classic italian

This sweet and savory focaccia stars sweet red grapes and fresh rosemary for a beautiful bread inspired by the chef at Monteverdi in Tuscany.

Grape And Rosemary Focaccia

active dry yeast

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

red grapes*

fresh rosemary, (roughly chopped)

Extra virgin olive oil, (for topping)

*Chef’s Note: Smaller varieties of grapes,

Add the bread flour, yeast and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed for just 15-20 seconds to evenly distribute the ingredients. Add the warm water. Turn the mixer on low speed for about 5 minutes, making sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. The dough will be very wet, loose and sticky. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with plastic wrap or a silicone lid.

Allow the dough to rest in a dry, warm place for 30 minutes. Once rested, wet your hands slightly to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. With one hand, scoop the edge of dough on the farthest side from you, and stretch slightly to gather it in the middle. Rotate the bowl slightly and continue this process until all edges of the dough have been folded to the center. Cover the bowl up again with the plastic wrap or silicone lid, and allow to rest for an additional 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Prepare a baking sheet by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the center, and using a pastry brush or fingers to evenly coat the pan, including the sides. Turn the focaccia dough out onto the oiled baking sheet, using a rubber spatula to get all of it out. With oiled hands, gently work the dough and stretch until it almost covers the whole pan. Don’t worry if the dough retracts or doesn’t reach the ends of the sheet. Be careful to try and not release bubbles in the dough during this process. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

With oiled fingers, gently stretch the dough to cover the entire pan. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers to form dimples all throughout the dough. Distribute the grapes over the focaccia. Sprinkle with the rosemary and the coarse or flakey sea salt. Finish with a generous drizzle of oive oil all over the dough.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Use a metal spatula along the edges if they stick to the pan. Slice into squares and serve.

Giada&#039;s Calabrian Chili Pasta is a super quick dinner to whip up on any weeknight, but it has tons of bright, vibrant flavor.

Calabrian Chili Pasta

14 oz can pomodorini tomatoes, (such as Corbara)

Calabrian chili paste*

dried oregano, (such as Filliponne)

salt

lemon zest, (from 1 lemon)

lemon juice, (from 1/2 lemon)

unsalted butter

short pasta, (such as capricci, penne, or rigatoni)

Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and heat another 30 seconds. Add the pomodorini tomatoes to the skillet, then fill the can up with 1/4 cup of water to release the extra tomato sauce in the can, and add to the pan as well. Either crush with the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, or gently cut them with kitchen scissors. Add the Calabrian chili paste, dried oregano, salt,  lemon zest and lemon juice. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tablespoon of butter and gently stir until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season generously with salt. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than package directions, about 10 minutes, or until not quite al dente. Using a spider, spoon the pasta directly from the water into the sauce over medium heat. Sprinkle the Parmesan directly over the pasta, and toss to coat. If needed, add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to loosen up the sauce.

Top with more cheese before serving if desired.

bread

water,

dry yeast

Giada&amp;#039;s take on the classic Italian soup, Minestrone, has a few secret ingredients that make the flavor absolutely delicious.

Winter Minestrone

olive oil

onion (chopped)

carrots (peeled, chopped)

celery (chopped)

pancetta (coarsely chopped)

garlic

Swiss chard (stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped)

russet potato (peeled, cubed)

tomatoes (diced with scissors)

rosemary

cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

beef broth

Parmesan cheese rind

Italian parsley leaves

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato, saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

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Grape And Rosemary Focaccia

Calabrian Chili Pasta

Grape And Rosemary Focaccia

Winter Minestrone

Top 4 classic italian recipes from across the web

The most viewed classic italian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Grape And Rosemary Focaccia

Calabrian Chili Pasta

Grape And Rosemary Focaccia

Winter Minestrone

The most viewed classic italian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine