Actress Debi Mazar has her pick of craft service when she’s on set, but she still prefers her leftovers.
“I’m not a big grazer, I bring a lot of fresh snacks. I always try to use my leftovers,” said Mazar, who’s currently filming the fifth season of the TV Land series “Younger.” “I like to bring my food so my body knows what I’m getting. We’re always trying to cook fresh and figure out a way to eliminate unnecessary ingredients.”
Now you can eat like Mazar, too. The latest cookbook from the Queens native and her husband, Gabriele Corcos, comes out this week.
“Super Tuscan: Heritage Recipes and Simple Pleasures from Our Kitchen to Your Table” ($35) features more than 100 recipes that blend Tuscan and American fare, broken down by cocktails, antipasti, soups, salads, breakfasts, pastas, meats, poultry, vegetables and grains, and desserts.
“I have been here long enough that I have started feeling the urge to express myself through the ingredients and food that I grew up with,” said Corcos, who was born in Florence and came to the United States 16 years ago. “We’re not doing bastardized recipes, but incorporating elements from different cultures.”
In the book, that translates to dishes not usually associated with Italian cuisine, such as mussel chowder and oven-barbecued chicken wings (“In Italy, we make cat food with chicken wings,” Corcos said).
The goal of the book is to make home cooking easy and fun, the couple said.
“I’m not really a chef,” Corcos said. “For me, it’s about enjoying a meal with the people that you love, or throwing a party for everyone to have fun. These recipes, for the most part, reflect that.”
To celebrate the release of “Super Tuscan,” Corcos will be throwing a few dinner parties himself. This month, he will be serving dishes featured in the cookbook at his Windsor Terrace cafe, The Tuscan Gun. The four- to five-course dinners will be held on select nights from Oct. 13 to 28. Highlighted recipes include pasta with zucchini and brie; pasta with roasted squash and kale; eggplant rolls with potato gratin; and a mascarpone parfait with blueberries and limoncello for dessert.
The couple live in Windsor Terrace, too, with their two teenage and tween daughters, and regularly get customers at the restaurant who are fans of their Cooking Channel show, “Extra Virgin,” which ran from 2011-2015 and won a James Beard Award, and their bestselling cookbook of the same name.
“Super Tuscan” provides another peek into their lives in Brooklyn, alongside tutorials, cooking tips, kitchen staples and influences.
“I’m very much a homebody,” Mazar said. “We have so much fun in the kitchen together, between prepping together, cooking, having a little bit of wine, putting some good music on.”
When they do go out, Mazar said their go-tos include the Italian restaurants Il Posto Accanto in the East Village, and Bar Pitti in the West Village. But usually you can find them making dinner together.
“We always sit down and have dinner as a family every night,” Mazar said. “This book is truly how we live and how we cook daily, and we just want to share that with people.”
Family favorite
With two young daughters, many of the recipes Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar include in “Super Tuscan” are ones they make as a family. And like any household, they have their greatest hits.
“One of the things my kids love is this zucchini and brie pasta,” Mazar said. “It’s very creamy.”
They usually trim the rind off of the brie, but you can leave it on for more texture, they advise. Another tip: Cook the zucchini and onion over moderate heat to keep them savory.
Wagon wheels with zucchini and brie
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium zucchini, about 1 1⁄2 lbs., cut into 1⁄8-in. rounds (a mandoline or plastic V-slicer do a good job for this)
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
12 oz. brie, cut into 1-in. chunks, rind trimmed as desired
1 lb. wheel-shaped pasta, or tube-shaped pasta such as penne or ziti
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Spread the zucchini in the skillet and sprinkle the onion on top. Cook, stirring about every 5 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Scatter the brie over the vegetables and cover while cooking the pasta to warm and soften the cheese.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, according to the package directions, until al dente. Scoop out and reserve 1⁄2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta well.
Return the pasta to its cooking pot. Add the zucchini mixture. Toss, adding as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to make a light and creamy sauce. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve hot with the Parmigiano on the side.
Copyright © 2017 by Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos from “Super Tuscan” published by Touchstone.
IF YOU GO
Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar celebrate the release of “Super Tuscan” with menus featuring dishes from the cookbook at Corcos’ restaurant, The Tuscan Gun | select dates from Oct. 14-28, $75-$150 | 199 Windsor Pl., Windsor Terrace, 347-987-3166 | schedule and tickets at thetuscangun.com
