Everyday Italian_ 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes Part 46

Position the Rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, oil, and herbs with 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and pepper to coat. Arrange the vegetables evenly on a large, heavy baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. (The vegetables can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Rewarm in the oven before serving.) Transfer the vegetables to a platter and serve. in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, oil, and herbs with 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt and pepper to coat. Arrange the vegetables evenly on a large, heavy baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. (The vegetables can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Rewarm in the oven before serving.) Transfer the vegetables to a platter and serve.

QUICK AND SIMPLE.

Sometimes you want slow-roasted, sweet, caramelized root vegetables. But sometimes you want your veggies bright and crisp, tasting as much as possible like freshness itself. For me this is especially so in the summer; when ripe produce is at its peak, you don't want to spend a lot of time over the stove, and you're looking for a vibrant plate. These are the recipes for those times.

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PEAS AND PROSCIUTTO.

Perhaps you'll consider it "cheating" to add luxurious prosciutto to a vegetable dish, but I consider it a genius way to liven up the plate. And this is the easiest side dish you will ever make. I like to add this to my scrambled eggs for breakfast.

6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS.

2.

tablespoons olive oil tablespoons olive oil

3.

shallots, chopped shallots, chopped

1.

garlic clove, minced garlic clove, minced

1.

(1-pound) bag frozen peas (1-pound) bag frozen peas

4.

ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, diced ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, diced .

cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley .

teaspoon salt, plus more to taste teaspoon salt, plus more to taste .

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

In a Large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium-low flame. Add the shallots and garlic, and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the peas and saute until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the prosciutto, parsley, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Season the mixture with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve. heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium-low flame. Add the shallots and garlic, and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the peas and saute until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the prosciutto, parsley, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Season the mixture with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve.

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SAUTeED BROCCOLI RABE.

with Raisins and Pine Nuts In my family, this is a traditional side during the holidays, but that's just my family-it's really perfect any time of year. The trick is to blanch the broccoli rabe in boiling water for a minute or so to get rid of some of the bitterness and partially cook it.

4 TO 6 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS.

2.

tablespoons pine nuts Salt tablespoons pine nuts Salt

4.

bunches (12 to 16 ounces each) of broccoli rabe (rapini) bunches (12 to 16 ounces each) of broccoli rabe (rapini) .

cup olive oil cup olive oil

3.

garlic cloves, finely chopped garlic cloves, finely chopped .

teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

cup raisins cup raisins

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pine nuts on a heavy baking sheet, and toast in the oven until the nuts are fragrant and light golden brown, stirring once, about 7 minutes. Let cool. to 350 degrees F. Place the pine nuts on a heavy baking sheet, and toast in the oven until the nuts are fragrant and light golden brown, stirring once, about 7 minutes. Let cool.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the blanched broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Reserve cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the broccoli rabe again and set aside. (The pine nuts and broccoli rabe can be made 8 hours ahead. Store the pine nuts airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the broccoli rabe.) In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe, raisins, and teaspoon of salt, and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking liquid and cook until the broccoli rabe is heated through and the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with more salt to taste. Just before serving, toss the mixture with the toasted pine nuts. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PANCETTA.

Brussels sprouts are a member of the cabbage family-and, in fact, they really do look like miniature cabbage. I think Brussels sprouts got a bad rap from the bad-cooking epidemic that seems to have swept America in the mid-twentieth-century: boiling veggies for so long that they became mushy, flavorless, and colorless. This is bad for nearly any vegetables, and particularly awful for the cabbage family, whose crisp texture (when cooked properly) is wonderful, especially when paired with the crisp, salty pancetta. Try this recipe, and see why the Belgians are proud to lend their capital's name.

4 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS.

1.

pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

2.

tablespoons olive oil tablespoons olive oil

3.

ounces paper-thin slices of pancetta, coa.r.s.ely chopped ounces paper-thin slices of pancetta, coa.r.s.ely chopped

2.

garlic cloves, minced garlic cloves, minced .

cup reduced-sodium chicken broth cup reduced-sodium chicken broth .

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste .