Italian Recipes

Ingredients:

• Salt
• Parmesan cheese, 3 oz.
• Unsalted butter, 3 tbsp.
• Polenta, 1 cup
• Water, 3 ½ cups

Direction:

Use some large microwave dish to place the polenta in combined with water without bringing to so much of a boil. Mix the water and polenta and cook for about 5 minutes without cover. After the given time, stir it then put in microwave for another 5 minutes without cover still.

After that time, take out the dish from the microwave and mix in some 3 tbsp of butter and the parmesan cheese. You can also choose the asiago cheese. Flavor it all up in any means you like. You can spread this polenta in a pan and chill it inside the refrigerator.

Photo via sideofsneakers.com

Ingredients:

• Salt, pepper
• ¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes
• Fresh basil leaves, large and chopped
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves

Directions:

Get the garlic minced and chop all the basil leaves. Drain up the tomatoes and reserve its liquid. Transfer all the tomatoes in a blender as you add up some sugar, salt, tomato paste, and pepper for some few seconds. Then add up the liquid of the tomato as required.

Stir everything well and this will make about 1 ½ cups.

Photo via andreasrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of Red Wine
• 1 can of Italian diced tomatoes, with sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 tbsp of dried oregano
• ½ tbsp of dried thyme
• 3 pcs of bell peppers of different colors
• 1 onion, cut in huge pieces
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 packages of Italian sausage, spicy or sweet
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:

Smash the garlic with a large knife and peel off its skin. Cut them in huge pieces and chop for about an inch each.

Heat up the olive oil in a huge skillet over medium heat and brown up the sausages as you turn them to all their sides for 5 minutes.

Place all the chopped vegetables in the bottom part of the crockpot and pour some wine. Add up the spices and crushed garlic. Pour the canned tomatoes.

Place the cooked sausages on top of the vegetables and cover up. Cook under low heat for about 6 hours.

Photo via southernfood.about.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of capers
• ¼ cup of Kalamata olives. Chopped
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• ½ tsp grounded pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of 28 ounce plum tomatoes

Directions:

Put all the ingredients except for the chopped tomatoes, capers, olives in the blender. Process them until they are smooth. Once you remove from the blender, mix in the chopped tomatoes, capers and olives. Serve it instantly and cover. You can refrigerate it for 2 days.

Photo via slashfood.com

Ingredients:

• 9 oz of fresh or frozen ravioli
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 cup of water
• 1 can of Italian tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of jarred garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 onion, chopped

Directions:

Chop the onion and sauté with olive oil in a dutch oven until it is soft. Add up the oregano and garlic and sauté again for a minute with more stirring this time. Add up some canned tomatoes with all the liquid ingredients. Drain the beans and add them up as well along with the ravioli. If you happen to use frozen ravioli, then you would need to boil them first.

Let the soup boil and cook the raviolis until they become tender. You can start pouring it in bowls once the soup is done.

Photo via tasteofhome.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 finely chopped sweet onion
• 6 zucchinis, peeled, chopped
• Salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock/ canned broth
• ¼ cup cream
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a large plan under medium heat. Add up the onion, stir until they get soft. Follow up the zucchinis along with some pepper and salt. Cook them altogether until they reach the color of golden brown. This would take about 5 minutes.

Bring to a simmer the stock and oregano. Cover and wait until the veggies are tender that would last for about 15 minutes. After which, you can already take away the pot from the stove.

Using a blender, puree the soup in tiny portions until they are completely smooth. Pour it all back in the pot, add the cream and let it simmer for a couple of more time. Add some pepper and salt if you like.

This soup is served best immediately but can also be stored in the refrigerator and reheated.

Photo via flickr.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp dried Thyme
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese that is shredded
• ¼ cup milk
• 10 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 potatoes

Directions:

Peel and slice the potatoes and peel and mince the onions along with the garlic cloves. Heat up a large skillet with some olive oil under medium heat. Add up some spices to the heated oil for richer flavor. Add up the potatoes, salt and pepper and cover to let cook for 3 minutes. After which, turn up the potatoes and add up the onions and sauté together until everything looks golden brown.

In the meantime, beat the eggs in a huge bowl until they are well mixed before you combine the cheese and milk. Season it up with some pepper and salt as well before stirring in some spices and garlic.

Pour this mix to the potatoes and use a spoon to mix. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more. Place your pan inside the oven and broil it for 3 minutes until you get to see it in golden brown color. Just remember not to overcook it and serve warm.

Photo via efoodi.com

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup milk
• 5 oz gorgonzola sauce
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• ¼ cup of cream
• 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Some salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all the milk into your pan or bowl (pyrex) and add in three tablespoons of butter which is cut into pieces. Then place the whole bowl inside the microwave oven and heat it up until the butter melts all the way and the milk gets warm enough. Stir and combine the gorgonzola sauce and mix it until the cheese melts again with the milk to achieve a pasty texture.

Add some cream and blend until it creates a smooth texture with the use of a blender. Put in some salt and pepper for the right taste and you can pour it over any kind of pasta that you have prepared. If you have made that is good enough for more than one serving, then you can just refrigerate for several days more and just reheat it in the microwave all over again.

Photo via foodnetwork.com

Being an Italian food aficionado, I have always appreciated anything Italian. Even my sons share this fascination with Italian food. So, I am really pleased to read about January 17th being celebrated as the International Day of Italian Cuisine. This is hosted by the chefs of the Virtual Group of Italian Cooks or GVCI.

To showcase the importance of maintaining standards of traditional and authentic Italian dishes, Italian chefs around the world will prepare a traditional dish of Tagliatelle al Ragù alla Bolognese. This dish is a popular contribution of the City of Bologna in Emilia Romagna.

Cesare Casella, Dean of the Italian Culinary Academy, will host the two day event in New York City participated by Chicco Cerea, Mario Batali and many other Italian chefs from around the world. Anyone can join the celebration and be part of the festivity.

Food lovers who believe in the authentic way of preparing Italian recipe can register and participate in the celebration or can try preparing Ragù alla Bolognese at home. There are many variants of traditional recipes of this dish but one can look up Tagliatelle al Ragu alla Bolognese recipe of Chef Mario Caramella, GVCI president.