Italian-American Summer Treats

Lidia Bastianich is an award-winning cookbook author, host of public TV's "Lidia's Italian-American Table," and owner of a restaurant empire. She's often called "the first lady of Italian-American cooking."

Her Web site is visited by as many as 45,000 people each month. There are more than 55,000 subscribers to her monthly recipes newsletter. Plans are in the works to expand the e-commerce side of the site.

RECIPES

Sauce of Small Shrimp and Scallions
(a 5-minute sauce)

Small shrimp make a lovely addition to skillet sauces, because they cook so quickly, barely two minutes in the skillet. The trick is to make sure you don't overcook the shrimp. If you can, start your pasta before the sauce, so they finish at the same time. But if your pasta isn't ready when the shrimp and sauce are, take the skillet off the heat.

1 pound of pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced garlic
1/4 cup Tuscan-style peperoncini in vinegar, drained, seeded and thinly sliced (about 12 whole pickled peppers)
teaspoon salt
1 pound (about 2 dozen) small shrimp, washed, peeled and de-veined
4 tablespoons soft butter
Hot water from the pasta cooking pot
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 bunch scallions, sliced on diagonal

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. If you are using dry pasta, start cooking the pasta 5 minutes before; if you are using fresh, start the sauce and then put on the pasta to cook at the same time. Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, scatter the garlic slices in and set over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is sizzling. Scatter the slices of peperoncino in a hot spot; cook for 1 minute; shake the pan now and then. Push the garlic and peppers to the side, turn the heat to high. Drop the shrimp in the center of the skillet and spread them so they're not crowded. Sprinkle on the salt and let them sizzle for 1/2 minute. Flip the shrimp over, giving the skillet a good toss or stirring and turning them; and cook another 1/2 minute or so, until the flesh is just turning opaque. Scatter the scallions into the skillet; toss and stir in with the shrimp, for 20 to 30 seconds, just until they're sizzling. Stir in the butter and cook until it is melted and starts to simmer, 10 to 20 seconds. Ladle in 2 cups of boiling pasta water. Stir up everything in the skillet and let the sauce boil for only a moment. If the pasta is ready to add turn down the heat to very low. If the pasta is not ready, remove the skillet from the heat immediately; set it back over low heat when you do add the pasta.

When the pasta is done al dente, scoop it up and drop into the shrimp pan. Toss briefly, sprinkle on the parsley, and toss again. Remove from the heat and drop the remaining 2 tablespoons butter on top of the pasta and toss in. Serve right away.

Scallion and Asparagus Salad

This is a great spring salad with two long lovely green vegetables that have a real affinity for each other. Try it with Asparagus and Scallion pasta sauce, antipasto or as a side dish to grilled meat and fish. You can serve this salad chilled, but I like it at room temperature.

If you haven't poached scallions before, be sure to note how nicely it brings out the flavors in a mellow way. And here's a thrifty cooking tip: Scallion trimmings are some of the most useful scraps in the kitchen. A handful of leaves and the root ends can make an instant broth, as a substitute for stock.

IT'S EASY TO MAKE A HARD EGG!

Here's my simple method for cooking hard eggs with nice color and good texture: Put the eggs in a saucepan that doesn't crowd them together. Add water to cover the eggs by 2 to 3 inches. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Leave the eggs in the water until they've cooled to room temperature. To peel, crack the shells a few minutes before you need the eggs by rolling them on a flat surface. Let them sit in cold water for a few minutes before peeling.

Yield: 6 servings
1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
3/4 pound scallions
1-1/2 teaspoons salt or more if needed
3-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 hard eggs, peeled

Cooking the Vegetables

Snap off the hard stubs at the bottom of the asparagus stalks; they'll break naturally at the right point. With a vegetable peeler, shave off the skin from the bottom 3 inches or so each stalk so they cook evenly. Save the stubs and peelings for a soup base or Asparagus Stub Sauce. Trim the root end of the scallions and the wilted ends of the green leaves. Peel off the loose layers at the white end, too, so the scallions are all tight, trim, and about 6 inches long. In a wide deep skillet bring one quart of water (or enough to cover the vegetables) to a boil and add the asparagus and scallions. Adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling boil and poach the asparagus, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, or more, until they are tender but not falling apart and cooked through but not mushy. To check doneness, pick up a spear in the middle with tongs: it should be a little droopy, but not collapsing. As soon as they are done, lift out the vegetables with tongs and lay them in a colander (any fat asparagus spears may take a little longer so leave them in a few minutes more). Hold the colander under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain briefly, then spread on kitchen towels and pat dry.

Making the Salad

Slice the asparagus and the scallions into 1-inch lengths and pile them loosely in a mixing bowl. Drizzle over the oil and vinegar over, sprinkle on 1/2 of the teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss well but don't break up the vegetables. Quarter the eggs into wedges and slice each wedge into 2 or 3 pieces; scatter these in the bowl and fold in with the vegetables. Taste and adjust the dressing. Chill the salad briefly, then arrange it on a serving platter or on salad plates.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.