Everyday Pasta (5 page)

4 servings

In Naples,
fried zucchini is a street food, and it was always my favorite component of Frito Misto (a dish of mixed fried foods) when I was a child. I’ve made it lighter by coating it in the Japanese bread crumbs called
panko
instead of regular bread crumbs, a method you could use equally well with sweet potato slices, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers—really any vegetable you like.

1¾ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

¾ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch strips

Olive oil, for deep-frying

Stir 1½ cups of the Parmesan cheese, the panko, and salt together in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to break them up. Working in batches, dip the zucchini sticks in the eggs to coat them completely, allowing the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the coated zucchini strips on a baking sheet.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°F. Working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and serve.

4 to 6 servings

It’s time to reinvent the crudité platter, and I nominate these attractive little bundles of vegetables; they’re great with cocktails for entertaining as an alternative to a boring deli plate, but they are also a nice alternative to a salad with a pasta dinner. My friends request this often.

6 broccolini stalks

6 small cauliflower florets with stems

15 paper-thin slices prosciutto

½ fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise

½ orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into thin strips

½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into thin strips

2-ounce piece of Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Place a large bowl of ice water near the stove. Cook the broccolini in the boiling water for 1 minute, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the bowl of ice water. Let cool for 2 minutes, then drain on a towel and reserve. Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water for 3 minutes, then cool in the ice water and drain as for the broccolini.

Working with 1 slice at a time, cut the prosciutto slices in half lengthwise. Make a small bundle of fennel slices and wrap it with prosciutto, allowing the fennel to extend out the ends. Bundle together 2 strips each of orange and red bell peppers and wrap them with prosciutto in the same way. Wrap prosciutto strips around the stalks of broccolini and the stem ends of the cauliflower florets.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan cheese onto a large platter or serving plates; arrange the vegetable bundles over the cheese shavings. Drizzle the oil over the bundles.

One of the great things about many pasta dishes is that they are an all-in-one meal—starch, vegetables, and maybe some protein conveniently dished up at once. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to augment your pasta with a little something more: a salad to start or finish the meal or a quick vegetable side to complement a pasta dish that doesn’t feature many vegetables. I believe in
always
serving some kind of green when serving a pasta. It rounds out the meal and cleans the palate. Italians serve salad after the main course, but these can also be served before. These are some of my favorite dishes to serve with pasta and none of them takes more than a few minutes to put together. Most of the recipes in this chapter would work well as a first course for a more formal dinner, too. And when you’re serving a baked or cheesy pasta, a side of sautéed spinach or a mixed green salad lightens the meal and ensures everyone gets a serving of veggies.

4 to 6 servings

Panzanella is a staple of Tuscan cooking that is traditionally made with leftover stale bread; the dressing moistens the bread, which soaks in all the flavors and juices from the vegetables. I like panzanella but I
love
cornbread. When I found myself with lots of leftover cornbread one Thanksgiving, I was inspired to give it an Italian spin, and this salad was born.

It’s best to use stale cornbread, but if you have only fresh cornbread, toast the cubes in the oven at 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes to dry them out; that way they won’t fall apart in the salad and become mushy.

1 pound cornbread, cut into 2¾-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup cubed fontina cheese (about ½-inch cubes)

½ hothouse cucumber, quartered and sliced

½ cup chopped fresh basil

Dressing

⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cornbread, tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, and basil in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Stir together and pour over the salad. Toss very gently to combine. Serve immediately.