Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (9 page)

Here’s a fun way to use up leftover pasta. When I was young, my mother would throw leftovers of any kind of pasta—red-sauced, white-sauced, whatever—into her frittata mixture for a quick snack for us kids. She generally made one large frittata, but I like to make them in individual servings; that way you can keep them in the fridge and grab one for a quick, nutritious snack, hot or cold.

6 servings

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander. While the pasta is still in the colander, use kitchen shears to cut the linguine into smaller pieces. The pasta should measure about 3 cups.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, cream, and mascarpone. Blend until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the cut pasta, the prosciutto, mozzarella, Asiago, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until the ingredients are combined.

Fill each of the muffin cups with about ⅓ cup of the mixture; both the pasta and liquid should fill the cup almost to the top. Bake until firm and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the frittatas cool for 3 minutes before removing from the tin. Arrange on a serving platter or place 2 on each of 6 individual plates and serve.

When the temperature is particularly frigid, only the promise of a cup of this steaming hot spiced coffee will get me up the mountain for a day of skiing. Fortunately, it is just as inviting on a damp rainy day!

4 servings

In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce the heat to low. Add the allspice, cinnamon, and ginger and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

In a heat-proof pitcher or measuring cup, add the boiling water to the espresso, then divide it among four 6- to 8-ounce cups. Add 2 tablespoons of the spiced syrup to each cup and stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until stiff. Top each cup of espresso with a dollop of whipped cream. Dust with cinnamon and serve.

In the summertime this is a refreshing alternative to iced tea. I keep the cinnamon syrup in the fridge so when my girlfriends drop by we have something cool and delicious to sip in the yard under the hot California sun.

4 servings

Combine the espresso, cinnamon syrup, and milk in a small pitcher. Fill 4 large, tall glasses with crushed ice. Pour the latte mixture over the ice and serve immediately.

Makes 1 cup

In a saucepan combine the sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

As thick and creamy as the richest milkshake, this can also do double duty as a dessert. Serve half portions in pretty stemmed glasses with the cookie crumbles sprinkled on top. Be sure to make this in two batches, because the ingredients will overflow your blender container.

4 servings

Place half the raspberries in a blender with half the gelato, 1 tablespoon of the almond liqueur, and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest. Pulse the blender until the mixture is combined. Add about half a tray of ice cubes and blend until smooth.

Divide the smoothie between 2 highball glasses and make a second batch with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle some of the crushed cookies over the smoothies and mix them in briefly to distribute. Serve with long spoons and straws.

CANTALOUPE, RED ONION, AND WALNUT SALAD

ROMAN SUMMER SALAD

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

FENNEL SLAW WITH PROSCIUTTO AND PISTACHIO PESTO

ASPARAGUS AND ZUCCHINI CRUDI

FREGOLA SALAD WITH FRESH CITRUS AND RED ONION

MEDITERRANEAN FARRO SALAD

FARRO WITH COARSE PESTO

PARMESAN POTATO PANCAKE

SPICY PARMESAN GREEN BEANS AND KALE

BROILED ZUCCHINI AND POTATOES WITH PARMESAN CRUST

ARTICHOKE GRATINATA

ASPARAGUS, ARTICHOKE, AND MUSHROOM SAUTÉ WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

BAKED ARTICHOKES WITH GORGONZOLA AND HERBS