Italian-American Summer Treats

'First Lady' Lidia Bastianich Shares Recipes Of Some Favorites

(CBS)  Roasted Black Olives & Pearl Onions

This might be considered a salad, but it is a wonderful stuzzicchino (something to nibble on). Slow roasting intensifies the flavor of olives and gives them an unusual yet delightful crunch. Tossed with vinegar-poached pearl onions, they make a lively and beautiful salad-condiment. Serve this as an antipasto with cured meats and cheeses or with grilled meats and fish. It is also a great garnish for sandwiches or with slices of grilled bread. All you needs is a plate, a fork and a glass of good red wine.

For about 3 cups of marinated olives and onions:
1 pound pitted brine-cured olives, well drained
1/2 pound tiny pearl onions (1/2-inch wide or as small as possible)
2 cups water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange zest, in fine threads or julienne slivers

For Dressing:
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 300°. Spread the olives in a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until they have shriveled a bit and are slightly crunchy but not crisped or burnt. Let them cool in the pan (they'll dry more and become a bit crunchier). Meanwhile, cut off the root end of each onion but don't peel them. In a small saucepan, heat the water and vinegar to a boil, drop in all the onions and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size, until they feel soft all the way through when you squeeze them but not mushy. Drain and let them cool. Remove the skin (or pop the onion out of the skin by squeezing at the top). If the onions are 3/4-inch thick or more, slice them open and flake them apart, separating the layers; tiny onions can be left whole.
Toss the olives, onions and orange zest in a bowl; dress with the oil and juice to taste. Marinate briefly or overnight, refrigerated, if you want serve at room temperature in a shallow bowl with a serving spoon.

Celery and Artichoke Salad with Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano

Celery is often underappreciated as a principal salad ingredient. The inner stalks of the head have a wonderful freshness, flavor and delicacy when thinly sliced. Here, I've paired them with fresh baby artichoke slices in a salad with lots of bright, subtle flavors and all kinds of crunch. Shards of hard cheese, either Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, lend even more complexity to the mix. Use only firm and very small artichokes for this: they should feel tight and almost squeak when you squeeze them and they should have no choke.

For 6 servings
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1 quart of water
6 firm small artichokes, no wider than 3 inches wide
8 to 12 tender celery stalks with leaves, from the inner part of the head (about 10 ounces)
For the Dressing
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
A chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, 1/4 pound or more

Trimming the Artichokes and Celery

Stir the lemon juice into a bowl with a quart of cold water. The acidulated water will keep the artichoke slices from discoloring after you cut them. Work with one artichoke at a time: Trim off the thick outside leaves, until you reach the tender, pale inside leaves. Cut off the tough bottom of the stem but leave most of it (an inch or so) attached to globe. With a vegetable peeler or paring knife, peel off the outer skin of the short stem, exposing the fresh layer underneath. Next, cut straight across the pointed top of the artichoke, removing the tips of the leaves. Drop the trimmed artichoke into the acidulated water and trim the rest of them in this way, submerging them all in the bowl.

To prepare the celery, trim off the wide end of the celery stalks and pick off the leaves, reserving only the tender pale leaves. Peel the stalks if they're dark, tough or blemished. Slice each one on the diagonal, 1/8-inch thick, into delicate, translucent crescents. Chop the tender leaves and put all the celery, about 2 cups, into a large mixing bowl.

Making and Dressing the Salad

When you're ready to serve the salad, remove a trimmed artichoke from the lemon water and slice, from stem to top, in thin 1/8-inch slices; add the slices to the bowl. Quickly slice all the artichokes this way and toss the celery and artichoke slices together with the lemon juice, the olive oil and the salt. With a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, shave about 2 dozen delicate large flakes of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano from the chunk of cheese: each shaving should be a couple of inches long and an inch or 2 inches wide. Fold the shavings of cheese gently into the sliced vegetables. Taste and adjust dressing. Arrange the salad on a serving platter or portion on salad plates. Shave more flakes of cheese and scatter a dozen or more over the platter or place 3 or 4 on top of individual servings.

A Worthy Alternative for Parmigiano-Reggiano: Grana Padano

In my kitchen, I use two Italian hard cheeses almost interchangeably (and almost, but not quite, in every dish!): Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano. Now widely available in our markets, Grana Padano is a 100 percent cow's milk cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano, with a DOC designation, meaning it is regulated by the methods and standards of a consortium of producers. It is generally of high quality and less expensive than Parmigiano-Reggiano. In my recipes, I give you the choice of Grana Padano to finish your dishes in fine style.

Both cheeses are grana types, signifying that they have a granular texture, suitable for grating or shaving. This granularity comes from the milk and, originally, from the bacteria in the milk. The processes by which the cheeses are made are quite similar. The difference in price is because Parmigiano-Reggiano can only be made from milk from strictly limited regions in certain seasons, processed by exacting standards and aged for longer periods. Grana Padano production is less restricted. Overall, the flavor differences are subtle. To my taste, Grana Padano has more granularity and a milkier character. Parmigiano-Reggiano is less granular in texture and more complex in flavor.

Celery Salad with Sliced Mushrooms

Use 6 ounces of firm small cremini, porcini or other firm mushrooms in place of the artichokes. Wipe them clean and slice thin. Toss with the celery, dress and fold in shards of cheese exactly as with artichokes.