ITALIAN FOOD RECIPES

Rack Of Lamb

2009-07-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Rack Of Lamb...a nice Italian food recipe to try ! Great !

INGREDIENTS

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 racks of lamb
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients forming a loose paste. Rub the paste all over the two racks of lamb, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Remove racks from refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking and place them in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them comfortably. Pre-heat the oven to 475°F. Cook for 10
minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting 10-15 minutes. Lamb is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the rack reads 125°F for rare.
Transfer the lamb to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan over a burner on top of the oven turned to high heat. Pour the red wine into the pan and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom. Pour the wine into a small sauce pan over low heat, stir in the butter and let wine sauce simmer while you cut up the racks of lamb.
4. Cut the lamb into individual rib chops and arrange on warmed plates. Drizzle with the wine sauce and the Italian food recipe is ready to serve hot...enjoy it !
cauliflower-italian-style.

ITALIAN POTATO SALAD

2008-12-26T15:06:00.002-08:00

ITALIAN POTATO SALAD ...a great Italian food recipe....try it ! Nice one !

INGREDIENTS
Dressing:

1 1/2 cups olive oil
3/4 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each basil and oregano (or to taste)
pinch of red pepper flakes

Salad:

2-3 lbs baby new potatoes
2 large red sweet vinegar peppers
1 large red onion, sliced into rings

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine ingredients for salad dressing. Slice vinegar peppers into strips. Slice onions into thin rings.
Scrub potatoes and remove eyes. Do not peel.
Steam or boil gently in their jackets until nearly tender. Remove from heat and drain. Cover and let sit 10 minutes to finish cooking.
Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces and set aside in a serving bowl.
In the same pan, bring remaining ingredients to a boil, then remove from heat. Allow to cool several minutes and add cooked potatoes (they should still be hot).
Allow potatoes to marinate for 10 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Save remaining dressing to use as a marinade for chicken or beef.
For a different taste, add 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage and chopped rosemary or summer savory.
Up to 1/4 cup of the wine vinegar can be substituted with either balsamic or tarragon vinegar.
The Italian food recipe of salad is ready to serve warm or cold.
rack-of-lamb.

CAULIFLOWER ITALIAN STYLE

2008-12-26T15:06:00.001-08:00

CAULIFLOWER ITALIAN STYLE ...a nice Italian food recipe to try ! Mama mia !

INGREDIENTS

1 large head cauliflower, core removed
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 small onion, finely minced (or 1 shallot)
1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon each oregano and basil
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
2-3 grinds coarse black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Wash and remove core from cauliflower. Separate pieces from stem and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and green pepper to a boil. Immediately add cauliflower pieces. Cover. Simmer for two minutes or until cauliflower is just
barely fork tender but still firm.
Remove pan from heat, leave covered and allow to sit 10 minutes.
Remove cauliflower to a serving bowl and dress with olive oil, basil and oregano. Add as little or as much of the hot vinegar mixture the cauliflower was cooked in as desired; Save any leftover to use as a marinade. The Italian food recipe of cauliflower is ready to serve....enjoy it...mama mia !
italian-potato-salad.

ITALIAN SAUSAGES AND ZUCCHINI

2008-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

ITALIAN SAUSAGES AND ZUCCHINI ...try this great Italian food recipe...nice one !

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg Italian sausage (about 6 links)
1 large or 2 medium onions
1 green or red bell pepper
2-3 small or 1-2 medium zucchini
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4-5 fresh basil leaves
3-4 fresh oregano leaves
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

INSTRUCIONS
Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, slice sausages into halves lengthwise; slice again into quarters. Next, slice across the quarters until you have 3/4 inch chunks.
Peel and chop onion coarsely. Wash, core, and chop pepper. Peel and mince garlic. Wash and chop basil and oregano. Wash and slice unpeeled zucchini into 1/4 inch thick coins or circles.
Heat olive oil in skillet. Sauté sausage over high heat for 10 minutes or so; when they begin to take on color, add onion and pepper, continuing to cook until the vegetables brown slightly. Add
garlic and chopped basil and oregano; reduce heat and cook until sausage is done (no longer pink inside).
Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked sausage and vegetables to a serving plate; keep warm. (No need to drain or wash skillet). Melt butter in remaining olive oil in skillet. Sauté zucchini coins over high heat until the edges and a little of the center portion browns; flip each coin and sauté the other side. Sprinkle zucchini with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder (very lightly) and a pinch of hot pepper. The Italian food recipe is ready to serve..enjoy ! Mama mia !
cauliflower-italian-style.

EASY ITALIAN MEATLOAF

2008-12-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

EASY ITALIAN MEATLOAF ...a nice Italian food recipe to try ! Mama mia !

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 lbs ground beef or chuck
2 large peppers, red or green, coarsely chopped
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced or pressed garlic
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/3 teaspoon oregano
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (do not substitute)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt or beef bouillon powder
2 eggs
1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup (or more as needed)
onion and garlic powder to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, combine meat, eggs, seasonings and remaining ingredients except ketchup and bacon, adding breadcrumbs to mixture last. If meat is low in fat, add up to 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix well.
Press meat into a loaf shaped pan, forming a dome shape. Brush top with ketchup and sprinkle with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover with bacon slices. Baste occasionally with additional ketchup during cooking, being careful not to allow oven to get cold or additional cooking time will be required. If desired, cover with thinly sliced onions. Bake uncovered 1 1/2 hours...and the Italian food recipe is ready to serve....great taste !
italian-sausages-and-zucchini.

ITALIAN PIE

2008-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

ITALIAN HOLIDAY PIE (PIZZAGAINA) ....a classic Italian food recipe to try ! Nice one !

INGREDIENTS
Dough:

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour, more if needed
1/2 cup whole milk, scalded
1/2 cup water, lukewarm
1 teaspoon honey
2 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco
3 tablespoons lard
3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
5 eggs (for dough)
1 egg, boiled
1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water for glaze

INSTRUCTIONS
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 4 1/2 cups flour. Using the dough hook attachment, work 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons of lard, and 2 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco into dough, as though you were making a pie crust.
In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon honey in 1/2 cup lukewarm water, stirring well until dissolved. Bring water temperature to about 105 degrees (or warm to the touch). Stir in 1/3 cup flour to "feed" yeast. The yeast mixture should begin to bubble and foam up.
Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Tip: It's a good idea to keep more than one type or brand of yeast on hand if you bake your own bread. When you measure out your yeast, you can use half from one jar, and half from the other brand of yeast at the same time. This is good insurance in case the yeast isn't as active as you'd like it to be; if only half the yeast is good, your bread will still rise. It will just take longer.

In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, scald 1/2 cup milk. Watch milk carefully during the scalding process and remove from heat when the milk begins to foam slightly. Set aside and allow to sit undisturbed. A skin will form around edges and on top of milk as it cools. Remove the coagulated milk from the edges and skim the top skin off using a spoon. Pour the cooled (85 degrees) milk into the yeast mixture.

Using the same saucepan the milk was heated in, melt 4 tablespoons butter. When butter has nearly melted, add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and remove from heat. Allow to cool to nearly 85 degrees.
Break 5 eggs into flour mixture. Mix on medium setting 2 minutes.
Add butter mixture and 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream. Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and combine. Add 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (do not substitute).

Knead at medium speed of electric mixer for 8-10 minutes. If dough is too stiff for easy mixing, add a few tablespoons water.Turn out onto lightly floured board and using your hands, which
you've rubbed with olive oil (remove jewelry!), knead gently for 5 minutes. Dough should be light and airy, and somewhat sticky. As you knead, you should hear little "pops" as air bubbles break and new air pockets are formed.

Place into a greased bowl, turn once to coat with oil, cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in bulk.
When the dough has doubled, punch it down and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Divide in 1/2 and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Grease a deep dish pan with olive oil. Line the pan bottom and sides with the rolled out dough, easing dough into pan without stretching. Puncture bottom and sides with fork; coat with egg glaze.

Filling:

1/2 lb mortadella, sliced and chopped
1/2 lb provolone, thinly sliced
1/2 lb capicola (hot ham), very thinly sliced
1/4 lb prosciutto, very thinly sliced
2-3 slices each pepperoni or salami, chopped
1-2 slices sopressato, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 entire basket Easter cheese (fromaggio fresca)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons romano cheese, freshly grated
3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, cracked

At your deli, have the cold cuts sliced thinly, with the proscuitto being shaved thinly enough to see through it.
Remove the casing strings from the cold cuts, roll them up and slice them into 1/2 inch wide strips.
For the pepperoni, sopressato, or salami, chop the strips into small squares. Chop half of the mortadella into squares as well, reserving half of it to layer in criss-cross strips to create a layer in the same way that you'll be using the proscuitto.

Measure out a half cup of the ricotta. Add parmesan and romano cheese to this, then stir in the cracked whole peppercorns.

Note: To crack peppercorns, measure out quantity of whole peppercorns into a plastic bag and then use a rolling pin to crush them as you would bread crumbs.

Assembly:

Add the filling to the crust, beginning by lining the bottom of the crust with a thin layer of proscuitto, torn into strips. Cover with a scant layer of very thinly sliced boiled eggs (the boiled egg here is optional - feel free to leave it out).
Next, add a layer of ricotta, parmesan, romano, cracked pepper mixture. Place a layer of torn capicola to cover the layer. Next, place a thin layer of provolone cheese.
Cover this layer with the remaining 1 cup ricotta which has been mixed with the chopped pepperoni, sopressato, mortadella and capicola.

Place a layer of thin strips of mortadella, and next a layer of fromaggio fresca broken into chunks. Press down slightly if the filling is getting too high. Next, a layer of hot ham, then a final
layer of proscuitto and fromaggio fresca. (An optional variation at this step is to place a single layer of baby spinach, blanched, and squeezed dry into the center ricotta layer.)
In a cup, beat one egg with 1 tablespoon cold water. Use this as the egg glaze for brushing over crust just before baking.
Brush the pie edges with egg glaze so that the top crust will make a better seal with the bottom crust.
Roll out and drape top crust over pie; trim away excess using a kitchen scissors, leaving a 1/2 inch margin.
Press together and crimp edges well, then flute in a decorative fashion.
Insert 3 tin-foil funnels or pie birds through pie crust top in order to allow steam to escape. Let rise 15 minutes, brush crust with egg glaze before baking in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45
minutes.
Check at 35 minutes; if browning too rapidly, place aluminum foil tent over top (be sure close oven door quickly or you'll drop the temperature!)
Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices and allow individual slices to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Calzones: If you have any leftover dough, roll it into small circles, fill with any remaining cold cuts or filling mixture that you have, toss on some shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese; fold
into half circle, turnover-like shapes. Fold in and crimp edges, pressing to seal. Brush with glaze after allowing a 15 minute rise. Bake calzones at 375 F for 20 minutes, or until golden.
At last this amazing Italian food recipe is ready to serve...mama mia..buon appetito !
easy-italian-meatloaf

ITALIAN MINESTRA

2008-12-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

ITALIAN MINESTRA ...try this great Italian food recipe...amazing !

INGREDIENTS

10 c. water
7 large cloves garlic
2 T olive oil and 2 T salt pork chopped
2 to 3 sprigs parsley, cut
1/2 lb. sopressatto, proscuitto, 2 chicken legs, and 2 italian sausages (or use any combination of a proscuitto bone or ham bone or 2 chicken legs and two italian sausages, sliced)
1-2 heads escarole 1/2 pound linguine or other pasta
Salt to taste
Pepper
1/2 c. cooked or frozen Great Northern or limas or cannellini beans
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 leaves fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS
Fry out chopped salt pork in olive oil. Add thickly sliced garlic, parsley or flakes, and basil and chopped meat or brown whole chicken legs if using chicken. When meat begins to color, add water to cover and reduce heat to simmer. Leave on back burner or in crock-pot for several hours over very low heat. Cook until potatoes are very soft.
In a few hours, taste and adjust seasoning. Add water as needed during cooking to keep meat in broth. A half hour before soup is done, boil 1/2 pound pasta in separate pot. When pasta is boiling, add uncooked (well-washed) greens directly to soup and simmer an additional 15 minutes, then turn off heat. Serve with bruschetta drizzled with a good quality olive oil, that has been sprinkled with coarse salt, chopped black olives, and slivered parmesan, romano, or
provolone cheese. You can vary this recipe by substituting linguica for the proscuitto or sausage, and kale for the escarole. Or you may also substitute Chicken and sausage for the meat, collards for the escarole, and blackeye peas for the cannellini beans.
The Italian food recipe is ready to serve...nice taste ! Enjoy it !
italian-pie.

STUFFED ITALIAN FRYING PEPPERS

2008-12-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

STUFFED ITALIAN FRYING PEPPERS ...a nice Italian food recipe to try...mama mia !

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp each oregano and basil (fresh is best - if using dry, reduce amount to 1/4 tsp)
2-3 cloves finely minced garlic.
pinch of rubbed sage
3-4 anchovies (or to taste)
1 green onion or shallot, minced (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Saute garlic and green onion or a minced shallot, if using, in olive oil, til very lightly browned (A teaspoon of butter may also be added to speed the browning along). Mash the anchovies using a fork, stirring them into the olive oil.

Add parsley and other herbs, heat for 2 minutes. Add bread crumbs, then quickly mix in an egg which has been beaten (using a fork) with a few tablespoons warm water. Another teaspoon of olive oil may be added, if needed, for a smooth mixture.

Add cheese and mix well; stir in enough warm water to make a mix that can be pressed into the center of the peppers which have had their stems removed, and have been seeded and cored.

Saute the peppers in a skillet with 1/4" good olive oil with 3-5 peeled whole cloves garlic; turn the garlic to prevent browning. The garlic should just take on a lightly toasted color and will become soft, at which point it can be mashed into the oil and removed (save for spreading this on Italian bread - good before using for Bruschetta!)

The peppers should begin to blacken/brown on one side; turn them several times to distribute the coloring, keeping them always well coated in olive oil. When they appear to be somewhat tender and have streaks of browning, cover pan for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Serve right away, sprinkled with coarse kosher or sea salt.

Anchovy-stuffed peppers are even better on the grill, where grill marks will provide added appeal and color for an appetizing entree. Be sure to brush frequently with garlic infused olive oil.

These same peppers can be made in a similar way, except they are only cored and seeded, but not stuffed. In this case, they are served drizzled with garlic-mashed olive oil in sandwiches made with crusty Italian bread. (A few caramelized onions can also be added but this somewhat detracts from the focus on the pepper flavor).

Either dish is a good Summer meal, relatively light and doesn't need to be served piping hot. Simply sauteed in olive oil, the plain, unstuffed peppers are very quick and easy to prepare, and also travel well for picnics, or can be made ahead.

Some warehous Club stores have a new type of miniature sweet pepper in all shades of orange, red, and yellow. They're wonderful for preparing a scaled down version of the anchovy-stuffed peppers, but are a bit sweet for the unstuffed version.
The Italian food recipe is ready to serve....amazing ! Buon appetito !

Fusilli with Sauce of Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplant and Swordfish

2008-12-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Fusilli with Sauce of Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplant and Swordfish... a great Italian food recipe ! Nice one !

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):

1 Clove of garlic
30 g of Parsley
20 Cherry tomatoes
1 Eggplant
150 g of swordfish in 1 slice
320 g of pasta type fusilli
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION
Let salted water boil for fusilli. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan, prepare a chopped of garlic and parsley, add it to the pan and let it cook for 3 – 5 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the cherry tomatoes, the eggplant and the swordfish.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half or in quarter, add them to the pan with the chopped and let them cook for about 10 minutes.
Peel the eggplant and cut it in small square pieces, let them fry in a pan with hot oil and when they are cooked place them in a dish covered with a kitchen paper in order to remove the excess of oil.
Cut also the swordfish in square pieces and when the cherry tomatoes are ready add them to the pan and let them cook for other 5 – 10 minutes.
In the meantime if the salted water boil add the pasta and cook it for the time indicated on the packaging. When pasta is cooked, before drain it, take some spoons of cooking water and add them to the sauce of cherry tomatoes and swordfish.

BUON APPETITO! The Italian food recipe is ready to serve....nice !