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

pasta to a serving platter, top with the grilled swordfish, and serve.

Conghilie with Clams, Mussels, and Broccoli

4 to 6 servings

You don’t often see recipes for seafood pastas that incorporate vegetables other than the occasional chopped tomato, but broccoli adds a lot of body, color, and substance to this pasta dish. I love broccoli, but if you don’t, feel free to substitute your favorite green vegetable. It’s a great quick, elegant meal.

1 pound conghilie (small shells) pasta

1 pound broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets (about 4 cups)

¼ cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound small littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 pound mussels, debearded

1 cup white wine

⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli to the pasta water and continue cooking until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, and the broccoli is blanched, about 4 minutes more. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the clams, mussels, and wine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, making sure all the shells have opened. (Discard any shells that remain closed.) Sprinkle with the parsley.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, broccoli, and shellfish. Add the reserved pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, to moisten, and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Rotini with Salmon and Roasted Garlic

4 to 6 servings

This may seem like a lot of garlic, but because it’s roasted it only contributes a mellow, nutty flavor that goes beautifully with the salmon. Capers and lemon zest add some brightness to the dish, which is a perfect light spring meal.

2 whole heads of garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound rotini or fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pasta)

½ cup Marsala or white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 pound salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the heads of garlic in half crosswise and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and around the garlic, making sure it stays flat, and fold the edges to seal into a tight packet. Roast until soft, about 60 minutes. Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash half of the roasted garlic cloves into a paste with the back of a fork. Set aside.

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.

Meanwhile, combine the Marsala and chicken broth in a large, heavy skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the mashed roasted garlic and stir to dissolve. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes, then add the salmon, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the remaining whole roasted garlic cloves, the lemon zest and juice, rosemary, and the cooked pasta. Stir to combine; add the extra-virgin olive oil, capers, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and stir once more. Serve immediately.

4 to 6 servings

The secret ingredient in this dish is the garlicky croutons. I buy good-quality prepackaged garlic croutons from a local bakery and keep them in my pantry for emergencies (I also have been known to snack on them from time to time). You can certainly make them from scratch, but in this dish, it’s fine to substitute store-bought if you have a good source. I love the almondy and garlicky flavor the crumbs give the pasta.

1 pound rigatoni (large, ridged tubular pasta)

3 cups purchased garlic-flavored croutons (about 5 ounces)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (see note in recipe for Rotelli with Walnut Sauce)

1 cup julienned roasted red bell peppers

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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 and transfer to a large bowl.

Place the croutons and the almonds in a food processor. Pulse until they are finely chopped, with the texture of bread crumbs. Add the crouton-and-almond mixture to the hot pasta along with the peppers and the olive oil. Toss to combine. Serve.

4 to 6 servings

I love the intensely sweet, chewy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, and mixed with tomato paste they create a sauce with a very concentrated flavor that doesn’t require the long cooking of a traditional tomato sauce. Softened with a bit of goat cheese, this is a creamy sauce that just barely coats the pasta without weighing it down.

1 (10-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

1 pound angel hair pasta

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3-4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and parsley to the tomato