Fabulicious!: On the Grill (10 page)

3.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn opaque and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

4.
Whisk the lemon juice and garlic together in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the octopus, scungilli, shrimp, carrots, celery, and parsley. Mix well and season with salt. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Stir well and reseason with salt and lemon juice before serving chilled.

 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

It's no secret that I love garlic, but I love-love-love
roasted
garlic. It just somehow tastes different; the roasting gives the garlic a mellow, almost nutty flavor. And it makes a
great
salad dressing. This is another one of my favorite summer salads. The combination of the sweet berries and spicy basil mixed with the mellow dressing is fabulicious!

Roasted Garlic:

1 full head of garlic, husk removed and separated into individual cloves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Dressing:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

1 (5-ounce) bag of mixed baby greens

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup packed whole basil leaves

⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (see
page 192
)

1.
To roast the garlic in the oven:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the garlic cloves in a large custard cup or small baking dish, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the garlic is dark beige and very tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and let the garlic cool completely.

To roast the garlic on a grill:
Preheat the grill for indirect cooking with medium-high heat (400°F). Place the garlic cloves on a 12-inch square of aluminum foil, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Fold the foil to enclose the garlic into a packet. Place on the turned-off area of the grill and close the lid. Cook until the garlic is very tender, about 45 minutes. Open the foil and let the garlic cool completely.

2.
To make the dressing:
Squeeze the flesh from each cooled clove into a blender. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and process until the garlic is pureed. With the machine running, gradually add the oil through the hole in the lid. Season with salt and pepper. (The dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

3.
To make the salad:
Toss the baby greens, strawberries, tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts with the dressing. Serve immediately.

 

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This salad has all of the flavors of a Caprese salad, but this version is even more fun to eat because of the miniature tomatoes and bite-sized mozzarella balls. When you can find them, multicolored cherry tomatoes really make this salad look spectacular. The mixture is delicious with just about any kind of salad greens, but the peppery flavor of arugula makes it an Italian classic.

2 tablespoons Homemade Pesto (
page 161
)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

8 ounces baby bocconchini or ciliegine mozzarella balls

4 cups (about 3 ounces) baby arugula or mixed salad greens

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.
Whisk the pesto, vinegar, and oil together in a large bowl to combine. Add the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand at room temperature until the tomatoes give off some juice, about 1½ hours.

2.
Add the arugula, toss well, and season again with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Makes 6 servings

You can't go through summer without having at least one bowl of chilled gazpacho made with juicy local tomatoes. This is my version, which has balsamic vinegar and fresh basil (or oregano) to give it an Italian feeling. Some people like it smooth, and some like it chunky. It really doesn't matter, as long as you use great tomatoes. Instead of croutons, serve it with wide slices of grilled bread alongside.

2 pounds plum (Roma) tomatoes, cored and seeded

1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and very coarsely chopped

¾ cup coarsely chopped red onion (about ½ medium onion)

⅓ cup packed fresh basil, plus chopped fresh basil for serving

3 garlic cloves, crushed under the flat side of a large knife and peeled

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes Salt

1.
Combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, basil, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Add the oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes, and pulse until the gazpacho is your desired texture. Season with salt. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

2.
Ladle the gazpacho into soup bowls. Sprinkle each with basil and drizzle with oil. Serve cold.

 

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Americans might think of minestrone as a cold-weather soup, but in Italy, it's made year-round. In the summer, I use local vegetables to make an incredible vegetarian soup that you can even serve chilled—just as they do in Italy when the weather is hot. This purposely makes a huge batch because the soup only gets better with age, and it is a beautiful thing to have a big container of soup in the fridge for a quick meal.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch dice

3 medium celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ripe plum (Roma) tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice

1 medium yellow squash, cut into ½-inch dice

1 (15.5-ounce) can white kidney (cannellini) beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5-ounce) can pink or Roman beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Homemade Pesto (
page 161
), for serving

1.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 7 cups of water, the tomatoes, parsley, and oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

2.
Add the zucchini, yellow squash, white beans, and pink beans and bring to a simmer over high heat. Return the heat to medium-low and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (The soup can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

3.
Ladle into soup bowls and top each serving with about a teaspoon of pesto and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot, warm, chilled, or at room temperature.