Giada’s Neopolitan Calamari and Shrimp Salad
(Serves 4 to 6)
Reprinted from Everyday Pasta with permission from Giada De Laurentiis and Clarkson Potter.
Men sometimes complain that pasta salad isn’t a “real” meal because it’s so light. This one will make a believer out of anyone who has turned his nose up at pasta salad in the past. Meaty eggplant chunks, cannelloni beans, plus lots of grilled seafood make this as filling and robust as it is attractive on the plate.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 pound orzo pasta (about 1 cup)
1/2 pound calamari, bodies and tentacles
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 3 slices
1 Japanese eggplant, cut lengthwise in 3 slices
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
3 ounces arugula (about 3 cups)
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 cannelloni 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.
