Tag: homemade Italian


Oct
2016

Spicy Roasted Eggplant Linguini!

categories: Dinner, Healthy Living, Homemade Italian, Recipes

I always make Eggplant Parmesan when I have an eggplant. Lately, I have been roasting eggplant and squash in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper, it is delicious!
img_4090

img_4091

These roasted vegetables can be ingredients or stand alone as a side dish! In this pasta dish, the roasted eggplant is garnished with red pepper flakes, oregano and Basil, fresh tomatoes, and of course the fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

img_4089

img_4104

Adding the red pepper flakes to the pasta dish adds a new layer of flavor without being overwhelmingly spicy. Here is the recipe…

img_4105

img_4106

img_4108

Spicy Roasted Eggplant Linguini
(Serves 4)
1 large Eggplant
2 tbsp. Olive oil +1/4 cup
Salt/pepper
1 tsp. Oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, wedged
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. Fresh basil, finely chopped plus some for topping
1 lb. linguini, fresh or dry
Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh grated

Directions:
Preheat oven 425degrees.
Slice Eggplant and place in a single layer on an inset cookie sheet.
Salt/pepper and let sit for 20 minutes.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until softened and starts to brown.
Meanwhile, sautéed garlic and onion in a pan with olive oil.
Add tomatoes, Basil, pepper flakes and oregano. Let it bubble until it thickens.
Remove Eggplant and continue to simmer 10 minutes.
Being a pot of water to boil, cook pastas until al dente and drain.
Add 1/4c cup pasta water and incorporate pasta into pan with the sauce.
Top with red pepper flakes, Basil, parsley, and fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

img_3962

Enjoy!
Ciao!

Remember, always use fresh Parmigiano Reggiano, the only real Parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy.

Parmesan Princess is a proud US Ambassador Parmigiano Reggiano.


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.

image

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…

image

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.

image

image

Enjoy!
Ciao!


Oct
2015

Rosemary Shrimp Pasta

categories: Dinner, Homemade Italian, Recipes

My food friend Tasha from The Food Tasters was coming over and we were baking with Wigle Whiskey‘s rums for a super fun event. Of course, we had to eat! So I whipped up a pasta with rosemary, lemon, shrimp, mushrooms, and tons of parmesan cheese. It was amazing!

image

The Food Tasters’ Tasha said it was her best meal in months! Good old home cookin’ is the best and I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! It’s so easy and absolutely delicious.

image

I served it with my favorite salad- baby greens tossed with candied pecans and dried cranberries and topped with a homemade honey lemon dressing! I am hooked on a local honey “The Wright Stuff” made by the beautiful beekeeper and WTAE-TV news anchor Michelle Wright! It is smooth and not too sweet making delicious dressings, sauces, and baked goods! Click here for the HONEY LEMON DRESSING RECIPE!

image

And oooh the pasta- Setaro pasta is my favorite dry pasta because it cooks up like fresh pasta. A little more expensive, like 5X, but it is so worth it! In Pittsburgh, I get my pasta at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in the city’s shopping district, the Strip!
Ok, I will stop talking…
Here is the recipe!

Rosemary Shrimp Pasta
(Feeds 6-8)
Ingredients:

1-1/2 – 2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 tbsp. butter, melted, halved
1 lemon, cut in half
1 tbsp. rosemary, finely chopped, halved
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
1 2 lb. bag Setaro linguini/fetuccini pasta
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
rosemary springs for garnish
lemon wedges for garnish
salt/pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place shrimp on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle half of the melted butter, half of one lemon, and sprinkle 1/2 tbsp. chopped rosemary on the shrimp.
Bake 7-10 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
Line mushrooms on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle the remaining butter, squeeze one half of a lemon, and sprinkle chopped rosemary.
Bake 5 minutes or until fragrant and slightly cooked.
Boil pasta in a large pot until al dente.
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large sauce pan.
Add white wine, shrimp, and mushrooms.
Drain pasta and add to the pan.
Mix in parmesan cheese and coat.
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish, and enjoy!

Ciao!


Sep
2015

Fried Heirloom Tomatoes!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Dinner, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Homemade Italian, Lunch, Recipes, Sides

Traditional Southern fried green tomatoes are actually tart, unripened red tomatoes, breaded and fried in oil. Their firmness makes them perfect for frying! I was given some gorgeous, solid heirloom tomatoes that were so sweet, not mushy at all, so I decided to fry them for a sweeter version.  Of course topping them with parmesan cheese and fresh basil for a totally perfect mix of flavors!
Heirloom tomatoes are the best. Passed down from generation to generation, heirlooms’ taste will far exceed any tomato you find at the grocery store. Found in an array of colors, they all taste a bit different.

image
I made a Caprese salad last night using really ripened heirlooms. I’m not sure which ones tasted better yellow, orange, red/green striped, brown? They are all amazingly delicious!
Ok, back to frying them. So the trick is to use firm tomatoes, and fry them in a hot pan. This way the outside “crust” will be nice and crunchy.

image

Fried Heirloom Tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 firm heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup flour
1/2 tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tbsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt/pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese
fresh basil

Directions:

image

image

Add olive oil to pan and heat on high.

Mix flour, basil, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder in a bowl.

Whisk eggs in a second bowl.

Add Panko breadcrumbs to a third bowl.

Prepare tomatoes by lightly salting slices, coating in flour, dipping in egg, and covering in breadcrumbs.

image

Add slices to pan, fry until golden brown on first side, then flip.

Remove slices, let oil absorb on a paper towel covered plate.

image

Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and serve!

Enjoy!
Ciao!


Apr
2015

Vegetable Lemon Garlic Quinoa!

categories: Healthy Living, Recipes, Sides

Spring has Sprung!

image

Here in Western PA we are looking at warmer temperatures and hopefully no more snow!!! I look forward to cooking with Spring vegetables and making beautiful, colorful, healthy dishes. I think this was the longest winer vegetable season ever!

Ready for the pool?
Bathing Suits in less than 2 months! What A great reason to fill our bellies with healthy foods!

Quinoa is a favorite superfood, protein-packed seed grown in the Andes Mountains in South America. Packed with essential amino acids, quinoa is essential to many vegetarian and vegan diets. I often substitute quinoa for rice or pasta for an extra healthy dish!

image

Butternut Squash And Tomato Lemon Garlic Quinoa
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1-1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups butternut squash, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parsley
1 lemon squeezed
salt/pepper

Directions:
Boil quinoa in water according to directions.

Meanwhile, Heat olive oil in a large pan.

Add garlic and cook until golden and softened (3-5mins)

Add butternut squash, tomatoes, garlic and cook until heated through.

image

Add drained quinoa.

image
Top with salt and pepper and stir.
Throw in parsley and squeezed lemon.
image

Mix well and serve!

image

image

Enjoy!
Ciao!


Feb
2015

Apple Pear Tart ! A Simply Delicious Dessert!

categories: Desserts, Recipes

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!!

image

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.

image

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

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

image

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

image

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.

image

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!

image

Enjoy!
Ciao!


Feb
2015

Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Hearts !

categories: Dinner, Homemade Italian, Recipes, Sides

Artichokes, when they are in season, are one of my favorite “vegetables” to prepare. The artichoke is actually the flower’s bud and is a great source of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, potassium, iron, and calcium!

image

One of our traditonal Italian family recipes is to stuff the artichoke leaves with a breadcrumb butter mixture. To eat, pluck the leaves and pull through your teeth to get a meaty, buttery, breadcrumby bite! Yum!

Don’t count out the great flavor of the artichoke hearts. Typically frozen or canned, artichoke hearts can be a pizza topping or a delicious casserole. Here is one of our favorites!

image

Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Hearts
(Serves 8-10 as a side dish)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (OR 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained)
3 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh basil
1/4 tsp. Sriracha dry seasoning (or red pepper flakes)
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chicken broth
Brown Butter Breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large, deep frying pan, add garlic until softened and golden.

Add the artichoke hearts and cook until browned on edges.

image

Add basil, dry seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Cook 3-5 minutes stirring to blend together.

Add chicken broth and simmer.

Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan.

Add breadcrumbs until golden brown.

image

Transfer artichokes to a shallow baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Broil on high on top rack until golden brown.

image

Enjoy!
Ciao!