Ready for Italian

Spaghetti, lasagna, risotto, bruschetta, raviolis, pasta salad... are just a few of the delightful dishes from the Italian cuisine I love to make and eat.I hope to share some of my recipes that I have created for my family.

Spaghetti is a versatile pasta that can be the foundation for a multiple recipes.

For the pasta- follow the directions on the package. If the pasta will be tossed with sauce in a pan make sure to under cook it.

Various Sauces for Pasta:

Tomato Sauce

Grab a large sauce pan.
Turn on the burner to medium heat and add a little olive oil.
Dice up an onion and toss into the heated pan.
Let it cook until the onions turn clear and starts to brown on the edges.
Add about 3-4 chopped garlic cloves.
Let it cook together until the garlic has brown (do not let it burn.)
Next add in your favorite can of tomato sauce or use about 7-9 fresh Roma tomatoes chopped up.

For the seasonings, here's what I add:
1 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons of dried basil and oregano (I love using whole leaf fresh basil, too.)
Salt and Pepper to Preference

For the vegetables:

For me it depends what I have on hand or whatever is in season- there is so many choices. Sometimes I like to keep it simple with zucchini,spinach, or olives can be added. Don't be hesitant to experiment with vegetables you like.

For the meat:

This is all about your preference of meats. I have listed some ideas that I like to prepare. One thing to keep in mind is I use the same pan for cooking the meat and the sauce. By using the same pan adds to the overall flavor of the sauce but also to remove some of the extra fat. (This technique is also used in making soup have flavor layers. Keep a look out for soups and stews in upcoming fall posts.)


Meatballs are an ideal companion with spaghetti. They should be prepared and semi-cooked prior to creating the sauce. Then add back to the tomato sauce pan after seasoning.

Ground Turkey Meatballs

Place the following items in a bowl to blend:
1 pound of ground turkey
1 slice of bread torn into pieces
1 egg
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon of dried basil or 12 fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoon of chopped garlic

Smoosh it together and pick-up small scoops to roll in your hands to form a ball. (The bigger they are the more it takes to cook them.) Then, roll the formed meatballs in a mixture of breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese.

Cook in a pan on medium heat to brown the outsides of the meatballs. Once cooked, remove and place on a paper towel.
Soak up some of the oil in the pan with a paper towel and then add the onions and garlic mixture.


***Meatballs can be pre-made and used for various recipes. A basic meatball minus the basil can be massed produced. Meatballs can cooled down and placed in a freezer bag. Just plan ahead for future meal servings. A frozen meatball added to a sauce can be cooked and heated together for a quick dinner meal. A sauce such as barbecue-tomato sauce for meatball sandwich. ***


If ground turkey is used, I suggest cooking the meat first and then remove it to a paper towel to drain the fat and liquid.

For sausage, I like to brown it and then add it sauce.

For chicken, I cook it separately and place it on the side. For a quick cook tip: Slice up two chicken breasts, sprinkle it with pepper, season salt, and a little flour. Then place in a heated pan with olive oil to brown up. They are kid friendly.

For salmon, I will cook it in the oven and place it on the side.

Eggplant Sauce

I discovered this sauce by experimenting and since I totally love eggplant I tried it on my family. Surprise they ate it!

There are various types of eggplant. I like the taste of the Japanese or Chinese eggplant. It has a different taste than the bigger eggplant.

Heat-up a pan on medium heat with a liberal amount of olive oil. Eggplant soaks up the oil.
Cube up the eggplant with the skin attached and toss it into the heated pan.
As it starts to cook, add chopped garlic to preference.
Next add a container of cherry tomatoes chopped up.
Season with pepper and salt.
Let it simmer together for about 20 minutes. Stirring every once in a while.


Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground meat: beef, turkey, chicken, pork
26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup of water
2 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese- divided
1 container of ricotta cheese 15 oz container
½ cup of Parmesan cheese – divided
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
Tools needed:
13x9 inch glass pan, large skillet, aluminum foil
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat in a large skillet on medium-high heat. (Suggestion: season your meat: salt, pepper, garlic.)
Step2:
Meanwhile, mix 1 ¼ cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, parsley (optional) and egg until well blended. Set aside.
Step 3:
Drain the meat; return to skillet and add the spaghetti sauce. Pour 1 cup of water into the empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Add to the skillet; stir until well blended. Adding water to the sauce helps cook traditional noodles during the baking so you don’t have to cook the noodles beforehand. This saves you 15 to 20 minutes of prep time.
Step 4:
Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish; top with a layer of 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Noodles will expand to fit the dish during baking.
Step 5:
Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce over the noodles. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the remaining meat sauce.
Step 6:
Sprinkle remaining 1 ¼ mozzarella cheese and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with a greased foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 minutes or until heated through.
Step 7:
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting to serve otherwise you will have soupy lasagna.

Makes about 12 servings.

Pasta Primavera

Yields: 4 main-dish servings
Total Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:

1 pound corkscrew pasta (rotini)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed with press
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1 1⁄4 cups packaged shredded carrots
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1⁄2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1⁄2 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat large covered sauce pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and asparagus and cook 2 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add carrots; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Add Parmesan, cream, and salt; heat to boiling. Remove from heat.
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1⁄2 cup cooking water. Toss vegetables with pasta and reserved cooking water. Serve with Parmesan if you like.



Spinach Pesto and Pasta

Serves 6 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 20m
Ingredients

· 1 pound fettuccine

· 1/4 cup walnuts

· 2 cloves garlic

· 1/2 pound baby spinach (about 10 cups)

· 1/3 cup olive oil

· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

· kosher salt and black pepper

· 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the walnuts and garlic until chopped. Add the spinach, oil, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary.

3. Add the pesto to the pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan before serving.


Don't forget to add a lovely green salad and a loaf of garlic bread. Enjoy!