Read Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites for Free Online Page A

cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
     

    Fennel is best served from fall to spring, when it’s in season, and there are a million different ways to take advantage of its crunchy sweetness. Here, the raw bulbs are sliced and dressed with a nutty pistachio pesto and salty bites of prosciutto. The flavors just pair so well together.
    4 to 6 servings
    Pistachio Pesto
    2 cups (lightly packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley
    ¾ cup pistachios, toasted (see Note)
    1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
    3 garlic cloves
    ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Fennel Slaw
    4 to 5 fennel bulbs (about 3½ pounds)
    4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
    For the pistachio pesto: Combine the parsley, pistachios, thyme, and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor and blend until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually drizzle in the olive oil, processing until well blended. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste.
    For the fennel slaw: Trim the tops and bottoms of the fennel bulbs, discarding the stalks and leafy tops. Halve the bulbs and cut out the cores, then slice the bulbs thinly crosswise. Place the sliced fennel in a large serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss to coat well. Tear the prosciutto into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Gently toss to combine.
     

     

    It’s hard to believe a plate this beautiful is so easy to make.
Crudi
means “raw” and the freshness of raw vegetables is especially welcome as an accompaniment to a heavier pasta. The key to this dish is creating long, graceful ribbons of the raw zucchini; they should look almost like pale green fettuccine noodles.
    4 to 6 servings
    2 medium zucchini, trimmed
    1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
    ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese in one chunk
    Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. Put the sliced vegetables in a serving bowl and toss together to combine.
    In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Use the vegetable peeler to shave the Pecorino over the salad and serve immediately.
     

     

    Fregola is a toasted semolina pasta that is very popular in Sardinia. You can substitute any small shape pasta, such as orzo, which it resembles, but do make the effort to seek it out at a specialty food shop; its nutty flavor makes this pasta salad really unusual and delicious.
    4 to 6 servings
    Orange Oil
    ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    1 orange, zested
    Salad
    8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    1 pound fregola pasta (or orzo)
    1 orange
    1 pink grapefruit
    1 small red onion, thinly sliced
    ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
    ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
    ½ tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted
    1 teaspoon coarse salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    To make the orange oil, combine the olive oil and the orange zest in a small bowl and set aside.
    To make the salad, in a large saucepan bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and dump it onto a large baking sheet. Spread it out into a single layer and let cool for 10 minutes.
    Meanwhile, using a small knife, cut all the peel and pith off the orange and grapefruit. Holding the fruit over a large bowl, cut between the membranes to release the segments into the bowl and catch the juices. Add the onion, mint, basil, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and cooled fregola pasta.
    Add the reserved orange oil to the pasta. Toss all the ingredients together and serve.
     

     

     

    This is a hearty meal in a bowl—like an antipasto with the added substance of the earthy grain.
    6 side-dish