Category Archives: Italian

Italian, recipes

Baked Calzone Recipe

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Baked calzone
Baked Calzone

Ingredients:

8 oz pizza dough for each panzerotti,
1 oz. sliced pepperoni,
pinch of dried herbs – Italian mix,
3 ounces mozzarella,
1 slice of prosciutto,
6-7 Italian meatballs,
2 tablespoons pizza sauce,
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe:

  1. Pull the dough with your hands to about 8 inches in diameter and over one half of it put the filling and close it with the other half. Tuck it in or use a fork to close the calzone properly.
  2. Brush the calzone top with little tomato sauce flavored with a few drops of garlic infused oil. Sprinkle some semolina on a pizza pan, put the panzerotti over it and bake it in a preheated oven at 400 F.
  3. Bake the panzerotti until it is golden brown and when you insert a toothpick in it comes out clean.
  4. Cooking Tip: You can make a vegetarian panzerotti if you stuff it with grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, onions, etc. and then cook it the same way.

Italian, Pasta, recipes, Vegetarian

Penne Pomodoro Pasta Recipe

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Penne pomodoro pasta
Penne Pomodoro Pasta

Ingredients:

1 can (500 gr.) peeled Roma tomatoes in tomato juice,
4 tablespoons olive oil,
1 tablespoon chopped basil,
1 small onion, chopped,
1 tablespoon minced garlic,
2 teaspoons sugar,
1 teaspoon salt,
2 bay leaves,
1 teaspoon dry oregano,
1 tablespoon butter,
1 teaspoon white pepper.

Recipe: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until slightly golden.

2. Blend briefly the tomatoes with a stick blender and pour them in the saucepan. Add the salt, white pepper, oregano and bay leaves.

3. Simmer the tomato sauce over low temperature for about 30 min. (or until the desired consistencyis achieved), stirring occasionally.

3. Add the sugar, chopped basil and butter 10 minutes before the sauce is ready. 

Cooking tip: Make sure you are using real butter, not margarine, in this recipe. Use this Italian tomato sauce for pastas or on top of veal or chicken parmesan.

Italian, Pasta, recipes, Vegetarian

Rigatoni Melanzane Eggplant Pasta Recipe

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Rigatoni melanzane eggplant pasta
Rigatoni Melanzane Pasta (with eggplant)

This recipe serves three or four dinner servings. Rigatoni Melanzane is a very simple and tasty recipe, one of the best ways to enjoy the great taste of the eggplant.

Ingredients:

1 lb. rigatoni pasta,
2 cups tomato pasta sauce,
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
2 cups diced eggplant,
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil,
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
1/4 small yellow onion, chopped,
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese,
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet and saute the eggplant, onion and garlic until the eggplant cubes are soft and nicely browned.
  2. Add the tomato sauce, basil and oregano and reduce the sauce slightly by simmering it at low heat for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Boil the rigatoni pasta according to the package instruction, usually about 12 minutes. Strain the boiled rigatoni and toss them with the melanzane pasta sauce.
  4. Serve the Rigatoni Melanzana with some grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

Italian, Pasta, recipes

Gnocchi Arrabbiata Pasta Recipe

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Gnocchi arrabbiata pasta image
Gnocchi Arrabbiata

Ingredients:

1 pounds of gnocchi (dry or frozen),
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
1 teaspoon chili flakes,
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil,
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 teaspoon butter,
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Recipe:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan and saute the garlic until golden.

2.Add the chili flakes 1 minute before the garlic is ready, followed by the crushed tomatoes and basil. (Optional: You can add 1/4 cup of chicken stock to the sauce).

3. Season the Arrabbiata sauce with salt and pepper and cook it for several minutes over meduim heat until the desired consistency.

4. Boil the gnocchi according the package instructions, strain it and toss it with the Arrabbiata sauce. I boil my gnocchi by dropping them in a large pot with boiling water and little salt, then after they have been floating on the surface of the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, I take them out with a collander and mix them with the sauce right away.

This Gnocchi Arrabbiata recipe is for 5 servings of pasta. I served the gnocchi with some freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

Italian, recipes, Salad

Stacked Caprese Salad Recipe

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Stacked Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella
Caprese Salad with Formaggio di Bufala

Ingredients:

4 large ripe beefstake tomatoes,
2-3 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella, (formaggio di bufala)
4 tablespoons pasto sauce,
sea salt to taste,
some leaf lettuce for decoration,
freshly ground black pepper to taste,
fresh parsley sprig or basil for decoration.

Recipe:

  1. Slice each tomato to 4-5 slices and sprinkle some sea salt on each slice.
  2. Arrange the tomato slices on stacks, as seen in the picture below, and put a teaspoon of pesto sauce and a slice of buffalo mozzarella between the tomato slices.
  3. Serve each stack of caprese salad on a plate over some leaf lettuce and grind some black pepper on top.
  4. Decorate the caprese salads with fresh parsley or basil.
  5. This salad is very easy and doesn’t take any major cooking skills to prepare. Preparation time is only 10 minutes. For best results serve the salad slightly chilled, but not cold. If you have balsamic reduction ready, you can sprinkle it around the edges of the plate for decoration. Cheers.

Italian, Pasta, recipes

Gnocchi with Pancetta and Snap Peas in Blush Sauce

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Gnocchi pasta with blush sauce
Gnocchi with Pancetta and Snap Peas in Blush Sauce

Ingredients for 4:

2 pounds of potato gnocchi,
4 oz sliced and chopped pancetta,
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 shallot, chopped,
1 cup snap peas,
2 tablespoons olive oil,
1 cup pasta sauce,
1/2 cup 18% cream,
1 heaping tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese,
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe:

1. Saute the garlic and shallot with the olive oil in a large heavy pan for 2 minutes.

2. Add the pancetta and snap peas and saute for 5 minutes more.

3. Add the pasta sauce and the cream and cook at medium heat for 5 minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved.

4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

5. In the meantime, boil the gnocchi according the package instructions in a large saucepan with at least 4 liters of water. I usually boil them for about 3-4 minutes, or 1 minute after they all swim up to the surface of the water.

6. Strain the gnocchi with a colander and immediately toss them in the sauce. Serve and enjoy.

Cooking tip: I like my snap peas to have a little crunch, but if you like them softer you can blanch them before adding them to the frying pan.

Appetizer, Italian, recipes

Italian Escargot Recipe

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Escargot in mushroom caps
Italian Escargot

Ingredients for 4 appetizers:

20 large escargots from a can,
20 small mushrooms, stems removed,
3 tablespoons butter,
3 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 oz. white wine,
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley,
1/4 cup grated mozzarella,
chopped chives or lemongrass (optional),
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe:

This escargot recipe is similar to the Escargots à la Bourguignonne recipe with the major difference of using mushroom cups for serving it instead of the snail shells.

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pan and saute the garlic for 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms and the escargot and cook until the mushrooms are soft.

3. Deglaze with the white wine and add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve the escargots in the mushroom cups, top each one with a little grated mozzarella cheese and drizzle the butter-garlic sauce from the pan over the escargots.

5. Broil each bowl under the broiler briefly until the cheese is fully melted and serve with garlic bread.

Did you know that some people consider the escargot as seafood, therefore suitable for vegetarians?

Italian, recipes, seafood

Mussels Marinara Recipe

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Mussels marinara
Mussels Marinara

Ingredients:

1 kg fresh mussels,
3 tbsp. EV olive oil,
1 small yellow onion, chopped,
3 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 1/2 cup tomato passata,
1 cup diced canned tomato,
salt and pepper to taste,
1 teaspoon sugar,
1 tbsp. butter

Recipe:

Start by buying a kilo of fresh mussels. Make sure you check both, the harvest date and the best before date of your mussels. What I do after I get home is fill a saucepan with clean cold water, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to it and let the mussels stay in the water for about 10 minutes. This re-invigorates the mussels and lets them get rid of any impurities within their shells, such as sand, mud, etc. If any mussel is open, tap on it and if it doesn’t close, discard it. If your mussels are fresh all of them should be alive, and closing fast when tapped.

1. Pour the rinced mussels in a colander and let them drain properly while yo are sauteeing the onion and garlic in the olive oil.

2. Add the mussels in the hot frying pan and saute for 4 minutes or until all of the mussels are open. Stir frequently.

3. Add the tomato passata, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook at high temperature for 5 minutes. Add the butter and sugar and cook for a couple of minutes more.

This mussles marinara recipe is very easy and extremely delicious. I find that by not using any herbs and not even white wine for cooking the mussels really reveals the subtle flavours of this amazing seafood.

Cooking tip: Make sure that you start sauteeing the mussels in a very hot heavy frying pan. That’s the only way to seal all the juices and enjoy the flavor that I’m describing. And, as I said above, don’t use any herbs and white wine that may disguise the flavor of the mussels. Enjoy.

Italian, recipes

Cannelloni Recipe

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Cannelloni

Ingredients:

12 cannelloni shells,
1 lb. lean ground beef,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
1 yellow onion, chopped,
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 carrot, grated,
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese,
1 tablespoon chopped parsley,
1 pinch chili flakes,
1 tablespoon fresh basil,
1 whole egg,
salt and pepper to taste
2 cup tomato sauce

Recipe: In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped onion, garlic and grated carrot for 5 minutes. Add the lean ground beef and broun it. Add the parsley and chili flakes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the egg, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Boil the cannelloni shells according to the package instructions. Season the filling and stuff the cannelloni shells. Pour some tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and arrange the cannelloni in it. Pour some more tomato sauce over them. Bake the cannelloni until the filling gets cooked, about 20 minutes. The canneloni can be served as an appetizer or a main course. Cheers.

Italian, recipes

Spaghetti Puttanesca Pasta Recipe

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Spaghetti Puttanesca pasta
Pasta Puttanesca

Despite the notorious name and the story of how this name came about, spaghetti puttanesca is a great Italian pasta dish that is easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 lb. package of spaghetti (or linguine),
3 tbsp. EV olive oil,
1/4 cup sliced red onion,
3 garlic cloves, chopped,
5 anchovy fillets,
4 ripe plum tomatoes,
1 sprig of fresh basil,
1 teaspoon sweet paprika,
1 tbsp. capers from a jar,
1/4 cup Kalamata olives,
chili flakes to taste,
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste,
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of water and a teaspoon of salt until ‘al dente’. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan and saute the onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the anchovies, chili flakes, diced tomatoes, paprika, chopped basil and capers. Stir well, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes more. Add the olives, and cook just until heated. Season the putanesca sauce to taste. Strain the boiled spaghetti and toss them in the pan with the sauce. Serve the Spaghetti Puttanesca and sprinkle with some chopped basil and Parmesan cheese. This recipe yields 3 dinner entrees.