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Category Archives: Italian
Dinner Tonight: Tomato & Squash Pasta with Sauteed Shrimp
I am in love with this unseasonably warm weather. I am not into winter sports and I’m very clumsy which makes icy sidewalks my nemesis all winter.
Sean and I have been taking advantage by taking lots and lots of walks instead of going to the gym which is fantastic this time of year when the gym gets super crowded.
Tonight we took the 2 mile loop around the neighborhood with Barley and it was so warm I had to stuff my gloves and hat in my pocket! I wonder if I could bribe Mother Nature with some cupcakes to keep this weather coming.
Barley is confused why we are stopping to take a picture.
After our walk, I whipped up this pasta. If you know me at all, you know I’m my own worst critic — so you know that this pasta is delicious when I tell you that after three bites I started to get sad knowing my bowl would be empty soon!
Tomato & Squash Pasta with Sauteed Shrimp
All that's left in this bowl now are my tears...
Salt
Pepper
1/2 lb. medium-to-large shrimp, cleaned and shells removed
2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 large red pepper, diced medium
2 small summer squashes, diced medium
6 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced medium
1/2 lb. dried spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained
Parmesan Cheese, to taste
Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper. Once the oil gets hot, saute the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp get pink and just cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
Add the rest of the olive oil and the butter to the saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter is almost melted. Add the garlic. Cook for about 2-minutes stirring to make sure that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the red pepper, summer squash, red pepper flakes, and basil. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the squash and red pepper start to cook through stirring to distribute the heat. Add the tomatoes.
Cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will start to break down creating a bit of a sauce and the summer squash will be cooked through. Toss in the spaghetti and stir to combine (I find stirring with tongs helps distribute all of the vegetables into the spaghetti.)
Serve in large bowls and top with the sauteed shrimp. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to taste.
Posted in Cuisine, Italian, Main Dish, Pasta, Peppers, Quick & Easy, Recipe, Squash, Starch, Vegetables
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Sandwiches & Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Sometimes things are really busy at work and I get home and just don’t want to cook. It’s a strange feeling because I almost always want to cook. Last Tuesday we decided to make sandwiches. My favorite kind of sandwich is an Italian sandwich — especially with a little proscuitto! I made a little roasted red pepper salad to go with them. Along with some stove-popped popcorn, and some carrot sticks, it made a perfect, delicious, and quick weeknight meal.
Balsamic Roasted Red Peppers
1/2 jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 quarter small red onion, sliced very thin
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper, to taste
Easy roasted red pepper salad.
Perfect, simply weeknight dinner.
This past weekend, we had two parties in one night. We attended an early Thanksgiving feast at Ronit and Ty’s; it was their yearly friends Thanksgiving and Ty has been throwing this for 13 years! I’m pretty sure we’ve gone to at least 6 of them. Lots of food and fun! Then we had to jet to party #2: Kevin’s birthday. We had a great time at both shin digs.
I never, ever want to go to a party empty handed — I always need to bake or cook something. In this case, I make two batches of Sweet Potato Cupcakes. I got the recipe idea from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake cookbook. I tweaked it slightly by adding cream cheese frosting along with toasted marshmallows and caramelized pecans (the cream cheese frosting was my idea; marshmallows and pecans from Martha.) I also added a couple of extra spices to the dry ingredients: ginger and cloves. These were DELICIOUS. Super tender, moist, and spicy. They also looked awesome (the caramelized pecans looked sparkly!) This is the second cupcake recipe I’ve made from her book — her yellow cupcake recipe was just as delicious, so I heartily recommend this cookbook.
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Yum! Sweet potato cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, toasted marshmallows, and candied pecans!
2 cups roasted, mashed sweet potatoes, cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Candied pecan pieces (see below)
Cream cheese frosting (see below)
Preheat over to 325. Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Beat in mashed sweet potatoes and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating until completely incorporated after each.
Fill cupcake papers with batter to 3/4 full. Bake for about 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.
To decorate, spread each cupcake with 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese frosting. Top with 5-6 miniature marshmallows. Torch the marshmallows with a kitchen torch being careful not to melt the cream cheese frosting. You have to be quick. The marshmallows might catch on fire (like when roasting over a campfire!) Just blow out the flame as you go.
Sprinkle with crushed candied pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Reduce to low and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla. Mix until smooth and combined.
Candied Pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Heat sugar and water to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; cook until syrup comes to a boil. Boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is light amber. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans with a wooden spoon to coat completely. Immediately remove pecans from caramel; spread in a single layer on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool completely before using or storing; break into small pieces, if necessary.
Posted in Bar Food, Comfort Food, Cuisine, Dessert, Italian, Recipe, Sweet Potato
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Can you parbake a pizza crust?
In the process of planning my sister’s bridal shower (the menu included pizza), I asked this question. I found answers in various forms from Google which told me yes, I could parbake a pizza crust. I also asked my mother (who works for a large bread/cafe chain) and she told me that they parbake their bagels.
Of course, I never trust anything until I try it myself. I didn’t try it for the shower (I didn’t want to screw up and have no pizza). But later, I went about making a double batch of Alton Brown’s pizza dough to see if it would work. I made the dough, rolled it out, and baked it for about 8 minutes at 400F. It was cooked, but not yet brown and crusty.
I cooled it in and then packaged it up into freezer bags (the crusts were about 8″) and threw them into the freezer.
Last night, Sean and I completed the test. We heated up some leftover tomato sauce, ladled it on the frozen crust, added cheese, and baked it at 450F until the crust was GBD (golden brown and DEEEELICIOUS.) It worked like a charm.
So yes, you can parbake a pizza crust — and it’s much cheaper and way tastier than the store bought varieties. I recommend doing this next time you have a little time to make a big batch of dough. You can have a homemade pizza in minutes without calling out for (and waiting on) delivery!
Speedy Roasted Garlic
Who doesn’t like golden brown, soft, spreadable garlic? Not many people I’ve ever met. The problem is that to roast garlic in the oven takes FOREVER to get it to just the right creamy consistency. And, once it’s perfectly roasted, there’s still the matter of getting those cloves out of the bulb. It’s messy and almost impossible to get it all out and on to your bread.
Here’s a method I picked up from my last cooking class (one of the best things about school is that I get all sorts of great little tips from the chefs.) I did this for the first time last night for Valentine’s dinner (nothing says lovin’ like crazy garlic breath!) and it turned out perfectly!
Speedy Roasted Garlic
1 bulb of Garlic, cloves peeled (but still whole)
Olive oil, enough to cover the garlic in a small pan
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt & pepper, to taste
In a small pan, add garlic and enough oil to cover the garlic. Place the pan over a low flame. Let simmer until the garlic cloves become golden brown and soft. You’re looking for low, slow heat here. You’ll see some bubbles, but you don’t want the oil boiling or spitting at you. You’re garlic will likely be to the perfect state in about 1/2 an hour (without taking up valuable oven space!)
Once golden brown, move the garlic cloves to a small bowl. Pour in some of the (now really delicious & garlicky) oil. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
Spread the garlic over crusty bread and dip in the flavored oil. Alternately, mix into some mashed potatoes or mashed white beans or a vinaigrette…or anything that needs some garlic! You can hold on to the garlic oil for a few days, but it will go bad after long.
Posted in Comfort Food, Cuisine, Culinary School, Italian, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegetarian
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“White” Baked Ziti.
I came up with the idea for this recipe because I needed something easy, cheap, and large for a poker night at my house. Lasagna came to mind, but, lasagna can be a pain to put together with all that layering. And what is baked ziti but a messy lasagna?
I didn’t want to use red sauce (I didn’t want to take the time to make my own and let it cook all day and I *really* didn’t want to use jarred sauce), so I replaced that with a creamy, cheese sauce. I love the way it turned out — but of course, I’m definitely a fan of white sauce. It also seemed as if my guests enjoyed it — we only had just enough left over for dinner the next night (it was really good left over, too.)
The bad news is that my camera appears to be broken, so I couldn’t take pictures, but believe me, this is some comfort food at its best!
I use the quotes on the word white because there *is* some tomato in this recipe, but instead of a thick red sauce, it’s in the form of diced tomatoes.
“White” Baked Ziti
2 lbs. ziti, cooked until al dente
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced small
2 small summer squash, diced small
2 small zucchini, diced small
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1, 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces
2 oz. butter
2 oz. flour
1 quart, 1% milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated aged provelone cheese
1 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
12 oz. mozzerella cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Preheat nonstick pan with olive oil over medium heat. Saute half of the onion and half of the garlic for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the summer squash and zucchini and saute for about 5 minutes until cooked through. Add thyme, diced tomatoes, and spinach. Toss together, add salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
To create the cream sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion and garlic to the butter and cook for two minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. The sauce will start to thicken (it should be able to coat the back of a spoon.) Stir in parmesan and provelone cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a large, oven-proof casserole dish, mix the cooked ziti with the vegetable mixture. Add the basil. Add the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Mix in the ricotta cheese and mozzerella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the center of the baked ziti is 165. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to brown the top of the ziti.
Posted in Comfort Food, Cuisine, Italian, Main Dish, Recipe, Vegetarian
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Vegetable Lasagna Alfredo
I’m not sure where I got the idea for this recipe, but I’ve been making it in various forms for five years or so. At first, I used jarred alfredo sauce for the white, cheesy sauce that takes place of tomato sauce. But I’ve in the past couple of years, I’ve taken to making my own bechemal sauce rather than the jarred alfredo sauce. I’ve also taken to adding sweet, Italian turkey sausage in the vegetable mix.
This recipe takes a little bit of time — you have to saute the vegetables and sausage, make the bechamel sauce, make the ricotta mixture, and boil the lasagna noodles all separately. Then the lasagna must be assembled and baked!
It’s worth it. Especially since this will make a whole pan of lasagna and will most likely feed you for days — unless of course you’re making for a crowds. Then, all bets are off as I’m sure someone’s going to want seconds.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Bechamel Sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/4 large onion, cut into large chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 tbsp. whole pepper corns
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup shredded aged provelone cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
Combine chicken or vegetable broth and milk together in a large, microwavable container. Put the onion, garlic, and peppercorns into the liquid. Put this in the microwave for three minutes — stopping after each minute to stir. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium pot. Whisk in the flour and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes in order to cook the flour (you’re making a roux!) Strain the liquid into the pot with the butter and flour. Toss the onion, garlic, and peppercorns — they’ve given all they can. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Your milk and broth will start to get thick.
Once the sauce gets thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, stir in the cheeses. Add a couple of pinches of salt and about 10 grinds of freshly cracked pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if neccessary.
Ricotta Mixture
24 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. dried oregeno
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 pinch salt
10-15 grinds fresh black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Mix all of the ingredients together until combined.
Turkey Sausage and Vegetables
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced small
10 crimini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. sweet turkey sausage (about three sausages)
1 red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small summer squash, sliced
salt
pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Let sweat for 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add sausage, breaking it up in the pan so it resembles ground meat. Let the sausage brown. Since we’re using lean turkey sausage, you don’t need to drain this. Add the red pepper, zucchini, and summer squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are soft but still al dente.
Lasagna Noodles
1 package lasagna noodles.
Other stuff
1 package shredded mozzerella
grated parmesan cheese
grated provelone cheese
Bring a gallon of water and a few large pinches of salt to a boil. Add lasagna noodles. Cook for about 6-7 minutes. They will be more al dente than pasta you’d serve without cooking again, but still able to be eaten (you’ll have extra that you’ll want to dip into the extra bechamel sauce — cook’s treat.)
Assembling
Use a 9x13ish baking dish (mine is a little smaller than that, but you know, just use what you have.) Pour some bechamel sauce on the bottom (so the noodles don’t stick.) Put one layer of lasagna noodles into the pan — you’ll probably get about three noodles lengthwise.
Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Spread 1/3 of the sausage and vegetable misture over the ricotta. Pour a little less than 1/3 of the bechamel sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzerella cheese over the bechamel. Add another layer of noodles, sausage, bechamel, and mozzerella. You’ll get three layers in total. The last layer should be a layer of noodles covered in the rest of your bechamel sauce (minus whatever the cook is going to snack on while the lasagna is in the oven.) Finally, sprinkle some grated parmesan and grated provelone cheese on the top.
Cooking
Cover your lasagna pan loosely with foil. Put into the oven for about 45 minutes. You want the final internal temperature of the lasagna to be 165. When the lasagna is at about 160, take off the foil and cook for 5-10 minutes to finish and brown the cheese on the top.
Once it’s finished, if you can stand to wait, let the lasagna sit for 10-15 minutes to set. This will make it much easier to cut.