Tomato and Tortellini Soup

What You'll Need:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
4 cups chick stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
24 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
20 ounces three cheese tortellinis
1/2 shredded parmesan cheese

What to do:

In large sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic and fresh diced rosemary. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce oregano, basil, salt, pepper, stock and heavy cream to pot. Simmer for 20 min and taste. Add more seasonings as desired. Optional: for a smoother finish you can ladle half the pot mixture into blender and blend till smooth then return to pot with remaining mixture. Place tortellini in pot under tender and cooked thoroughly.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garish with parmesan cheese and diced fresh basil.

Penne with Chicken and Vodka Sauce

Penne with Chicken and Vodka Cream Sauce 

What You Will Need:

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 small shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 can tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
6 tablespoons vodka
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (pounded with meat tenderizer till thin)
1 pound dried penne pasta
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1. What You'll Do:

   In a large pot, melt butter. Add diced shallots and cook till softened. Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add can of tomato paste and let softened and caramelize a little, maybe 1 minute. Add cans of diced tomatoes. Transfer in batches to a blender, or use a emersion blender to make smooth. Some chunks are ok if you like it thicker.
2. Transfer tomato mixture back to pot and stir in chili flakes, vodka, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and sugar. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and flavors are melded, about 15 minutes. Stir in cream and season to taste. You can add more cream or less depending on taste. Just do a little, stir, taste and add more if desired. 

   Cook pasta to directions. Get a pan on stove really hot. Season flattened chicken breast with salt and peer. Cook each side till browned (3 min each side). Remove chicken from heat and cut into long strips. add chicken to sauce and let marinate for at least 5 min. Keep warm while pasta cooks. To Serve, spoon cooked and drained pasta in serving dish. Add spoons of sauce with chicken and mix. Add another layer of pasta to serving dish and more sauce and mix. This way you don't over sauce your noodles. Top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil. 

   

   
   

   Bon Appetit! 

   
   

Eggplant Brushetta

What you will need

2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1 medium eggplant (sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds)
1 loaf of your favorite bread
8 ounces mozzarella
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Marinara sauce (store bought or you can make your own with this recipe)

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. In a shallow bowl, whisk two eggs together with a dash of salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, pour in your bread crumbs.

Dip your eggplant rounds into egg then into breadcrumbs ensuring your coat thoroughly. Transfer to greased baking sheet. Repeat till all eggplant slices are done. Place baking sheet in over until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While eggplant are cooking, slice bread loaf lengthwise and place cut side up on baking sheet. Press slightly in middle to make a well. Place in oven for 2-5 minutes just to get a light browning on bread otherwise your bread might get soggy in the middle.

Top lightly toasted bread with marinara sauce, baked eggplant slices, and mozzarella cheese. Put back in over for about 6-9 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

Once baked, you can cut into slices and serve. If you have fresh basil, it would be great to add a rough chopped basil on top.

 

Bon Appetit

Easy Lasagna

Steven's Italian grandma taught be how to make Italian lasagna the way her family has been making it for years. Its quite a process and sometimes you just want something a little different and simpler...yet with amazing flavor. I was flipping through Thomas Keller's "French Laundry" cookbook and came across their staff lasagna recipe.

Staff meals are simple meals the chef of a restaurant makes for their crew around 3 or 4pm before the nights service begins. These meals have to be easy enough to whip up quickly without impeding on the restaurants service, but has to be packed full of flavor. I thought I would give it a try

Here's what you will need:
Olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 cups peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped oregano
2 tablespoon basil
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup parsley
1 pound lasagna noodles
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper


For the filling:
Combine Ricotta, eggs, parsley and a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk till combined. Cover and refrigerate.

For the sauce:

In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir frequently till turns oragnish...about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir. Let simmer on low for about and hour to let the flavors melt together. Stir frequently to make sure the bottom of the pot doesn't brown. When the sauce is done, it should be thick, chunky, and reduced down a little. Add oregano and basil and let cool to room temperature. 

Cook your lasagna noodles as specified on the box and allow to cool slightly. 

To assemble:

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your 9 by 13 baking pan. This will help prevent your noodles from sticking. Lay down some noodles, slightly overlapping. I cut some noodles in half to make the perfect size to cover the dish. 

Spread some sauce over the noodles paying attention to the edges so they don't burn and stay moist. 

Top with your ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat another layer on noodles, then sauce then the remaining ricotta mixture. Add one more layer of noodles, sauce, then top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 

Put in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until mozzarella is golden brown. 

I liked this recipe because it was pretty easy to make. I feel like Steven's granny's recipe has more flavor to it and is more moist, but this was a hit and even she liked it when I served it. 

For a traditional Italian feast, why not serve it with a salad and my minestrone soup?

Bon Appetit! 

Minestroni Soup

There is nothing better on a cold day than a good cup of hearty soup. This recipe is a play on Italian Minestrone soup and can be served as an prelude to your meal or simply as a meal on its own. What I love about this recipe is its so easy and just simmers so you can multitask while it cooks.

• What You'll Need:
  1/3 pound sliced pancetta cubed
  2 medium red onions, diced
• 4 celery ribs, cubed
• 3 medium carrots, shave the skin and chop
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch Swiss chard. Separate the leafs from the stems. Set leafs to one side and dice the stems
• 6 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can whole tomatoes in juice
• 3 quart hot water
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 5 cups chopped cabbage 
• 3 cups coarsely chopped kale
• Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• 1 can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small box of little pasta...I used stars
• 
  

In a big pot, add olive oil and heat. Add pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once onions begin to become translucent, add swiss chard steams to pancetta pot. Add garlic and a dash of salt and pepper. Continue Cooking for approximately 45 minutes will all the vegetables cook together and soften. Stir occasionally to keep the bottom of the pot from burning. 

Push vegetables to one side of pot and add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. 

Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add can of tomatoes and juices. Add water and vegetable broth. Bring to simmer. Add cabbage, kale, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 30 minutes.

Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Add pasta right before serving.

Bon Appetit!!