Winter 2009 - Oser Communications Group

MEALS...
squash, zucchini, spinach…the list of
vegetables goes on and on.”
Alongside using fine ingredients, when
you walk into the restaurant, you won’t find
salt and pepper shakers on the tables.
“What [food] is presented to you is
everything you’ll need,” says Wilkins
pointing to an adjacent table. “That’s one of
the main goals here, to please everybody
without anybody having to ask for any salt
or pepper. Chili’s an exception because I
know a lot of people like their food spicy.”
A traditional Southern Italian dish,
Wilkins begins the Frutti Di Mare by roasting
minced garlic until it is brown, “not burnt or
raw,” he says, “that’s very important, to have
it brown, for the digestive system. I learned
that raw garlic, it actually doesn’t break down
in your body as well. If it’s brown, and cooked
just right, it’ll go through your body just fine
and there will be no aftertaste.”
After browning the garlic, Wilkins
stops the cooking with white wine, and then
adds fresh basil, pepper, and Amereno’s
homemade marinara sauce, which is
cooked separately for 8 to 10 hours.
“The dish reminds me of the beach,”
says Wilkins. “It [Frutti Di Mare] has a very
distinct seafood taste, not an overwhelming
seafood taste. You get the aroma, the taste,
but you also get the mix with the marinara and
garlic…you can taste every ingredient I put in
there, from the basil to pepper.”
Following the Frutti Di Mare, Wilkins
swings the kitchen doors open a second time
and presents his Bruschette, one of many
Amereno’s appetizers. With a heap of diced
tomatoes, fresh garlic, and basil atop toasted
Italian bread brushed with olive oil and garlic,
the Bruschette’s vivid visage coupled with
tastes of fresh ingredients and crisp bread will
ignite your tongue with flavor.
“It [Bruschette] is easy to make because
nothing is really cooked, it is fresh, it is light,”
says Wilkins. “You can eat it and not be full;
you have room for your heartier dish.
“Tomatoes and basil are traditional
ingredients in Italian cuisine as well,” he adds.
Suggested pairing for the Frutti Di
Mare is an Amarone Della Valpolicella
Classico 2001, and for the Bruschette, a
lighter wine, such as Ziti Pinot Noir.
With Amereno’s Little Italy for
almost 11 years, native Tucsonan Wilkins
made his start in the company as a
dishwasher and then worked his way up,
now holding the executive chef position.
During the two-year closure, he worked
at Raz Modern Riviera Cuisine, but
returned to Amereno’s when it reopened.
WINTER 2009 ARIZONA GOURMET LIVING 17