Two Italian recipes from Kasper's cookbooks

Here are some recipes that illustrate her approach to the food of her beloved Italy:

This salad of Tart Greens With Prosciutto and Warm Balsamic Dressing can be made several hours ahead and then refrigerated. Louis Wallach

Tart Italian salad

In "The Splendid Table," Kasper suggests this salad of tart greens as a one-dish supper. The salad can be assembled several hours ahead, covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. The dressing can be cooked ahead, too, and reheated just before serving. A crusty loaf of bread would be a fine accompaniment.

Salad of Tart Greens With Prosciutto and Warm Balsamic Dressing

1 medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 small head each romaine, radicchio, red leaf lettuce and curly endive
1/2 cup (2 ounces) pine nuts, toasted
3-4 whole scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 ounces parmigiano reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler into thin curls
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto de Parma, cut into bite-size squares
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup lightly packed fresh Italianvparsley leaves
8 large cloves garlic, cut into 1/4-inch dice
About 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 to 6 tablespoons commercial balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
About 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Assembling the salad: Rid the onions of their sharpness by soaking them in the ? cup vinegar about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the lettuces, throwing away any coarse or bruised leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, toss the greens with all but 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, most of the scallions, half the cheese, half the prosciutto and all the basil and parsley. Arrange on a large platter.

Dressing: In a medium skillet, slowly cook the garlic in the olive oil over very low heat 8 minutes or until barely colored. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the vinegars to the oil. Cook a few moments or until the acid has diffused slightly. Add brown sugar to taste (this gives some depth to commercial balsamics) and let the mixture bubble slowly 1 minute. Taste for sweet/tart balance (cool the sample). Stir in extra brown sugar or balsamic vinegar to taste. if the dressing is too sharp, simmer for a few moments to boil off some of the vinegar’s acid. Stir in the reserved garlic and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve. Dressing can be cooked up to several hours ahead of serving.

To serve: Top salad with drained red onion and scatter rest of scallions, pine nuts, cheese and prosciutto over the salad. Reheat the dressing, stir vigorously to blend and spoon over salad. Serve immediately.

Serving parmigiano reggiano

"Parmigiano reggiano is never cut; it is opened by digging your knife about an inch into the cheese, then using it like a wedge to release a chunk," instructs Kasper in her book "The Italian Country Table." "This protects its uniquely rough texture, which is important to the way you taste the cheese."

Parmigiano reggiano and balsamico are a fine appetizer combination to be enjoyed with a light sparkling white wine.

Richman’s Antipasto

2-4 pound wedge parmigiano reggiano
1/4 to 2/3 cup artisan-made balsamic vinegar

Set the cheese on a serving platter. With a knife, break out 1 to 1? inch chunks of cheese. Pile the chunks on the cheese wedge, letting some cascade onto the plate. The cheese can be prepared up to 6 hours before serving. Cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.

Just before serving, drizzle enough balsamic vinegar over the cheese to streak each chunk generously. Eat with your fingers and have napkins handy.

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