Pasta With Roasted Vegetables & Fresh Herbs

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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!

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Looking for a Great Italian Meatball Recipe?

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Looking for a Great Italian Meatball Recipe?
By Paul Altobelli

Looking for a great Italian meatball recipe? Wrap your lips around this one.

The Best Meatball Recipe

Can be prepared
in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 pound combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)

3 large eggs

1 cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese

1 cup bread crumb

1 clove garlic - minced

1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

(All mixing is done be hand)

In a large bowl mix beef/veal/pork with eggs. Then add bread crumb, cheese, and
salt. Finally add minced garlic in stages. Add a little then mix. Add some more, then
mix. This way all the garlic does not end up in one meatball. Now, it’s time to roll up
the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20
meatballs per pound.

IMPORTANT! Do not cook meatballs in your pasta
sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce loose their flavor. The real key to a tasty meatball is
cooking the them in an oven. So, heat oven to
375. Place meatballs on a rack - then on a cookie tray.

Bake for 12 minutes on one
side then 10 minutes for the other.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and
take out what I need per dinner. I just drop the meatballs into the sauce as if heats
up.

Buon Appetito!

Paul Altobelli is an internet marketing specialist experienced in strategic planning, lead generation, website development, search engine optimization, internet sales and marketing program development. He also loves to cook. For more of Paul’s italian recipes visit http://www.paulaltobelli.com or email Paul directly at
pda@paulaltobelli.com.

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Lasagna: The Quick, Easy, and Delicious Way

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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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Easy Italian Recipes - Quick and Delicious for the Entire Family

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Do you need easy Italian recipes that you can cook up fast that are delicious and inexpensive?

Below are three very simple Italian recipes that do not require much time to prepare and only use several ingredients that you may even have on hand.

This is the beauty of Italian cooking. You do not need a ton of ingredients to cook up a delicious meal.

The key with cooking great Italian food is to use fresh quality ingredients, like fresh herbs and fine olive oil. And the number one most important ingredient in any type of cooking is of course Love!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

EASY ITALIAN MARINARA SAUCE RECIPE

Here is a great recipe for marinara sauce using canned tomatoes. This marinara sauce is delicious over your favorite pasta, on top of pizza and over mussels and shrimp. The beauty of this sauce is that it can be used with a number of other recipes, so it’s a great starting point in Italian Cooking and it is very easy to make.

You can use either fresh or canned plum tomatoes for this recipe, however using fresh tomatoes requires more time and preparation, so I prefer to use canned. If you do plan on using fresh tomatoes, make certain the tomatoes are ripe and in season.

For the canned tomatoes, I prefer Rienzi brand tomatoes. I have tried a number of different brands of canned tomatoes and Rienzi has the best flavor amongst the supermarket brands, in my opinion.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (More or less depending on how much you like garlic)

1 35 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes with liquid

Salt to taste

Crushed red pepper to taste (You can use black pepper if you wish)

10 - 12 fresh basil leaves , torn

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

Directions:

1) Open your can of tomatoes and crush them by hand into a bowl and set aside.

2) Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add your garlic to the oil and cook until soft and lightly browned. Be sure to watch the garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn.

4) Carefully add the tomatoes along with their liquid into the pan with the garlic and oil. Use caution when adding the tomatoes to the hot oil. The oil can splatter. Add the oregano.

5) Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Season with a bit of salt and red or black pepper. Lower the heat so that the sauce is reduced to a simmer. Break up the tomatoes as it cooks with a spoon until your sauce is chunky. You want the sauce to simmer until thickened, about 20 - 25 minutes.

6) Add your fresh basil a few minutes before the sauce is done. Taste the sauce and add more salt or pepper if needed.

7) Serve over your favorite pasta.

EASY ITALIAN PESTO SAUCE RECIPE

Let’s learn how to make pesto sauce.

This is another very easy and delicious recipe that can be served over your favorite pasta, grilled chicken, mussels or as a topping for pizza. For those of you who want your basil pesto sauce without pine nuts, you can leave them out or substitute the pine nuts with walnuts.

For a nice variation on this recipe, try adding sundried tomatoes to the pesto mixture before blending for a delicious tomato pesto sauce.

This recipe should only be used as a guide. Not everyone has the same preferences. Some do not like a lot of garlic or olive oil flavor for example, so it is recommended that you experiment until you find the right recipe.

Pesto Sauce Ingredients:

4 cups fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts (the nuts can be lightly toasted in a dry pan before blending for added flavor)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (more or less depending on your taste)

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender except olive oil. Add a little oil at a time and process until sauce reaches desired consistency. Ready to serve in your favorite dish.

EASY PASTA WITH GARLIC, OIL AND FRESH HERBS

This is another quick and easy Italian recipe with only a few ingredients. It is important that you do not burn the garlic with this recipe otherwise it will become bitter.

Ingredients:

1 pound of spaghetti

3 - 4 garlic cloves chopped (more or less, depending on how much you like garlic)

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

1/4 Cup of Chopped Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

A pinch of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

1) In a large pot, bring about 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 - 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain but make sure you reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2) While the pasta is cooking, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute until light brown in color. Remember to pay close attention to the garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Mix until combined.

4) Transfer the drained pasta to a large serving bowl and mix in the remaining olive oil and pasta water.

5) Add the garlic and herb mixture into the pasta and mix well.

6) Taste and add salt and red pepper if desired.

7) Serve immediately. Top with grated cheese if desired.

There you have it. Three great easy Italian recipes that you can whip up in a flash and please everyone. I hope you enjoy these easy Italian recipes. Happy Cooking!

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Recipe Chicken Marsala

Here is a wonderful recipe and instructions video for cooking delicious Chicken Marsala.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Real Mexican Guacamole - How to Make it Like Tia Guadalupe

Real Mexican Guacamole - How to Make it Like Tia Guadalupe
By Donna Meyer

Think you know guacamole? Unless you’ve had the real deal, made by hand in a Mexican kitchen–or at least in an authentic Mexican restaurant–you’re missing out on how sublime this avocado concoction can be.

And “concoction” is exactly the right word for real guacamole. Mole in Nahuatl–the language of the ancient Aztecs–means just that. Guaca comes from the Nahuatl word for avocado. The Aztecs loved this creamy, delicious and very healthy fruit.

OK, so how do you make real “guac” the right way, so it comes out tasting like it just left Tia Guadalupe’s Mexican cocina? Here’s what I learned in a Mexican cooking school.

First, put the blender away, far away. In fact, forget you own one. Real guacamole bears almost no relationship to the pureed gooey mash–sometimes abominated even further with sour cream–that shows up far too often on American tables under the name guacamole. The real thing should be chunky with a burst of rich avocado flavor and just a hint of bite.

To be really authentic, guacamole should be concocted in a molcajete, the pre-Hispanic mortar and pestle made of volcanic rock that you still see for sale in every Mexican street market. It allows you to grind the flavoring ingredients together into a paste before adding the avocado, dispersing the flavors uniformly. Since most modern American kitchens don’t have a molcajete, you can use a bowl and the back of a heavy spoon instead.

For the best flavor, use very ripe Hass avocados. Not only do they taste better, they also tend to discolor more slowly.

Real Mexican Guacamole

Makes 3 cups (about 4-5 servings)

3 ripe Hass avocados

½ medium white onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic (if you like it), chopped fine

1 fresh Serrano chile, seeded, deveined and minced fine*

2 Tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped fine

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. fresh lime juice (use small Mexican or key limes)

½ tsp. salt (more or less to taste)

Put the chopped onion, garlic, cilantro and serrano into a molcajete or bowl and mash together with a mortar or the back of a heavy spoon until the juices mix and they begin to form a paste. Cut the avocados in half and scoop the flesh out with a spoon into the bowl in big chunks. Mix well, mashing the avocado slightly but not until it’s a pasty puree. The mixture should still be chunky.

Gently mix in the finely diced tomatoes, lime juice and salt to taste. Stir to mix well.

Serve on chips or, better yet, on home-made totopes–the thick, hand-cut tortilla chips common all over Mexico. In Mexico, guacamole is also commonly served to pile onto steaks, tacos, fajitas, carnitas or spread on bread in place of mayonnaise in a sandwich.

Now close your eyes, take a bite, and enjoy the tangy, sublime, authentic taste of real Mexican guacamole.

*Tip: Start with one small serrano then test for hotness. If you like your guacamole fiery, add more. If fresh serrano chiles are not available in your area, you can substitute fresh jalapenos, but the flavor will be slightly different.

Tip 2: Never make guacamole in advance. Avocado discolors quickly on contact with air. You can mix up the first ingredients a few hours in advance if you like, but wait to add the avocado and later ingredients until just before serving.

I learned how to make real Mexican Guacamole at La Cocina Cooking School in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Owner Kris Rudolph really knows her way around a Mexican kitchen. To learn more about La Cocina, click on the link below and then on then “Cooking Classes” tab.

Donna Meyer is a freelance novelist, journalist and editor. A long-time resident of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, she loves giving people an insiders’ look at this charming colonial town. She is the founder and webmaster of http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com, the definitive Insiders’ Guide to San Miguel, where she writes about the magic and mystery of one of Mexico’s most enchanting towns.
(c) copyright Donna Meyer, 2007

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Entree Italian Osso Bucco-Recipe

Entree Italian Osso Bucco-Recipe
By Shauna Hanus

Osso Bucco

3 ½ to 4 lbs veal shanks ( I serve one shank per person. If the cost is high you can cook down the meat and separate it from the bone.)

¼ Cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbs olive oil

2 oz diced salt pork

¼ Cup butter, melted

½ lb diced and peeled onions

1 large clove garlic, mashed

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 bay leaves, remove before serving

¾ Cup dry white wine

2 Tbs finely chopped carrot

½ stalk celery minced

8 to 10 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped fine

1 Cup canned chopped tomatoes (I have used fresh tomatoes, but I find that the canned are constantly good in taste and the liquid is always welcomed in the sauce)

1 Tbs tomato paste

½ Cup warm water

Dredge the veal in flour and shake off any excess. Heat olive oil, salt pork and butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion and brown. When the onions are browned add the veal and garlic. Brown on all sides for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir and brown for about for about 10 minutes longer. Add bay leaves, wine, carrot, celery, parsley, and tomatoes. Stir tomato paste with the warm water until well blended and then add that to the mixture. Stir and simmer covered for about 40 minutes. ( I tend to let this simmer longer on my stove. This serves two purposes, one makes the meat extremely tender and two fills the house with wonderful aromas.)

Serve over Ravioli ( I use fresh over sized store bought ravioli. I have made my own, but I find that the store bought is good quality and much simpler. If you would like a recipe for homemade ravioli please send a request to recipes@gourmayeats.com )

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

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Popularity: 12% [?]