Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (12 page)

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the farro and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer the farro until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the farro and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the parsley, basil, thyme, and garlic. Pulse until the herbs are coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pulse again until the herbs make a coarse mixture.

Toss the warm farro with the coarse pesto. Transfer to a serving bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, make about ½ cup of cheese shavings from the Pecorino cheese wedge. Top the farro with the cheese shavings and serve.

When I was a personal chef, a family for whom I worked often requested latkes, and though I hadn’t made them before, I totally fell in love with them. When I added Parmesan and basil to the mixture, they were even better. The Parmesan melts into a brittle web, like a
frico,
making these extra crisp and delicious.

4 to 6 servings

Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, grate the potatoes in a food processor using the grating blade. Dump the grated potatoes onto a clean kitchen towel, roll the towel up, and squeeze over the sink to extract as much water from the potatoes as possible. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the onion mixture along with the Parmesan cheese and the basil. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Warm 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over high heat in the same pan you used to cook the onions. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the potato mixture. Use a spatula to press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the pancake until the bottom is golden brown and it can move in the pan, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low if the pancake seems to be browning too fast in places. Slide the pancake onto a large plate, then cover the pancake with a second plate and invert. Turn the heat under the pan back up to high and add a bit more oil if needed. When the pan is hot, slide the pancake back into the skillet, cooking it until the second side is golden and the pancake is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Slide the pancake onto a serving platter, cut in wedges, and serve.

I always serve this dish at Thanksgiving, but it’s good any time during the colder months. The kale and green beans make it vibrant and bright tasting, which is welcome at a time when not many green vegetables are in season.

6 to 8 servings

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, green beans, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until the green beans are almost tender, stirring once or twice, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

I know not everyone puts zucchini on their top ten vegetable list, but when you coat zucchini chunks in a delicious Parmesan crust and broil them, trust me, most people will become zucchini lovers. You can cook sweet potatoes or carrots the same way, but zucchini cooks more quickly.

4 servings

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool. When cool, cut the potatoes in half.

Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary and heat until the butter melts, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season the cut surfaces of the zucchini and potatoes with salt and pepper. Carefully place the zucchini and potatoes cut side down in the melted butter. Cook until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the browned zucchini and potatoes on the baking sheet cut side up. Sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and serve.

This is the kind of side dish you would find on a steakhouse menu, rich and decadent. Frozen artichokes make this impressive dish quite simple to create. I like to bake it in individual gratin dishes because each serving gets its own crusty browned top, my favorite part!

4 servings

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown at the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer the artichoke mixture to a 1½-quart baking dish.

Melt the butter in the same skillet used to cook the artichokes. Add the bread crumbs and stir to coat with the butter. Stir in the Parmesan, then sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the artichokes. Bake until the top is golden, about 10 minutes.