Free Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada de Laurentiis Page B

chopped fresh basil, for garnish
    Preheat the oven to 400°F.
    Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and break them into pieces using a pair of kitchen shears or your fingertips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
    Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo will be only partially cooked. Drain the orzo through a sieve, reserving the chicken broth, and add the orzo to the large bowl with the vegetables. Stir to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.
    Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.
    Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the stuffed peppers to serving plates. Garnish with basil, if desired.
     

BEEF AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW
    RIB-EYE STEAK WITH BLACK OLIVE VINAIGRETTE
    BEEF ROAST WITH SPICY PARSLEY TOMATO SAUCE
    PROSCIUTTO LAMB BURGERS
    LAMB RAGÙ WITH MINT
    TURKEY OSSO BUCO WITH PARSLEY AND ROSEMARY GREMOLATA
    HERBED CHICKEN WITH SPRING VEGETABLES CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC BARBECUE SAUCE
    CHICKEN SCALOPPINE WITH SAFFRON CREAM SAUCE
    VEAL CHOP SALTIMBOCCA
    PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL AND CAPER SAUCE
    PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET ONION MARMELLATA
    ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH ROASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
    SWORDFISH POACHED IN OLIVE OIL WITH BROCCOLI RABE PESTO
    GRILLED SHRIMP IN ARTICHOKE TOMATO BROTH
    SALMON WITH PUFF PASTRY AND PESTO
    ROASTED HALIBUT WITH GRAPEFRUIT FENNEL SALSA
    SALMON IN LEMON BRODETTO WITH PEA PURÉE
     

    Most people don’t consider a meal a meal unless it includes some sort of fish, poultry, or meat. What’s most important for our diets, though, is that we eat a variety of foods, both proteins and other types. My solution is to serve some of them at every meal, eating small portions of each so that I never have to feel like I’m missing out—or getting weighed down.
    Like most people, I include chicken, turkey, and fish as staples, and I’m often asked how to change up those poultry and fish recipes to keep weeknight meals exciting without adding to the stress of the day. You’ll find plenty of great options here, from the easy braised Turkey Osso Buco, redolent with aromatics and wine, to a more decadent dish like Chicken Scaloppine with Saffron Cream Sauce. Fish and shrimp get makeovers, too, with lots of veggies and accents, such as fennel and grapefruit salsa for a grilled halibut fillet. And never fear that I have forgotten the meat-lovers. Beef and Butternut Squash Stew and Lamb Ragù with Mint will make you want to curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and hunker down to a cozy dinner.
     

    I’m really in love with butternut squash these days and I have been finding lots of new ways to use it. Here it brightens up beef stew, which can be a bit dreary looking, turning a tired old standard into something more unexpected and elegant.
    4 to 6 servings
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1 onion, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, chopped
    1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
    ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
    1 cup Marsala wine
    1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
    ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
    3 to 4 cups beef broth
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    Crusty bread, for serving
    In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and sauté until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Combine the salt, pepper,