FOODS - RECIPES: Italian foods

Showing posts with label Italian foods. Show all posts

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Stuffed Shells Recipe

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 Package Jumbo Pasta Shells
1 Cup Diced Onion
3 Links Sweet Italian Sausage, Casings Removed
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Egg
1 (16-ounce) Container of Ricotta Cheese
3 Cups Cooked Chopped Spinach
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Salt & Pepper

Topping:

1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Direction:

To make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Cook the sausage meat until it is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and drain off any excess fat. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the sausage mixture with the ricotta cheese, egg, chopped spinach, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package until they are "al dente". Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of an oven-proof baking or casserole dish large enough to hold all of the shells. Add a couple of teaspoons of water to the sauce and mix well. Stuff each shell with some of the filling mixture and lay the shells open side up into the casserole dish. Continue to fill all of the shells in this fashion.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spoon the tomato sauce on the shells leaving some areas exposed. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbly and just beginning to brown. Serve immediately.

Note: This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Before baking, allow the refrigerated dish to come to room temperature then bake as directed.

Kid's Spaghetti And Meatballs Recipe

Kid's Spaghetti And Meatballs

Ingredients For The Sauce::

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
Salt & Pepper
1/4 Cup Chopped Basil
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
1 (6oz) Can Tomato Paste
1 Large Can Pureed Tomatoes ( I use 1 box Pomi Tomatoes)
About 2 to 2 1/2 Cups water
3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Pound Of Spaghetti or Pasta of Choice

Direction:

Heat the oil and add the garlic and onion. Saute until tender. Add the paste, tomatoes, water and herbs, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to your own personal taste. Turn mixture down to a simmer, then drop the prepared meatballs into the sauce. Do not stir for the first 15 minutes or so until the meatballs begin to firm up.

Continue to cook for 2-3 hours over very low heat, stirring occasionally, and adding extra water as needed if the sauce becomes too thick. This sauce, with or without the meatballs can now be used over your pasta of choice. Just before serving, stir the 3 tablespoons of grated cheese into the sauce. Though most people would choose spaghetti, personally I prefer rigatoni or penne. Serve over pasta cooked al dente, and offer a little more parmesan cheese at the table. With the addition of a nice mixed salad and some crusty Italian bread, this pasta dish would easily make a complete meal.

Meatballs Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 lb. Ground Pork or Veal
Salt & Pepper
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Parsley
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
1 Cup Soft Bread Crumbs (best made from soft bread)
1/2 Cup Milk

Add the bread crumbs to the milk to moisten. Mix all the ingredients together with the bread crumb mixture. Shape into golf ball sized balls, and gently drop into the simmering sauce.

Kids Homemade Pasta

Vanilla Gelato (Italian Food)

Vanilla Gelato

Ingredients:

5 Large Egg Yolks At Room Temperature
3/4 Cup Of Granulated Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Vanilla Pod, Sliced Lengthwise
Pinch of Salt

Direction:

In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and thick. Heat the milk, cream, vanilla pod, and salt in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Remove from the heat. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, and slowly whisk it into the beaten eggs. Next whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook over low heat stirring continuosly until the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl and refrigerate until cold. Once the custard mixture is cold, transfer it into an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturers instructions. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container until you are ready to use.
Makes About 1 Quart

Lemon Sorbet (Italian Food)

Lemon Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Zest From Two Lemons

Directions:

Heat the water and sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool. Add the lemon juice and zest and refrigerate the mixture until cold.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker following your manufacture's instructions. Spoon the frozen sorbet into lemon halves if using, or into an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 2 1/2 Cups

Lemon Lavender Gelato (Italian Food)

Lemon Lavender Gelato

Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole Milk
4 Tablespoons Dried Lavender
4 Large Lemons
1/3 Cup Honey
5 Egg Yolks
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Heavy Cream

Direction:

Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler and remove the peel only from the lemons. In medium saucepan, combine milk, lavender, lemon peel, and honey. Bring to gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 15 minutes. Strain mixture reserving the milk and discarding the lavender and lemon peel.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Return milk to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Take one cup of the warm milk and mix it into the egg mixture. Next add the egg mixture into the pot with the milk whisking everything together. Continue to cook over low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Strain mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until cold. Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker. Garnish with a sprig of lavender on top to serve.

Serves 8

Plum Berry Sorbet (Italian Food)

Plum Berry Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 Pound Fresh Plums, Cut In Half, Pits Removed
1 Cup Water
2/3 - 1 Cup Sugar (Depending On The Sweetness Of Your Plums)
1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries

Direction:
Coarsely chop the plums, and place them in a medium saucepan with the water, sugar, and frozen berries. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Puree the fruit mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth, and then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Use a spoon to press along the sieve to retain as much of the strained puree as possible. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once frozen, remove from the ice cream maker's container and store in the freezer in an air-tight container.

Fresh Peach Gelato

I made this gelato twice this year, and the second time I added some diced fresh peach to the gelato mixture before I froze it and found it delicious. I considered roasting my peaches first which really creates a delicious flavored gelato, but my peaches were really too perfect to play around with. The recipe was quick and easy and peaches would work just as well as the apricots in this recipe. He posted this recipe for Summerfest 2009 and it originally came from David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop which is an amazing ice cream cookbook if you are looking for one!

I was looking for an easy recipe that wouldn't take hours to create when I remembered seeing a wonderful Apricot Gelato recipe on Matt Bites blog. I love a great fruit flavored gelato, and recently after making my "famous" (or infamous) peach crostata I wanted to add something to it to take it to a new level and decided a great peach gelato would do that perfectly. I seem to be on peach binge lately but really when they are at their absolute peak is there really any better fruit?

About 6 to 8 Servings
Recipe Was Adapted From David Lebovitz's Book The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients:

1 Pound Very Ripe Peaches (I Used 6)
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Direction:

Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits. Coarsely chop the peaches and place them with the water and sugar in a covered medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Once cool, purée the peaches and any liquid in the pot in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer or sieve to remove any pieces of skin or fibers. Stir in the cream, and lemon juice. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight container in your freezer.

Tuscan Italian Food

High quality beef can be found in the region. Contrasting this lighter side of the Italian food is the extensive use of meat in Tuscany. In October and November the people are up for a real treat because this is when the famous white truffles of the area appear. Of course the area also has the cheeses that are a signature of Italian food.

Beans are also widely used as are vegetables, seasonal fruits, and mushrooms. There are many different varieties of olives that are grown in the area and used extensively in the cooking. This is due in large part to its use of olive oil. One appeal of Tuscan Italian food is that it is generally healthy. People love the simplicity of Tuscan Italian food and the region has its own very distinct style of cuisine.

Many Italian food lovers find some of their favorite dishes in Tuscany. Tuscany is one of the most well known regions in Italy.

They also have breads made from maize, fried in olive oil, made with sweet chestnut flour with rosemary leaves, breads made from a mixture of On Good Friday bread that is baked on a bed of chestnut leaves is served. There are specific breads for specific holidays and seasons in Tuscany. The real Italian food gem in Tuscany is not just the unique entrees, but the unique breads.

The Italian food that features pork in the area includes creamed bacon and a complicated dish of pig's liver stuffed into a pig's stomach and then slowly baked with stock and red wine. The meat dishes that are most unique to the area include Tuscan-style veal shank and T-bone steak. Tuscany is also known for a reheated vegetable soup dish. Some popular dishes include fresh vegetables either raw or slightly cooked and served with olive oil that is seasoned for dipping. Tuscany has perhaps more unique Italian food dishes than any other region.

Since that time the Italians have taken care to add more variety to their diet than just pasta. It was discovered that the thousands of deaths were tied to a lack of protein and other nutrients. When the country started relying heavily on polenta and other corn products, many people began dying due to malnutrition. One of the reasons for their famed use of meat has historical roots. Pork is also used a source of protein in the Tuscan Italian food.

There is even a specific breed used for the famous t-bone steaks that are known as Florentine steak.

Tiramisu – The Italian Food Dessert

However, it you're an Italian food lover making Tiramisu at home, there are plenty of makers of Mascarpone cheese in America. Like many other Italian foods, the best Mascarpone cheese comes directly from Italy. This is mainly because of its high calories and the fact that when it was first produced there was no refrigeration and this delicate cheese does not keep well in hot temperatures.

Traditionally it has been considered to be more of a winter dish and therefore shows up in more of the seasonal Italian food dishes. It is a smooth and creamy cheese. This cheese is concentrated milk cream and has a very high fat content, getting up to seventy-five percent. It was made as far back as the 13th century in the region of Lombardy. This cheese has very deep roots in Italian food.

The first ingredient is Mascarpone cheese. However, when correctly blended together they form one of the treasures of Italian food. It is a unique blend of ingredients that separately seem to not go together at all. It didn't even gain widespread popularity until the early 1990's. However, its rise to fame has been meteoric; it wasn't even invented until the 1970's in the Veneto region of Italy.

It graces the menu of nearly every Italian food restaurant. Today Tiramisu is the most popular of Italian food desserts.

Make sure when you prepare These four ingredients blended together just right and topped off with chocolate make an Italian food dessert that is as popular as the individual ingredients. They are immensely popular and one of the most appreciated Italian food desserts in Italy. These cookies are remarkably light due to the fact that the dough with which they are made is rich with whipped egg white. These popular cookies originated in Italy and have made numerous appearances in not only Italian food, but in many other national cuisines.

The fourth and final ingredient is Ladyfingers. Espresso is the most important coffee in Italian food and can be seen following many Italian meals. This is a coffee that is true to Italian food and is much stronger than American coffee. This shot of caffeine is where the dessert gets its name, which means "pick me up".

The third ingredient is the most distinctive factor of Tiramisu, espresso. This cream can be made from home and is easier to make than most Italian food chefs let on. The most stated difference in taste though, comes from the use of Marsala wine instead of the sweet Cyprus wine. To begin with sugar is substituted for the original honey.

However, today the cream has taken on a new flavor. When it originally became a popular Italian food dessert it was made with yolks, honey, and a sweet Cyprus wine. It hails from the world renowned kitchens of Venice. This is a true classic Italian food dessert. The next ingredient is Zabaglione cream.

The Italian Food of Trentino-Alto Adige

This is a great example of how history has shaped the current state of Italian food. It is this event that first taught the region to appreciate the art of fine cooking. However, when all of these high ranking church officials came to the area, they brought with themselves a taste for fine food.

It is hard to imagine that such a religious and political event would have any affect whatsoever on the local Italian food. The council was held in response to the growing Protestant Reformation in an effort to counter it. The Council of Trent was an Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. That is the time of the Council of Trent.

However, that all changed in 1550. Food was simply meant for sustenance and a distinct regional flavor had yet to emerge. Prior to 1550 the food in this region was known for its simplicity. The region of Trentino-Alto Adige is a great example of how history has affected and influenced Italian food.

It is a great melting pot of different ideas all brought together by a distinctly Italian flavor that makes it Italian food, the most sought after cuisine in the world. It draws on the influences of many different cultures and time periods. Italian food has a rich history.

They even have canederli, You might not think of dumplings when thinking of Italian food, but they are quite common to the area. One is potato dumplings with ricotta. There are some specific dishes that are unique to this region. But it is important to note that many chefs find that lard is the best ingredient for certain situations and the Italian food chefs in this region certainly feel that way.

Those concerned with saturated fat should be sure to enquire about the ingredients of the Italian food they are enjoying in this region. Health conscious travelers should also note that lard is still a very popular ingredient in the area. Goulash is the most commonly served Sunday meal. However, in addition to these commonly thought of Italian food dishes is a host of other foods such as potatoes, dumplings, and sauerkraut made from scratch. It's also interesting to note that despite the foreign influences, it is this area that most popularizes the dishes that are traditionally thought of as Italian food such as pasta, tomatoes, and olive oil.

This region is known for its use of fresh water fish in contrast to much of the rest of the country that uses salt water fish in much of their cuisine. It's hard to imagine now that Italian food was shaped by these cuisines that many people think of as distinctly different than Italian food. Other influences include that of the Slav, Austrian, and Hungarian cuisines. The cuisine here was also influenced by the Republic of Venice and the Habsburg Empire.

The Italian Food Diet

Italian food from the Mediterranean doesn't rely on rich, thick sauces and uses olive oil instead of butter, making it very healthy. People who gain weight eating Italian food typically do so not because of the pasta, but because of creamy sauces like Alfredo sauce and because they eat in too large portions. She says that it is not the pasta that makes you fat; it's what you put on top of it. She told the world in her book that she grew up on spaghetti and ate it constantly.

A great example of the fact that Italian food will not make you fat is in Sophia Loren. A diet of Italian food, especially from the Mediterranean is actually very healthy and will keep you looking and feeling great as long as you know what Italian food to eat and how to prepare it. However, this idea that pasta will make you fat is largely unfounded. With the advent of Atkins many former Italian food fans have steered clear of the cuisine because of all the pasta that is used. It seems recently that among health circles Italian food has gotten a bad rep.

Try different combinations of herbs, there is no definitive herbs To top it off add your favorite herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil. Once that is done add the tomatoes and cook until all the ingredients are blended together well. Take a tablespoon of your quality olive oil and sauté both the garlic and onions until they are soft.

For the sauce simply chop up some garlic, an onion, and some tomatoes. The most common mistake made in making Italian food is making mushy pasta. You want it to be firm, yet tender. Make sure not to overcook the pasta.

Boil the pasta in water with salt. Italian food is not just spaghetti noodles. You can use any type of pasta you want and you might want to try livening it up with variety. Here is one to start you off, an Italian food classic, pasta with tomato sauce.

There are several different light Italian food meals that you can prepare with these simple ingredients. The creamy and cheesy Italian food dishes are the ones you're going to want to stay away from to keep a healthy diet. You'll want to stay away from a lot of cheese and perhaps only get a little parmesan cheese to top your favorite Italian food dishes. For seasoning you will want some herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. For good, healthy Italian food you want to make sure you stock the kitchen with quality pasta, olive oil, garlic, onions, lean meat, fish, and seafood. It all starts with the ingredients you keep.

The History of Pizza in Italian Food

However, these earlier pizzas established a name for Italian food very early on and were eaten in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Babylon and were emphatically praised by many historians of the day. It has a long history in the Mediterranean where it began as a seasoned flatbread that was used more as an edible plate to hold other food, rather than as a food by itself. Pizza is one Italian food that has been around in one form or another for centuries.

Even when eating at Italian food restaurants it is hard to capture the distinguished taste of true Italian pizza. It is said that with one taste of pizza made in the style of authentic Italian food, you will never go back to the Americanized version. While most people think of pizza in America as Italian food, it really is not like the pizza of authentic Italian food. Pizza is one of the most widely eaten foods today.

Of course I'm talking about pasta and pizza. Italian food is unique amongst world cuisines in that it has birthed not one, but two international sensations.

The great thing In Italy pizzas change with the seasons as new ingredients become available. Pizzas featured in Italian food restaurants should use only the freshest ingredients. The reason American pizza is often not thought of as a true Italian food is because the large restaurant chains that specialize in pizza do not cook it in a wood fired oven. Traditional Italian pizza is cooked in a wood fired oven.

Ever since this time pizzerias have been found all over the world converting people to the love of Italian food. In fact, by 1830 the first ever pizzeria was opened in Naples. This once peasant food was quickly taking hold of all of society, including the upper class. In Naples pizza was sold on the streets for every meal.

During this time pizza began to take an even more prominent role in Italian food. It wouldn't be until the tomato became popular in Italian food in the 18th century that we would see modern pizza. The dried shredded mozzarella that is often associated with Italian food would actually never be used on a pizza made by a true Italian food chef. Today at any true Italian food eatery this fresh mozzarella di buffalo is nonnegotiable.

Once mozzarella cheese began to be produced from Indian Water Buffalo it quickly became a signature aspect of pizza. Pizza started out being just a dough topped with herbs and olive oil. It was in the Middle Ages that pizza began to take a form that would be more familiar to Italian food lovers today.