Everyday Italian (14 page)
Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Bring a Large Pot
of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring often, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Do not rinse the spaghetti with water; you want to retain the natural starches that help the sauce adhere to the spaghetti.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and sauté until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. It’s important not to overcook the garlic or else it will become bitter. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the garlic. Add the red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Carefully stir in the reserved cooking liquid and ½ teaspoon of salt. Immediately add the drained spaghetti and toss for 1 minute to coat well. Season with more salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley, basil, and mint, and serve.
Bread Crumbs
Most of us think of bread crumbs as a coating for frying. But in Italian cooking, bread crumbs are also used as a main ingredient, as in this pasta dish. This recipe probably came about as a way to use up leftover stale bread—a humble inspiration for a fantastic dish. I love this dressing with orecchiette (“little ears”), but any small shape will do.
4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| Salt | |
| 1 | pound dried orecchiette pasta or other small-shaped pasta, such as farfalle or penne |
| ¾ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
| ⅔ | cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs |
| ¼ | teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 1 | cup finely chopped prosciutto |
| ¼ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| 2 | tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped |
Bring a Large Pot
of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the bread crumbs and ¼ teaspoon each of sea salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, cook the bread crumbs until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Working quickly, drain the pasta and stir it into the toasted bread-crumb mixture in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the prosciutto and Parmesan cheese. Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, garnish with the parsley, and serve.
STUFFED PASTAS
When I think of Italian-American dishes, I think of stuffed pastas—especially baked ones like lasagna and manicotti. They’re always a hit at a party for both the guests and, just as important, the host: They can be made in advance, leaving you free to relax and enjoy yourself.
The other family of stuffed pastas are the smaller types like ravioli, tortellini, and agnolloti. Some cookbooks provide recipes for handmaking your own stuffed raviolis and such—making fresh pasta, making the stuffing, then constructing each piece, then making the sauce, then you’re ready to serve. As a chef, I’ve made my fair share of stuffed pastas. But it’s definitely not everyday cooking—maybe in Italy, but not here in the United States.Luckily, high-quality ready-made stuffed pastas are increasingly available—and not just the traditional ricotta-cheese ravioli, but those stuffed with porcini mushrooms or lobster meat or pumpkin. You can find these in the refrigerated sections of gourmet food shops and Italian specialty stores, and even at better supermarkets. No need to spend all day rolling pasta dough.
in Light Broth
Tortellini
means “tiny cakes”; they’re small pasta nuggets filled with ingredients that range from plain cheese and vegetables to meats. They’re usually served at Sunday dinners, holidays (especially on Christmas Day), or on special occasions, because making them was a laborious task. But with the premade frozen stuffed pastas now available, you can make this dish in a flash any day of the week.
4 FIRST-COURSE SERVINGS
| 4 | cups reduced-sodium chicken broth |
| 1 | (9-ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini |
| ½ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 3 | tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese |
| 1 | tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
Pour the Broth
into a large, heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tortellini and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Cover partially and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are al dente, about 7 minutes. Season the broth with more pepper to taste.
Ladle the broth and tortellini into serving bowls. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and serve.
Feel free to substitute your favorite stuffed tortellini or ravioli.
LASAGNA
Lasagna is a dish that can be made ahead and can feed a crowd; it’s as easy to make for twelve as it is for four. I actually have lasagna parties where I make both the
classic version and a fantastic vegetarian version
, and my guests mix and match. If you make the lasagna ahead of time and serve it family style with a simple green salad as a side, you can feed a whole crowd while not spending more than five minutes in the kitchen during your party—literally, only five minutes. It can take longer just to give directions to the pizza-delivery guy.
6 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| Salt | |
| 2 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| 15 | dry lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces) |
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | pound ground beef chuck |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 2½ | cups Béchamel Sauce |
| 1½ | cups Marinara Sauce |
| 1½ | pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese |
| 3 | large eggs |
| 2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 2 | (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry |
| 3 | cups shredded mozzarella cheese |
| ¼ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
Bring a Large Pot
of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetable oil (the oil will help prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking together). Cook the lasagna until almost al dente, about 6 minutes (the center of the pasta should remain somewhat hard so that it won’t overcook and become soggy when baked). Drain, then rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking and help remove any excess starch. Cover lightly with a damp towel to prevent the pasta from drying out. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add the ground beef and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and sauté until the beef is brown, breaking up any large clumps, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain any excess fat. Let cool completely.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix the béchamel and marinara sauces to blend. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.
In another medium bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to blend. Set aside. Spread the butter over a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spoon one third of the béchamel-marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange 5 lasagna noodles atop the sauce, overlapping slightly and covering the bottom of the dish completely. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with the spinach. Arrange 5 more lasagna noodles atop the spinach, then top with the ground beef. Spoon one third of the remaining béchamel-marinara sauce over, then sprinkle with ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining 5 sheets of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining béchamel-marinara sauce over the lasagna noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. (The lasagna can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Uncover before baking.)
Line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil. Place the baking dish on the baking sheet. Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the top is bubbling, about 45 minutes.
LASAGNAS
The beauty of a baked pasta like this is that you can really use any vegetables you want, as long as you cut them all to the same size. This version uses a lot of them, because I like the variety in textures and flavors. But if you’re not a huge fan of any one of these vegetables, just omit it, and use the same quantity of another. If you prefer a simpler dish with fewer vegetables, you can do that too. It’s really up to you. You can also feel free to assemble one large lasagna in a 13x9-inch pan from these ingredients.
6 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| Salt | |
| 2 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| 1 | pound fresh lasagna sheets |
| 3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | medium onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | large carrot, peeled and finely chopped |
| 1 | large zucchini, finely chopped |
| 1 | large yellow summer squash, finely chopped |
| 1 | bunch of asparagus, steamed and cut into ¼-inch slices |
| ¾ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 1½ | cups Marinara Sauce , or 2 cups for a large lasagna |
| 1 | (16-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained |
| 2 | (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry |
| 2 | cups shredded mozzarella cheese |
| ½ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces |
Preheat The Oven
to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetable oil, then the lasagna sheets, and cook until almost al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and gently rinse the lasagna sheets under cold water to stop them from cooking and to help remove any excess starch. Cover lightly with a damp towel to prevent the pasta from drying out. Set aside.
