Category Archives: Italian Cuisine

Corn and Green Bean Pappardalle with Herbed Ricotta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup green beans, chopped and rinsed
Salt
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups homemade or bottled marinara sauce
½ pound cooked pasta (I used pappardelle) with ½ cup pasta water to spare

Heat a wide frying pan with olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn and green beans. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the basil and check for seasonings. Add the marinara sauce, bring to a boil and then add the cooked pasta with the pasta water. Mix well, bring to a boil and check for seasonings.

Herbed Ricotta

1 cup fresh ricotta
2 garlic cloves, grated
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup basil, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Check for seasonings and serve with a dollop of ricotta on a serving of pasta.

Pasta with Beans and Artichoke

This is a simple pasta made with ingredients in my pantry and fridge… very delicious!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pancetta, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, crushed with fingers

1 14 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

½ pound orcchiette pasta cooked al dente with 2 cups pasta water spared

Salt

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

½ cup parsley, chopped

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes till pancetta is golden brown. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the artichoke and beans. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Add the cooked pasta with 1 cup pasta water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cheese and parsley. Check for seasonings and add more salt and pasta water as needed. Serve warm.

Pasta with Sausage and Sweet Pepper Sauce

½ pound pasta, al dente with a cup of pasta water set aside
4 chicken sausage links, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the sausages and sauté on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes till the sausages are golden brown. Keep aside.

1 cup fresh tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Salt
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Start the grill outside or preheat the broiler. Coat the peppers with the oil and grill or roast them till the skin is charred- about 20 minutes. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Take the peppers out and peel the skin and take the seeds out. Place the peppers in a blender with the tomato sauce. Blend till smooth. Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed.
Add two cups of the sweet pepper sauce to the sausages and add the pasta and half cup of the pasta water (add more water if needed). Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve with cheese on top.

Pasta Primavera with Wine Sauce

Meatless Monday continues with this delicious pasta primavera I made with a wine sauce. I served it on top of healthy whole wheat spaghetti! It was yum!

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into quarters
1 cup Shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 medium red pepper, chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups homemade or store brought tomato sauce
½ pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Heat a large frying pan with the butter and oil. Add the thyme and both the mushrooms. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red pepper, salt and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes and add the zucchini. Saute for a minute and transfer the vegetables to a plate. Deglaze with wine and scrape all the brown bits off and cook the wine down to about half a cup. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the vegetables back and check for seasonings. Serve on top of spaghetti and top with cheese.

Braised Short Ribs with Citrus Gremolata

I would highly recommend this dish for the holidays. I served it with polenta and it was an amazing dinner. Oh, and don’t forget a copious amount of red wine…

4 pounds short ribs, excess fat removed
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper
1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Place the short ribs in a large glass dish and sprinkle the salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Refrigerate overnight. Take out an hour before cooking.

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 fresh bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups red wine
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil until smoking. Brown the ribs on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes each in two to three batches. Keep aside. Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for minute. Add the flour and sauté for another minute. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add the chicken broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Add the ribs back into the liquid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or till the meat is falling off the bone.
Take out of oven and take the ribs out onto a platter. Strain the braising liquid and squeeze all the moisture out of the solids. Discard the solids and return the liquid to the saucepan. Reduce to desired consistency- there should be about a cup and a half to two cups of liquid remaining. Check for seasonings and return the ribs back into the liquid. Top with gremolata and serve.

Citrus Gremolata

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Zest of one lemon
Zest of two clementines or half a navel orange

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, cover and keep aside.

Bolognese Garlic Bread Sandwiches

I watched Rachel Ray make these on her show and loved the idea. I changed up the recipe a bit and added mushrooms to make the dish healthier. I also jazzed up the ricotta cheese. These sandwiches were absolutely delicious. My daughter gave them two thumbs up!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped pancetta
1 pound ground turkey
5 ounces Cremini mushrooms, grated
2 medium shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small bunch, thyme
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce, preferably home made
2 cups milk
Salt

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the pancetta and sauté for a minute or two. Add the ground turkey and separate the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Saute on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme. Saute on high heat for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, milk and salt. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer with the lid on. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or till the meat is cooked through. Take the lid off and check for seasonings. Keep aside.

Ricotta Topping

1 cup full fat ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Place the olive oil, garlic and parsley in a small frying pan. Heat over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes- just enough time to cook the garlic without browning. Add salt and let cool. Add to the ricotta, mix well and keep aside.

4 ciabatta rolls
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Add the garlic, oil and salt to a small frying pan. Cook on a very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t get brown. Take off the heat and drizzle the garlic mixture all over the four rolls. Toast in the oven until fragrant and golden brown. Take out and assemble the sandwiches. Place about half a cup of the ground meat. Top with ricotta mixture and serve.

Sausage Mushroom Ragu

Another quick, easy and delicious dish for through the week…

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 links chicken sausage, I used roasted garlic and fontina, casings off and crumbled
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups crushed tomatoes
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt
½ pound cooked pasta, al dente with ½ cup pasta water spared

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Take the lid off, add the cheese, mix well.

In the meantime, cook the pasta and add ½ cup of the pasta water to the ragu, mix well and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

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