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

evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 12 lasagna rolls. Drizzle the rolls with the remaining marinara mixture and top with grated mozzarella. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

4 to 6 servings, depending on how you plate it

When orzo, rice-shaped pasta, is cooked like risotto, it becomes soft and creamy. It’s a wonderful foil for pork, as well as chicken or seafood, and you can change the seasonings to match the protein. A drizzle of herby vinaigrette over the pork and orzo gives an extra zing of flavor.

Orzotto

3½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup finely chopped onion (about 1 onion)

1 pound orzo pasta

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Herb Vinaigrette

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pork Chops

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless pork loin chops, about 2 inches thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

For the orzotto, in a medium saucepan, bring the 3½ cups of broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add ½ cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the pasta, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar or tight-sealing plastic container. Shake well and set aside.

For the pork, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, carefully place the pork chops in the skillet. Sear the pork until a golden crust begins to form, turning once, about 8 minutes per side. Remove the pork from the pan and cover loosely with foil to rest. Pour off the excess oil from the pan and return it to medium heat. Pour the ½ cup of chicken broth into the skillet and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.

To finish the orzotto, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the broth from the pork skillet, the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper.

Spoon the orzotto onto a serving platter (or onto individual plates). Slice each chop into ½-inch-thick strips and arrange the meat on top of the orzotto. Drizzle with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

4 to 6 servings

If you love seafood stew, this is the dish for you. It’s bright and colorful from the greens and the tomatoes, with lots of great sauce to dip your bread in.

1 pound spaghetti

¼ cup olive oil

3 shallots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1½ cups Pinot Grigio (or other dry white wine)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups arugula, tough stems removed

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, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened.

Add the spaghetti to the skillet with the seafood mixture. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine, then gently fold in the arugula. Mound the pasta on a serving platter and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Tortelloni with Cranberry Walnut Sauce

4 to 6 servings

This recipe has several steps, but give it a try; I think you’ll find that none of the steps is difficult, and you can prepare the recipe in stages if you like. Make the filling one day, fill and cook the tortelloni the next, or make and fill the pasta to freeze, and cook anytime you want!

The autumn flavors of squash, nuts, and cranberries make this the perfect side dish for a big holiday meal, or a vegetarian alternative for the non-meat eaters at the table.

Squash Tortelloni

1 butternut squash, approximately 2 pounds, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ teaspoons herbes de Provence

½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 large shallots, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 small amaretti cookies, crushed (about ⅓ cup)

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

36 small square wonton wrappers

Cranberry Walnut Sauce

¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh sage

½ cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries, or a mixture of both

½ cup toasted walnuts (see note in recipe for Rotelli with Walnut Sauce), chopped

¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the tortelloni, preheat the oven to 375°F. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss together the butternut