I grew up in an Italian household, and learned how to cook from my mom. I took a lot of what she taught me and incorporated it into things that I enjoy. Feel free to use any of these recipes, and leave some feedback if you do. I don't necessarily measure everthing out, as I cook to taste most of the time. The one ingredient that every recipe should have is Love! If you don't cook with Love, your food will not come out right. I suggest a big helping of Love in every recipe!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Pasta Piselli-Pasta With Peas
2-1/2 Cups of Water
4 Tablespoons of Plain Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Garlic Poweder
Salt And Pepper
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Elbow Pasta
In a pot, boil water for your pasta. Once it boils, cook the pasta.
In a sauce pan, Saute the olive oil and onion for 3-5 minutes. Add the Sauce, and water and mix. Add Garlic Powder and stir. When the water boils, add the peas, and let cook. Season with Salt and Pepper, and mix with the pasta.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Gnocchi With Portabella Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Carrots
2 tablespoons butter
Portabella Mushrooms Sliced(You decide how many you want)
Asparagus Cut into thirds (You decide how many you want)
2 Carrots Peeled
2 Shallots Minced
1/4 Cup of Dry White Wine( You can use dry Sherry, or Dry Vermouth)
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Heaping Tablespoon Marscapone Cheese
3 Tablespoons of Plain Tomato Sauce
1 Teaspoon Chopped Thyme
1/4 pound of Pancetta diced
1-1 1/2 pounds of Gnocchi
1/4 Cup Grated Reggiano Parmesan
In a large pot, boil water for the Gnocchi. Cook the Gnocchi to your liken.
In a small Saute Pan render the Pancetta for about 8 minutes or until most of the fat is rendered.
In a large pan heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the Shallots, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Pancetta over high heat and stir often until browned and the Asparagus starts to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cream, tomato sauce, and thyme and stir. Season with Salt and Pepper add the Carrots and bring to a boil. Check the asparagus, once it's done shut the sauce off. When the Gnocchi is done, add the Gnocchi, Marscarpone, and cheese and mix well.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Baked Haddock
Salt and Black Pepper
1/2 Cup White Wine(Something you would drink)
1/2 Lemon
1/4 stick butter cut into slices
1 Fresh tyme Sprig
Pre-Heat the oven to 400
In a small oven proof pan/baking dish pour the wine in. Place the Haddock in the pan and add Salt and Pepper to the haddock. Squeeze the lemon over the fish and add the slices of butter on top of the haddock. Put the Tyme in the juice, and place in the oven. Let cook for about 25 minutes.
**Note**Take a knife with a point and gently insert it into the fish. If the knife enters rather easily, the fish is cooked.
**Variations**You can modify this a bit. Put extra virgin olive oil on one side of the fish and add bread crumbs to the side with the olive oil. Follow the rest of the recipe above.
**Fish Variations**You can use Haddock, Scrod, Chilean Sea Bass with this recipe
Chicken with Brocoli, Peas, and Amaretto
¼ stick of butter
½ cup Amaretto
1 Cup of Chicken stock
4-6 Basil Leaves
Fresh Taragon
Boil or steam the brocoli and peas, to your liken. I like my veggies to have a crunch
Salt and pepper each piece of chicken on both sides. Flour chicken and dust them off
Heat oil, and add chicken. About 3 minutes on each side. Set chicken aside.
Add butter, and once melted, add the veggies. Mix throughouly, and add Amaretto. Let cook on medium for about 2-3 minutes, and add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once it boils, add chicken, basil, and Taragon. Cover for 2-3 minutes or until Chicken is cooked through. Serve with a side of rice.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Fussilli with Fresh Tomatoes, Mushroom, and Shrimp
Water for Pasta
¼ cup coarse sea salt
1 Pound Fresh Fussili or some other type of pasta
½ cup diced pancetta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 Cloves garlic sliced, chopped, minced or Smashed
1 cup sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
2 big portabello mushrooms, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1peeled skin from a lemon
¾ cup peeled shrimp
Hot red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
Italian parsley chopped
Fill a large sauce pot with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the coarse sea salt. Once boiling add the fussilli or whatever Pasta you choose and cook.
Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Render the pancetta, just until it is crispy and golden brown. Set aside.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1½-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and saute the garlic. The garlic should stay white and translucent. Add the cherry tomatoes and the mushrooms, season with a pinch of salt and let cook for 45-60 seconds. Next, add ¼ cup pasta water, the lemon peels, and hot red pepper flakes(you decide how spicy) and the rock shrimp. Allow the ingredients in the pan to simmer until the shrimp is cooked.
Add the Pasta to the saute pan and toss together with the pancetta, the parsley and the remaining 1½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Penne Nicola--Lobster, Clams, and Scallops in a spicy cream sauce
Lobster Meat (3 tail or 6 claws.)
9 Scallops
6-9 Cloves of Garlic Minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Clam Juice or Water
1/2 cup of White Wine(Something you would drink)
Fresh Chopped Parsley
Crush Red Pepper Flakes (Decide how spicy you want this)
1/2 cup or more Freshly Grated Parmessian Cheese
Salt (Just a pinch)
Black Pepper
1 pound Penne Pasta
Bring a pot of hot water to a boil. Add some salt to the water, add your penne and let cook.
Heat the Olive Oil, Garlic, and Red Pepper Flakes until the Garlic starts to sizzle. Add the Clams with their juices, along with the scallops. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the lobster meat, Salt, Black Pepper and wine. (if it looks dry you can add some bottled clam juice or some water from the pasta) and cook until Lobster is done. Add the pasta, parsley and grated cheese, and mix well.
Feeds 3-5
Bolognese Sauce
4 carrots diced
3 celeray stalks diced
1 medium onion chopped
7 Garlic cloves shmashed
1 cup dry white wine
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
3/4-1 cup of heavy cream
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground veal
Salt and black pepper
Sprinkle of Fresh Nutmeg
2-3 Bay Leaves(Optional)**
6 or more Basil Leaves(Optional)**
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until vegetables are translucent. Add veal, and beef to the vegetables, and sprinkle the nutmeg. Brown over high heat, stirring to keep meat from sticking together for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 3 hours, until flavors are developed. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and remove from the heat.
**If you're using the Bay and Basil Leaves, you can add them after the wine and beef broth.**
Monday, January 08, 2007
Aragosta Grigliato--Grilled Lobster Tails
Salt and Pepper
6 Lobster Tails
Freshly Chopped Parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Set the Grill on High and let heat for 15 minutes
Soak the Crushed Garlic in Olive Oil and set aside
Cut the Lobster Tails in half lengthwise and clean the vein
Place the tails on the grill meat side down and let cook for 5 minutes
Flip the tails to the shell side and let cook for 5 minutes
Flip one more time and cook for 2-3 minutes
Place the tails, shell side down on a plate.
Add the Garlic/Olive Oil mix to each tail
Season with Salt and Pepper
Drizzle Red Wine Vinegar
Sprinkle the Parsley over the tails and serve
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Mascarpone Artichoke Crab Dip
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ Cup Green Onions
2 Grated Lemon Peel
Juice from one lemon half
Ground pepper to taste
1 can 14oz artichoke hearts
1 roasted red pepper (You can buy a jar of roasted peppers if you don't want to roast them)
½ pound of Good Crab Meat
¼ cup bread crumb
1 tbsp melted butter
Roast the red peppers until the skin looks burnt/blistery. Place peppers in a small paper bag, and close the bag. (I use my BBQ to roast the peppers, but you can also use your stove top if it is a gas stove)
1. Preheat Oven to 400
2. Butter a Casserole Dish
3. In a bowl blend: (Mix each ingredient as you add each)
a. Mascarpone
b. Cheese
c. Green Onions
d. Lemon Peel
e. Lemon Juice
f. Black Pepper
g. Artichoke Hearts
h. Crab
i. Roasted Pepper
4. Once mixed, transfer to casserole dish.
5. Mix the bread crumb with the melted butter, and sprinkle on top
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is golden to your liken
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Polo Marsala--Chicken Marsala
4 Chicken Breast
Mushrooms
4 Garlic Coves Minced
Salt and Black Pepper
Marsala Wine
1 stick of Butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and Pepper each piece and each side of the chicken.
Flour each piece of Chicken and dust off
In a pan, Melt a 1/4 stick of butter, and saute` the Garlic
Add the chicken and unril brown then flip
Add the mushrooms, chicken stock, and the Marsala wine(Be very generous with the wine. The wine should almost cover the chicken) Let cook for about 5 minutes.
Flour the remaining butter and add it. Let the butter melt and cook the chicken through.
*Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.**
Quick Marinara Sauce
1 28 Ounce Can Plain Tomato Sauce(Chunky Style or Kitchen Ready)
2 Table Spoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly Chopped Parsley
Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
In a Sauce Pan over medium heat Saute`
1. Olive Oil
2. Garlic
Add:
1. Tomato Sauce
2. Parsley
3. Salt and Pepper
Mix Well, and cook for about 15 minutes
Monday, January 01, 2007
Fussili Con Aragosta, Granchio, e` Gambero--Fusilli with Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp
1 Teaspoon Lobster Base
Lobster meat
Crab meat
Shrimp
Water to taste (You'll need to add water to make a little broth to cook the fish in. The Lobster base is salty, so you'll add enough water to get the salty taste out.)
White Wine (Something you would drink)
Black Pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
Fusilli(Type of Pasta you can find at an Italian Specialty Store)
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the Fusilli.
Melt Butter and lobster base in pan stirring the Lobster Base to disolve it.
Add Water and mix.
Add Lobster Meat, Crab Meat and let cook for about 2 minutes
Add Shrimp, Black Pepper, and Wine. Give the wine 1-1/2 swirls around the pan and cook until fish is done(Less than 10 minutes)
Add Fusili, and Grated Cheese. Mix well, it should be somewhat creamy.
Agnello Con Vino Rosso e` Burro--Lamb Chops With Red Wine And Herb Butter
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of red wine (Something you would drink)
1 shallot or Onion
1 Garlic Clove smashed
1 1/2 sticks butter
Chopped mixed herbs. (Chives, Parsley, Rosmary, Tarragon, Tyme)
Salt and Pepper½ lemon
In a saucepan bring Shallots, Garlic, and Red Wine to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer until reduced to less than half. Let it cool.
Beat butter in a blender until creamy, and add the red wine mixture and the mixed herbs.
Salt and Pepper both sides of the lamb, and heat the oil over medium heat in a pan. Cook one side of the chop until it browns. Flip the chop and cook for about 7-9 minutes covered. Spoon the butter mixture on each chop. Cover and let melt.
Smoked Brisket
My nephew Dante has been asking me to smoke a Brisket. For weeks, I've been hearing, "Uncle, when are we going to smoke a Brisket...
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1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese 1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese ½ Cup Green Onions 2 Grated Lemon Peel Juice from one lemon half Ground pepper to tast...
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10 Garlic Cloves Crushed Salt and Pepper 6 Lobster Tails Freshly Chopped Parsley Extra Virgin Olive Oil Red Wine Vinegar Set the Grill on H...
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18 Little Neck Clams (shucked and keep the juices) Lobster Meat (3 tail or 6 claws.) 9 Scallops 6-9 Cloves of Garlic Minced Extra Virgin Oli...