Italian Recipes

Here is another mouth watering, quick and easy pizza made with fine pizza crust mix, a jar of scrumptious Alfredo sauce, bacon, and mozzarella cheese.

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 packages pizza crust mix
• 1 cup hot tap water
• 3/4 cup Alfredo sauce
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the pizza crust following the directions as labeled on the package. Pat dough into an 18 inch pizza pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Bake in the oven and place it on the lowest rack for 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven and top with flavorsome Alfredo sauce and crumbled zesty bacon. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Put the pizza back in the oven and place it in the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is light golden brown.

• It is good to melt butter on the edge of the crust after adding the toppings to give it an extra nice color and flavor.

(Photo via tasteofhome.com)

Try this homey recipe, it combines the Succulent. Juicy. Tender baked chicken and the fine taste of little pasta or pastina.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

(Photo via tasteofhome.com)

If you want to amaze your friends with another mouth watering authentic Italian cooking, here is a good quality recipe that only requires a few basic ingredients. It is simple and delicious and economical to make. A combination of mussels and potatoes called Cozze e patate.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 Kg (2.2 lb) Fresh mussels
• 1 Kg (2.2 lb) Potatoes
• 4 Eggs
• 60 g (2 ½ oz) Parmesan or Pecorino cheese (grated)
• A small bunch on flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
• 1 Fish stock cube
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Preparations:

Take a deep pan and spread some olive oil in the bottom. Slice all the potatoes, making slices 2- 3 mm thick, and sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle again with olive oil. Then Prepare some fish stock. Dissolve one fish stock cube in 450 ml (¾ pt) of boiling water. Now, put the pan on low heat and add a couple of ladles of fish stock. Next, cover with a lid and steam the potatoes for about 15-20.

Meanwhile, chop the parsley. Break the eggs into a small bowl and stir with a fork. Add the parsley and parmesan cheese; season it with black pepper and a bit of salt. This will be your cream sauce for the mussels and potatoes

Now it’s time to cook the mussels in a pan with olive oil and garlic. Then stir so that all the mussels are coated with the garlic flavored oil. Once it is cooked, you can set the steam potatoes in a pan with the cooked mussels on top and bake in the oven for 15-20mins at 200 degrees Celsius.

Enjoy and Serve with a glass of white win

(Photo via italyum.com)

Here’s a quick sandwich recipe that everyone would love. Enjoy the appetizing thin slices of seasoned roast beef, dripping with meat juices on a dense Italian roll.

Here are the ingredients:

• 4 pounds boneless rump roast
• 6 cloves garlic, slivered
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Make a cut in roast with a sharp knife, and insert garlic slivers. Place roast in a pan not much larger than the roast. Pour water into pan, and season roast with salt, black pepper, red pepper, and oregano.
2. Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Remove from oven, and let cool in roasting pan. Meat should be very rare. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, Remove roast from pan, and slice as thinly as possible. Add a little water to roasting pan, and heat on stovetop, but do not boil. Stir to blend seasonings. When au jus is hot, add sliced beef just long enough to heat through. Serve on crusty Italian bread with au jus available for dipping.

If you’re craving comfort food, and that means pasta in particular, creamy, delicious and satisfying with a few extra delectable ingredient then you might want to try this recipe, using spinach fettuccine instead of regular pasta for a vegetable boost and tender mussels to create a zesty flavor.

Here are the Ingredients:

•48 fresh mussels
•1 garlic clove
•1 cup dry white wine
•1 pound spinach fettuccini
•2 tablespoons butter
•1/3 cup olive oil
•1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
•3 Roma tomatoes

Preparation:

Blanch, peel, seed and chop tomatoes. Wash and cover mussels with water. Let stand for 3 to 4 hours, changing the water several times. Drain and put in a large, covered saucepan. Add garlic pieces and wine. Cover pan and steam mussels over low heat until the shells open. Discard any unopened ones. Remove mussels from shells, reserving juice. Discard shells.

Cook pasta until it is al dente. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add butter, olive oil, lemon juice and juice from steamed mussels. Add half of the mussels and half of fresh tomatoes, and toss pasta well. Empty mixture of pasta and sauce into a large bowl. Arrange remaining mussels and tomato pieces on top of pasta and serve.

There is nothing more refreshing than a hot bowl of Italian soup to get you through the cold season. Served before a meal or as a meal, this wonderful soup recipe will make anyone relax as the freezing temperatures and high winds enfold their homes.

Let’s make a delicious, quick and easy to make cauliflower soup using canned broth and tomatoes and of course chunks of cauliflower. Just season the soup with a little thyme and nutmeg and your ready for a great meal.

Here are the Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 oz. of pancetta, chopped
• 2 Tbls of olive oil
• 1 Tbls of butter
• 1 15oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbls of tomato paste
• 1 quart of chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 pound of ditali pasta

Preparation

• Break the cauliflower up into florets and set aside.
• In a large pot sauté the onions, carrots, garlic and pancetta, in the olive oil and butter for 10 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, nutmeg and broth.
• Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, around 8 minutes.

Place the pasta in a bowl and top with soup. Serve with parmesan cheese and a nice Shiraz. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Valentine’s Day is a time to express how much you care for your special someone, and what’s more romantic than an elegant dinner for two? And choosing the perfect food resembling a traditional Italian recipe will surely set the mood.  The Ravioli Lasagna which combines the pasta and ricotta in one step, and uses a bottle of spaghetti sauce to save time.  It’s a pretty basic recipe, yet you can do variations, depending on what you like or what you have at hand. You can add ground beef to mix with the sauce, or use ground turkey or chicken instead, just to keep that personal touch.

Here are the Ingredients:

1 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli

1 (26 1/2 ounce) bottle spaghetti sauce

2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

In 9×13-inch dish spread a little bit of sauce at bottom (to prevent sticking).Put on ravioli, as many as will fit without being “tight”. Put on more sauce and then cheese. Repeat until all ravioli is gone. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

Felice Festa di San Valentino !

You would not dare to miss this recipe for something else. A good looking and great tasting meal would be yours in no time. What you will need:
• 4 slices rustic artisan bread 1” thick
• 1 raw garlic clove, scraped or crushed
• ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 medium sized heirloom tomatoes in various colors, stemmed/cored/sliced to ½ inch thick
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 oz. Mountain Gorgonzola, broken into pieces
• 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. coarse ground sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Toast the bread either on a charcoal grill or under a broiler until golden brown. Put the garlic over the toasted slices then drizzle with oil. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl until fit to taste. In a serving plate, arrange the toasted slices with the mixture. It is now ready for consumption.

Zucchine Trifolate
Serving salad is the best way to start a meal. It’s easy, healthy and something that everyone enjoys. Go ahead and make it interesting. Make it an encouragement for everyone to try eating healthier food.

Courgettes, sautéed with olive oil, garlic and parsley

700 g (1 2/3 lb) courgettes (zucchini)
1-2 cloves of garlic
Bunch of fresh parsley
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Chilli pepper, if you like
Salt

Trim the ends of courgettes, wash under running water and cut into slices crossways. Put olive oil, chilli pepper and garlic cloves in a non-stick frying pan; fry lightly garlic until it becomes golden and then remove it and add courgettes slices. Keep on cooking, covered, over a fierce heat, stirring now and then.
Meanwhile clean, wash and chop parsley. At the end of cooking, season to taste with salt and add parsley. Switch off the gas.
Serve hot or warm.

Throwing an Italian dinner but not much time to prepare? Or maybe, you have time but you want another simple dish to the menu? I know I am. It’s my husband’s birthday next week and we’re having an Italian dinner for the family. I love to personally cook when dinners are done at our home. When I saw this recipe, I thought, it wouldn’t be tough another dish to our menu. My husband likes having egg in all 3 meals in a day and my son would eat anything that has cheese in it. This is just perfect and it just couldn’t get any simpler and easier than this!
Smoked Pork Sausage Frittata
Ingredients
1 Smoked Pork Sausage – sliced
500g potatoes – peeled and sliced
120g cheddar cheese – grated
5 medium eggs
Instructions
1.Boil the potatoes for 10 – 12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and add the Smoked Pork Sausage; cook for 5 minutes.

2.Drain the boiled potatoes, add to the frying pan and fry for a further 3 minutes. Meanwhile beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, season with the salt and pepper before adding the grated cheese.

3.Pour the eggs over the potatoes in the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Turn the heat to low, cover the frying pan with a lid and cook gently for a further 8 – 10 minutes until the egg has fully set.

4.Slide the frittata out onto a plate and leave to cool for 10 minutes.