Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Everyday Italian (31 page)
SALADS
I love vinaigrette-tossed mesclun as much as the next person does, but you don’t really need a cookbook to tell you how to do that, do you? So I won’t. To me, “salad” doesn’t just mean dressed lettuce and other raw veggies, and I like to push the envelope with flavors and textures, and do something a little unexpected, as in these recipes.
with Blood Oranges and Hazelnuts
Italians aren’t afraid of using spicy and slightly bitter greens in their salads, and you shouldn’t be either. Belgian endive are small, pale (white) heads of lettuce with yellow tips; they can be eaten raw (as in this salad) or grilled or roasted—the possibilities are endless. Frisée has slender, curly leaves that are a yellow-green color. The blood oranges add a hint of tart sweetness and a beautiful refreshing color to this salad—they’re orange with bright red or red-streaked white flesh. The dressing, nuts, orange segments, and lettuces can all be prepared ahead of time, no last-minute fuss.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| ¼ | cup balsamic vinegar |
| 2 | tablespoons finely chopped shallots |
| 1 | tablespoon honey |
| ⅓ | cup olive oil or hazelnut oil |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste | |
| 3 | heads Belgian endive, trimmed and cut crosswise into thin slices |
| 2 | heads frisée lettuce, center leaves only, torn into pieces |
| 2 | blood oranges or regular oranges, segmented |
| ½ | cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (see Note) |
In a Medium Bowl,
whisk the balsamic vinegar, shallots, and honey to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the endive and frisée in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound the greens on plates and surround with the orange segments. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette around the salads and serve immediately.
To toast hazelnuts,
preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the nuts on a large, heavy baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until they are fragrant and light golden brown in the center, about 7 minutes. Let cool completely. Rub the hazelnuts between your palms to remove their dark skins. Chop in a food processor or wrap in a kitchen towel and chop with the back of a chef’s knife.
with Tomatoes and Herbs
Farro is a type of wheat that was an important component of the Roman Empire’s diet, but it fell somewhat out of favor when more refined wheat products became plentiful in Italy. You’ll still find it on a lot of Italian tables, though, and especially in soups and salads such as this one. Farro is available in Italian markets and gourmet grocery stores, but brown rice or barley could also be used in this recipe.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 10 | ounces farro (about 1½ cups) |
| 2¼ | teaspoons salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 | large garlic clove, minced |
| 2 | tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
| ¼ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| ¼ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
| 2 | medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and chopped |
| ½ | medium-size sweet onion (such as Walla Walla), finely chopped |
| ¼ | cup snipped fresh chives |
| ¼ | cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
In a Medium Saucepan,
combine 4 cups water and farro. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the farro is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and simmer until the farro is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
In a medium bowl, mash the garlic with ¼ teaspoon of salt to make a paste. Whisk in the vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, then the oil. Add the tomatoes, onion, chives, and parsley to the farro and toss to combine. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to coat. Season the salad with more salt and pepper to taste. (The salad can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Panzanella
comes from the Latin word
panis,
meaning “bread.” This is another dish that illustrates Italians’ resourcefulness when it comes to leftovers: The key to this dish is the actually stale—
not
fresh—bread, which absorbs the flavors in the salad without falling apart and becoming mushy. In the sixteenth century, panzanella was made with just bread, oil, and vinegar. Tomatoes were introduced to Italy in the sixteenth century, but even then they only began to be eaten in the south, where they grew, two hundred years later. Now, of course, Italians all over the Boot love the tomato, and this salad is a staple everywhere.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 6 | ripe tomatoes (about 2¼ pounds total) |
| 12 | ounces ciabatta or other country-style white bread, 2 to 3 days old |
| ⅔ | cup plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| ¼ | cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced |
| ¾ | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| ¾ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
| ½ | cup thinly sliced fresh basil, plus whole sprigs for garnish |
| ¼ | cup capers, drained |
| 1 | cup jarred roasted red bell pepper strips, drained |
| ¼ | cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise |
Bring a Large Saucepan
of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Cut an X at the bottom of each tomato and submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to cool slightly. Using a small, sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins and cut the tomatoes in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes.
Cut the crusts off the bread, and cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, whisk ⅔ cup of oil, ¼ cup of vinegar, the garlic, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to blend. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and sliced basil, and toss to combine. Set aside until the bread
absorbs the vinaigrette, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the salad with more salt and pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, soak the capers in the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar for 10 minutes. Drain. In another small bowl toss the roasted peppers with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season the peppers with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13x9x2-inch glass dish. Arrange half of the roasted peppers, capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining peppers, capers, and olives. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for the flavors to blend, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the salad. Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.
Here are a couple
of other great uses for stale bread: To make bread crumbs, cut the stale bread into pieces, then place them in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re finely ground. To make croutons, cut the stale bread into bite-size pieces, then place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
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Almond CakeChocolate Amaretti CakeCitrus BiscottiPine Nut CookiesToasted Pound Cake with Mascarpone and Amaretto