Neapolitan Salad Recipes

NEAPOLITAN CALAMARI AND SHRIMP SALAD

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
• Drizzle the fish, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the calamari and shrimp, just until cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes a side. Grill the zucchini and eggplant until tender, about 4 minutes a side. Grill the tomatoes just until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes.
• Add the orzo, cannellini beans, arugula, basil, and parsley to the bowl. Cut the calamari bodies into 1-inch rings. Cut the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes into roughly about 1-inch cubes. Add the vegetables and calamari to the bowl with the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Finally, add the shrimp on top of the salad. Gently spoon the salad into a serving bowl and serve.

NEAPOLITAN SALAD

Steps:

• On a platter, arrange slices of tomatoes, basil and cheese, overlapping slightly.
• Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil.

NEAPOLITAN CALAMARI AND SHRIMP SALAD

Steps:

• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the seafood, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the calamari and shrimp until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Grill the zucchini and eggplant until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Grill the tomatoes cut side down just until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes.
• Cut the calamari bodies into 1-inch rings. Add the calamari rings and tentacles and the shrimp to the bowl with the orzo. Cut the zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and add them to the bowl with the orzo and seafood. Toss to combine. Add the cannellini beans, arugula, basil, parsley, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and toss again. Gently spoon the salad into a serving bowl and serve.
• Cooking pasta for a pasta salad differs in a couple of important ways from cooking pasta that is meant to be served hot. Here are some things to keep in mind:
• Because chilling tends to mute flavors, be sure to salt the water in which you cook the pasta especially generously to really flavor the pasta.
• This is the one time you can cook pasta a bit past al dente; the pasta should be cooked all the way through and soft (but not mushy!), as any uncooked core will be hard and taste starchy.
• Rinse the pasta briefly after draining it to get rid of excess starch, which will make your salad sticky. Again, this is an exception to the general rule!
• Don't dress the salad until right before serving, especially if the dressing contains an acid like vinegar or citrus juice, as it will start to break down the pasta and make it mushy.

NEAPOLITAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Score an "x" in the bottom of each tomato. place tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, carefully remove tomatoes and plunge into an ice bath. The tomato skin will peel off easily.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in several batches, place tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute. Carefully remove and plunge into an ice bath. Transfer to a work surface and remove skins.
• Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned and fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add tomatoes, crushing each one by hand. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until sauce starts to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stir in fresh basil and remove from the heat. Serve immediately.

NEAPOLITAN CAULIFLOWER SALAD - LA RINFORZATA

Steps:

• Trim the cauliflower and separate it into flowerets. Steam or poach in boiling water to cover for 5 minutes. Plunge immediately into cold water and drain thoroughly.
• Place the blanched flowerets in a large bowl and add the onion, black and green olives, gherkins, capers and anchovies.
• Combine the oil and vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste and blend well. Pour the dressing over the salad, sprinkle with basil and toss gently to coat well.
• Chill for a few hours, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors. Serve slightly chilled or at room temeprature.