We’ve been waiting a long time to tackle the recipes from Scott Conant’s Scarpetta Cookbook. But before we dive head-first into the pasta, let’s start with a classic Italian-inspired salad of bitter radicchio in a creamy-savory pine nut dressing. We’re not barbarians, after all. “As much as I love spaghetti, I do more than just make pasta,” he says.
Check out our recent interview with Conant for more from one of our favorite celebrity chefs.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey, such as wildflower
- kosher salt
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Serving
- 16 endive leaves
- 12 radicchio leaves, quartered
- 16 arugula leaves (preferably wild arugula), torn in half
- 28 strips shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Directions
For the dressing:
- In a blender, purée the pine nuts, lemon juice, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and crushed red pepper. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time; the dressing should be a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency.
- Transfer the dressing to a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons water. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed. (The dressing can be made 2 days ahead and kept covered and refrigerated.)
For serving:
- In a large bowl, gently toss the endive, radicchio and arugula with 1/4 cup of the dressing and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Divide among serving plates and top with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and the pine nuts.
- Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.
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