Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (39 page)

Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake

Much easier to make than the traditional layering process, this dish is a dream—rich, simple, and delish. And with three pounds of greens, it's full of iron and vitamins.

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter, whisk to combine, and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook for a couple of minutes to thicken. Stir in half the Parmigiano (about ¾ cup). Set the sauce aside.

Heat the EVOO in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the cracked clove of garlic and cook for a minute or two to release its aroma and flavor. Add the chard and cook, turning occasionally to wilt down, 2 minutes. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, wilting each batch before adding more. Season the greens with salt and pepper.

Break the pasta sheets into large pieces. Toss them into the pan with the greens and give them a good stir to incorporate them. Pour the sauce into the skillet, stirring again to incorporate everything evenly. Smooth the top down and sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup Parmigiano into the skillet. Cover the skillet with foil, transfer to the oven, and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the pan and let it finish cooking uncovered for about 15 more minutes to brown the cheese.

Gnocchi with Fresh Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Who can knock gnocchi? It's fast, easy, and delish! Here, the classics, sausage and rabes, come together to round out our round dumpling dinner. Make sure that your chicken sausages are Kosher and not made with pork casings.

SERVES 4

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the gnocchi. Once the water is boiling, add some salt, add the gnocchi, and cook according to package directions. Right before draining, remove and reserve about 1½ cups of the cooking liquid.

While the water for the gnocchi is coming to a boil, bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large high-sided skillet. Add some salt and the broccoli rabe and simmer for 5 minutes; drain and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove and heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage and break it up with the back of a spoon or a potato masher while it cooks and browns, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the sausage and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions start to get tender. Remove the sausage and onions from the skillet and reserve. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO and heat it up. Add the drained gnocchi to the skillet and brown lightly for a couple of minutes. Return the sausage and onions and reserved broccoli rabe to the pan. Toss to combine and add the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and serve with the bread.

Among the many nice things that happened to me in 2007, I got to visit Spain for the first time for my Food Network show
Tasty Travels
. After flight delays, lost equipment and luggage, and many hours in cars, planes, and assorted lines, the crew and I (and our luggage) all ended up in Barcelona. The first meal I had was small toasts topped with piquillo peppers, anchovies, and black olives, and I thought this topping would be great on spaghetti! (You can take the Sicilian-American to Spain but you can't…) Viva Spanish Spaghetti, one of my new faves.

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, then add the spaghetti and cook to just shy of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook for a minute or two when you add it to the sauce. Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water when you drain the pasta.

Scatter the nuts on a baking sheet and lightly crush them. Toast the nuts in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and fragrant; your nose will know when they are done. Transfer to a small bowl to cool, and reserve.

Heat the EVOO in a large, deep skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovies or anchovy paste to the warm oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the garlic is tender and the anchovies have melted into the oil completely, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the fish. (Once they melt into the oil, the anchovies will taste more like salted nuts and less like salty fish. Both flavors are appealing to me, but if you think you don't care for anchovies, try this dish and change your mind.)

While the anchovies and garlic are working, place the piquillo or red peppers in a food processor and puree them into a paste. Stir the peppers into the garlic-anchovy oil and stir over medium heat until they are warmed through. Season with black pepper to taste.

Stir the reserved pasta cooking liquid into the sauce, then add the pasta. Toss the pasta and sauce together over medium heat for a minute or two to allow the pasta to suck up the sauce. Toss in the olives and nuts, toss again, and transfer the pasta to a serving platter or shallow dinner bowls.

My husband loved the sound of a canned sardine sauce he saw in a local Italian market. We've been making the same sardine pasta at our house forever: sardines and spaghetti with garlic and bread crumbs, delish but a bit old hat. So this one's for you, honey; we're out of our rut.

SERVES 4