Homemade Italian – Page 2 – Parmesan Princess

Category: Homemade Italian

02
Sep
2016

Sweet Pea Manicotti!

categories: Dinner, Fun for Kids, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Party Time, Recipes

Sweet peas are so underrated. Always associated with baby food, I feel like they are the last ingredient we think of to make something serious. For example, my kids will have peas with something else, I will grab them as a garnish, but they are hardly ever the main act.

So there is always that experimental Meatless Monday where various vegetables get new jobs. This particular Monday, I was looking for a manicotti veg and there was the bag of frozen peas. I blended the peas with ricotta, egg, and fresh grated parm for the filling. Just then Bella walked into the kitchen, “Is that mint ice cream?” she asked. Well, it looked like it!

I was thinking they are never going to eat this but I’m knee deep, so this is what we are having for dinner. The neighbor kids came over, who always love to help me cook, so I boiled the manicotti shells and the kids had a filling party. It was so great! We discussed the careful art of spooning the filling without tearing the shell, and filling each side so that the middle gets some, too.

We blended some extra peas, ricotta, and parmesan cheese for the topping. All the kids loved it! Was it the sweetness from the peas? The fact that they were involved in creating the final product? Who knows? But I was thrilled! Make these for dinner because they are delicious, but more importantly so the kids can help and hopefully eat!

Sweet Pea Ricotta Manicotti

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 16 oz. frozen sweet peas – saving 1 cup
salt/pepper
8 dry manicotti shells

For Topping:
2 cups peas
2 tbsp. ricotta
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tbsp. pine nuts
parmesan to grate on top

Directions:
Preheat oven 325 degrees.
Blend Ricotta, peas, parmesan cheese, and 1 egg.
Salt/pepper and set aside.
Boil manicotti shells 5-8 minutes until just under cooked.
Fill manicotti shells with ricotta pea filling with a small spoon or piping bag.
Spray 9X13 glass pan with non-stick spray.
Spoon left over filling in bottom of pan and spread with a spatula.
Line pan with one layer of manicotti.
Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes until filling is hot and starts to bubble.
Meanwhile, make topping. Blend peas, ricotta, and parmesan cheese.
Remove manicotti from oven and allow to set 10 minutes.
Plate the manicotti by placing them on a smear of topping underneath, one scoop on top, sprinkle with sliced tomatoes and pine nuts and finish with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

26
Aug
2016

Fig Recipes!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Desserts, Dinner, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Homemade Italian, Lunch, Party Time, Recipes

‘Tis the season!

Fresh figs are out in full force in Pittsburgh. A little early this year -usually they are peaking around mid-September. My favorite annual fig recipe is no recipe at all just fresh figs halved and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. With this year’s batch, I made a few quick and easy recipes that anyone can enjoy!

Fig & Prosciutto Salad with Aged Gouda and a Garlic Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
3 cups baby greens /arugula mix, or your favorite salad base
6 slices prosciutto
2 Fresh Figs, sliced
2 tbsp. Beemster XO cheese ribbons, or grated

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil

Vinaigrette Directions:
Combine all in a sealable container, shake until well blended.

For the salad, build with greens base.
I like to roll the prosciutto (it kind of looks like flowers!) and place into the greens.
Add cheese ribbons and fig slices.
Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Spiced Fig French Toast
Ingredients:
8 thick slices Italian bread
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy creme
3 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp. ground ginger
1/2 tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
butter to coat the pan
fig spread or fig jam
maple syrup

Directions:
Mix eggs and cream until pale yellow.
Add all other ingredients and mix well.
In a pie dish, soak each side of the bread.
Heat butter in your largest pan.
Add bread slices, 2-3 at a time being sure not to crowd the pan.
Flip when the side is brown.
Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon.
Smear fig spread.
Pour warm maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Prosciutto Ricotta Flatbread with Fresh Figs

Ingredients:
Prepared Flatbread or pizza shell
3 tbsp. Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 slices of prosciutto
1 cup ricotta
2 fresh figs sliced
1 cup arugula
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions:
Layer starting with brushed olive oil and garlic.
Add prosciutto slices and spoon ricotta.
Top with sliced figs and fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake 425 degrees on a pizza stone until shell is golden and cheeses are melted.
Finish by sprinkling arugula and more fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Toasted Pecan Honey Figs over Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 fig sliced
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Sugar
2 tbsp. Fig spread
2 tbsp. Honey
Few pecans
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:
On a parchment covered cookie sheet, place fig slices and pecans in a single layer.
Warm honey and fig spread in a small saucepan.
Drizzle pecans and figs with honey mixture.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 350 degrees until figs soften, 5-8 minutes.
Top ice cream with all, drizzle additional warmed honey.

Enjoy!

Other recipe suggestions:
Simple Fig Toasts- fig spread, topped with your favorite cheese, meat, and sliced figs

Fig muffins/bread – sub fig for Banana or strawberries

Prosciutto Wrapped and Drizzled Figs

Enjoy!
Ciao!

12
Aug
2016

Mediterranean Flatbread!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Dinner, Fun for Kids, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Lunch, Party Time, Recipes

Quick and easy dinners are always the goal with kids and a busy schedule. The challenge is creating a healthy meal including fresh ingredients, vegetables, and a ton of flavor, instead of resorting to processed pre-made frozen food choices. Flatbread is an excellent choice because it is a blank canvas.

Any cuisine can be undressed and layered on a flatbread. For example, BBQ pulled pork makes a delicious flatbread. By layering the flatbread with pulled pork, red onion, bbq sauce, and sautéed greens, the sandwhich is transformed!

I made a Mediterranean flatbread the other day with bell peppers, red onions, herbs, and a garlic olive oil base. Covered in Parmesan cheese, this flatbread is light and full of flavor. It would be delicious with mushrooms, tomatoes, or any of your favorite vegetables.

I had an abundance of bell peppers to use, so they were my main ingredient! Here is the recipe…

Mediterranean Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 prepared wood grilled pizza shell, thin flatbread shell
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt/pepper
2 tbsp. chopped basil + some to sprinkle after cooked
2 tbsp. rosemary
2 tbsp. thyme
1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup garlic spiced Italian olives, or your favorite olives, sliced
Fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:
Mix olive oil and garlic in a small bowl.
Brush shell with olive oil, garlic mixture.
Sprinkle with basil, rosemary, and thyme.
Top with pepper, red onion, and olives.
Bake 425 degrees on a preheated pizza stone 8-12 minutes until crust is golden and cheese melts.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

05
Aug
2016

Lemon Basil Ricotta Linguini

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Dinner, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Party Time, Recipes

Summer pasta, even the words seem a bit redundant, can be a light, quick and easy meal filled with flavor.

The trick is using only a few, really great ingredients. Buy good ricotta for this dish. A lasagna, or even manicotti can mask a skim or grocery store brand by doctoring it up with Parmesan cheese and herbs. This dish is raw, ricotta is the creaminess, the coating of the noodles, so it better be fabulous!

Lemon pretty much replicates a perfect sunny day. When paired with basil, the results are delicious! Here is the recipe…

Lemon Basil Ricotta Linguini

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. Olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 lb. fresh linguini
1/4 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking- or less depending on absorption)
1 small lemon, 3 tbsp. Lemon juice
1/2 cup basil, chopped some whole leaves for garnish
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
Lemon rind for zest
Fresh grated Parmesan
Salt and Cracked black pepper

Directions:
Boil 2 -3 quarts of water salt and add linguini.
Cook until aldente, 7-9 minutes.
Drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water m.
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and soften. Be sure to lower heat so garlic doesn’t burn.
Add pasta, lemon juice, ricotta, basil, and 1/2 pasta water to a mixing bowl.
Whisk until incorporated.
Slowly stir into pasta in a circular motion.
If needed, add more pasta water spoon by spoon so there is not too much liquid.
The ricotta slightly melts and grabs the noodles.
Add fresh grated Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with leaves, zest and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

29
Jul
2016

Mediterranean Tuna Salad!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Between The Eats, Dinner, Gluten Free, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Lunch, Recipes

This summer salad is packed with proteins, good fats, and so super healthy! But that’s not the point. It is delicious. My mayo haters will be happy because this Mediterranean tuna salad is made with an olive oil coating instead of mayo!

I love adding garbanzo beans because it bulks up the salad, fills you up and adds protein at the same time.

Caperberries are brand new to us. Chef David and I used them on a recent Between The Eats Tapas and Pinchos episode, and my family fell in love with them!

The fruit, berries of the caper, are like olives but smoother. I can’t wait to try them in a martini!!
Here is the recipe…

Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
2 cans, chunk light tuna in water, drained.
2 cans garbanzo beans, chickpeas
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2- 3 tbsp. caperberries
2-3 tbsp. sliced olives
1/4 cup olive oil
lemon juice, 2 lemons
salt/peper

parsley, chopped for garnish
Baby spring mix, plating

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for parsley and lettuce.
Chill 2 hours.
Plate tuna salad on a bed of baby spring mix.
Top with extra caper berries, and chopped parsley.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

22
Jul
2016

Sicilian Garlic Oregano Grilled Potatoes!

categories: Dinner, Grill, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Party Time, Recipes

Quick and easy summer recipes continue with grilled sliced potato recipe. Bursting with flavor, these potatoes have an herb salty garlicky bite with the creaminess of the sour cream finish! These potatoes are fabulous with summer seafood!

Sometimes I grate Parmesan cheese over the grilled slices and forget the sour cream!

A tip that I recently learned from my co-host Chef David on Between The Eats is that you want to place the potato slices in cold water and bring the pot up to a boil. By doing this the inside and outside of the potato have a chance to get to the same temp for even cooking. This eliminates the outisde of the rounds smushing. Has this ever happened to you? It’s the worst! Your recipe will become starchy from broken potato pieces falling off.

Here is the recipe…

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch slices
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. Onion powder
1-1/2 tbsp. Dry oregano
Salt/pepper to taste
3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp. Sour cream
Parsley or chives

Directions:
Boil sliced potatoes from cold water until a knife test shows just softened, but still firm potatoes.

Drain and cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the grill to a medium flame.

Add potato slices, olive oil, oregano, onion powder, garlic, salt and pepper to a Gallon ziploc bag.

Gently coat potatoes being careful not to smush.

Place a piece of foil on the grill grate, and line up the potatoes being careful not to overlap.

Grill 4-7 minutes until bottom is golden brown and flip. Grill another 3-5 minutes until done.

Remove from grill, toss with sour cream, sprinkle with chives or parsley and serve.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

15
Jul
2016

Garlic Parm Wings!

categories: Dinner, Homemade Italian, Party Time, Recipes

I get in the mood for wings and my go-to flavor is garlic Parmesan. The one food item that I do not like- there really are not that many- is buffalo sauce. In general any kind of saucy wing turns me off. My favorite wings are crisp, with dry seasoning or a glaze! Covered in Parmesan cheese is always a bonus! Ha!

Here is my recipe…

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Wings

1 lb. wings, I cut them at the joints and used the wingette.
2 tbsp. Garlic olive oil
4 cloves Roasted garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Garlic salt
Salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup+ fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Your favorite dipping sauce, I used Romesco sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven 500 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl toss wings with garlic oil, garlic, garlic salt, salt and pepper until well coated.

Place on an aluminum foil covered pan.

Roast 8-10 minutes until browning, flip another 8 -10 until crispy.

Remove and roll in Parmesan.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

24
Jun
2016

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Green Beans!

categories: Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Homemade Italian, Recipes, Sides

Summer sides kill winter sides!! A few fresh, healthy vegetables tossed in a beautiful olive oil, sprinkled with garlic, salt and pepper, and grilled to perfection definitely beat winter sweet potato casseroles any day. Of course now I’m totally craving a yummy sweet potato casserole with a toasted marshmallow topping! See how that works? Ha!

My number one vegetable side is probably brussels sprouts, followed by asparagus, then zucchini and squash…I always forget about green beans. No offense to green beans, until I see them smiling up at me from their bin I always forget! So here is my favorite way to prepare them!

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh green beans
1/4 olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt/pepper
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Rinse, dry and snap off stringy ends of green beans.
Put beans on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet
Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
Shake and push to a single layer.
Sprinkle with chopped garlic.
Salt/pepper to taste.
Cook at 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 3-5 minutes until they are brown and crispy.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

20
May
2016

Sausage Gnocchi With Arugula!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Dinner, Homemade Italian, Recipes

Potato pillows that melt in your mouth, homemade Italian deliciousness…yep, gnocchi. Instead of a traditional tomato sauce, I love to try new flavor combinations with gnocchi because they are a blank slate! There are plenty of delicious fresh gnocchi, or frozen fresh options if you don’t make your own. I like to freeze my gnocchi, ravioli, and cavatelli, for a rainy day. It is my opinion that these types of homemade pasta cook better from frozen. This meal took under 20 minutes! Win!

I received the most perfect pork sausage from the meat CSA at Big Horn Ranch and tossed it with the gnocchi, spicy oregano, red pepper flakes, and the crunch bite of arugula. Dressed with olive oil, a little goes a long way, coating each bite. The sausage had very little fat, but sorry fat haters, fat is flavor. A reasonable amount is fine! The kids loooooved this recipe and had seconds and thirds. I happened to have arugula handy, feel free to sub kale or spinach!

Sausage Gnocchi With Arugula

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork sausage, Italian sausage out of casing

1 lb. potato gnocchi, homemade or frozen

2 tbsp. garlic olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt/pepper to taste

2 tbsp. crushed red pepper

1 tbsp. oregano

fresh gated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook sausage and garlic in a large pan while chopping and crumbling with a spoon, until browned.

Drain fat. (I was lucky and had no more than 1/2 tsp. of fat so I left it in for flavor.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water add salt and cook gnocchi until they float.

Drain, save 2 tbsp. pasta water.

Add olive oil, sausage, and arugula to the large pan and toss to coat.

Salt/pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with oregano and crushed red pepper.

Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Ciao!

22
Apr
2016

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Meatballs!

categories: Dinner, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Lunch, Party Time, Recipes

Spring is here! So on a recent grocery run I picked up some spinach and crumbled goat cheese. You know, to make my favorite Springy salads- spinach, fruit, pecans, topped with goat cheese and a drizzle of olive oil or a fruity balsamic. So today I made…stuffed meatballs. Ha!

At least I used the spinach and goat cheese, right?

I only had one lonely pound of ground beef. This might be the reason I decided to stuff. I honestly love a beef/pork combination with loads of garlic and fresh grated parm. The unique thing about meatballs is that they are a blank canvas. Adding Greek flavors, Mexican flavors, Bacon and Cheese, takes the Italian meatball on a fun vacation!

Stuffing the meatballs adds an element of surprise. My kids took their first bites and my Brady, age 7, says, “Hey mommy, what did you hide in here.” As he’s chewing spinach happily I just smiled. Bella said, “Is this goat cheese?” Ummm, my Bella is almost 5 and hates goat cheese- unless it’s hidden really well. Apparently, the meat heavy garlic, and spinach wasn’t enough camouflage. Nope, she reached for a spoon and scooped out the goat cheese and ate the rest of her meatball. She told me I shouldn’t post this one.

Here is the recipe…

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (use your favorite meatball meat ground turkey, ground veal, or a mix!)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt/pepper
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup spinach, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper.
Using your clean hands, mix well until all ingredients are incorporated.
Section off 1/2 inch clump of meat mixture and flatten.
Place one tablespoon goat cheese and one tablespoon of spinach on patty.
Roll up the sides and top with an equal amount of meat and form into a ball.
Put meatballs on a cookie sheet one inch apart and bake 12-18 minutes until desired doneness.
Top with finely chopped spinach and crumbled goat cheese and serve.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

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