bartender's handshake though, right?

This is their dance, you know?

>> MING: Everyone needs some signature.

I do one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, but I don't care, you can do ichi, ni, san if you want, right?

Boom.

By the way, when put a glass in, it's never perfectly in the center.

There's always a place that's a little bit further off.

That's where you hit it, right?

Important.

And it's so funny, people see us smell it.

You can smell if a drink's pretty balanced, right?

>> All my bartender's taste the drinks.

>> MING: Yeah, we do that.

>> So I wonder, I wonder what they're feeling at the end of the night.

>> MING: Yeah, they do.

Actually that's a huge issue.

Because we used to always use plastic straws to taste.

>> Right, now you can't do it.

>> MING: And now with this-- no, 'cause now we have paper straws.

And it's just, you just don't want to do it.

All right.

>> And then good cherries.

>> MING: Luxardo, Luxardo cherries.

>> It's a beautiful color.

>> MING: Thank you.

>> I have to say, I've never had this before, so I'm excited to try it.

>> MING: Cheers.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> MING: Cheers.

>> That's delicious.

>> MING: It's all right, right?

>> I think, I want to drink this like, outside every day.

It's perfect, it's refreshing.

>> MING: Well, we have an outside, maybe we should do it.

>> Let's...

I'm ready.

>> MING: But you're gonna cook me a pasta.

>> First, yeah, first.

>> MING: Prego, prego, come, veni, veni.

All right, Schlow-Schlow, what's the dish?

>> So today we're gonna make a spicy shrimp dish.

That, that's the whole theme of today's show.

And we're gonna use fregola, which is a Sardinian couscous.

You don't see it a lot, but I mean we love it in the restaurants.

>> MING: It is rare.

So that's... this is the dry form?

>> Yeah, so it's called fregola, and it is a Sardinian couscous, is what you could also see the label under.

And it's like lightly toasted, a hard pasta.

You can see it's kinda the size of Israeli couscous.

>> MING: Yeah, is it semolina?

>> It's semolina.

And we use this all the time.

It's great hot, it's great cold, it makes a good pasta salad.

And, you know, Italians are very, very specific about what pasta with what sort of dishes.

So this is a dish that's a little bit of a hybrid.

>> MING: The two colors, what's the difference, just toasted, or... >> Well, it's just toasting, yeah, it's just a little bit toasted.

And when you eat this, you're gonna see-- taste this right here, it's a little... it's a little nutty.

And I love this because it's not just plain pasta, you know?

It's got a different element, a different level, I think.

>> MING: And semolina... >> Yeah.

>> MING: ...is such a flavorful flour versus just AP.

>> And this is something you would never make from scratch.

I mean you could just never do this.

This is something that you need a machine to do.

So and then we're going to use Calabrian chilies, and chickpeas, and broccoli.

And this broccoli, we're going to grate the broccoli into it.

And this is a one-pot dish, which is important always, you know.

>> MING: Thank you for that.

>> So let's get a couple things going.

I'm going to smash a clove of garlic.

If you could slice some fennel for me.

Just take the top off.

>> MING: Yeah.

>> And we're just smashing this.

This is the one time-- I've been on your show a lot, you've been kind enough to keep inviting me, and we're gonna use extra-virgin olive oil.

But normally, I remove the garlic, and you always give me a tough time.

>> MING: Well, yeah, because you paid for it so why would you remove it?

>> Well, I don't like to necessarily eat-- I want to...

I want to taste the garlic, I don't want to necessarily eat that clove of garlic.

But this time we're gonna use it, and we're gonna... we're gonna use... we're gonna get it light golden brown, and then we're gonna put the other vegetables in.

>> MING: How do you want this-- this way or this way?

>> You can just, yeah, across so it's nice small pieces.

And I'm gonna do the same thing with some red onion.

>> MING: You want in pieces or slices?

>> Like that's fine.

Yeah, this is a sort of rustic and delicious dish that you can serve it hot or cold.

>> MING: Right.

>> So I'm gonna do some red onion.

And what's gonna also be different about this dish, that you don't see in too many Italian dishes, is this is gonna be done with some mint, also.

So at the very end we're gonna... we're gonna do some fresh mint.

>> MING: I'm surprised you have that much spice, because I know a lot... a lot of Italian chefs that, and cooking for Italians, they hate spice.

They're like, "Oh, too spicy.

>> Well, they like a little pepperoncino in the dish, which is that crushed red pepper.

And you'll see that, but the further south you go, I think, the more you'll see some spice.

So what we're gonna do is that garlic's light golden brown.

>> MING: Right.

>> There we go.

Let's throw the fennel right in there.

(fennel sizzles) >> MING: Okay.

>> And the onion.

>> MING: Oui.

Notice how Schlow's making sure I get dirty and you stay clean.

>> Well, listen, I'm wearing your shirt, so, I mean, I stole this the last time I was here.

>> MING: I keep losing clothes.

You're like my two boys, they keep stealing clothes.

>> I went into your...

I went into the... the wardrobe, I stole a Ming Tsai shirt, and I said I'm gonna wear it the next time I come to the show.

>> MING: Salt and pepper?

>> Not yet, I think we're gonna sauté this for just a second.

>> MING: Why is that?

Why wouldn't you put it in?

>> Well, that's gonna start to create steam right away.

If you put salt on this, what's gonna happen is it's gonna start to leech out a little bit of water and the vegetables are gonna start to steam just a little bit.

So we're gonna just sauté it for just a few seconds.

>> MING: It's a great point.

That's a great point, because the salt will force liquid out of the vegetables.

>> And the same thing happens, you know, with protein.

Like, you know, I mean you can salt something ahead of time, but I always like to pat it dry right before it goes on the grill or it goes in a sauté pan.

Because it's that water that makes it stick.

>> MING: Well, the secret to having fish never stick is dry fish, right?

Don't... you don't want wet skin or wet... >> So that's starting to smell really good, right now.

>> MING: Tomatoes, can I do something with those?

>> Yeah, if you want to cut the tomatoes in half.

You know what I want you though, you know, we talked about spice.

I want you to just taste this.

I just want you to taste this Calabrian chili, just a little bit.

And so, I know you like spicy food, so taste that.

And tell me what you think of it.

It's a little bit pickled, and it's got a little bit of almost fermented flavor to it also, doesn't it?

>> MING: I like it.

I don't think it's crazy spicy, but I love it.

I mean for Italians it's considered spicy.

>> It's pretty hot.

And like I said, the further south we go... so I pureed a little bit of this so we can really, you know, control what it is we're putting in there, okay?

So we're gonna sauté this for a few more seconds.

Now I'm gonna season it a little bit with some salt and pepper.

>> MING: That's a great tip, though.

To not... not salt it right out the door.

>> Well, you know, when people say, "I want to caramelize onions," for example you know, and I tell them if you're gonna caramelize onions don't, don't season it.

>> MING: Don't season it.

>> Because that's going to prevent it from happening, you know?

So we'll do this for a little bit, and I'm gonna pick some mint.

And then the last thing we're gonna ask... that I'm gonna ask you to do is to grate a little bit of broccoli.

Now this is... >> MING: Which I've never done in my life, honestly.

I've grated lots of cheese and stuff.

>> I was in Genoa, at this...

I was cooking with this grandma.

Whenever I go to Italy I try to find somebody's mother or grandmother that will allow me to cook with them to learn.

You know, it's one thing to learn in the restaurants, but it's another thing to be able to go to a home cook.

And I think it's that way in any place.

So you can throw those tomatoes right in there.

>> MING: Oui.

>> Thank you.

>> MING: I love...

I love what I see so far.

>> Yeah, this is one of those everybody into the pool sort of dishes.

We're gonna throw...

I'm gonna chop this up just a little bit.

>> MING: So chop these chilies up?

>> No, you don't have to, they're already pureed.

>> MING: Oh, you actually pureed, is that what it is?

Did you add any oil to that puree or that's just straight pure?

>> Nope it's just, there's a little bit of the chili... they come packed in oil.

So there's a little bit in there already, okay?

And then what we're gonna do is, if you want to take that box grater.

You can take one of these cups, or whatever you want to do.

Oh, you have a cup on your side, you can use that.

>> MING: So just grate it, like this?

>> Just grate it, yeah.

So I was eating in Genoa with this grandma's teaching me all of her dishes, and she takes olive oil and garlic, and she takes heads of broccoli, cup of water, covers the pot and just lets it cook until the broccoli's just mush.

>> MING: Right.

>> And then she tosses it with pasta, and it was army green, it looked nasty but it tasted delicious, it was so good.

>> MING: I love it.

>> And so I'm thinking to myself, how can I make this dish, with the same idea, but make it bright green instead?

>> MING: Right.

>> So it was just a very simple like mezze rigatoni with broccoli.

And so I thought, what if I put it on a box grater and put it in to order, and it really worked out well.

So I'm gonna put a little bit of stock in now, now the vegetables are cooked.

>> MING: Keep going?

>> Uh... you're almost there, yeah.

>> MING: I've never... this is great, it works so well too.

>> And then I'm going to put a little bit of this chili in.

We're gonna make it spicy since we're making spicy shrimp today.

>> MING: You need to add more if you're gonna make it spicy.

>> Alright then we're gonna go hot.

It's hot stuff.

>> MING: It's not hot.

>> All right, we can always add more.

We'll taste and we'll see if we need a little bit more.

>> MING: Is that enough there for you?

>> That's great, so then we're gonna put that in here.

Put it right in.

Beautiful.

>> MING: Love it.

Okay.

>> And then some chickpeas.

>> MING: This is just out of the can?

>> Yeah, we just rinsed them.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Some chickpeas and some of that... Sardinian couscous, the fregola.

And then we're going to put the shrimp right in there.

And we're gonna let this all steam together, and poach, and get... >> MING: Your dish is basically done.

One pot dish, literally.

>> It's super easy.

A little bit more stock.

>> MING: Big spoon for you, Schlow-Schlow.

>> That would be great.

Now the mint and the lemon in this we're going to put in towards the end.

So, yeah, if you want to just toss that together.

>> MING: This looks awesome.

>> And you'll see that that green's gonna a beautiful color to the dish also, as well as give some texture and that broccoli flavor to it also.

>> MING: All right.

>> So we cover that with a... with a lid until the shrimp are steamed.

I'm gonna put just a little more stock in there, I think it needs a little more.

>> MING: That's gonna take like, six, eight minutes, maybe?

>> Yeah, till the shrimp are cooked.

And these are big shrimp, you know.

There's... when you come on the Simply Ming show, there is no expense, you know?

>> MING: There is not for Michael Schlow.

>> Just, just go crazy.

>> MING: Well we were trying to get you the big king prawns.

>> I was gonna put caviar on top of this too, but I thought it was just really superfluous.

>> MING: 'Cause everyone at home has a tin of caviar.

>> Right.

>> MING: All right, so six to eight minutes?

>> Yeah, and then we'll come back to this and we'll see when they're nice and translucent, just about cooked, and then we'll finish the dish off.

>> MING: Awesome.

Stick around.

>> So we're about eight minutes, seven, eight minutes and... >> MING: Oh, look at that.

>> This is looking like the Italian paella to be honest with you.

>> MING: It looks pretty good.

>> José Andrés would be very proud of us, right?

>> MING: José Andrés would be very proud of you.

>> So, this has all come together really nicely.

We're gonna add some fresh mint, it's going to brighten it up.

I need you to do a little lemon juice, yeah.

We just sprinkle the mint right on top.

We'll mix it up.

>> MING: Half or one?

>> I think it's gonna need the whole thing.

This is... this is dinner for four.

I mean, dinner for two for us, dinner for four for everybody else.

>> MING: Two chefs, four other people.

>> Yeah, that's looking good.

>> MING: Looks awesome.

Smells great.

>> Smells good.

Okay, and, you know, this is... this is a brothy dish.

Not like, you know, most pastas which are tight.

You know, and the sauce and pasta have to become one.

So, we're gonna bring this over here.

>> MING: So you're not monte au beurre, you don't need to add butter.

>> Nothing like that.

No, this is just plain like this, and I mean, you obviously, if you wanted to, you could finish it with some really good extra-virgin olive oil if you wanted to.

>> MING: Right.

>> But I think just spooning this out... >> MING: More chilies or no?

>> I think you and I need to have a little chili-eating contest.

>> MING: Chili-eating... (laughing): Dude, you're gonna get killed by me.

>> By you, I know, actually.

Remember when we were like young we used to go down to Chinatown, and we'd, you know, eat all night with like John-Louis Palladin, or Kenny Oringer.

>> MING: Yes, I do.

>> And it was so much fun.

>> MING: We would eat so many chilies and drink a lot of beer.

I love-- these chilies are awesome.

because they're salty.

>> They are.

I thought you would like them because they've got like that little bit of fermented flavor to it.

That's good, huh?

We'll save this for the leftovers.

>> MING: Yeah.

>> All right, looks good.

>> MING: Chilies on top?

>> Yeah, let's throw some right on top.

>> MING: Dude, this looks so good.

Oh, my God, look at that.

>> That makes me really happy to see.

>> MING: That makes me incredibly happy.

So before we sit down to the table, would you mind, I'm gonna make my version of a spicy shrimp.

>> I'm ready to be schooled on your risotto.

>> MING: Beautiful.

(laughing): Yes.

Prego!

♪ ♪ >> MING: That is a great looking dish, Schlow-Schlow.

>> Thank you very much.

>> MING: I love that it's one pan, so simple.

I'm also doing a one-pan, I'm doing a miso risotto, actually using sushi rice.

>> I can say that I have not.

>> MING: So short grain actually has 20% higher absorption rate than all the Italians.

>> So more, more so than arborio, or carnaroli, or something like that.

>> MING: So hence should be creamier because it can take more stock and more flavor as it's developing.

>> Does it take longer, though?

>> MING: It does take longer.

>> Okay.

>> MING: All right, so mince me some shallots, please.

>> You got it, okay.

>> MING: I'm going to first talk about the mother stocks.

Instead of chicken stock, which you would use in risotto, I'm making a dashi.

What is dashi?

So, this you've seen before, right?

This is called kombu, it's a kelp, right?

It's actually in the ocean.

It's practically free.

Dried kelp that's salted and bonito, which is a fish flake, usually from jack fish.

So the way you make dashi is you actually put both of this-- the kelp and the bonito-- in a large stock pot with cold water, and you bring it slowly to a simmer.

And once you have that, this is what you end up with.

See that?

So, you can see the bonito floats up, and then what you want to do is strain this.

So you want to strain out the kelp, which is the kombu, and the dashi.

All right, so strain that out.

And then, like classic risotto techniques, Schlow, you want this hot, right?

>> Yeah, hot stock is absolutely necessary for any risotto, I think.

>> MING: Because that helps.

So soon as you have those shallots, sir, I will grab them.

>> We're ready to go.

What else are you going to put in this?

>> MING: Just, just a little bit of garlic and shallots.

I'm going to use just a touch of canola oil.

>> And so, canola oil versus, say, extra-virgin, or sesame oil, or something else.

You want something neutral, you're saying.

>> MING: I want it neutral because I really want to taste this miso.

>> Okay.

>> MING: All right, so here we have two shallots and about a tablespoon of ginger.

>> Okay.

>> MING: And we're just going to sweat this down.

A little bit of salt.

I'm actually not gonna put a ton of salt because I'm gonna make this now into a miso broth.

>> Okay, so that's gonna bring some saltiness to it.

>> MING: So this, Schlow, I know you've seen before-- this is shiro miso.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> MING: Yellow miso.

So, the trick here is you actually take... a good tablespoon.

Grab me a whisk back there, will you, Schlow?

>> Sure, of course.

>> MING: So, about tablespoon and a half.

And the reason I use a strainer-- actually, Morimoto-San showed me this-- is you want to... you want to not have pieces of miso, right?

So you want to... well, in it... ...just whisk it around.

>> And this is now available in supermarkets.

>> MING: So now you have, that literally is just miso soup.

So that's what you're getting in a Japanese restaurant.

They would actually float some nori, or tofu, or scallions, right?

>> Right.

>> MING: All right, so here we have... just sweating it.

Hand me the rice there, sir, please, Schlow.

>> Got it.

>> MING: So we add about half.

So, I like to cook the rice a little bit, get a little bit toasty, right?

>> Yep, same way in Italian risotto.

You want to sauté it for a few seconds together.

>> MING: Right, so in this instance I don't wash the rice.

I want it to get a little bit... You can see the oil coating it.

You're not really gonna obviously cook this rice, right?

>> You're... you're just getting it incorporated with the... with the garlic, and the shallots.

>> MING: Yep.

All right.

Now, traditionally, risotto you deglaze with white wine.

>> Actually, I don't use white wine.

>> MING: You don't?

What do you do?

>> I mean, a lot of people do.

I find if I want acidity, I'll use lemon, or I'll use something else at the end.

But it is very common that you'll see it in different parts of Italy that they would do it with white wine.

It's just a personal preference for me.

>> MING: So, this preference, sake, because, again, it's a miso risotto.

So why not some sake?

All right.

>> And then when you're doing it with sushi rice, is there sort of a perfect, you know, I know when I make risotto with carnaroli rice or arborio, I want sort of like, like a gentle simmer.

>> MING: Right.

>> I don't want it to be boiling away.

Is it the same thing with sushi rice?

>> MING: Same thing, yeah.

So the same technique.

I mean I'm absolutely stealing the risotto technique.

What you want to do is you want to... even if it's white wine and sake, you want to make sure it's all gone.

Because you don't want it alcoholic.

So now you see that all that sake's gone.

Now we can add a little bit of my hot dashi.

You cannot add it all at once, right?

>> Right.

>> MING: You have to add it and stir just till it's incorporated.

And to your point, Schlow-Schlow, you want to bring it just to the slight simmer.

So this takes time.

This is gonna basically almost this entire amount of dashi is going to go into here because it's gonna be... >> It's gonna absorb all of it, right?

>> MING: Like five to six times.

Right, it's really a slow process.

And you can't-- this is something you can't rush.

I mean, it's like bread, you can't bread... you know, bake bread faster.

>> I used to joke-- I don't know if it's funny or not-- but if you forget Valentine's Day, make the person that's special in your life risotto.

There's no better way to say "I love you" than I'm willing to stand here and stir for 22 minutes for you, you know, and make this over and over and over again.

>> MING: Michael, I love you.

>> I love you, too, man.

>> MING: I'm making my love some risotto.

All right, so look, you can see how it's already gone down.

And this little bit of bubbles is fine.

>> You don't want to let it get too dry, right?

Just, just enough that you start to add more stock to it.

>> MING: So, when I was in Milan, the Milanese was showing me that onde, right?

>> Alla onde, onde is.. >> MING: Alla onde, which is the wave.

So, they literally had this beautiful saffron color risotto, and it would be a wave of risotto.

It never stopped.

It always moved, it was beautiful.

>> And it's a little al dente, isn't it?

I mean, It's not... >> MING: Oh yeah.

>> It's a little al dente.

>> MING: I want to have my...

So all that broth you see that's been completely absorbed.

So now we can go ahead and add a little bit more broth.

All right.

And then we're gonna repeat.

So we're gonna literally do this, probably about four or five more times.

And you just have to keep testing.

Taste, taste, taste.

There's no...

I don't know if it's 4.2 cups, 5.1 cups, I have no idea.

>> When it's done, it's done.

>> MING: Right, because everyone's vessel's different, the heat source is different.

You just don't know, you can just taste, taste, taste.

But I do know this is at least another 15 minutes of getting this... Keep adding, keep adding, keep adding, all right?

So we're going to take a quick break.

When we're done we're going to peel some edamames.

The last two things is spicy shrimp and edamames go into this with a little bit of watercress, and our dish is done.

Stick around.

All right, Schlow-Schlow, check this out.

Thank you for doing my shrimp, by the way.

So this is about 12, 14 minutes, you see how it's still, still more...

This is how you like your risotto, right?

>> Nice and creamy.

>> MING: A little bit of... a little bit of movement.

All right, so these big, beautiful shrimp, and I had I had him cut it in half.

So lay these big shrimp.

Halves so they'll cook quicker, right?

>> And also they'll curl up a little bit.

The smaller shrimp will definitely do it.

The big ones do it, too, I mean... >> MING: I'll take some edamames too, please.

>> Sure, here you go.

>> MING: Little edamames like this.

>> And how about the togarashi, the spicy part, what's gonna... when does that go in?

At the very, very end?

>> MING: No, goes on now.

And then on top.

And we also now add a little bit of butter.

>> And butter helps that creaminess also.

>> MING: Bring this together.

Okay.

>> Gorgeous.

>> MING: Then this we mix up.

And give me a juice of half a lemon here too, please, Schlow-Schlow.

>> Okay, you got it.

>> MING: All right.

So this hot risotto, just like... just like Schlow's pasta cooked his shrimp, same thing.

And that butter is just going to make a little mouth feel, and the viscosity, and richness that you really love.

I love how you said, and so true, there's never cream in risotto.

>> No, there's not.

>> MING: Creamy risotto does not mean you add cream.

Creamy risotto is the starch that gets creamy.

Look at that.

I mean that... risotto's so hot, the shrimp are already cooking.

>> The risotto with the shrimp makes me think of Big Night, you know?

>> MING (laughing): Yes.

>> But this there would be no mistaking that there's shrimp in this risotto.

>> MING: Where's the shrimp?

Were there even shrimp in it?

>> There were, just chopped up.

>> MING: Just chopped up.

>> And this garnish for the... for the watercress?

>> MING: Yeah, just a little half.

>> Just a little bit of lemon juice, okay.

And just toss it a little bit?

>> MING: Yeah.

>> Okay.

>> MING: So this is almost there, Schlow-Schlow.

All right, I think that's good.

>> That's looking great >> MING: Right, look at that.

And, you know, the shrimp are going to continue to cook in this risotto.

>> Sure.

>> MING: Let me get me a couple plates and we're good to go.

>> And no seasoning or anything like this on the watercress.

Just like this?

>> MING: Just a little salt, pepper, please.

Here we go.

>> You got it.

>> MING: So when the risotto hits, it should move, right?

>> Yeah, it should shake out.

>> MING: I want it to move.

Put two or three shrimp on top like that.

There we go.

Movement.

Two or three shrimp like that.

Oh yeah, what I love about this is it's just different than a classic Italian is the miso, umami quality of that.

>> This is going to be delicious.

>> MING: Okay, a little watercress on top of that, please, sir.

>> Okay, right on top, or just around?

>> MING: Yup, right on top.

>> Okay.

>> MING: Perfect.

That's looking good.

A little more togarashi.

>> Togarashi is my favorite spice mixture.

>> MING: I love it.

All right.

>> Looks beautiful.

>> MING: Shrimp, shrimp.

Let's go eat.

>> Let's do it.

>> MING: A table.

All right.

Schlow-Schlow, a little Viognier from Napa Valley.

>> Should be a good combo with this.

>> MING: It has a little age.

>> Cheers.

>> MING: It's a... fermented in Limousin oak.

>> That's good.

>> MING: No malolactic fermentation, which keeps that delicate floral aroma.

>> Really nice.

>> MING: All right, please serve me some of your... >> Be my pleasure.

>> MING: Oh, my God.

(British accent): May I have another one, sir?

>> You may have as much as you want.

We have plenty here.

>> MING: I love the brothiness.

>> Yeah, and you know, as I said I mean this is a dish that normally pasta in Italy's not brothy.

>> MING: Right.

>> But this one is... you know, it's a little bit of a combination of a few dishes.

I wanted to do something different for you.

Tell me what you think of it.

>> MING: Oh, my God!

>> I like the texture of this, you know.

>> MING: The texture of the pasta... it's still got a bite, right?

>> Right.

>> MING: Got that al dente bite.

It is a lot like Israeli couscous, but deeper in flavor, right?

The toast...

I especially like the toasted parts.

>> Give this risotto a little try.

>> MING: And your grated broccoli?

That's a surprise.

>> You like it?

And you could do more of it, I mean you could... you could pour it on.

You know, make it a green dish, really.

>> MING: And I love the mint, the mint ties it all.

>> This is perfect.

I mean, it's funny, I've never used sushi rice like this.

It's really delicious, it's creamy, and I love the texture of it.

Still got that bite to it, which is really good, which is what you're looking for in risotto.

And the miso, and the dashi broth, and all those beautiful... >> MING: You taste it, right?

>> Oh it's all beautiful.

>> MING: Little bit of sake?

>> Yeah, beautiful.

>> MING: And this shrimp is so lightly cooked, right?

I mean, literally we... we literally just poached it.

Obviously it's cooked through, but barely, right?

Shrimp, shrimp and pasta, shrimp and rice, Viognier.

You have 12 restaurants, are you still going-- go, go, go?

>> I don't know to stop.

So, you know, the same as you, just keep going.

>> MING: No, but Prima is your latest and greatest, right?

>> Prima is the new one.

>> MING: Fast casual Italian-- please explain.

>> And it's healthy, yeah, it's healthy.

It's 100% gluten free.

>> MING: Right.

>> And the idea is that you can, you know, I think people think Italians only eat pasta and pizza, but they live on lots of different things.

>> MING: It's 100% gluten-free?

>> 100%.

Yeah, even the desserts, everything's 100%.

>> MING: So it's Mediterranean or Italian?

>> It's Italian, but, I mean, it's certainly influenced by all those Mediterranean flavors.

But it's Italian dishes and 100% gluten-free.

And, you know, if you want pizza and pasta you come to Alta Strada, right?

>> MING: I love the name, Prima, dude.

>> Thank you very much, thanks.

>> MING: You're the best Schlow-Schlow.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> MING: And all you, you're the best as well.

As always, peace and good eating.

Cheers.

♪ ♪