Giada's Feel Good Food (27 page)

Pineapple replaces a starch in this dish while also adding sweetness and a little acidity, both of which are great with salmon and make a nice match for fresh herbs. This dish is absolutely stunning to look at. The pink salmon sits over a warm, smoky bed of grilled golden pineapple. This is a really great way, if you're going to have people over on a weeknight, to keep things simple but make something impressive. It's not your ordinary salmon dish but it's not so complicated that you can't handle it on a weeknight.
serves 4

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, chopped basil, chives, chopped tarragon, salt, and pepper to blend. Brush the salmon and the pineapple slices with the herb mixture.

Put the salmon and the pineapple on the grill. Cook the salmon until barely cooked through and still pink inside, about 4 minutes per side. Cook the pineapple until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Transfer 1 pineapple slice to each plate and arrange a piece of salmon slightly overlapping it. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the avocado dressing over each piece of fish. Garnish with fresh herb sprigs and serve.

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons water and process until smooth. Cover the dressing and let stand for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.

In Spain, there's paella made with rice, and then there's paella made with noodles, which I also love. This is my simpler, lighter version, which keeps the fun of the traditional recipe but makes it doable at home—on a weeknight, even. The saffron, smoked paprika, clams, and shrimp preserve the spirit of a paella.
serves 6

In a 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a medium bowl.

Add the fennel, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pan. Season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes with their juices, bay leaves, paprika, saffron, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 9 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the clams and shrimp. Cover and cook until the clams open, the shrimp are pink and cooked through, and the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams along with the bay leaves.

Mix in the parsley and serve.

This is a sweet and tangy chunky sauce that's a spin on the traditional Sicilian caponata; my version swaps out artichokes for the eggplant and bell peppers but still has raisins, capers, and vinegar. This flavor combination is stellar with seafood, brightening up fish, especially for those who are not big fish fans. Halibut is meaty and a good match for this bold sauce.
serves 4

for the caponata:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with the salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the celery and artichoke hearts and cook until soft and the artichokes are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the olives, and raisins to the pan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and capers.

for the halibut:
Put a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. (See
Cook's Note
.)

Drizzle the halibut on both sides with the olive oil and season on both sides with the salt and pepper. Grill until the flesh flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Put the halibut on plates and top with the caponata. Garnish with the parsley and serve.

While the chicken roasts—and nothing smells better than that on a Sunday—you can make the vegetable Bolognese. The great thing is you don't have to worry about the chicken being dry or flavorless; it just can't happen with this robust sauce made from mushrooms, red wine, and mascarpone.
serves 6