Read Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California Online
Authors: Giada de Laurentiis
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Reference
Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California (21 page)
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes, or until vibrant green but still crisp. Drain and place in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but not brown, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rosemary and let cool slightly.
Combine the green beans, cannellini beans, Pecorino cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in a serving bowl. Add the garlic-rosemary oil and toss well, until all the ingredients are coated.
Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad
This salad is a new twist on the classic combo of melon and prosciutto. Grilled asparagus keeps a slight crunch and also has a smoky char to it that pairs with the creaminess and subtle flavor of mozzarella and the fruitiness of melon. To top it off: crumbled prosciutto. I’ve always loved the salty tang of prosciutto, but since I started baking thin slices of it to make brittle, crispy chips, my love has become a full-blown obsession; they just seem to make everything taste better.
| 2 | ounces thinly sliced prosciutto |
| 2 | tablespoons pine nuts |
| 1 | pound asparagus, trimmed |
| 2 | tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 2 | tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) |
| ¼ | small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch cubes |
| 4 | ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into ¾-inch cubes |
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until crispy. Drain the prosciutto on paper towels and set aside to cool. Chop the prosciutto into ¼-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, heat a small, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts to the hot skillet and stir them until they become fragrant and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until crisp-tender.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese. Toss to coat.
Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Spoon the melon and mozzarella cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining dressing from the bowl over the top. Sprinkle with the prosciutto and pine nuts and serve.
It’s amazing how simple wooden skewers can transform a dinner standby into cocktail party fare! These look beautiful as part of a buffet spread but work equally well as a passed hors d’oeuvre since there’s no need for a plate. Best of all, they can be made well ahead of time; just wait to add the vinaigrette until right before serving. Elegant and simple.
| skewers | |
| 24 | grape or small cherry tomatoes |
| 3 | ounces firm feta cheese (see Cook’s Note), cut into 12 (½-inch) cubes |
| 12 | pitted kalamata olives |
| ½ | small red or sweet onion, cut into 12 (½-inch) pieces |
| vinaigrette | |
| 2 | teaspoons fresh lemon juice |
| 2 | teaspoons red wine vinegar |
| 4 | teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| special equipment | |
| 12 | (6-inch) bamboo or wood skewers |
For the skewers: Thread the skewers starting with a tomato, then a cube of feta cheese, an olive, a piece of onion, and finally another tomato. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and skewers.
For the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and half of the oregano. Whisk in the olive oil until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the skewers on a serving platter. Spoon the vinaigrette over the skewers and sprinkle with the remaining oregano.
COOK’S NOTE:
Buy feta packed in water; it is moist and easier to skewer, and it won’t crumble.
There are only so many plain green salads anyone can eat. I remember having a mushroom salad with plenty of parsley in it in Rome and the herby, earthy combination was just the right balance of light and substantial. It makes an unusual and very tasty counterpoint to any kind of roasted meat.
| ¼ | cup olive oil |
| ¼ | cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons) |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | pound large button mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced |
| ⅓ | cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves |
| 1 | (2-ounce) piece of Parmesan cheese |
In a medium salad bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and parsley and toss to coat.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan cheese on top and serve.
Bibb, Basil, and Mint Salad with Parmesan Butter Crostini
You always need a simple, elegant green salad in your repertoire. What I love are the buttery and cheesy crostini, so you get your healthy, leafy vegetable with a little indulgence.
| crostini | |
| ½ | baguette loaf, cut into ½-inch-thick slices |
| ¼ | cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| ⅓ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| salad | |
| 3 | tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | head Bibb or butter lettuce, leaves torn |
| 1 | medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced |
| ⅓ | packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped |
| ⅓ | packed cup fresh mint leaves, chopped |
For the crostini: Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, using a fork, mix the butter and cheese together until smooth.
For the salad: In a salad bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce, fennel, basil, and mint and toss well.
Spread the Parmesan butter on the crostini and serve alongside the salad.
olive oil
People ask me all the time how to choose a good olive oil. There are some general rules to consider, but in the end the choice is a subjective one. I am, of course, partial to Italian varieties, but there are excellent Spanish, Greek, Californian, even Australian olive oils on the market. To further complicate things, olives are often imported from one area to be pressed and bottled in another. The only sure way to find your favorite is to taste a few to discover which you like best.
There are thousands of varieties of olives, and each has its own unique qualities, flavors, and characteristics. Since olive oils can vary in hue—from deep, grassy green to bright yellow—color is not an accurate indicator of flavor. However, all good olive oils, share three qualities: fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency. Finding an oil with a balance of these three traits that pleases your palate is the key. I like those with mainly fruity and peppery characteristics (the peppery pungency reminds me of arugula), but other people prefer a bitter edge to their oil. Again, it’s all about personal preference.
If you’re going to spend the money, though, make sure the oil you’re buying is certified virgin or extra-virgin, which means it was made from the olives’ first pressing and contains no chemicals, solvents, or additives (the level of acidity in the oil determines whether it is virgin or “extra”-virgin). Oils labeled simply “olive oil” contain a blend of virgin oil and more acidic oils that have been refined to minimize their acidity and make them more palatable.
When selecting an extra-virgin oil, look for one that is labeled by date, and don’t buy any that is more than a year old. The bottle should be dark, heavy glass to protect the oil from light, heat, and humidity—all of which can penetrate a clear glass or plastic container and cause a perfectly good oil to go bad. If you taste hints of dirt, mold, or rancidness, or if your olive oil has gone flat, then it’s time to throw the oil away.
I also look for the word
filtered
on olive oil labels. This means that during processing, any particles of pit, flesh, leaf, or other materials have been strained out of the final product. The result is a cleaner olive oil.
As for when to use regular olive oil instead of extra-virgin? I use regular to sauté and fry foods, since it is relatively inexpensive and has a higher smoke point (so it can be heated to a higher temperature without burning). I save the more expensive extra-virgin olive oil for dressing raw foods and salads and for drizzling sparingly onto a finished dish almost like a seasoning—it enhances every bite.
