Category Archives: Italian Cuisine
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ pound whole-wheat spaghetti, al dente
In a large mixing bowl, add the turkey meat, pesto, zucchini, eggs, breadcrumbs and salt. Mix well with fingertips and keep aside for an hour.
In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes and add the tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes and turn it down to a simmer.
Form medium sized meatballs and begin adding to the simmering sauce. Once all the meatballs are formed, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Serve on top of al dente spaghetti.
Pork Ragu Lasagna with Pesto Bechamel
Pork Ragu
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups fresh tomato sauce
- Salt
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the pork and cook on high heat and separate the meat with a wooden spoon. Saute for a 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add salt if necessary and turn heat off and keep aside.
Bechamel Sauce
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup fresh or store bought pesto
Heat a medium saucepan and add the flour and butter. Melt the butter on medium high heat. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and whisk to make sure all the lumps are taken out. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt. Turn the heat off and keep aside. Add the pesto and mix well.
Lasagna
- 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
- 12 lasagna sheets (I used no boil pasta)
Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Line a 9 X 11 glass pan with a quarter cup of béchamel sauce. Cover the bottom and add four pasta sheets. Spread one cup of meat sauce on top. Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top. Pour about ¾ cup of béchamel sauce- spreading it all over the pasta. Add another cup of meat sauce. Add ¼ cup of shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top and cover with the remaining béchamel sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for another 15. Serve hot with salad and garlic bread.
Morel Mushroom Risotto
I served the risotto with lamb chops- yum!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pack wild mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 3 to 4 cups mushroom broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 to 4 dried morel mushrooms
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
Soak the mushrooms in the warm water for 3 to 4 hours. Take the mushrooms out and strain the water of any sand/impurities. Keep the water aside. Chop the mushrooms and add the wild mushroom heap.
Heat the morel broth and the packaged mushroom broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm (use 3 cups of packaged broth in addition to the morel broth; use 4 cups of packaged broth if not using morels).
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wild and morel mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the rice and sauté for a minute. Add a half cup of warmed broth to the rice mix and stir on medium low heat. As soon as the liquid is cooked off, add the next half-cup. Stir and cook till the rice grains are cooked through- it should take about 20 minutes. Add half and half, butter, cheese and salt. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add pepper and serve hot.
Spinach Polenta
2 tablespoons olive oil- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 cup chopped and thawed (frozen) spinach, excess water squeezed
- 1 cup fine polenta
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 cups broth
- ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
- Salt
Heat a medium saucepan with olive oil. Add the pine nuts and raisins and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk and the broth and bring to a boil. Slowly add the polenta while stirring constantly. Cook according to box instructions. Add the cheese and check for seasonings. Serve with shrimp.
Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich
Eat them while the tomatoes are still around…
- Sliced baguette or a piece of garlic bread
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 3 to 4 slices fresh mozzarella (1/4 inch thick)
- 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves
- One medium tomato or several grape tomatoes, cut in half
- Salt
Cut a big enough piece of the garlic bread and slice and toast. Spread the mayonnaise on both pieces of bread. Place the mozzarella slices on one side of bread and sprinkle some salt. Place the tomatoes and basil leaves. Place the other piece of bread on top and serve.
Sicilian Caponata
1 cup mix of black and green olives, pitted
1 tablespoon capers
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Juice on half a lemon
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Puree all the ingredients, except the olive oil, salt and pepper, in a food processor until a paste is formed.
With the motor still running, stream in the oil until a smooth consistency if formed. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Bolognese Sauce with Spaghetti
I would highly recommend this recipe for bolognese sauce- it is easy to make and really delicious! The pancetta and sausage flavor it amazing.. definitely worth a try…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup pancetta, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large Italian sausage links, meat taken out of the casings
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- ½ pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme. Stir and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add one teaspoon of salt. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat till the vegetables are soft and pancetta is crispy. Add the beef and sausage and separate vigorously with the back of a wooden spoon while stirring. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the white wine and scrape off all the golden brown bits from the bottom. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low heat with lid on for 2 hours. Stir every 15 minutes or so to check the consistency. Once the consistency is according to taste, check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.