Bucatini All’Amatriciana - Italian Recipe

By Jack Botticelli

A traditional Italian dish: Bucatini is a tube noodle a little thicker than spaghetti. I frequently use penne in place of bucatini. Amatriciana is a classic Italian sauce that comes from the town of Amatrice, Italy. It is considered a Roman dish (i.e., origins in the city of Rome, not the Roman Empire), because many migrated from Amatrice to Rome in the early 1800s and brought the recipe with them. It is usually made with pancetta. Many American versions substitute traditional bacon for pancetta, but it is just not the same. I highly recommend using pancetta. I might also add that the traditional sauce does not contain mushrooms. I have also made some other subtle changes to what one might consider the traditional sauce. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 8 tablespoons - extra virgin olive oil
• 2 - large onions, chopped
• 1/2 pound - pancetta, diced
• 1 pound - button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves - garlic, minced
• 3 14.5-ounce cans - diced tomatoes (I like Hunt’s brand)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon - red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons - tomato paste
• 1/4 cup - dry white wine (e.g., chardonnay)
• 1 pound - bucatini or penne pasta
• 1/2 cup - fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated to taste

Preparation:

In a large heavy frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high, add the onions, and cook until soft. Add the pancetta and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have lost most of their water. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, pepper flakes, tomato paste, and wine and simmer on medium low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes (less if you like it al dente). Drain the pasta well and mix with the sauce and parsley.

Serve and top with Parmesan cheese. Bon appetit.

Jack Botticelli.

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Fennel Broccoli and Sausage Pasta Recipe

By Leah Quinn

Fun loving pasta eaters, rejoice! The fennel, garlic and broccoli go very well with sliced sauteed sausage and freshly grated parmesan cheese along with the crumbled goat cheese - ciao bella! Quick and easy meal to help sneak in some veggies to unsuspecting teenagers and hubbys everywhere!

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 each hot and sweet sausage links, semi-frozen
• 2 small crowns of fresh broccoli
• 3-6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 or 2 bulbs fennel with their fawns
• Olive Oil
• Large pot of boiling water for pasta - try rotitini or penne
• One large deep skillet, enough that when after cooking sausages and veggies, you can also throw pasta in.
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• A couple shakes of dried red pepper flakes
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Salt

Directions:

1. Put pot on to boil for pasta
2. Take out sausage from freezer, and slice links into 1/3 inch slices
3. Put skillet onto stove, add small drizzle of olive oil and put sliced sausages in.
4. Add red chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper - the heat from the skillet opens up their flavors.
5. While the sausage cooks, mince up garlic and set aside.
6. Rinse and break apart broccoli into small bite size pieces and set aside.
7. Cut off frawns from fennel, and with the remaining bulb, slice thin and break apart to resemble onion slices. Set aside frawns for now.
8. Once water has started to boil, add good amount of salt to water and a bit of olive oil.
9. To cooking sausage slices, add sliced fennel and broccoli to skillet.
10. Continue cooking broccoli, sausages and fennel allowing the fennel to caramelize along with sliced sausages.
11. Mince up two tablespoons fawns from the fennel and grate up your cheese.
12. Drain pasta when just al dente, but try and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
13. Add drained cooked pasta to deep skillet and add freshly minced garlic to the mix.
14. Add 1/2 of the cheese and up to 1/2 cup pasta water and stir till all are combined. Continue cooking for one to 4 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese.
15. Serve up on plates, sprinkle a little of the minced fennel frawns and extra grated cheese. Ciao Bella! Mangia Mangia pronto!

This is one of those great tasting easy dishes, and the goat cheese once is melts creates a similar feel in your mouth to alfredo sauce but without a lot of the naughty added fat.

Leah Quinn, a multi-media artist and writer whose work specializes on food, health, feng shui, and self-improvement. http://leahquinn.com

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For The Love Of Italian Food – Pasta And Cauliflower Recipe

By Phillip Speciale

Mangia! Mangia! I just can’t get enough of the great taste of Italian foods. Italian pasta, pizza, pork, beef and seafood recipes are much a part of my everyday life.

Growing up Italian in Chicago has been a wonderful culinary experience to say the least. The many different restaurants and families from different regions of Italy allowed me to taste some of the most delicious food in the world.

Food always conjures up great memories. When I cook something I haven’t had in a while, it always seems to bring me back to the last time and place I did have it. I think it’s the closest thing to a “time machine” we’ll ever experience.

Years ago at every family gathering my Grandmother Theresa made a simple dish of pasta and cauliflower. Oh how we craved for this dish after she was gone. It was filling and delicious and you just could not get enough.

So finally one day I said I was going to try and make it. I just had to have it again. There was just no way was I going to live out the rest of my life without ever eating this dish again. Determined, I tried many times and one day I came as close as I possibly could to recreating her recipe. As we all know Grandmothers did not measure anything, so this was not an easy task.

Here’s my version of my Grandmother’s recipe. I hope you an your family enjoy it as much as mine does

Grandma Theresa’s Pasta and Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 pound box of mostaccioli or rotini

2 medium size heads of cauliflower

3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped

3 or 4 bunches of long green onions chopped

1 stick of butter

2 Tbls of vegetable oil

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to tastePreparation

Clean and cut cauliflower into bite size pieces.

Boil cauliflower in around 6 quarts of water until tender.

In a large frying pan sauté onions and garlic in ½ stick of butter and oil for about 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup of bread crumbs and sauté until slightly brown.

With a slotted spoon remove cauliflower and add to the breadcrumb mixture. Do not throw away the cauliflower water.

Cook the pasta in the cauliflower water until al dente. Around ten minutes.

Add remaining butter and breadcrumb to the cauliflower mixture.

Add around a cup of cauliflower water to the mixture to moisten.

Stir and cook for around 15 minutes more.

Mix the pasta and cauliflower together.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and your ready to eat.

I hope this recipe makes many memories for your family and friends.

Phil has been cooking and creating Italian dishes ever since the age of ten. His passion and love for Italian food is never ending. Visit him at http://www.great-chicago-italian-recipes.com for more family favorites.

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Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Chef Anne Burrell shares secrets to restaurant-quality spaghetti Bolognese. This video is part of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef show hosted by Anne Burrell . Enjoy this Homemade spaghetti bolognese recipe.

Pasta With Roasted Vegetables & Fresh Herbs

Here is a quick, easy and delicious summer Italian pasta recipe that you just have to make for dinner tonight. Anyone can make this. Your family will feel like they are eating at an authentic Italian restaurant after eating this dish.

But before we get to this recipe, I would like to provide you with a few tips on how to buy the best quality ingredients for this dish.

Tips For Buying Your Vegetables

The key to this dish, or any dish that calls for fresh vegetables, is to educate yourself on how to choose the best ingredients. It can be confusing at the store with all of the different varieties, textures, sizes and shapes that vegetables are available in.

I try to only use organic fruits and vegetables. They may be more expensive, but they are tastier, higher in nutrients, and for the most part, free of any dangerous chemicals.

For this particular dish I use Roma or Plum tomatoes. A Roma tomato is a type of Plum tomato, and to the best of my knowledge, there is no real difference between the two. I like to use Plum or Roma tomatoes for cooking and making sauces. They are more meaty and have less seeds and juice than other varieties. They also taste better in my opinion.

Choose tomatoes that are heavy for their size and have a deep rich color. This deep rich color not only indicates a tastier tomato, but it also is an indication that the tomato has a higher supply of the healthy ingredient “lycopene”.

Smell the tomatoes. They should smell fresh and earthy.

Choose tomatoes that are smooth and free of cuts, blemishes and soft spots.

When choosing your squash , make sure it is firm and heavy for its size.

Examine the skin for any cuts or soft spots. Look at the stem and make certain it is not discolored or shriveled.

Choose squash that is smaller and younger as these are usually more tender.

THE PASTA

Am I really going to devote a section of this article to pasta? Can’t you just use any old pasta? Does it really make a difference?

In my opinion, yes, it does make a difference. There are many varieties of pastas on your supermarket shelves, but not all are created equal. I have tried many different brands of pasta and always find myself coming back to Barilla.

It just cooks up perfectly, every time. When I say perfectly, I mean “Al Dente”. When Pasta is cooked “Al Dente”, it should be firm, but not hard. Cooking pasta to this perfect state does require practice. Follow the instructions on the back of the box. They are usually quite accurate. My recommendation would be to taste the pasta a minute or two before the suggested cooking time is reached.

INGREDIENTS

Here are the ingredients that you will need. These measurements are by no means set in stone. Not everyone has the same preferences. You can easily adjust the ingredients below to suit your taste. Cooking is all about experimentation and I find that many of my recipes evolve over time.

1 Pound of Barilla Pasta - I use penne. I have tried other types of pasta like spaghetti and ziti, but penne seems to have the best texture and holds up the best with the ingredients in this dish.

3 - 4 Yellow Summer Squash Cut Into 1/2 Inch Pieces

3 - 4 Roma or Plum Tomatoes Cut Into 1/2 Inch Pieces

4 Cloves of Garlic Peeled and Smashed

1 - 2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme Chopped

1 Cup of Torn Fresh Basil Leaves

1/4 Cup of Fresh Italian Parsley

1/4 Cup Asiago or Parmesan Cheese Plus a bit more for serving

Several Drizzles of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

Add your vegetables and garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir so that vegetables are coated well with the olive oil.

Put the vegetables in the preheated oven and roast , stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned. Make sure they do not burn! It shouldn’t take longer then 30 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta but reserve a cup or so of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot.

Add the roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, cheese, butter, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to the pasta.

If the mixture is dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.

Toss and serve. Top with cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

[ratings]

Lasagna: The Quick, Easy, and Delicious Way

Lasagna: The Quick, Easy, and Delicious Way

By Fern Cohen

Do you know that the local restaurant you frequent probably doesn’t make everything from scratch? I learned this when I worked in a New York City a while back. Much to my dismay, I watched one day as the kitchen staff unpacked boxes of already-made sauces, packages of conveniently chopped vegetables, and even prepared cookie dough and pie-shells. There is a well-known chain of sandwich shops that boasts heroes with “freshly baked bread”. But you might be expecting to find frenetic yeast rising and dough rolling in the back. Chances are you would see globs of dough pre-formed into hero-bread shape, waiting to be put in the oven. And what’s the difference? The cookie or bread would taste freshly baked, and the cooks wouldn’t waste time with rolling pins or discarding dough that didn’t rise. It makes for a much more efficient kitchen, right?

Well, why not use the same principle in your own kitchen? You can make a delicious lasagna without rolling out the pasta dough, or even toiling over a stove to make your own sauce, like Grandma did. Of course, if you want to do everything from scratch, more power to you, because you probably have no kids, don’t have to work for a living, and have someone to clean the mansion and do the laundry. But for the rest of us, leave the saucing to Francesco Rinaldi, and the pasta artistry to Ronzoni. Your guests will think you knocked yourself out for them, and you can still put your own culinary signature on your lasagna. To this day, friends still call me on me to tell them how to make “my” lasagna, and my name doesn’t even end in a vowel!

First, buy a package of lasagna pasta. To make it special, you can get green spinach pasta. If you want to make it really outstanding and you live in a big city, or an area with a big Italian population, you can go to the local Italian deli and get fresh lasagna noodles, instead of picking your box off the grocery shelf. Check with the store about cooking time and make sure you tell them you are making a lasagna, so the pasta will be put in the oven after cooking. Sometimes you get already-cooked pasta that you can put right into the oven without par-boiling. If you use pasta from the box, do not boil it for the 15 minutes they tell you on the box. You want your pasta to be “al dente” which is a little hard, because when you put it in the oven to bake your lasagna, the pasta will cook more, and you don’t want it to overcook it and let it get mushy.

The next thing you are going to put together is your filling. Now, here is where you are going to put your own signature on your lasagna. Mine was little mini-meatballs, but you can also brown the chopped meat and put it in too. Start with some tomato sauce. Here too, take liberty and pick out a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. You can use meat sauce and you don’t have to brown any meat. You can use sauce with sausage, or to make it really special, buy already-made Italian sausage. Make sure you cook it first. Want to add your own special vegetable? You can put in cooked eggplant, zucchini. Onions, peppers or whatever you want. Add fresh herbs if you desire. If you want to make a vegetarian lasagna, leave out the meat. Want to go easy on the calories and cholesterol? Use chicken or instead of chopped beef, use chopped veal or even chopped turkey. For a very different lasagna, put in seafood — calamari, mussels, or even shrimp.

Now you are ready to assemble your lasagna and put it in the oven to bake. You will need a large container of ricotta cheese and a package of mozzarella cheese too. Take a rectangular baking dish- either glass or metal, or even disposable. Spray the bottom with non-stick cooking spray or a thin layer of olive oil. Then line the bottom of the pan with sauce. Then cover the bottom with a layer of your pre-cooked “al dente” lasagna noodles. Next, slather on your ricotta cheese in a thick layer. Then, put on your filling and sauce. Then, put another layer of lasagna noodles, again slather on ricotta, and again your filling. Top off with a layer of lasagna noodles, liberally pour sauce on top, and then slices of mozzarella to cover the top. Put the pan in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the mozzarella on top is completely melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Make sure to serve some Italian bread and compliment with a good bottle of wine, and your guests will never know that you didn’t slave all day. You can even make the components of the filling the day before. That way, all you have to do on the night of your dinner party is parboil the lasagna noodles, assemble the lasagna, and pop it in the oven. Everything is already cooked; you only have to put it all in the oven to melt the mozzarella and heat everything up. The lasagna is your creation. You have chosen what goes into it and what flavors and spices your guests’ taste buds will enjoy. And the best part? If there are leftovers, you can reheat it and enjoy it again. I will never figure out why, but Italian food always tastes even better the second time around. Isn’t there a song like that? Or is it love that is better the second time around? Love? Lasagna? They certainly go together.

Fern Cohen is a freelance writer living in New York City. Diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease in January, 2004, she was forced to retire early from her career of teaching foreign language and ESL in the inner-city. Fern also enjoyed a 20-year career in the travel and tourism industry and holds an MS in Tourism and Travel Management from New York University. She also has a BA in French and Spanish from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and has studied collage and mixed media at the Parsons School of Design in NYC. She is active in rabbit rescue, and shares an apartment with Chelsea, a gray chinchilla bunny, who is also her muse. Her website is at http://www.ferncohen.com and she has a blog at http://www.ferncohen.blogspot.com

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[ratings]

How To Make Classic Pasta Dough

A great cooking show with Ellen Pruden featuring a recipe for homemade classic pasta dough using heart healthy canola oil.

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto and Feta Cheese Recipe

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto and Feta Cheese Recipe
By Shelley Pogue

This recipe is really different, and a very easy pasta dish to make. It has some really powerful flavor combinations with the walnuts, sun dried tomatoes, the fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and the feta cheese. It will go really well with a nice salad, with a home made vinaigrette, and some garlic bread. You can always add some very good Italian style olives, if you want to add that flavor profile to this dish. I hope that you enjoy this recipe, it is easy, and it tastes delicious.

Ingredients you will need:

1 (9-ounce) package of linguine

3/4 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes halves, drained

2 Tablespoons of canola oil, or olive oil

1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves

2 tablespoons walnuts

2 tablespoons pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

• Cook pasta according to the package directions, Make sure you salt your water well, as it will flavor your pasta, and you will not require as much salt in the end product.
• Drain pasta through a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
• Do not rinse your pasta, and return the pasta to the pan.
• While pasta cooks, place your canola, or olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
• Combine tomato mixture and about half of the reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid stirring with a whisk. You may need to add about 1/2 cup of warm tap water if the reserve liquid is too salty.
• Add to pasta; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with feta

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and Executive Research and Development Chef, for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA. Shelley is also the desserts editor for BellaOnline.com.

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