Everyday Pasta (9 page)
Authors: Giada De Laurentiis
4 to 6 servings
Broken strands of spaghetti are the starch in my family’s version of ribollita, a thick Tuscan soup that is usually made with cubes of stale bread. We always had odds and ends of long pasta on the pantry shelves when I was a child and serving it this way made a hearty meal out of a little bit of pasta.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3-inch piece of Parmesan rind
1 cup spaghetti broken into 1-inch pieces
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbes de Provence, broth, bay leaf, and the Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, then add the spaghetti, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
Discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf, and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
6 servings
Salade Niçoise meets all-American pasta salad in this all-in-one dish that’s perfect for a picnic or dinner on a hot summer night. The trick is to use the Italian canned tuna; the flavor of water-packed albacore tuna is just not comparable.
1½ pounds slender green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
2 large red potatoes, diced
½ pound orzo pasta
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (9-ounce) can Italian oil-packed tuna, drained
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using a mesh strainer, transfer the green beans to a large bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain the green beans and pat dry with a towel. Return the water to a simmer, add the potatoes, and cook until they are just tender but still hold their shape, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the ice water to cool completely. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a towel. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Place the tomatoes, basil, and parsley in a large serving bowl. Add the tuna and toss gently to combine. Add the green beans, potatoes, and pasta. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again to coat the salad with the dressing.
4 to 6 servings
Among the many virtues of this salad is that it can be made ahead very successfully and it also looks so attractive.
1 pound fusilli pasta
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (24 shrimp)
5 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup low-fat sour cream
½ cup low-fat yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 heads of Belgian endive, trimmed and leaves separated
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and cool.
Toss the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large bowl to coat. Heat the remaining 3 teaspoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté the shrimp until they are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and cool completely.
In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, yogurt, parsley, chives, capers, lime juice, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Add the pasta and shrimp and toss to coat.
Arrange the endive leaves around the perimeter of a serving platter, tips out. Spoon the pasta salad into the center of the serving platter. The endive should be peeking out from under the pasta salad. Serve cool or at room temperature.
4 to 6 servings
Men sometimes complain that pasta salads aren’t a “real” meal because they’re so light. This one will make a believer out of anyone who has turned his nose up at pasta salad in the past. Meaty eggplant chunks, cannellini beans, plus lots of grilled seafood make this as filling and robust as it is attractive on the plate.
4 cups chicken broth
½ pound orzo pasta (about 1 cup)
½ pound calamari, bodies and tentacles
½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 3 slices
1 Japanese eggplant, cut lengthwise in 3 slices
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 ounces arugula (about 3 cups)
¾ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the seafood, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the calamari and shrimp until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Grill the zucchini and eggplant until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Grill the tomatoes cut side down just until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes.
Cut the calamari bodies into 1-inch rings. Add the calamari rings and tentacles and the shrimp to the bowl with the orzo. Cut the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and add them to the bowl with the orzo and seafood. Toss to combine. Add the cannellini beans, arugula, basil, parsley, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper and toss again. Gently spoon the salad into a serving bowl and serve.
Tips for a Perfect Pasta Salad
Cooking pasta for a pasta salad differs in a couple of important ways from cooking pasta that is meant to be served hot. Here are some things to keep in mind:
• Because chilling tends to mute flavors, be sure to salt the water in which you cook the pasta especially generously to really flavor the pasta.
• This is the one time you can cook pasta a bit past al dente; the pasta should be cooked all the way through and soft (but not mushy!), as any uncooked core will be hard and taste starchy.
• Rinse the pasta briefly after draining it to get rid of excess starch, which will make your salad sticky. Again, this is an exception to the general rule!
• Don’t dress the salad until right before serving, especially if the dressing contains an acid like vinegar or citrus juice, as it will start to break down the pasta and make it mushy.
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