Summer Recipes from Giada De Laurentiis

Ever want to cook like a Food Network chef? Now you can. Giada De Laurentiis kindly shared her recipes for great summer treats that you and your family and friends can enjoy. Paired with Bella Sera wines, these recipes will take your next dinner to the next level.

Read more about Giada in the Entertainer’s latest interview.

For Dinner:
Piadina with Fontina and Prosciutto

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon baking soda
Fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½- inch pieces, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (15-ounce) container (2 cups) whole- milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (6 ounces) grated Fontina cheese
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Combine the flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add up to 2/3 cup water, until the mixture forms a dough around the hook.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 minutes, or until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form into disk shapes and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a grill pan over medium- high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8- to 10- inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Brush each circle with olive oil. Grill for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the piadini from the grill and let cool slightly.

Combine the ricotta cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread each piadina with ½ cup of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with the Fontina cheese evenly over the ricotta cheese. Arrange the prosciutto slices on top of the cheeses. Cut each piadina into 8 wedges and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped basil. Pair with Bella Sera Pinot Grigio.

Reprinted from Giada At Home by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2010. Published by Clarkson Potter/Random House, Inc.

For Desert:
Ricotta with Honey and Raspberries

1 pound ricotta cheese
1 tsp sweetened cocoa powder
1 cup fresh pear
2 Tbsp honey
2 biscotti cookies

In a serving bowl, add ricotta cheese. Using a small sieve, sprinkle cocoa powder over the
ricotta. Top with fresh raspberries, and drizzle with honey. Use the biscotti cookies as spoons.

Pair with Bella Sera Moscato for a real treat.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Show : Everyday Italian “Weeknight Dinner”