This week's Cook the Book selection is all about fat, but I want to start off by talking about bread. More specifically, the best bread basket I've ever had. It was at Del Posto, the elegant (if somewhat imposing) Italian restaurant co-owned by Mario Batali and Joe and Lidia Bastianich. Overflowing with crunchy breadsticks, oven-fresh focaccia, and an assortment of rolls, the basket comes not only with butter but also with a small tureen of whipped lardo. That's right. Pork fat. It's surprisingly light, incredibly flavorful, and absolutely delicious. While the basket would still be very good without it, the whipped lardo adds an extraspecial element that raises the once-humble offering of bread to luxurious new heights. Ed Levine agrees...
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