Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
Everyday Italian (8 page)
Place 1 Slice
of fontina cheese atop 1 bread slice. Top with the onion, then the prosciutto and the spinach. Sprinkle with the pepper. Top with the second slice of fontina, then with the second bread slice. Brush both sides of the sandwich with the oil.
Preheat a griddle or a ridged grill pan over a medium-low flame. Grill the sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melts, pressing down with a metal spatula, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the sandwich to a plate and serve.
Roasted bell peppers are one of the best staples to have in the fridge for helping pull together a last-minute meal or snack. They are ridiculously easy to make—in the oven, on the grill, or even over an open gas burner. They can dress up a simple green salad; serve as a condiment on a sandwich; or add texture, flavor, and color to a pasta dressing. They can be served as an antipasto with some bread or crackers, or chopped into a variety of sauces.
The classic recipes for roasted pepper use just red peppers, but you can use an assortment of colors—red, orange, and yellow. Keep a close eye on the yellow variety while they cook under the broiler to ensure that they don’t char; their flesh is delicate and you’ll lose the beautiful yellow color.
| 10 | red, orange, and/or yellow bell peppers |
| 2 | cups olive oil |
| 3 | garlic cloves, halved |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 1 | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
Preheat the Broiler.
Cover a heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bell peppers on the baking sheet and broil until the skins brown and blister, turning the peppers over occasionally, about 20 minutes. Enclose the peppers in a resealable plastic bag and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
Peel and seed the peppers, and cut them into strips. In a large bowl, toss the pepper strips with the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, for the flavors to blend, and up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.
It’s easy these days to buy roasted peppers in a jar, but when making a red pepper salad (where it’s all about the peppers), I take that little extra step and roast my own. Nothing beats that great fresh-roasted flavor. It’s a classic antipasto dish from the Piedmont region, now popular all over Italy.
6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
| 2 | red bell peppers |
| 1 | yellow bell pepper |
| 1 | orange bell pepper |
| ⅓ | cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered |
| ¼ | cup olive oil |
| 2 | tablespoons drained capers |
| 6 | fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces |
| 4 | garlic cloves, minced |
| ½ | teaspoon salt, plus more to taste |
| ½ | teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste |
Preheat the Broiler.
Cover a heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bell peppers on the baking sheet and broil until the skins brown and blister, turning the peppers over occasionally, about 20 minutes. Enclose the peppers in a resealable plastic bag and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
Peel and seed the peppers, and cut them into ½-inch-thick strips. In a medium bowl, toss the pepper strips, olives, oil, capers, basil, garlic, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (The salad can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
This is a great way to use up leftover roasted red peppers. When I and my two brothers and sister were kids, my parents often served it as an afternoon snack to ward off our hunger before dinner was ready.
MAKES 8 CROSTINI
| 8 | slices (½ inch thick) of baguette bread |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| ⅓ | cup roasted red bell pepper strips |
| ⅓ | cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese or fontina cheese |
Preheat the Oven
to 375 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the bread with oil and bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. (The crostini can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cool, then store airtight at room temperature. Return the crostini to a baking sheet before proceeding.)
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the bell pepper strips atop the crostini and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Transfer the crostini to a platter and serve immediately.
Marinara Sauce
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