Italian Recipes

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
• 1 cup of polenta

Directions:

Set the oven in 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients in a huge bowl and combine it well. Place all the ingredients in a greased baking pan. Bake without cover for 50 minutes. With the use of a fork, stir it well and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove it out of the oven and sprinkle on top with cheese.

Photo via myrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp finely chopped almonds
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 egg whites

Directions:

First, let the egg whites stay in room temperature for about 15 minutes. Prepare the cookie sheets with some parchment paper. In a tiny bowl, combine all the cinnamon and sugar. In another medium bowl, combine the egg whites, the salt and the almond extract. Use an electric mixer to combine thoroughly.

You must add the cinnamon-sugar mix one teaspoon at a time and beat the egg whites well then fold in some of the chopped almonds. With a tablespoon, drop some rounded shapes of the meringue onto the baking sheets about 1” apart.

You must bake it at 250F for 30 minutes. When done, allow the cookies to dry inside the oven that is turned off already for another 40 minutes. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and as you peel off the cookies from the sheets, store them in very tight containers.

Photo via nibbledish.com

Ingredients:

• 3 separate eggs
• 500 ml of milk
• 70g of starched potato
• 100g of sugar
• 100g of amaretti

Directions:

Mix the sugar and potato in a bowl and gradually add the milk. Grind first the amaretti before you blend and moisten it with some milk. As it turns to paste first, press it through a mesh strainer and slowly stir in some milk mix.

Heat the creamy mixture until it thickens up. When you have let it cooled down, you can start mixing in the egg yolks; whip the egg whites and fold them. Oil up a ring mold before you put the batter. Bake under 325 F until it is firm enough already. When it is cooked, take it out of the mold, smother with some zabaione and fill the hole.

This can fit for about 4 to 6 servings.

Photo via italianintheus.blogspot.com

Ingredients

• 1-8 oz of Mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of sweet Marsala wine
• 2 pints sliced fresh strawberries
• 4 whole strawberries for garnish

Directions:

Combine the sugar and Marsala in a bowl until all the sugar has melted. Slice up the strawberries and mix in the wine and sugar mix. Cover the entire bowl and make it chill inside the refrigerator for a number of hours. Stir it occasionally so that all the strawberries are fully covered.

When the strawberries have all been chilled, then fill up some wine glasses with the mascarpone cheese. Top it with the whole strawberries together with wine sauce and is good to serve 4.

Photo via livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com

Making a homemade pizza is economical and fun. It’s easy to create your own pizza recipe provided everything is set on the table, like the variety of toppings you can get from a grocery store and a ready to cook dough. Although, it’s more exciting and cost effective if you make your own pizza bread.

But you need to have the right tools to begin with. Of course a dough roller is an essential tool to form the preferred thickness of your crust.

And now here are the ingredients:

• 4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of warm water
• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbls of sugar

Preparation:

In a large bowl pour in warm water and sugar.  Stir to dissolve sugar. Add yeast and gently stir until yeast is dissolved. Let mixture sit for around 15 minutes to activate yeast. Add oil and salt and gently stir. Then add one cup of flour and mix, add a second cup of flour and mix until sticky. Add third cup of flour and mix until dough becomes thick. Place the dough on a floured board and gradually knead in the remaining flour. Dust with extra flour and continue kneading until dough becomes firm. About 10 minutes.

Kneading is complete when you have a smooth silky ball of dough. It’s better to over knead than to under knead. Grease a large bowl with a little oil then place dough in the bowl turning once to coat the dough. Cover with a dish towel an place in a warm place for about 2 hours allowing the dough to double in size.

Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half and roll the into two balls. With a rolling pin roll the dough and place onto a grease baking pan or carefully place in the stove on an already heated pizza stone. Cover and let it sit in a warm place for around another hour.

Finally, you can start putting toppings on your dough to make the pizza you’ve always wanted.

(Photo via foodnetwork.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.

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 !