Everyday Pasta by Giada Laurentiis (summer beach reads TXT) 📕

most people, and making them in the half-moon, or mezzaluna, shape makes a classic preparation a little more elegant. Between the oregano, the fontina cheese, and the meaty eggplant, the filling is quite hearty so I dress these simply with a little extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs.

⅓ cup olive oil

½ large onion, diced

1 large eggplant (about 1½ to 2 pounds), diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, plus 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, for garnish

½ cup grated fontina cheese (about 2 ounces)

½ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

½ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling

1 package square wonton wrappers (about 50 to 60 wrappers)

¼ to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant, garlic, and chopped oregano, and continue to cook until the eggplant is soft and starting to fall apart, about 12 minutes. Transfer the eggplant mixture to a medium bowl and let cool.

Once the eggplant mixture is cool, add the cheeses, salt, and pepper. Place 6 wonton squares on a dry work surface. Place 1 teaspoon of the eggplant mixture on each square. Dip a pastry brush in water and wet around the edges of the square. Fold the square in half to form a rectangle. Using a 3-inch-diameter scalloped-edged cookie cutter, press around the filling to make a half-moon shape. Place the finished ravioli on a dry baking sheet. Continue with the remaining filling. You should be able to make about 60 ravioli.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli (you may want to cook them in two batches) and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain the ravioli. Drizzle a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil on individual plates or on a large serving platter and top with the ravioli. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fresh oregano leaves and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Pastas

Despite their many colorful names, all stuffed pastas are essentially made from the same dough, with the shape, size, and the amount of filling varying with the season and region of Italy. Every city and town has its own characteristic forms and stuffings. Agnolotti is from Piedmont, tortellini from Emilia-Romagna, ravioli from Liguria.

What I think is so fun about stuffed pastas is they make you look and feel like an expert chef. And if you use prepared wonton wrappers, they are incredibly easy to make. You can fill them with whatever combination of flavors you like, whether it is a simple mixture of ricotta and herbs, vegetable purées, or finely chopped and seasoned meat or seafood bound with a bit of tomato sauce or béchamel. You can also play around with different shapes and sizes, making mini ravioli to drop into a broth or extra-big ones to serve with a simple brown butter sauce for an elegant starter.

Whichever shape you choose, though, be careful not to overstuff your pasta, or the filling will expand too much and split the pasta when it cooks. Uncooked, stuffed pastas freeze very well, so make a big batch and freeze the extra on baking sheets until completely firm, then transfer to freezer bags to keep for up to three months.

4 servings

Next time you feel like pasta and a salad for lunch, why not combine the two? I love the way the heat of the pasta warms the greens. I often make this when I’m cooking for one; just adjust all the ingredient quantities accordingly, and start with 6 ounces (about 1 cup) of dried pasta.

1 pound orecchiette (small, disk-shaped pasta)

8 ounces Mediterranean-style mixed salad greens

½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

3 ounces (about ⅓ cup) crumbled fresh goat cheese

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the salad greens in a large serving bowl and top with the warm pasta and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine and wilt the greens. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine, adding the remaining ½ cup of pasta water if necessary. Serve.

4 to 6 servings

Walnut pesto is very popular in Piedmont, where I first tasted this dish. It’s really great on its own, simply tossed with a long-cut pasta, but I think the peppers give it a bit more body and also make the dish more beautiful on the plate.

Walnut Pesto

2 cups (lightly packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley

¾ cup toasted walnuts (see note in recipe for Rotelli with Walnut Sauce)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

3 garlic cloves

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

2 leeks, thinly sliced crosswise and well rinsed

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound capellini or angel hair pasta

8 ounces fontina cheese, cut into small cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the pesto, combine the parsley, walnuts, thyme, and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor; blend until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the ½ cup of oil, processing until well blended. Season the pesto with the salt and pepper.

Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, leeks, and the finely chopped garlic. Sauté until the bell peppers are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water