Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Everyday Italian (25 page)
Preheat the Oven
to 375 degrees F. Place the turkey in a baking pan and rub the oil over the turkey. Sprinkle with the dried herbs and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Pour 2 cups of the broth around the turkey and bake until it is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Let the turkey cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the turkey to a cutting board. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the turkey diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices. Return the turkey slices to the baking pan and coat with the pan juices.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend the tuna, lemon juice, capers, anchovy paste, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of broth until creamy, about 1 minute. Transfer the tuna mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in the mayonnaise. Season the tuna sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the turkey slices on a platter and pour the tuna sauce over. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
I’m not going to tell you that this is a traditional dish from Umbria; it’s not. But it
is
a traditional dish in my family. And family is what tradition is all about, isn’t it?
6 SIDE-COURSE SERVINGS
| 1 | medium Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1 | medium Red Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1 | medium onion, chopped |
| 1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
| 1½ | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 1 | (6-ounce) bag dried cranberries |
| ¼ | cup dry white wine |
| 1½ | teaspoons salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 1 | pound sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed |
| 1 | (7.25-ounce) jar steamed whole chestnuts, coarsely chopped |
| 8 | ounces day-old cornbread or bread, cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1 | cup canned chicken broth |
| 1 | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
Preheat the Oven
to 400 degrees F. In a medium pot, cook the apples, onion, oil, and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat until the apples soften, about 10 minutes. Add the cranberries and wine and simmer until the wine evaporates and the cranberries are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Let cool.
In a large, heavy sauté pan, cook the sausages over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Lightly coat an 8½-inch square baking dish with ½ tablespoon of butter. In a medium bowl, combine the apple mixture, sausage, chestnuts, and cornbread. Gently stir in the broth and ¾ cup of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with ¼ cup of Parmesan. Bake until the top is golden brown and the stuffing is heated through, about 45 minutes.
STEWS AND SAUCES
Something wonderfully fragrant is bubbling away in the oven, infusing your home with the inviting aromas of tomato, garlic, and onion; these are the dishes that take you back to Grandma’s Sunday suppers. But while Grandma may have slaved all day, you don’t have to. In the following recipes, I’ve streamlined the traditional long-simmered stews and sauced entrées to help get you out of the kitchen, and dinner onto the table, on an
Everyday Italian
timetable. So invite Grandma over and return the favor after all these years.
Italian stews are called
spezzatini
because the meat is cut into pieces;
spezzare
means “to cut up” or “break up.” This is the prototypical one-pot meal: Throw all the ingredients into a pot, and you have a great dinner.
4 TO 6 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 2 | celery stalks, cut into bite-size pieces |
| 1 | carrot, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces |
| 1 | small onion, chopped |
| 1 | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| 1 | (14½-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juices |
| 1 | (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth |
| ½ | cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces |
| 1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| ½ | teaspoon dried thyme |
| 2 | chicken breasts with ribs (about 1½ pounds total) |
| 1 | (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic) |
In a Heavy
5½-quart saucepan, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the celery, carrot, and onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken and press to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, turning the breasts over and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the kidney beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced to a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes. Discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Return it to the stew and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cacciatore
means cooked in the “hunter’s style” (which, translated into French, is
chasseur
and in fact refers to a very similar dish). In many Italian-American restaurants this can be a greasy, overly sweet sauce with dry, overcooked chicken. But this recipe will make you fall in love with Chicken Cacciatore again; it’s really the ultimate in hearty, rustic Italian home cooking.
4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| 4 | chicken thighs |
| 2 | chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise |
| 2 | teaspoons salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| ½ | cup all-purpose flour, for dredging |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | large red bell pepper, chopped |
| 1 | onion, chopped |
| 6 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1½ | teaspoons dried oregano leaves |
| ¾ | cup dry white wine |
| 1 | (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice |
| ¾ | cup reduced-sodium chicken broth |
| 3 | tablespoons drained capers |
| ¼ | cup coarsely chopped fresh basil |
Sprinkle the Chicken Pieces
with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.
In a large, heavy sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Working in 2 batches, add the chicken pieces to the pan and sauté just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and oregano to the same pan and sauté over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, and capers. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes for the breast pieces, and 30 minutes for the thighs.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.
Stewing and braising are cooking techniques that deliver moist, tender meat. The slow cooking process allows all the flavors to intermingle and create a rich sauce.
Fra Diavolo
means “Brother Devil.” In Italy, this refers to a dish that’s sprinkled heavily with black pepper and grilled. But in America the term is associated with spicy hot-pepper sauces, like the lobster Fra Diavolo that became popular in the 1930s and has been a fixture on Italian-American menus ever since. (It is actually unknown in Italy, where they don’t have the same type of lobsters we do.) I make my version of Fra Diavolo with shrimp because it’s lighter and easier for everyday cooking.
4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS
| 1 | pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined |
| 1 | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | medium onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | (14½-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices |
| 1 | cup dry white wine |
| 3 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| ¼ | teaspoon dried oregano leaves |
| 3 | tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
| 3 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |