Sweetly salty to taste, easy peasy to make, and lovey dove with white wine, these just may be the perfect before-dinner nibble.
About Giada de Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis is the Emmy award-winning host of Food Network’s Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, and Giada in Paradise; a judge on Food Network Star; a contributing correspondent for NBC’s Today show; and the author of more than half a dozen cookbooks. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and worked at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant before starting her own catering company, GDL Foods. Born in Rome, she grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives with her daughter, Jade. @giadadelaurentiis
White Beans and Tuscan Kale
A satiating, simple meal that is Italian food at its best–full of robust flavors and easy prep. Serve as a side or on its own with a slice of homemade bread.
Eggplant Timbale
It may be a tad boring looking from the outside, but wait ’til you see what this eggplant timbale is filled with on the inside.
Caprese Salad
Basil, tomato, and mozzarella–green, red, and white–are all this summer salad needs to shine. Oh, a drizzle of olive oil and a a squeeze of lemon help.
Fregola Salad with Citrus and Red Onion
Fregola is a toasted semolina pasta with a nutty flavor that’s very popular in Sardinia. This salad includes orange, grapefruit, onion, and herbs.
Red Pepper Cheesecake
This savory cheesecake is much, much more than just another cheese course. It’s a darn near soul-satiating beginning or ending to your next dinner party.
Lemon Sole Oreganata
Dinner dilemma? Enter this delicate baked fish with crisp seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese with a white wine pan sauce that’s proven to be surprisingly popular with kids and adults alike.
Cacio e Pepe with Pancetta and Arugula
This riff on an Italian classic relies on mostly pantry staples, along with a couple surprises, to glam up tradition.
Pecorino and Bean Salad
An Italian classic, this simple side is far more impressive than the usual mixed green salad.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
The secret to this intensely flavored risotto? Using chicken stock mingled with the liquid from rehydrating dried porcini mushrooms.