Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Spinach Salad with Italian olives, mozzarella cheese, garlic croutons and fresh herbs vinaigrette


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Salad

Three cups of spinach

1 / 2 cup chopped basil

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 / 4 cup chopped red onion

2 cups grated carrots

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 green pepper, chopped finely

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

3 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced

1 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

The sea salt, to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1. Place saladThe ingredients in a large bowl. launches combined. Serve at room temperature with Croutons and Vinaigrette (recipe below).

Croutons:

02:11 sprouted all cups of bread cubes (crust removed)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

fine sea salt, to taste

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.
Toss to coat bread cubes with oil, season with salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Toast the cubes until golden brown, about 10Minutes of footage.

Vinaigrette:

(Need a little 'more precise when making the vinaigrette for the oil-vinegar ratio, but you can also add a few more additional Italian herbs if they have at hand done. Vinaigrette If you read the recipe I do not see are certainly a pure Italian race as I have added omega.)

3-rich flax oil vinaigrette)

1 / 4 cup of flax seed oil (like Barleans)

Two cloves of garlic, crushed

1 / 2Teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 / 2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste Combine all ingredients and put in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Ps For more tasty salad vegetables ever leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, then add the vinaigrette andcontinue to make salad sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Add crispy croutons just before serving.

To participate in free daily updates on the whole food nutrition, whole food cooking video demos, nutrition counseling, the training sessions of 30 minutes, product reviews and much more healthy to http://www.HotandHealthyLiving.com Ivy Larson

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Add Spice to Your Supper With Italian Pasta

Pasta is the most flexible Italian fare. While it is extremely popular here in the U.S., believe it or not it is far more popular in Italy. Pasta is mainly made from flour. However, various types of grain can also make pasta. In order to make pasta flour is combined with water and often also prepared with eggs. When the mixture is done, it is kneaded and shaped into a whole variety of shapes. The vast amount of pasta that is cooked is first boiled before served, however pasta can be baked, but before doing so it is usually boiled.

Pasta is very affordable and can be very filling. It is a starch, and while most Americans are familiar with the dried pasta that is in long thin rods- spaghetti, it can also come fresh and in practically any shape including shells, tubes, spiral, very thick noodles, etc.
Italians refer to all pastas as macaroni, however, here in America we usually refer to macaroni as small shell type shapes of pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce

-16 ounces of pasta (spaghetti)

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

-1-1 ½ pounds of hamburger meat

-1 onion

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water to ¾ full and add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Once the water boils add in the pasta and stir for a minute or two to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. In a frying pan, add some oil and then add some hamburger meat along with a chopped onion. Cook the hamburger meat until medium or well done. In a sauce pan, add contents of tomato sauce. Let simmer on a low to medium heat. Do not cook the sauce fast, it will only burn it and become dry. Once all items are complete, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Yields about 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed shells are an awesome way to make dinner out of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. They are simple to prepare and can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Here is the recipe:

-1 16 ounce box of large pasta shells. (Make sure that the shells are already pre cooked and ready to be baked. If not, you will have to first boil them and then bake them.

-1 pound of ricotta cheese

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

- Side dishes that go well are spinach, green beans, mushrooms or a Greek Salad

Heat your oven to about 350 degrees. Fill the shells with ricotta cheese. Typically each shell can be filled with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once filled, place the shell on a baking sheet and cover the shell with foil. Cook for about 20 minutes. In a medium sauce pan with a low to medium heat simmer tomato sauce. Once complete spread shells with sauce. Other variations include adding meat to the sauce, spinach, etc.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Glorious Italian Food

Italy is known worldwide for its food that is appetizing to the palate. Italian food is renowned for its balance of nutrients & fresh ingredients. With the inventiveness of Italy's chefs, each meal, while simply cooked, becomes rich with a variety of flavors that gourmets find delightful.

Italian breakfast or colazione is usually a light meal of cappucino or espresso-style coffee and a sweet pastry or brioche. Pranzo or lunch usually consists of a starter or antipasto, a primo piatto pasta, soup or rice, a secondo piatto of meat and fish with salad or contorna and fresh fruits. Espresso, grappa or amaro (liquer) may top off the meal. The menu for dinner or cena is similar to the options for lunch.

Italy is known for its pizza which is a twist on traditional bread. The first pizza originates in Naples which was made with bread dough, tomato and mozzarella; thus it was called the Neapolitana pizza. The pizza Margherita was named after the Queen Margherita. During a visit to Naples, the queen was offered a pizza that was made with tomato sauce, mozzarella and oregano to symbolize the Italian flag. Needless to say, the Queen loved her pizza!

Aside from the pizza, Italy is also known for its pasta. The are many varieties to choose from such as lasagna, fettucini, macaroni, tortellini and of, course, spaghetti. There choices of sauces and toppings to pair with the pasta are endless! The more popularly known are pesto, marinara, bolognese and carbonara.

Italy is also a wine-growing country. The soil, climate and traditions of Italy make it beneficial, a natural place for producing great wines in large quantities. A sizable part of the Italian populace contributes to the wine-making industry. Wines in Italy are different in every region and every vineyard. There are apertifs, dessert wines and sparkling wines.

And yet wine is not the only drink that Italy is known for. Your local cafe most likely uses terms coined by Italians to describe their coffee. While coffee was not invented in Italy, the coffee culture we know today has its origins in this country. Italians are very picky with their coffee and may even opt to go to a favorite cafe or bar than to have the drink at the same restaurant where they have their meals

There are many places to eat in Italy such as fancy, formal, and usually family-run ristoranti or restaurants. The less formal are trattoria or osteria where you can find the local specialties. For quick meals, there are paninerias or sandwich bars, and, of course, the pizzerias.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Bricktown Italian Restaurants


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Bricktown Italian restaurants are an integral part of the great entertainment district experience that Bricktown, Oklahoma City offers. The Italian restaurants offer a casual dining experience, and also delicious food. Delectable Italian recipes are yours for the taking. The signature dishes created by the master chefs are sure to create a lingering sensation in your taste buds, making you want to come back for more. Pastas, pizzas, soups, salads, sandwiches, specialty drinks, desserts, and great wine are yours for the taking.

Great service includes not only great food but also unmatched hospitality. So concerned are Bricktown's Italian restaurants about customer satisfaction, that they're willing to offer customized dishes according to the personal preferences of customers. The restaurants also provide facilities for banquets, parties, formal meetings as well as informal get-togethers.

Even kids can look forward to an amazing sensory experience with specialized menu including grilled cheese sandwich, meatballs, chicken strips, cheese ravioli, macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, and more. Appetizers offered include pepperoni bread, fried mozzarella, toasted ravioli, stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and other mouthwatering items. A whole range of special brick oven pizzas are offered by one of the Italian restaurants in Bricktown. These include barbecue chicken pizza, Thai chicken pizza, Margherita, veggie pizza, and artichoke chicken. Soups and salads here include Tomato Florentine Soup, House Caesar, House Italian Chicken Salad, Salmon Caesar Salad, and Chicken Caesar Salad among others. The wine list at this restaurant is also extensive, containing a wide range of white, red, desert and sparkling wines.

If visitors to Oklahoma City have been pampered with warm hospitality at the OKC hotels, they can experience a little more of that at the Bricktown Italian restaurants.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Glorious Italian Food

Italy is known worldwide for its food that is appetizing to the palate. Italian food is renowned for its balance of nutrients & fresh ingredients. With the inventiveness of Italy's chefs, each meal, while simply cooked, becomes rich with a variety of flavors that gourmets find delightful.

Italian breakfast or colazione is usually a light meal of cappucino or espresso-style coffee and a sweet pastry or brioche. Pranzo or lunch usually consists of a starter or antipasto, a primo piatto pasta, soup or rice, a secondo piatto of meat and fish with salad or contorna and fresh fruits. Espresso, grappa or amaro (liquer) may top off the meal. The menu for dinner or cena is similar to the options for lunch.

Italy is known for its pizza which is a twist on traditional bread. The first pizza originates in Naples which was made with bread dough, tomato and mozzarella; thus it was called the Neapolitana pizza. The pizza Margherita was named after the Queen Margherita. During a visit to Naples, the queen was offered a pizza that was made with tomato sauce, mozzarella and oregano to symbolize the Italian flag. Needless to say, the Queen loved her pizza!

Aside from the pizza, Italy is also known for its pasta. The are many varieties to choose from such as lasagna, fettucini, macaroni, tortellini and of, course, spaghetti. There choices of sauces and toppings to pair with the pasta are endless! The more popularly known are pesto, marinara, bolognese and carbonara.

Italy is also a wine-growing country. The soil, climate and traditions of Italy make it beneficial, a natural place for producing great wines in large quantities. A sizable part of the Italian populace contributes to the wine-making industry. Wines in Italy are different in every region and every vineyard. There are apertifs, dessert wines and sparkling wines.

And yet wine is not the only drink that Italy is known for. Your local cafe most likely uses terms coined by Italians to describe their coffee. While coffee was not invented in Italy, the coffee culture we know today has its origins in this country. Italians are very picky with their coffee and may even opt to go to a favorite cafe or bar than to have the drink at the same restaurant where they have their meals

There are many places to eat in Italy such as fancy, formal, and usually family-run ristoranti or restaurants. The less formal are trattoria or osteria where you can find the local specialties. For quick meals, there are paninerias or sandwich bars, and, of course, the pizzerias.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Add Spice to Your Supper With Italian Pasta

Pasta is the most flexible Italian fare. While it is extremely popular here in the U.S., believe it or not it is far more popular in Italy. Pasta is mainly made from flour. However, various types of grain can also make pasta. In order to make pasta flour is combined with water and often also prepared with eggs. When the mixture is done, it is kneaded and shaped into a whole variety of shapes. The vast amount of pasta that is cooked is first boiled before served, however pasta can be baked, but before doing so it is usually boiled.

Pasta is very affordable and can be very filling. It is a starch, and while most Americans are familiar with the dried pasta that is in long thin rods- spaghetti, it can also come fresh and in practically any shape including shells, tubes, spiral, very thick noodles, etc.
Italians refer to all pastas as macaroni, however, here in America we usually refer to macaroni as small shell type shapes of pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce

-16 ounces of pasta (spaghetti)

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

-1-1 ½ pounds of hamburger meat

-1 onion

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water to ¾ full and add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Once the water boils add in the pasta and stir for a minute or two to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. In a frying pan, add some oil and then add some hamburger meat along with a chopped onion. Cook the hamburger meat until medium or well done. In a sauce pan, add contents of tomato sauce. Let simmer on a low to medium heat. Do not cook the sauce fast, it will only burn it and become dry. Once all items are complete, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Yields about 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed shells are an awesome way to make dinner out of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. They are simple to prepare and can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Here is the recipe:

-1 16 ounce box of large pasta shells. (Make sure that the shells are already pre cooked and ready to be baked. If not, you will have to first boil them and then bake them.

-1 pound of ricotta cheese

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

- Side dishes that go well are spinach, green beans, mushrooms or a Greek Salad

Heat your oven to about 350 degrees. Fill the shells with ricotta cheese. Typically each shell can be filled with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once filled, place the shell on a baking sheet and cover the shell with foil. Cook for about 20 minutes. In a medium sauce pan with a low to medium heat simmer tomato sauce. Once complete spread shells with sauce. Other variations include adding meat to the sauce, spinach, etc.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Authentic Italian Pasta Recipes


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Americans and many other countries in the world have only recently warmed to term pasta. Having made only spaghetti and macaroni for generations the term authentic Italian pasta recipes was truly a blank canvas.

Home cooks and chefs today are becoming more sophisticated about what really are authentic Italian recipes. Well, Italian recipes are and can be simple or elaborate, practical or as foolish, store bought or made at home. But even more today, Italian recipes had become the world's most important culinary art, and almost where ever you go you will find an Italian restaurant on the corner of a road.

In the beginning people didn't knew much about how to boil pasta, missing some of the basic information. At the question: "How much water and salt does one need for one pound of Italian pasta?" S/he wouldn't  probably answer at all.

Instead today, there are more worse questions that you could be asked to answer for: "Should you add oil to the cooking water?" "How thoroughly should the pasta be drained?" Well, I know that for somebody might be tough to answer. So let me help you from the beginning, in the case that you still don't know today.

Four quarts of water for one pound of Italian pasta, one tablespoon of salt, never add oil to the water, and the pasta should still be slightly wet when drained.

Of course cooking is a combination of objective technique and subjective taste.

Lets move now to Italian pasta sauces determining the best  kind of tomatoes for making sauces, which is of course the diced tomatoes packed in water, not puree are best. When making "pesto" best is to pound the leaves to release the oil, blanch the garlic, and toast the pine nuts. The range of Italian sauces goes well far from simple cream sauces. Had you never tasted those made with beans and lentils? Seafood? Poultry and meat?

Here is where I invite you for further investigations, you will come across new Italian recipes learning the best methods for preparing pasta dishes. From pasta soups, pasta salads, and filled pasta dishes, as well as the basic of pasta making from fresh egg pasta to pasta without eggs. All this and a long tradition had made that endless number of Italian pasta recipes.

I hope that you will enjoy the process of discovery as much as the recipes themselves, made at home as in an authentic Italian restaurant.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The main ingredients of great Italian cuisine


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Pasta, pesto, Parmesan cheese, Parmesan - all great ingredients of Italian cuisine. It all start with 'P'. It is appropriate, given that Italian cuisine is derived, with all its demands, a strong rural tradition. This is not to weaken it, quite the contrary. Italian cuisine is the colorful, fragrant ingredients that have operated in Italy for centuries. Attractive to children and adults, one of the great traditions of Italian cooking food in the world, this is really breakingtheir national boundaries and conquered the world - a bit 'as the Roman centurion, has two and a half millennia ago.

But despite its rich volcanic soil and rich imperial past, the tradition of Italian cuisine, which we all know and love was not the rich North, but from the poor, arid south. While all that grow in the valleys of Tuscany, it proved too expensive to grow potatoes in Naples and the rest of South Italy. But growing corn Hardy was pretty easy.The result? Pasta and pizza.

If you want to get into Italian cuisine in grand style, you must have the parentheses. And one of the good things of Italian cooking is that the basic ingredients are readily accessible and easy to store. Here is a brief summary look at some of the basic ingredients of Italian culinary tradition:

Garlic

This is almost everywhere in Italian cuisine. You need to keep them in a cool, dry place, but should not be refrigerated.Garlic goes moldy quickly in wet conditions. If you buy the garlic, onion research that are free from the dark, grainy discolouration at the bottom. This is a sign of old age and the fact that it is infested by mold.

Tomato sauce

Keep it simple tomato sauce. It is always better, do not forget the fresh ingredients - use that Italian cuisine is like a good wine: you want to enjoy the sun. If you buy a ready-made sauce of tomatoes in a can, it is not necessaryenter into a costly. It's a simple recipe that is worth double for a premium brand. Nor should you buy a ready-made sauce of tomato with a lot of extra herbs. You can also add that at least some control over the flavor of the finished dish.

Pasta

This is an absolute meaning. If you have a family, pasta is always a winner infallible. And 'quick to prepare, easy to vary the final dish and children love it. Although fresh pastaThree times more expensive than the dried varieties to buy Italian pasta, unless its Grand mamas do it from scratch - something that happens less frequently. Dry spaghetti, macaroni, Penna, shells or lasagna is easy to store for a long time, so you can keep enough in stock.

Parmesan

This is simply a duty. You can add as a garnish not the pasta, no matter what the recipe. Avoid pre-packaged grated Parmesan cheese and continue throughout the piece:Grid directly on top of pasta is part of the ritual of Italian cuisine.

Olive

I really do not need expensive extra-virgin olive oil to go. While extra-virgin olive oil is great for making salad dressings, is not so good when it is heated. You get a strong taste burnt easily. For the preparation of sauces and frying fresh meat or poultry, go for an olive oil standard that tastes like yellow, despite his best when heated, and yetcontains all the goodness of its more sophisticated cousin. Oh, and there is less than half the price.

Italian cuisine is recognized as one of the easiest in the world and celebrates the culinary traditions. The ingredients are easy to order, easy to store and eat a bit ', especially - in large quantities. And as long as you keep salads and fresh vegetables in your recipes is one of the healthiest diets in the world.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Italian Gnocchi

Gnocchi are little dumplings. They are a very ancient form of food, and there are examples of recipes for gnocchi, the back to 13th Century. Gnocchi can be made with many different ingredients, like pumpkin, bread, flour, flour, and eggplant. But the modern Italian dumplings with potatoes.

Gnocchi

3 pounds Russet potatoes
2 cups flour
2 eggs
Two dashes of salt

Sure to use russet potatoes or cooked. Russet potatoeshigh and low starch in water to make light gnocchi in texture. Cook the potatoes in the oven, microwave, and cook until it did. When the potatoes are cooked, leave the skin and remove after they are cooked. Too much moisture will cause the potatoes absorb the excess flour, which is a dumpling top. Run the cooked potatoes with a food mill or RICER.

Put the potatoes in a bowl and mix flour, eggs and salt. Stir until all ingredients are:recorded, and form a loose dough begins to take the dough in your hands and knead gently for several minutes, until dough forms a ball and is dry.

Divide the dough into a long stick, about ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. Cut into1 inch long pieces. Using a fork and gently put paint each piece with a fork for small grooves in one side of gnocchi. This will help keep the sauce.

Bring 6 liters of water to a boil. Drain dumplings, being careful not to put too much on his plateonce, and cook until they float, about one minute. Remove cooked gnocchi in boiling water and place in a bath of ice water to stop the cooking process. Continue until all the gnocchi are cooked. Removed from the ice-cooled dumplings on a towel to drain.

The gnocchi are now, like any other type of pasta can be used. Are particularly well with the pesto, but can be used with a different type of Italian pasta sauce. Cooked and refrigerated gnocchi can be launched with olive oil and are inRefrigerator for one or two days.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Looking for a great recipe Italian dressing?


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It is here that my Sicilian grandmother 104 years has taught me. Sunday Gravy never tasted so good.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-cup olive oil
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 18-oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Anise 1/4-teaspoon (chopped or whole 1/2-teaspoon)
Tomato paste 2 cans of water (seeNote)

Roast onions and garlic in oil in a large pot. Bake until golden. Add rest of ingredients. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat to leave a simmer. At this point, a pinch of soda, causing the sauce foam. Remove foam with a spoon. Cover pot and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours. Recipe be doubled and then frozen for later use. Half an hour before sauce is finished cooking, add the meat, like hamburger, pork or Italian sausage flavor. When used separately, minced, cookingand drain fat and then add to boiling sauce.

Note: More water may be needed if sauce becomes too thick.

Looking for a great Italian Meatball Recipe?

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 pounds combined beef, veal, pork () must be fresh
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Locatelli Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic - minced
1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

(All mixing done by hand)
In a large mixing bowlBeef and pork with eggs. Then add bread crumbs, cheese and salt. Finally, the minced garlic in stages. Add a little ', then mix. Add a little 'more, then stir. In this way all the garlic does not end in a meatball. Now it's time to pull the balls. Average size of about 2 centimeters in diameter. I have about 18-20 balls per pound.

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

Bake for 12 minutes on one side with 10 minutes for the rest.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and take what ever I have dinner. I do just drop the meatballs in the sauce as if heats up.

Buon Appetito!