Italian Food

Cucuzzille

May 19, 2010
popcorngirl12
1 comment
carrots, cucuzza, cucuzzi, italian, olive oil, onions, potatoes, red bell peppers, tomato sauce, Vegetables

I know some of you are saying, huh? I am not sure if I even have it spelled right or not. The name is pronounced “cook it seal”. Or as I used to call it “Crooked Seals”. My dad makes this recipe alot though it is not one of my favorites. The rest of the family likes it though. The base of the recipe is Italian Squash, or cucuzza or cucuzzi. It’s sort of a stew type dish. My dad doesn’t add any seasonings to it either. But I think if you added parsley or basil or garlic it wouldn’t hurt. It is a pretty easy recipe to make but it does take time. It is a dish that cooks slow so don’t rush it. And it is better to let it sit for a little before serving. You can make it the day before and then just reheat when you are ready to eat it. It’s a great vegetarian dish as well.

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 medium green or yellow Italian squash, trimmed and sliced round. (about ¼” thick)

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1″ chunks

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced round (about ¼” thick)

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1-2 red bell peppers, sliced in 1″ wide slices and cut in half

2- 8oz. cans tomato sauce

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cucuzzi Squash

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a large saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Place all ingredients into pot and steam on medium heat until vegetables are tender. This should be about 45 minutes to an hour-long. Add a little more water if needed to keep it from drying out.

2. When vegetables are just about ready stir in the tomato sauce gently. Try not to break up the vegetables but it’s ok if they do. Let sit about 15-30 minutes or serve next day. The more it sits the better the flavors will be.

Mom’s Old Style Lasagna

May 11, 2010
popcorngirl12
1 comment
garlic, ground beef, ground pork, Italian food, lasagna, mozzarella cheese, old style, onion, parsley, pasta, ricotta cheese, tomato paste

I was looking through all of my recipes trying to find one for today’s post and came across this recipe that was in my mother’s handwriting. It’s for an old style lasagna which is a little different from how I usually make it. I am adding it exactly as written by Mom. I’m hungry just reading it over! I love lasagna and I don’t get to eat it too often, too many calories! My sister makes an awesome one also, which I was able to have not that long ago. Too bad I’m on a diet now! Lasagna is one of those recipes that I’m sure everyone has had at least once in their life. It’s also one of those recipes that when it’s not made correctly it can be so disappointing! Ever had soupy lasagna? Dried out? Over cooked? We all have! And no self-respecting Italian will buy frozen lasagna! It’s just wrong! There is nothing like home-made so give it a try soon. It’s not difficult, really! The hardest part is getting the cooked noodles out of the pan! And if that is going to be a problem for you cut them in half to handle easier. Food should be fun to prepare as well as eat so enjoy trying this recipe out! Remember I copied it exactly as she had written it so if you need to change it slightly please do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Ronzoni lasagna (#123)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 ½ cans tomato paste (9 oz)

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

5 quarts water

3 teaspoons salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

¾ pound ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown beef and pork in large saucepan with oil, onion, garlic and parsley.

2. Add tomato paste, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Simmer 1½ hours.

3. Bring 5 quarts water to boil, add salt and lasagna and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring almost constantly to prevent sticking.

4. Drain. Arrange lasagna in casserole dish in layers, alternating with layers of sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, until lasagna is all used and ending in like sequence, ricotta last.

5. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in 375º oven about 20 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted. Serve.

Makes 6 large servings or 8 medium servings.

Strufoli (Honey Balls)

April 28, 2010
popcorngirl12
1 comment
butter, cinnamon, eggs, flour, honey, strufoli, sugar, vanilla

This is a recipe that my grandmother (Nana) used to make for us years ago, usually around Easter. Though they are good at any time of the year for any occasion. The first time I made these it took me forever to roll each little ball. Then I talked to my Italian Aunt Rosie about making them and she laughed when I told her I rolled each little ball individually. She said that took way too long! She told me to roll the dough into long strips like giant pretzel rods and just cut them! Simple! These little honey balls are really good and bring back so many childhood memories. They stay fresh for a very long time and you can even freeze them for another time! (Without the honey of course!) They really are simple to make and always a hit.

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

2½ cups flour

½ cup honey

vegetable oil

colored nonpareil (confetti)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and butter. Add flour, 1 cup at a time. The last ½ cup of flour can be added if necessary to make a smooth dough. Let dough stay in bowl, covered with a dish, for ½ hour.

2. Roll out portions of dough. Cut dough into strips, rounded like pretzels, then cut into ½-inch pieces.

3. Heat about 2½ inches of oil in the bottom of a pan or deep fryer. Fry the pieces of dough, a handful at a time. If you can do this in a frying basket, it will be easier to take them out. Place pieces on paper towels to drain.

4. Heat honey until just under the boiling point. Place strufoli in a bowl and drizzle honey over them, gently tossing. Arrange on a large platter and sprinkle with the nonpareil (confetti). You can shape into a mound on a large flat dish or into a wreath.

Makes about 150 little strufoli

Mom’s Eggplant Parmigiana

This is a favorite of many people when it comes to Italian food. My Dad could eat it all the time if he could! It’s really a simple recipe, it just takes time to prepare. I found a copy of this recipe in my mother’s handwriting. It was written on a calendar planner page from December 31, 1953, 7 months after she married my Dad! It’s pretty wild to find a handwritten recipe from over 50 years ago! I am not sure where the recipe originally came from but I am going to guess it came from Nana, my Dad’s mother. I also notice that the eggplant is not breaded before frying making it a little different from most versions of the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large eggplant or 1 small ones

1 cup olive oil

1 ¼ cups of your favorite tomato based sauce (I use marinara sauce)

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

½ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel eggplant and cut into thin slices (round).

2. Fry in oil until brown and drain well on paper towels.

3. Place 1 layer of fried eggplant into a casserole dish (square 8×8 is good for this recipe), cover with sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place a layer of mozzarella cheese on top of that. Repeat procedure until all eggplant is used, ending with mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake in pre-heated 400º oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot. Serve with extra parmesan cheese for top.

Serves 4

**Coming Next Wednesday: Stuffed Plantains!

Sgroppino

Well it’s the weekend once again and with the temperatures being a bit on the warmer side this week I thought this would be a nice refreshing way to start the weekend! It’s an Italian milkshake of sorts! Just keep it away from the kids!

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup limoncello

¼ cup citron vodka

¼ cup sparkling wine (Prosecco)

1 cup vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

Place everything in a blender and blend! Serve in a tall champagne type glass!

Serves 2

**Next Friday- Italian Margaritas!

Easy Pasta Fazool (Pasta Fagioli)

Pasta Fagioli

This is one of my all time favorite soups. There are so many versions of this but this is mine. I have done the trial and error and found what is best for me! Try some tonight! It is a simple and hearty soup that is great any time of the year!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1- 15 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes w/basil, garlic & oregano (or 1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce)

1 cup chicken broth (this gives a great flavor)

1- 15-16 oz. can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

½ uncooked pound ditalini or elbow macaroni

1 tablespoon dried parsley

grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, fry the garlic gently in oil until golden brown. Add the canned tomatoes or sauce and chicken broth and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the beans, stir gently and continue to cook on simmer until pasta is ready.

2. Meanwhile cook the pasta al-dente, drain and add to the bean mixture. Stir gently. If soup gets a little too thick add a little more chicken broth or water. Add parsley.

3. Serve immediately otherwise the pasta will absorb all the liquid. The recipe can easily be doubled if you like. Serve with parmesan cheese on top and good italian bread. It is even good cold the next day!

VARIATIONS: You can omit the tomatoes or sauce and have a ‘white sauce’. You can also replace the cannellini beans with a can of chick peas, sweat peas, black eye peas or lima beans, whichever you wish!

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What's Cooking at the Genua's?

Italian Food

Cucuzzille

Mom’s Old Style Lasagna

Strufoli (Honey Balls)

Mom’s Eggplant Parmigiana

Sgroppino

Easy Pasta Fazool (Pasta Fagioli)

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Follow my other blog! : Cruise Ship Recipes at Home

Chilled Strawberry Bisque (Carnival Cruise Lines)

Escargot Bourgignonne

Alchemy Bar’s Cucumber Sunrise (Carnival Cruise Lines)

Baked Alaska (Carnival Cruise Lines)

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