Recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms

It’s been a while since I’ve had or made stuffed mushrooms. There are so many different versions for this recipe. This is a basic Italian recipe. You can use different mushrooms and even add bacon or chopped shrimp or other ingredients if you wish. You can even make a mexican version by using cheddar cheese and some salsa or tomatoes. Make it your own, have fun with them. I also use a lot more garlic than recipes usually call for so if it’s too much for you just cut the garlic amount in half. In my house there is no such thing as too much garlic! Keeps the vampires away!

INGREDIENTS:

36 large cremini or white mushrooms (about 2½ pounds)

1½ cups Italian style bread crumbs

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or other grated cheese)

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

salt and fresh ground pepper

½ cup olive oil


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Oil one or two baking pans large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer.

2. Wash the mushrooms quickly under running water and pat dry right away. (Don’t let them soak, or they will get waterlogged.) Snap off or cut off the stems and set aside.

3. Arrange the mushroom caps upside down in the prepared pans. (Stem side is up)

4. Trim off the ends of the stems, chop and place in a bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the oil.

5. Spoon the crumb mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake the mushrooms for 18-20 minutes or until tender.

Serve hot

Serves 12

Bellini

A Bellini is Italy’s answer to a mimosa. It’s great for a Sunday brunch or anytime really. There is a really good already mixed version of this in the liquor stores, but it’s so easy to make at home yourself! The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. Because of its unique pink color, which reminded Cipriani of the color of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, he named the drink the Bellini.

The drink started as a seasonal specialty at Harry’s Bar, which was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Aristotle Onassis and Orson Wells. Later it became popular at the bar’s New York counterpart. A French entrepreneur set up a business to ship fresh white peach purée to both locations and it became a year-round favorite!

Bellini

INGREDIENTS:

1 part fresh white peach purée (use regular if you can’t find the white, it won’t be as good but it’ll do)

3 parts chilled Italian Prosecco (much better than Champagne)

DIRECTIONS:
Serve in a champagne flute and garnish with a fresh peach slice.

Party Option:

For a group of 12 or so combine 1 quart fresh peach purée, 3 quarts chilled Prosecco and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a punch bowl. Add fresh peach slices.

Peaches in Red Wine

This is another classic Italian dessert. Fruit and wine. Basic, simple and delicious. You can of course use an Italian red wine but a Pinot Noir or Merlot or other sweeter red wine works just as well. It’s your choice. You can make it Tuscan style by adding a vanilla bean and ¼ cup roasted whole almonds to the mix!

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup sugar

1 bottle Italian red wine of choice (a sweeter one is good but whatever you have is fine)

6 ripe white or yellow peaches

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and wine and stir until sugar is dissolved.

2. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits (peeling is optional). Cut the peaches into slices. Stir them into the wine/sugar mixture. Cover and let stand for 2-3 hours.

3. Scoop the peaches and wine into wine glasses or short beverage glasses.

Serves 6

Escarole & Little Meatball Soup (Minestra)

I love soup. Even in the hot weather of Florida soup is always a great dinner. This is a really simple soup. If you’re short on time you can always use pre-made frozen meatballs in this recipe but why would you? Freshly made are so much better. This recipe is a great comfort food dish. Make extra and freeze it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of escarole (about 1 pound)

6 quarts of chicken broth (homemade or store-bought is fine)

3 large carrots, chopped

8 ounces ditalini, tubetti, or spaghetti broken into bite-sized pieces

Freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

For the Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef or veal

2 large eggs

½ cup finely minced onion

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. Cut off the stem ends. Separate the leaves and wash well in cool water, especially the center of the leaves where the dirt collects. Stack the leaves and cut crosswise into 1″ strips. There should be about 4 cups.

2. In a large pot, combine the escarole, broth, and carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is almost tender, about 30 minutes.

3. While the escarole is cooking, mix together all the meatball ingredients. Shape the mixture into tiny meatballs, less than 1″ in diameter.

4. When the escarole is cooked, stir in the pasta and return the soup to simmer. Drop the meatballs into the soup. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the meatballs and pasta are cooked, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve hot with grated Parmesan.

Serves 6

Steak Pizzaiola

No this isn’t a pizza with steak on it. Though it does sound like it! This is a typical Italian steak dinner. Not hard to make and can be made quickly after a long day at work. I would eat steak every night of the week if I could but this is a nice change from the plain grilled version. It’s Italian so how bad could it be! This is a southern Italian dish and oregano is the traditional herb used in it. If you can’t find oregano you can use 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley instead. Serve with a side of your favorite pasta if you want!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 thin sirloin or rump steaks (5-6 oz. each)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1¼ pound tomatoes, chopped (or 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes)

2 sprigs fresh oregano or 4 teaspoons dried

3 tablespoons chopped basil or 1 tablespoon dried

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add steaks and fry over high heat about 2 minutes each side.

2. Add garlic to skillet, fry until fragrant, then add tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook 3-5 minutes, until tomatoes have softened and juices have reduces slightly.

Makes 4 servings

Ice Cream White Russians

This drink is easily a contributor to the usual Freshman 15 gained at college. Then again I didn’t discover this drink till Senior year I believe. Some of you will (SUCO Grads!) remember this delicious and decadent concoction from Red’s Filling Station in downtown Oneonta, NY. No it was not a gas station people! It was a bar. What else was Oneonta known for! Anyway, I remember a warm spring day (yes we did have them on occasion), going down to Red’s one Friday afternoon with my BFF Rose. I think we may have been going for what was called “sours”. It’s basically happy hour. Not really sure why it was called “sours” but it was. Well when we arrived at Red’s they had a special drink called an Ice Cream White Russian. Sounded good. I liked ice cream and I liked White Russians. So how bad could it be? It was like a White Russian milkshake really. They served them in large beer mugs with a straw! Boy did they go down smooth! Refreshing, delightful, delicious…But on the other hand LOADED with calories. But we were 20 somethings and we didn’t care about the calories back then. I did the math for this delight (I was curious) and this drink packs a whopping 444 calories, 16 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbs! But it has 1 gram of fiber and 5 grams of protein! Ok so the bad outweighs the good. But if you use low-calorie ice cream you can trim some of the bad away! But once you have one of these it won’t matter! It’s probably been 25 years since I had one but I still remember it like it was yesterday! Oh yeah and if you want, top with whipped cream! Why not!!

Red's Filling Station, Oneonta, NY (1983)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint vanilla ice cream (of choice), softened

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. Kahlua


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth but thick.

2. Pour into chilled beer mugs or tall chilled glasses.

Makes 2 drinks

You can make this stretch to 4 drinks if you serve in smaller glasses.

Gelato Affogato (“Drowned” Ice Cream)

An affogato (“drowned”) is a coffee-based beverage or dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with hot espresso coffee. This recipe will use coffee flavored ice cream and rum as well. If you don’t like coffee ice cream you can use vanilla or chocolate or any other flavor you like. If you are watching calories you can even use low-fat ice cream. Either way this is a unique Italian dessert. Coffee and dessert all in one! Saves time! If you want you can even add whipped cream to top it off! So much for low cal! This version of the recipe also has dark rum for an extra special treat.

INGREDIENTS:

About 2 pints coffee (or other flavor) premium ice cream

1 cup hot espresso

3 tablespoons dark rum

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scoop the ice cream into six small coffee cups or goblets.

2. Stir together the hot coffee and rum. Slowly pour the coffee over the ice cream.

Serve immediately

Serves 6

Italian Sausage & Peppers

This is a dish that I actually don’t really eat. I love the sausage part but if you remember I don’t like peppers. I know, what kind of Italian am I if I don’t like peppers. I’m trying to like them but it’s not working. Anyway, this is a very popular dish at our family gatherings. My brother-in-law Carl makes an incredible version of this. Nice and spicy, just how my Dad likes as well as my husband. Carl and my husband say it can never be too hot! They both have asbestos mouths so we can’t let them judge how hot things are! The hotness in this recipe will be decided on the type of sausage used. Hot sausage or sweet sausage, that is the question. I prefer sweet but those of you who love to sweat when you eat go for the hot!

Italian Sausage & Peppers

INGREDIENTS:

1½ pounds Italian sausage (sweet or hot, or both!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 large onions, slivered

3 sweet red peppers, seeded and cut into strips

3 sweet green peppers, seeded and cut into strips

½ teaspoon oregano

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pierce each sausage in several places with a fork and place in a heavy frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, over medium-low heat. Turn sausage occasionally and cook until well browned on all sides.

2. While the sausages are cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Mix in the peppers and oregano. Don’t cover the pan or the peppers and onions will get steamed.

3. Cook until the onions are lightly brown and the peppers are tender. Cut the cooked sausage into bite size pieces and add to the onion and pepper mixture. Mix well. Place on a warm platter to serve.

Serves 4-6

This dish is great with a nice loaf  of crusty Italian bread and a glass of Chianti!

Eggplant Balls

Eggplant isn’t just for Eggplant Parmigiana or Ratatouille. This is a great vegetarian “meatball”. They can be fried, baked or just put into the sauce and cooked that way. They can be used in an antipasto also! Eggplant is very versatile and this is a new twist on preparing it! Even kids will love these! Serve it with spaghetti or pasta that you like. It goes great in a fresh marinara sauce to don’t be afraid, try it, you’ll like it!

Eggplant Balls

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large eggplant, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon water

1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated cheese of choice

olive oil

marinara sauce, if desired

grated mozzarella cheese, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil and gently sauté garlic until golden brown. Add the diced eggplant, the tablespoon of water and cover. Reduce heat and gently steam until eggplant is very soft.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggplant, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and cheese. Mix well and let stand 20 minutes. Form into balls and fry on all sides in olive oil.

OPTION:

Place eggplant balls on a greased pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 325°. They can then be covered in marinara sauce and sprinkled with grated mozzarella cheese.

OR you can drop them in spaghetti sauce and serve in place of meatballs!

Serves 4-6

Tuscan-Style Cannellini Beans

This dish is a very popular dish in most restaurants in Tuscany or any Italian restaurant here in the United States. It’s simple and delicious. It’s got lots of fiber too which we all need these days. This version is also much lower in calories than the version in restaurants. I made it the other day and it was really good.

INGREDIENTS:

4 teaspoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried

1 cup canned diced tomatoes (I used the Fire Roasted ones)

1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

¼ teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley

1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

Parmesan or pecorino cheese for topping, if desired


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan heath the oil over medium-low heat. Saute the garlic, sage and rosemary until the garlic turns pale gold, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes; raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally 5 minutes longer.

3. Add the bean, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and vinegar. Top with parmesan cheese if desired.

1 … 24 25 26 … 33
Blog at WordPress.com.
Dining with Donald

Cruise Ship Recipes at Home

How do I Make That?

Rachael Ray

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Joanne Eats Well With Others

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Garlic Girl

It's Not Just Popcorn!

BuzzFeed - Tasty

It's Not Just Popcorn!

An Edible Mosaic™

It's Not Just Popcorn!

StephenKing.com - Latest News

It's Not Just Popcorn!

The Penny Hoarder

Food52

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Big Bear's Wife

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Ocean of Games- Free Download PC Games

It's Not Just Popcorn!

John Heald's Blog

The Weekend Gourmet

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Skinnytaste

It's Not Just Popcorn!

What's Cooking at the Genua's?

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Marla Meridith - MarlaMeridith.com

www.chef-in-training.com/

The Pioneer Woman

Simply Recipes

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Budget Bytes

rasamalaysia.com

It's Not Just Popcorn!

Homemade In The Kitchen

Small Batch Recipes and Recipes For Two

overdeepblueseas

OVER DEEP BLUE SEAS BLOG @ WordPress.com

Sluggo's Escapades

What's Sluggo up to today?

Not Rachael Ray Blog

My Bizzy Kitchen

RavieNomNoms

A Girl, Her Blog, and Lots of Food Pictures!