4 to 6 servings
Vin Santo is known as the Wine of Saints, and some of the very best is produced in northern Italy. It’s drunk mostly as a dessert wine (it’s perfect for dipping biscotti), but I also like to use it in vinaigrettes because of its smooth, sweet flavor. It brightens up the asparagus and makes this simple salad more luxurious.
1½ cups Vin Santo (about 375 milliliters)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
6 Bibb lettuce leaves
1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and chopped
In a small saucepan, reduce the Vin Santo to ⅓ cup over medium heat, about 10 minutes. In a small jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the reduced Vin Santo, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake to combine, making sure the mustard is fully incorporated.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl filled with ice water and let it cool, about 3 minutes. Drain the asparagus and pat dry with paper towels.
Place the lettuce leaves in a serving bowl and arrange the asparagus on top. Top with the hard-cooked egg and chopped almonds. Drizzle the entire salad with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
4 to 6 servings
The perfect light, clean side salad to serve alongside a hearty pasta, this is my version of succotash. The different shades of yellow and green beans make it really pretty, too.
2 cups frozen edamame (soy beans), shelled
8 ounces thin green beans, trimmed
8 ounces yellow wax beans, trimmed
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil or tarragon
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Cook the edamame in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water, then drain well and pat dry. Repeat with the green beans and yellow beans. Leave the green and yellow beans whole or cut them crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch pieces.
Whisk the vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the beans, tomatoes, basil, and thyme, and toss to coat. Season the salad to taste with more salt and pepper, and serve.
4 to 6 servings
I make this as a side dish at least three times a week—that’s how much I love spinach, and how much I love it served this way. It’s easy, delicious, and great for you. The secret is the soy sauce; although it’s not Italian, it gives the spinach a fabulous salty kick.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (10-ounce) bags of prewashed spinach (about 10 cups)
Zest of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the broth, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add one third of the spinach and cook until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Continue adding the spinach one large handful at a time, sautéing just until it begins to wilt before adding more. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, sprinkle with lemon zest, and serve.
3:
soups and pasta salads
This chapter may be the best illustration of just how versatile pasta can be. A little bit of pasta—whether fun small shapes like ditalini or little stars or just broken bits of long-strand pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine—can turn a light vegetable soup into something more substantial and sustaining, making it a meal. Stuffed pastas like tortellini, which can feel a bit heavy when covered in a rich sauce, are magically transformed into a light, elegant starter when served in a flavorful broth. While the classic
tortellini en brodo
is a holiday tradition in many Italian families, mine included, don’t let that limit you. Any kind of stuffed pasta in the broth of your choice, may be supplemented with some fresh herbs or bits of vegetable and a grating of cheese, makes a super-quick and easy meal any time of the year.
When temperatures soar, few things are more welcome than a cooling pasta salad. So much more satisfying than a mixed green salad, pasta salads are also a good way to stretch more pricy ingredients like seafood to serve a crowd. Because most are served at room temperature or chilled, pasta salads are a great addition to an entertaining menu; just make them in advance and put them out with the main course. And because sturdy pasta shapes like penne, farfalle, or rotelli can stand up to robust flavors and ingredients better than delicate greens will, these salads are really rib-sticking; you may find that all you need to make these salads a meal is dessert!
