Giada at Home: Family Recipes From Italy and California by Giada de Laurentiis Read Free Book Online

tough sell. Not so with this pasta, which is full of bright colors and flavors. If you’re not familiar with ricotta salata, it may remind you of feta cheese but with a milder flavor and creamier texture. This is a pasta dish I really feel good about eating, and with all those greens and the protein contributed by the garbanzos, it’s a complete meal.
    1
pound orecchiette or other short pasta
½
cup olive oil
2
garlic cloves, crushed
12
ounces Swiss chard or mustard greens, stemmed and chopped (9 cups)
8
cups (12 ounces) baby spinach leaves
1
(15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2
cups (12 ounces) small cherry or grape tomatoes
2
cups (8 ounces) crumbled ricotta salata cheese
2
teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
    In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and discard. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. In batches, add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
    Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to the skillet and add half of the cheese and the lemon zest. Toss well. If needed, thin out the sauce with a little pasta water and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.
     

    Penne with Treviso and Goat Cheese
     

    Treviso is a leafy vegetable found all over northern Italy, especially around Venice. It looks like a cross between romaine lettuce and radicchio, whose burgundy color and slightly bitter flavor it shares. I like to wilt treviso and then add it to pasta with some creamy goat cheese to mellow its bitterness.
    1
pound penne pasta
¼
cup olive oil
1
garlic clove, halved
1
pound treviso (or radicchio), chopped (about 4 cups)
3
packed cups (5 ounces) baby spinach
½
cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼
cup balsamic vinegar
2
tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
½
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1
tablespoon salt, or more to taste
1½
cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1½
cups (12 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
½
cup fresh basil leaves, torn
    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
    Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard.
    Add the treviso, spinach, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook until the treviso and spinach wilt, 6 to 8 minutes.
    Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta and Parmesan cheese to the skillet. Toss well, thinning out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt, if needed.
    Transfer the penne to serving bowls. Top each portion with the crumbled goat cheese and garnish with basil before serving.
     

    Pasta Ponza
     

    Ponza is an island off the west coast of Italy where my aunt Raffy and I first tasted this dish, in the home of a family friend. Like all the best pasta dishes, this one is simple; what makes it special is how the sauce comes together. The tomatoes and capers are roasted with a bread crumb topping, concentrating their flavors and making them very juicy with a crunchy crust. When they’re mixed with the hot pasta and cheese, the textures and flavors explode in your mouth. This just might be my favorite recipe in the book!
    Unsalted butter, for greasing
2
cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2
cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
¼
cup capers,