Grilled Bread Pane Alla Grillia Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Food

GRILLED BREAD (PANE ALLA GRILLIA) COURTESY GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise.
• Then cut each half into 1-inch slices.
• In batches as needed, grill the ciabatta slices, cut side down until they are golden and crisp, about 2 minutes.
• Working quickly, drizzle the toasted sides with extra-virgin olive oil.
• Rub the garlic cloves over the grilled bread, then rub the cut side of the tomatoes over the grilled bread.
• It's important to do this while the bread is still hot or warm, otherwise the garlic won't melt into the bread.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

STUFFED MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the Parmesan and bread crumbs. Mix in the beef, pork, and veal. Pack half of the meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Spoon the stuffing over the meat in the pan, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Top with the remaining meat mixture, enclosing the stuffing completely and pressing firmly. Spoon the marinara sauce over the meatloaf, then sprinkle with the provolone cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, until the meat loaf is firm to the touch in the center and has pulled away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices and serve.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.
• Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

CRUSTY GARLIC AND HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Oil the inside of the bowl of a mini food processor. Add the softened butter, garlic, cheese and herbs. Pulse until well combined.
• Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices. You will need 12 to 16 slices.
• Spread the butter mixture onto 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange slices, butter side up and bake in the oven until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes.

TOASTED CIABATTA WITH SHRIMP, TARRAGON AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• For the bread: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the bread halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until light golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Rub the warm bread with the cut-side of the garlic. Set aside.
• For the topping: While the bread is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until just pink and cooked through. Remove the shrimp to a cutting board.
• In the same skillet, add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes start to soften, about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Turn the heat under the skillet to high. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the stock and boil until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the shrimp, arugula, mascarpone cheese and tarragon, and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the creamy shrimp and sauce over the toasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut into slices and serve.

PIZZA GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the diced pepperoni and the basil until well combined.
• Butter one side of each slice of bread. Working buttered side down, spread each slice with 1 tablespoon of the marinara. Divide the cheese mixture among 6 slices of the bread, and sandwich with the remaining slices. For each sandwich, sprinkle the top piece of bread with 1 tablespoon of the remaining Parmesan. Flip, and sprinkle the other side with an additional tablespoon of Parmesan.
• To make all of these sandwiches at once, heat 2 baking pans in the oven for 10 minutes. Spray the bottom of one of the pans with cooking spray, and place the buttered and Parmesan-ed sandwiches in the pan. Spray the underside of the second pan, and place it on top of the sandwiches. Bake until golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted, 10 minutes.
• Cut each sandwich into 3 pieces. Using a few shreds of mozzarella cheese as glue, make a face using the black olive slices as eyes, the green olive slices as a nose, and the pepperoni slices as a mouth. Melt for 4 minutes in the oven to adhere.
• Serve with marinara for dipping if desired.

TOASTED CIABATTA WITH BALSAMIC SYRUP

Steps:

• Boil the balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Toast the bread slices. Spread the butter over the toasts. Arrange the toasts on a platter. Drizzle the reduced balsamic syrup over the toasts then sprinkle with a little more sugar, and serve.