Tag: Pittsburgh PA

Sausage & Parmesan Spinach Dip

Ok, so to be honest, the first time I made this dip I added pancetta in addition to the sausage and it was totally amazing! I have been toying with this question, Are double meats acceptable? I have no clue, but I seem to do it often.

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First of all, if you have never mixed ricotta, mascarpone, and Parmigiano Reggiano, you have not lived! Exaggeration? Maybe… The creaminess is unbelievable and the blend of cheeses adds so much deliciousness. I use the trio quite often when looking for that punch of Italian!

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This dip should be at every party, everywhere. Here is the recipe…

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Sausage and Parmesan Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1/2 lb.ground sausage
2 cups spinach
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, squeeze liquid out
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano + fresh grated for topping
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground sausage in a pan. Remove to a plate.
Add olive oil, onions, and garlic to the pan and cook until softened and onions are translucent.
Throw in spinach at the end to wilt.
In a mixing bowl, combine cheeses, sausage, salt and pepper and mix well. Hold a little sausage back to crumble on top.
Bake 18-25 minutes or until cheeses are melted together and firm.
Top with fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve with your favorite baguette, crackers and vegetables!

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Enjoy! Ciao!

I am happy to be representing Parmigiano Reggiano as their US ambassador! Don’t forget to make sure you are using the only parmesan! Real Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy!

Apple Pear Tart ! A Simply Delicious Dessert!

Those of you who have been following Parmesan Princess know I’m on a mission to “up my baking game.” I feel like it will be an ongoing goal because I am slow to catch on to the baking patience, the annoyingly important precision of baking times and temps, not to mention the humidity in the air of which a baker has absolutely zero control.

With that said, those of you who know me well are probably saying, “OK, giving up control and requiring patience…Poor thing, I hope she sticks to cooking!”
True. Yes, but I am diving into a new world of fancy French pastry words because this impatient control freak also enjoys a good old fashioned challenge. Bring it on!!

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I love the taste of pear and apple mixed together, smothered in layers of sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, wrapped in a flaky sweet crust. Yummy! So technically we make a páte brisée and wrap it up galette -style. I know it sounds ridiculously complicated, but it’s not! What is páte brisée? Actually a really easy and perfectly flaky pastry crust, but a Pilsbury pie crust works just fine! And what is galette -style? Folding up the pastry crust on the sides and leaving the center open. The process is really not that complicated! Pie -ish. So I figured out an easy, totally doable tart recipe!! Here it is!

Apple Pear Tart

Ingredients:
Pâté Brisée
Adapted from Jacques Pepín
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 stick unsalted butter, cold and sliced into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup ice water
OR
Use Pilsbury refrigerated pie crust – let stand until room temperature.

Filling
2 apples, cored and sliced mixed with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 pears, cored and sliced mixed with lemon juice to prevent browning
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. Ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup whipped honey
2 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup white or light brown sugar
Egg white wash and
Sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

If making the pâté brisée…
Add flour, butter, and salt to
a food processor.
Run for 5 seconds, the butter will still be in pieces.
Add ice water and run for 5 seconds just until dough forms. The butter will still be seen.
Roll dough in a ball.
Roll out into an oval 1/8 inch -1/4 inch thick .
Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate 30 mins.

OR
Roll out one Pilsbury Pie crust.

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Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, add apples, pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar and whipped honey, and flour. Mix to coat.

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Fan out slices in the center of the pastry dough.
Create a fan pattern or a pattern of your preference.

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Galette-Style : Fold up the dough 1 inch over the filling and pinch.
Continue folding and pinching until a crust is completely formed in a complete circle.

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Brush with egg white wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 40-50 minutes or until tart is golden brown and fruit is softened when pierced with a fork.

Top with mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, and/or a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

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Enjoy!
Ciao!

Chicken Pancetta Pan Pasta!

If you are having company at your home this weekend…They are probably going to end up getting snowed in and spending the weekend!

Here in Western PA, the snow and cold have been relentless. The desire to leave the house is about a zero, and pantry- fridge raiding dinners are what’s in! My go-to option is a quick pan pasta!

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Depending on the what ingredients you have, your pan pasta can consist of rich vegetables, a meat, and definitely some beautiful greens! Simply boil your favorite fork pasta like penne, bow ties, or even rigatoni. Get the other ingredients cooked in a large pan and toss the pasta to coat! Don’t forget to top with fresh grated Parmesan and/or Locatelli Romano for a beautiful finish!

Chicken Pancetta Pan Pasta
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. Olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roasted red pepeprs chopped
3 medium 1-1/2 inch chicken breasts, cubed
3 slices of pancetta, chopped small and fried in a pan until crisp
1 lb. of your favorite fork pasta- penne, bow ties, rigatoni, etc.
3 handfuls of fresh spinach

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Directions:

Heat oil in a large deep frying pan.

Add garlic and cook until softened and golden.

Add chicken, and cook until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, drain and toss in pan.

Mix in roasted red peppers and crisp cooked pancetta.

Add spinach and top with fresh grated Parmesan and Locatelli Romano

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Enjoy!
Ciao!

My Favorite Dunk: Pumpkin Spice Biscotti!

Coffee and Biscotti…

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Should I mention I brewed some pumpkin coffee? I'm obsessed, I know!
Should I mention I brewed some pumpkin coffee? I’m obsessed, I know!

If you are a coffee addict, chances are you are also a cookie dunker. My favorite dunk? Biscotti, of course! So delicious!

In Italy, biscotti are usually served after dinner with wine and are “dunked” in a wine called Vin Santo. Vino Santo, or holy wine, is a dessert wine usually white, but often made into a rosé when using Sangiovese grapes.

I dunk my anise biscotti in red wine, but I prefer coffee for flavored biscotti.
I dunk my anise biscotti in red wine, but I prefer coffee for flavored biscotti.

Here is the recipe for the pumpkin spice version of my anise biscotti. I also added honey roasted pecans, but you can totally leave them out!

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti
(Makes 24 biscotti)

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (OR 2tsp. Cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger, 2 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. all spice, 1 tsp. ground cloves)
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tbsp. Vanilla
1/3 cup crushed honey roasted pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice in a large mixing bowl and stir.

Using a whisk, combine pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla.

Sometimes I just love a "no mixer required" afternoon of baking! Less cleaning more eating, maybe?
Sometimes I just love a “no mixer required” afternoon of baking! Less cleaning more eating, maybe?

Add wet pumpkin mixture to dry flour mixture.

Note: Mix dry ingredients in a slightly larger mixing bowl! This makes adding the wet ingredients much easier!
Note: Mix dry ingredients in a slightly larger mixing bowl! This makes adding the wet ingredients much easier to combine!

Fold in pecans.

Dough will be dry- No worries! It will be great after kneading.

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Wash hands and knead dough until a beautiful dough forms.

Form a log that will fit on your baking sheet- the length of your baking sheet and 3-4 inches wide.

Bake 25-35 mins. or until center is firm and the bottom is lightly browned.

Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Let log cool for 10 minutes.

Slice into 1 inch wide pieces with a serrated knife.

Slice horizontally in half and then on a diagonal into 1 inch wide cookies.
Slice horizontally in half and then on a diagonal into 1 inch wide cookies.

Lay them cut side up and bake 8 -10 mins. on each side or until crisp!

8 minutes and flip them over!
Dunk!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

Supercharged Sweet Potato Falafel Balls! A Chickpea Flour Debut!

Many of you are asking me for gluten free recipes and substitutions. Chickpea Flour is my newest gluten free favorite! With an earthy, sweet taste, this gluten free flour creates delicious pizza dough, muffins, cakes and sweet potato falafel balls!

Bob's Red Mill is the easiest to find! Pennsylvania Macaroni sells chickpea flour in one pound plastic bags.
Bob’s Red Mill is the easiest to find! Pennsylvania Macaroni sells chickpea flour in one pound plastic bags.

Chickpea flour gets sticky. Be sure to wet hands before trying to mold it and grease your baking vessels well before baking. It will stick!

Supercharged Sweet Potato Balls

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes, peeled (see directions)

1/2 cup kale, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup chickpea flour

1 tbsp. Cumin

1 tbsp. Brown sugar

Salt/pepper

1 tbsp. Chia seeds

1 tbsp. Sesame seeds

Directions:

(Long method, shorter method, shortest method.) Bake peeled sweet potatoes for 1 hour at 400 degrees and mash or microwave peeled potatoes 10-12 minutes and mash or mash drained potatoes from the can.

Use a potato masher or a fork!
Use a potato masher or a
fork!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix in kale, flour, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.

Mix well! Chickpea flour will stick to some ingredients and not others!
Mix well! Chickpea flour will stick to some ingredients and not others!

Wet hands and roll mixture into 1 inch balls.

Place the balls approx. 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet.
Place the balls approx. 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet.

Sprinkle on chia seeds and sesame seeds.

Spray baking sheet with Pam.

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees or until the sweet potato firms.

Serve with your favorites as a side dish, or alone as a snack!
Serve with your favorites as a side dish, or alone as a snack!

Enjoy!
Ciao!