In my recent travels to Brazil, I experienced some of the freshest, juiciest, sexiest ingredients I've ever come across. The mangoes made me question whether I'd ever truly tasted a mango before. The hearts of palm melted in my mouth like none I've ever bitten into. Tucupi, extracted from a manioc root in the Amazon jungle, made my taste buds go wild. And there is no doubt in my mind that I was born to drink Brazil's classic sugar cane cocktail, the caipirinha. My bartender brother Eduardo at the Fasano Hotel in Sao Paulo knows what I'm talking about.

The true culinary treasure of my trip to Sao Paulo, however, was from our very own Italian marketplace opening right in the heart of the city. Fulvio Marino, who helps develop and refine baked-good recipes for Eataly locations around the globe, captured my dreams in a single piece of focaccia. Fulvio is part of the Marino baking family, who runs a mill in the northwestern village of Cossano Belbo, Italy, about halfway between Genoa and Turin. His version of my favorite flat Italian bread was masterfully sprinkled with olive oil, salt and herbs on this particular menu tasting. The simplicity of his perfectly baked, fragrant pillow of deliciousness is sure to be a hit in Sao Paulo.

Inspired by this focaccia greatness, I whipped up the pea "hummus" featured in "Molto Batali" (Ecco, 2011) the moment I returned to spring in New York City. The freshness of shelled peas from my local farmers' market combined with sweet, smoked Spanish paprika and crispy Italian flat bread bites was almost enough to transport me back the trip of a lifetime in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The paired caipirinha in hand was just the feather in my ponytail.

Pea "Hummus" with Focaccia Crostini

Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish

Salt

3 cups shelled fresh peas (from 3 pounds in the pod)

Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons

3 tablespoons tahini

4 garlic cloves

6 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 nice pieces of focaccia from your best Italian bakery

1 tablespoon pimenton (sweet smoked Spanish paprika)

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Set up an ice bath nearby.

When the water comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the peas into the water, bring back to a boil and cook until tender and still vivid green, about 3 minutes. Using a spider or a strainer, transfer the peas to the ice bath.

When they have cooled, drain the peas and place them in a food processor. Add the lemon zest and juice, tahini, garlic and 6 tablespoons of the olive oil. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the focaccia into narrow slices, and toast them in a toaster oven or under the broiler.

Place the hummus in a serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the well, and sprinkle the pimenton around the walls of the well. Serve at room temperature or cool, with the focaccia crostini alongside.

(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-five restaurants including Eataly, Del Posto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)