Italian Recipes

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.

Still thinking of another luscious recipe for the love holiday? Here is one heavenly sapid version of customary pesto that you can dish up this Valentines Day; the “Pesto Herb Spread” is a quick and easy dip appetizer. Best served with pita chips, tortillas or sourdough bread, though you can dip almost anything from carrots, celery, and crackers. Sun dried tomatoes can be extra for a zesty relish. And add the finished spread with almonds or nuts to make it crunchy.

Here are the Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons pesto
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Place cream cheese and pesto in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Mix in the chives and cilantro, you can also use fresh parsley. Continue blending until smooth. Transfer to a mold lined with plastic wrap. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour, or until firm.

And now you’re just ready to start your romantic party. Enjoy the appetizer while it lasts.

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.

This recipe would match up any grilled meat dishes like pork chops or fishes of any occasion or even as simple appetizer. What you will need:

Directions:
Pre-heat the grill in medium high. Mix oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper on a bowl. Brush the eggplant slices with mixture before grilling each side for 5 minutes for every side. Place the grilled eggplant slices on a plate and spoon pre-heated pasta sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Serve warm.

Ingredients
2 thin slices pancetta, (1 1/2 ounces), diced (see Tip)
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 pound chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped (see Note)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation
1.Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring, until it begins to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
2.Add shallots, chard stems and thyme to the pan drippings and cook, stirring, until the shallots begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chard leaves, water and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat; stir in the pancetta, walnuts and pepper.

Ingredients

4 artichokes
1/2 Cup of Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs
12-15 chopped olives
12-15 chopped mushrooms
2-3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1-2 Tablespoons of finely chopped Italian parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bang artichokes on counter (leaves down) to loosen leaves. Rinse in cold water.
2. Remove stems. Peel and put aside.
3. Remove and discard small tough leaves from bottom. Use scissors to remove sharp tip from each leave.
4. Chop stems and chop mushrooms. Sautee in olive oil until stems are tender and mushrooms have given up their water.
5. In a bowl combine bread crumbs, olives, mushrooms, garlic, parsley, finely chopped stems and enough olive oil to moisten mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Spread center of artichoke and insert stuffing.
7. Place artichokes close together in heavy sauce pot with 2-3 inches of water.
8. Simmer covered over medium to low heat until leaves pull away easily. (About 45 minutes) Replace water if needed.
9. After eating the leaves, be sure to remove the “hair” around the heart of the artichoke.

I suggest this for a children’s party. The kids would enjoy helping make these. Savory bacon, Cheddar, mayo and mustard dress up plain-old pumpernickel for impressive party bread. So quick and simple. It would even be perfect for holiday open houses, cocktail parties or even movie-night snacks. This is one Italian recipe that has ingredients that you can find in any grocery.
Ingredients
1 pound sliced bacon
2-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pound sliced pumpernickel party bread

Cooking Instructions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Preheat oven to broil.
In a medium bowl combine the bacon, cheese, mustard and mayonnaise. Stir well. Arrange party bread on a cookie sheet. Spoon mixture onto each slice of bread.
Broil for 5 minutes, or until bubbly.