Italian Style Macaroni & Cheese

8 ounces Ziti or Shell Pasta  (cooked & Drain)

2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whipping cream
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese
1 can drained (28 ounces)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 Preheat oven at 400

Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium heat.  Saute garlic for about 1 minute, add flour and cook for about 1 minute, add the cream and cream cheese and whisk mixture. Simmer and whisk until thick and not lumpy, nice and smooth.

Add Fontina cheese and the diced tomatoes in tomato juice and keep stirring again keeping mixture smooth.  Add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture  and coat the pasta with the cheese mixture, season with pepper, and transfer coated pasta to a buttered casserole dish.

In a small bowl mix Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and parsley, and sprinkle over  the top of the macaroni, drizzle olive oil over it. 


Bake for 25 minutes until the top of the cheese is a golden in color.  Serves 6

Artichoke Pizza

1  pizza crust 

1 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 can Italian style plum tomatoes (drained and cut into pieces  (28 ounces)
1 can artichoke hearts  (drained and quartered  8.5 ounce)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

 Preheat oven 425

grease lightly 9x13 inch baking pan   Press dough into pan, sprinkle olive oil over crust add garlic and basil, cover over tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onion, and mushrooms, sprinkle rosemary and feta.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crest is golden in color. 
Serves 8

Tortellini Salad

1  package cheese tortellini (9 ounces)
1  bag  mixed greens (16 ounces)
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained  (28 ounce)
1/2 cup garlic onion vinaigrette
2/3 cup seasoned croutons

Cook tortellini as directed, drain and rinse with cold water, In a large bowl mix tortellini, greens, mushrooms and diced tomatoes.  Pour dressing over tortellini and mix well, add croutons and serve.  Great healthy summer dish.

Serves 4

Pasta Fagioli

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
 black pepper to taste
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1/4 cup sweet red wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 Crushed tomato with basil (28 ounce)
1  can beef broth (14.5 ounce)
1 cup Ditalini, cooked and drained
1  can Cannellini beans (15 ounce)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 Heat oil at medium heat, add the ground beef and saute until browned, season with pepper, add garlic, onion celery. Cook until soft, add wine and mix well.  Add crushed tomatoes with basil and pour in beef broth.

Simmer for 35 minutes and stir, add pasta and beans add cheese and mix well.  Season as you like, serve with garlic bread or Italian bread and a glass of red wine.  Enjoy!   Serves 4

You can make this in a slow cooker as well.  Enjoy with a loaf of Italian Bread.

Veggie Frittata

2 cups sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)

Puree:
12 eggs
1/2 heavy cream ( do not use fat free)
1/2 teaspoon of salt



Heat:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Slice 9 ounces of sausage
1/2 cup of diced red or green pepper
1 bunch of scallions sliced and separate the greens and the whites
1/2 teaspoons of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons of minced fresh garlic

Preheat the oven to 375

In a pot of hot boiling salted water, cook the sweet potatoes until tender  10 minutes.  Once cooked, drain and run cold water over potatoes and then drain again.

Puree eggs, and cream in a blender until nice and smooth.

Heat olive oil in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium until it shimmers, add the sausage until brown about 12 minutes, once cooked transfer to a paper towel lined bowl.

Lower the heat and add the peppers and  scallion whites, thyme, and pepper, cook until veggies are soften about 4 minutes, stir in garlic and cook another minute, add sweet potatoes, sausage, and scallion greens.  Pour egg mixture slowly and evenly over entire veggie mix.  Cook until about 6 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven, bake the veggie Frittata until the middle appears set.

15-20 minutes, once cooked golden in color.  Remove Frittata from oven and let stand about 10 minutes.  Loosen the edges with a knife and a spatula and bottom of Frittata.  Place a large flat plate over the entire skillet and flip the plate to invert the frittata.

Makes enough to serve 6
 





 

Irish Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of caraways seeds
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoons of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cups of raisins



1 pint sour cream
1 stick of unsalted butter  (melted and cooled)
1 medium egg  (lightly beat)

Preheat oven 375

Coat a 9 inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk together flour, sugar, caraway seeds, baking powder,baking soda, salt in a medium size bowl.  stir in raisins.  Slowing mix in sour cream, butter and egg in small bowl, then stir into flour mixture.  Mix well until smooth.

Transfer the batter into coated pan and put an x in the center of the mixture.

Bake the Soda Bread bread half way though and then rotate the pan.  Bake until golden 45-50 minutes.  When you insert a toothpick into the center of the bread it should come out clean.

Cook bread with the pan  for about 15 minutes.

 The history if soda bread is that it comes from Southern Ireland, and the cross on it legend claims is to scare  away the devil. 


My Mother-in-law would serve this with butter and a cup of tea.  My mother-in-law had 3 different versions of this soda bread.  I remember this one most often being used.

Calamari

2 Pounds Cleaned Squid
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Cornmeal
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
Canola Oil




Slice the cleaned tube into 1 inch rings.


Pour about  inches of oil into a deep fry pan and heat oil

Mix the flour, cornmeal and spices together into a plastic bag drop the calamari and shake, making sure to cover it well forming a nice coating.

Drop the calamari into the hot oil, and cook for about a minute or until golden brown, then drain into dish lined with paper towels.


Serve with dipping sauce, serves 4

Baked Mussels in Garlic Sauce

2 Pounds Fresh, Cleaned Mussels
4 medium Garlic cloves (minced)
1 Cup Fresh Parsley washed and Chopped
3/4 Stick Butter room temp (Unsalted Butter)  
Salt & Pepper



Mix together butter, garlic, parsley mixing together well.

Preheat oven  450 degrees

Arrange the mussels in a large baking dish,  spoon the butter  mixture over the top of mussels.

Cover the dish with foil nice and tight, baking  for about 20 minutes, or until the mussels open.


Discard mussels that do not open.

Shrimp In orange Sauce

20 Large Shrimp


2 Large Cloves Garlic (Chopped fine)
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1/4 Cup Fresh  Parsley chopped
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half

Marinate the shrimp in mixture for one hour before cooking.

Heat a frying pan with oil on medium heat, add shrimp from marinade mixture.


Cook for 5 minutes  until the shrimp becomes slightly golden brown.

Add the cherry tomatoes and serve hot.


Serve over rice if desired.

Eggplant Manicotti

2 Large Eggplants 
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup Lightly Seasoned All-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Olive Oil  (Frying)

 Stuffing mixture:
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
3/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
1/3 Cup Grated Romano Cheese
Pepper
1 Egg


Sauce:
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2  cups of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of pepper
Romano grated cheese



Cut the eggplants lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices.
Place the flour in a plastic bag.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat.  Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, then the egg, and fry in batches until golden brown  both sides, for about  2 minutes on each side.   (add oil as needed)  Place the ones done on paper towel lined plate.

 Make the sauce, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until lightly smoking.
Add the onions, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook another 3 minutes add the minced garlic, the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes and sauce is thick.

Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a large casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 375


In a medium  bowl, mix together the filling.  Start filling each slice of eggplant with the tablespoon of  filling, roll and place seam side down, and side by side as you fill.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the eggplant,  and sprinkle the grated cheese, cover the casserole and bake 45 minutes.

Ravioli made over easy

1 package of ravioli
4 1/2  tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 medium size garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of red sweet wine
1 can of your favorite crushed tomatoes

Grated Parmesan cheese


Cook Ravioli as directed on package

Heat olive oil on medium heat, add the garlic and onion and cook for 4 minutes, add the oregano and tomatoes.  Bring to a slow bowl, and reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. 

Drain Ravioli, gently transfer ravioli to dish and pour sauce over ravioli and sprinkle with cheese

Serves 4.

Shrimp over RIce

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves diced
Chop 1 medium tomato
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
20 large shrimp deveined
Rice

Blend and puree all ingredients except the shrimp.  Pour dressing into a large bowl and  place shrimp  into it, and marinate in refrigerate for 1 hour.

After hour pour entire bowl of shrimp and marinate into a large skillet, cover and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes.  Remove from stove and serve over cooked rice.

Chicken with Sicilian Sauce

1/2 cups Almonds
1 tablespoon of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of basil
1 cup of fresh cubed tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless chicken breasts

In a blender chop the almonds, garlic, basil and salt and pepper, add the tomatoes, cheese, and tomato paste and and oil and blend until finely chopped.

Heat a your grill or pan.  Brush with oil, salt and pepper the chicken and place on the grill.  Cook 5 minutes and until cooked through and not pink.  


Add chicken to serving plate and top with Sicilian sauce.  Serves 4

Polenta

8 Cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of Polenta
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese


reheat oven 350


In a 4 quart oven pan, combine salt, and Polenta and mix well.   Add butter and bake for about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and add and mix together chicken broth.  Bake again for another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir in cheese and serve hot.  Makes 6 servings.

Salsa Italian

2 cups cubed peeled eggplant
1 cup cubed sweet red pepper
1 cup cubed green pepper
1 cub cubed zucchini
2 1/2 medium minced garlic
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 large tomato cubed
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of salt 
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of sugar 

In a large skillet in oil,  saute the eggplant, pepper, zucchini and garlic for about 10 minutes. Slowly add your tomato, vinegar, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.  

Cook about 6 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.  Once cooked, cool and refrigerate for about 6 hours.  Serve on toasted Italian bread.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups.