Tag: italian food
Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms
I’m back from vacation and it is time to get back into healthy eating… so here is a great recipe for meatless Mondays… yummy pistachio pesto paired with sautéed mushrooms! Add a yummy green salad and a glass of red wine and you have a perfect meal!
Pistachio Pesto
- 1 cup roasted unsalted pistachios
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup mint, chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- Salt
Transfer the pistachios and garlic to a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds. Add the mint and parsley. While the processor is on, drizzle the oil in. Add the cheese and salt to taste. Keep aside.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ pound pasta cooked al dente, ½ cup pasta water spare
- Salt
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
Heat a large frying with the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or till they are golden brown. Add the pasta and stir well. Start by adding ½ cup of the pesto and adjust as needed. Add salt to taste. Garnish with cheese and serve.
Turkey and Chicken Sausage Ragu
This is a yummy ragu with ground turkey and chicken sausage. Sausage already has yummy flavor and it is a great way to add deliciousness to any dish…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 4 chicken sausage links, casings taken off and crumbled (I bought the roasted garlic variety)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- 4 cups whole-wheat spaghetti, al dente
Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Add the turkey meat and cook on high heat while separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the crumbled sausage and continue to brown for another 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the rosemary, onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add salt and mix well. Simmer on low heat, covered with lid for about 45 minutes while stirring every 10 minutes or so. Take lid off and check for seasonings. Serve on top of spaghetti and garnish with grated cheese.
Baby Kale Orange Salad with Cranberry Dressing
This is a perfect salad to make for the holidays. I have been using baby kale more and more. I added delicious oranges, which are so reminiscent of winter. I also made a delicious dressing with dried cranberries. This recipe makes quite a bit of the dressing- which can be kept in the fridge and reused for other salads…
Cranberry Dressing
- ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Add the cranberries, red wine vinegar and orange juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes or till the cranberries are soft and reconstituted. Add to a blender and blend till smooth. Add the mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend again till the dressing is emulsified. Check for seasonings and refrigerate.
- 4 cups baby kale
- 4 to 5 navel oranges, segmented
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- Salt
- Pepper
Add the baby kale, orange segments and almonds into a salad bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of the dressing and toss. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
Ricotta and Spinach Dumplings with Sausage & Cherry Tomatoes
What do you do with leftover dumplings?? You cook them with chicken sausage, add basil, some roasted cherry tomatoes and make a delicious dish!
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Transfer the tomatoes to a lined cookie sheet. Add the oil and salt, mix well and roast in oven for 40 minutes. Take out and let cool.
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 chicken sausage links, sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 4 to 5 leftover dumplings with sauce
- Salt
- 1 cup fresh basil, torn
Heat a frying pan with the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and brown on medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the dumplings with the sauce and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Check for seasonings and top with fresh basil.
Turkey Meatballs with Broccoli Rabe
- 1 pound dark meat turkey
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ cup basil
- ½ cup parsley
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Process the garlic, basil, parsley, lemon zest and pine nuts in a food processor till all is chopped well.
- ½ bunch broccoli rabe, greens taken off, blanched, squeezed and chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs soaked in ½ cup milk (for 10 minutes)
- 2 cups tomato sauce
Transfer the tomato sauce into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer.
Add the turkey, processed herbs, broccoli rabe, egg, cheese, salt and bread crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix well and form meatballs and slide into the simmering sauce. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and cook meatballs covered with a lid for 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve with pasta.
Linguini with Shrimp and Sausage
Another delicious pasta. Shrimp and sausage is a great combination..
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 chicken sausage links, sliced
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- Salt
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 to 3 cups cooked pasta
Heat a wide frying pan with olive oil. Add the sausage and brown on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and keep aside. Add the shallots, garlic and rosemary. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and add the sausage. Cook with the lid for about ten minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 4 to 5 minutes making sure not to over cook. Add salt and parsley. Serve with pasta.
Sausage Ragu with Red Wine
I haven’t posted a pasta dish in a while. So, here is one…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic, chopped
- 4 to 5 links chicken sausage, casing off and crumbled
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ cup red wine (something you are drinking)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- Salt
- 2 to 3 cups cooked pasta, al dente
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and sauté on medium high heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rosemary and red wine to deglaze the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer on lower heat and cover with lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve on pasta.