James Lewis
Chef/owner, Bettola, Birmingham, AL
Age: 41
Hometown: Montreal/Bay Area
Passionate and intense, Lewis has a love of all things Italian that is evident when you look at Bettola’s menu. From salumi to pizza and pasta, he’s spent time studying and working with Italian masters of these food crafts. As for cheese, he’s done his share of tasting around Italy, and on his next visit he plans on apprenticing with a Tuscan Pecorino maker.

culture: What’s your favorite Italian cheese?

James Lewis: Mozzarella di bufala is my favorite cheese, period. Eating it freshly made, it’s milky and soft. When you put it on crusty bread and it soaks in, and you add some prosciutto . . . unforgettable. I also love Formaggio di Fossa, a Pecorino from Umbria. It’s covered in the local wild herbs, and part of the aging process calls for it to be buried in a hollow in a cheese cave for 90 days. It’s wrapped in walnut leaves and it’s nutty, fruity, and earthy. I serve it with a boar ragu with pappardelle.

culture: Do you make cheese at Bettola?

James Lewis: I like to make mascarpone, mozzarella, ricotta salata, and ricotta—if I had time to make aged cheeses, I’d do it. I use the ricotta to make gnocchi, adding something seasonal to the dish that still lets the cheese shine.

culture: Where do you get your milk?

James Lewis: I use milk from Wright Dairy in Alexandria, Alabama. My friends, Cory Hinkel and David Wright, make really amazing artisan cheese at the dairy, and I have access to their fresh whole milk and cream.

Serves 6 as a first course or side dish
¼ lb. guanciale (cured pork jowl) or pancetta, diced
Juice and zest of one lemon (use a microplane)
1½ tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely grated ricotta salata for dressing, plus ¼ pound to grate when serving
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
1 cippolini onion, finely diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound Lacinato kale (also known as “dinosaur” kale), washed, stemmed (tear or cut lengthwise along leaf), drained, and coarsely chopped (red chard can be substituted)

culture: You do a lot of cheese plates and salumi, as well as emphasize the food of Campania. What cheeses will diners find on your cheese plate?

James Lewis: La Tur, Alta Badia, Formaggio di Fossa, Verde Capra, Blu di Langa, burrata, mozzarella di bufala . . .

culture: Your mother is Lebanese, and your father is German and northern Italian. Do you have any dairy memories from childhood that relate to your ethnic heritage?

James Lewis: Yeah, I loved watching my Lebanese grandmother make labneh when I was a kid. She used a culture of her mother’s that she brought back from Lebanon.

Ricotta Salata, Guanciale, and Lacinato Kale Salad

Lewis makes his own ricotta salata in-house and serves this wintry dish as a vegetable course. It also pairs well with grilled meat or poultry.

In a saute pan slowly render the fat from the guanciale. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, and reserve for another use. Remove the pan from the heat, and drain the liquid fat into a small bowl.

In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the lemon juice and vinegar. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons grated ricotta salata, garlic, onion, and lemon zest. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the guanciale fat until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper (remember that the ricotta salata in the final dish will add quite a bit of salt).

Place the kale in a large bowl. Warm the dressing on the stove, then pour over the greens (if it seems like too much dressing, reserve some). Allow the kale to marinate until the leaves wilt—5 to 8 minutes.

Serve family-style, grating the remaining ricotta salata over the greens. Serve immediately.

Written by Laurel Miller
Portraits by Barry Gutierrez
Food photography by Matt Armendariz