Today we explore the food of one of San Francisco's hottest Italian restaurants - Delfina.  The creation of Craig and Anne Stoll, Delfina provides the essence of Italian food combined with the seasonal cooking of California.  Chef Stoll, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and under the direction of chefs such as Bradley Ogden, named Delfina after Da Delfina, a Michelin one star ristorante in the heart of Tuscany. Chef Stoll worked at Da Delfina during a culinary scholarship in Italy and credits it with helping him to define his cooking style.  Chef Stoll's cooking style includes daily menu changes to ensure use of the best offerings of local producers.  But what would an Italian restaurant be without Calamari?  Try out Chef Stoll's version, which he complements with a white bean salad, and see for yourself what Delfina is all about.

Grilled Fresh Calamari with Warm White Bean Salad

For the calamari

• 2 lbs Fresh Calamari, cleaned and separated, but not skinned if possible
• 9" Wooden Skewers
• Pure Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper

For the picada

• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil        
• 1 bunch Italian Parsley, chopped fine            
• Kosher Salt

For the beans

• ½ lb "Rice Beans"        
• ½ bunch Sage leaves            
• 3-4 Garlic cloves

For the greens

• Lemon zest, julienned and blanched from 1 lemon
• Olives
• Frisee
• Arugula

Cook the rice beans: Combine beans, sage and garlic in a large pot.  Add cold water to cover by about 4" and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cook for about 2 hours, or until the beans are completely tender.  Season lightly with salt and store in their liquid.

Make the picada: Combine the garlic and salt in a mortar and pound to a paste. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl.  Add the oil, a little at a time, to form a homogeneous mixture. When all the oil is added, stir-in the parsley and season with salt.

Skewer the squid bodies in groups of three, once through the bottom and once through the top of each.  Season with salt and pepper and brush with oil.  Grill until squid begins to firm up slightly and take on color.  Flip and grill on the other side.

Toss the greens with salt, pepper, a splash of vinegar and some extra virgin olive oil. Warm the beans with some of their cooking liquid, some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the grilled calamari with the beans and the greens. Sprinkle with the olives, picada and lemon zest.

About Delfina

Delfina is a bustling neighborhood trattoria in San Francisco's Mission District, owned by Anne and Craig Stoll.  The food is Italian in spirit - elemental, seasonal cooking whose simple appearance belies its depth of flavor.  It's the kind of food you might find if a great Italian cook were lifted out of Italy and placed in California. Inspired by trattorias found throughout Italy, the menu changes daily, driven by the offerings of local producers. We cure many of our own meats and fish and make our own sausages, pastas, and gelato.  Our desserts are made fresh daily.  We are committed to using organic produce and sustainably-raised meats and fish whenever possible.