Balsamic Caramelized Onion & Asiago Focaccia

This was actually quite sweet, even for my tastes!

Ingredients
4 tsp olive oil, divided
½ C choped onion
1 T honey, divided
½ t fresh thyme (or pinch dried)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt, divided
1 t yeast
½ C warm water (~105)
1¾ C flour
1½ oz grated fresh Asiago cheese

Directions
Heat 2 tsp oil in a skillet (medium heat). Add oinion nad thyme, cooking until onions are translucent and browned. Remove from heat, stir in half the honey (1½ tsp), balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp salt. Set aside to let cool.

Dissolve yeast with remaining honey in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to bloom.

Add half the flour, remaining 2 tsp oil, remaining ½ tsp salt, and onion mixture; mix until soft dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading and adding additional flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic and barely sticks to your hands (7-8 minutes)

Place dough in large bowl coated with oil (or non-stick cooking spray), turning dough to coat. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes.

Gently press dough into a ¼ sheet jelly roll pan (or 9x13 pan) lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray and/or lines with parchment. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in thickness (about 25 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400°. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Beef & Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

I can't imagine how this recipe hasn't gotten onto my blog earlier. Probably because it's easy to alter and adjust the stuffing with various ingredients, and I often make it without following any exact recipe. 

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 - 2 T olive oil
1 - 1½ lbs hamburger
s & p
½ green pepper, diced
½ red pepper, diced
3 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
32 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz grated parmesan (or cheddar, or other firm cheese)
8 oz sour cream
2 T Italian herbs - store bought mix, or your own favorites
64 oz spaghetti sauce
8-12 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions
Heat oil in skillet; add onions and cook until translucent. Add hamburger, cook until thoroughly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. (I often use garlic salt or onion salt for added flavor, and usually choose crushed red pepper flakes instead of black pepper.) Add garlic and diced peppers; heat through until very fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, grated parmesan, sour cream and herbs.  Once beef and vegetables are cooled -- just enough so as not to melt cheeses -- combine them with ricotta mixture.

Pour a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti noodles, arranging them in the baking dish. Pour more spaghetti sauce over noodles; a second layer of stuffed manicotti may be added, or use a second casserole dish. Top with another layer of spaghetti sauce; sprinkle shredded mozzarella over tops.

Bake 1 hour at 325°F.
Casserole can also be frozen, and baked later.

Olive Oil Cake

There are a variety of different olive oil cake recipes around. This is a personal adaptation, borrowing from a few different recipes. I wanted an option that was not overly strong on the lemon flavor (or orange...some recipes include orange zest as well). Of course, if you want to boost the lemon flavor, increase the amount of zest or drizzle the cake with a lemon juice and powdered sugar glaze.

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 C sugar
1 T lemon zest
1¾ C flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ C butter
¾ C olive oil
3 T cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10" round (or a 9x9" square), or lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar and zest until pale and thickened.
While it's beating, combine flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl, and butter olive oil and cream in another.

Add dry and wet ingredients, alternately (begin and end with dry). Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes, until cake is lightly browned and pulls away from sides of pan.

Let cool. For a light, clean cake... simply dust with powdered sugar to serve. Of course it's fine to dress it up with whipped cream, some fruit compote or other icings...

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

Saw a recipe very similar to this online. I'd credit the original (or post it in a link) if I could find it again. This isn't exactly it, but...the same basic idea. Tweak it to your own taste.

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini
24 oz marinara
1 T olive oil
1 lb ground beef
½ C onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ bell pepper, chopped
½ tsp each: basil, oregano, thyme
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ C chopped italian parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 to 1½ C shredded mozzarella
½ C shredded parmesan
¼ C Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.

Trim zucchini ends and scoop out centers, leaving about a ¼-½" thick 'shell'. I used a Parisian scoop (melon baller). Chop scooped out centers; set aside.

Place zucchini into baking dish with ½" of water; cover with foil and pre-cook 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour off excess water; set aside.

Photos: I only made a half recipe.

Brown beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a skillet with olive oil. Drain off excess grease. Add chopped zucchini centers, 2/3 (approx 16 oz) of the marinara, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes. Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour remaining marinara in bottom of baking dish. Place zucchini 'boats' on marinara in baking dish. Scoop beef & veggie mixture into scooped out zucchini, dividing it evenly. I had extra filling -- no problem if it fills in around the edges too! Cover with foil; bake for 20-25 minutes, until zucchini is tender.

While they're cooking, toss chesses and bread crumbs.

Remove stuffed zucchini from oven. Set oven to broil; remove foil and top stuffed zucchini with cheese and bread crumbs. Return to oven just long enough to melt and brown cheese & bread crumbs.

Sausage Ragù over Creamy Polenta

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 C chopped carrot
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 lb Italian sausage
15 oz tomato sauce
¼ C sugar
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
creamy polenta
Optional garnish: grated Parmesan and chopped parsley

Directions
Small dice (or chop) onion. Mince garlic. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, salt and pepper; cook until tender, stirring occasionally (5-7 minutes). While onion mixture is cooking, slice sausages.

Remove onion mixture to bowl, add sausage to pan and cook until browned. Return onion mixture to pan, Add tomato sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to boil; reduce heat, simmer at least 10 minutes. Season with additional salt or pepper to taste.

Serve over creamy polenta; if desired, garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Arancini

I fell in love with arancini, a Sicilian-born croquette, while traveling in Italy. [arancini = Italian for 'little orange'; croquettes are often cylindrical or more oval shaped. I don't know about Italian, but in French, croquer = 'to crunch'.] There are lots of varieties -- different fillings including meat, shellfish, cheeses, veggies.

And these deep fried, cheesy rice balls somehow manage to crossover and be both a delicacy and an easy-to-grab-on-the-go fast food option. The recipe below includes pine nuts, which are delicious, but were nothing I ever had in Italian arancini. They make a nice side to meat and veggies, or a couple with marinara dipping sauce can serve as an appetizer. 

Ingredients:
3 C chicken broth
1 C arborio rice
2 Tbls toasted pine nuts 
½ C shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz) 
½ C shredded fontina cheese (2 oz)
2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs 
½ C grated parmesan cheese
1½ C breadcrumbs
vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions:
Bring broth to a boil (with a dash of salt). Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low; simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Spread on parchment lined baking sheet; allow to cool completely.

Combine pine nuts, mozzarella, fontina and parsley in a bowl; set aside.

Beat eggs in large bowl, then stir in cooled rice, parmesan, and ²/₃C breadcrumbs. Shape mixture into 12 to 15  1½" balls. Press your finger (or thumb) into the center of each rice ball, forming a small cup. Scoop 2 tsp of mozzarella mixture into 'cup' and pinch the rice around filling to enclose it. (This is definitely a hands-on, somewhat messy process.) :) Roll balls in breadcrumbs; place on parchment lined baking sheet. (With the filling, the finished balls end up about 2½".) Refrigerate 1-3 hours.

Heat ½" vegetable oil in large saucepan until thermometer reads 350°. Work in batches to fry rice balls, turning until golden on all sides (4-5 minutes). The refrigerated arancini will cool the oil. When the oil temperature drops the oil soaks in rather than frying at the surface...and no one wants greasy arancini! Don't add too many at a time, and monitor the temperature. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Season with salt. Serve alone or with marinara dipping sauce.

Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi are actually more of a dumpling than a true pasta.


2 lbs potato
   (You want a fairly mealy, baking potato; russets work well.)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1½ C flour
pinch salt

Bake the potatoes (350°, about an hour). Let them partially cool; while they're still warm -- easier to work with at that point -- scoop the potatoes from the skins. Pass them through a ricer, of finely mash them with a fork, then fluff them a bit.

Add flour, egg yolks, and salt to potatoes; mix until a dough ball forms (don't over-mix).

Dust the work surface with flour and roll portions of the dough into logs or 'snakes' about 3/4" in diameter. (Again, work with the dough lightly; don't press or knead it excessively. You want light, fluffy gnocchi, not dense chewy dough balls.) Cut the dough into 1" lengths. Using a fork (or your finger, but the indentations of the fork are great for catching pasta sauce!), gently roll across each gnocchi to create a slight indentation and give the gnocchi a curved, almost shell like shape.

At this point, the gnocchi are ready to be cooked; but you can also lay them out flat on a baking sheet, freeze them, then put them in air tight plastic bags/containers to freeze for cooking later.

To cook the gnocchi, simply boil them in lightly salted water like you would any other pasta. Depending on the thickness, 3-7 minutes should fully cook fresh gnocchi (slightly longer for frozen/thawed gnocchi). Generally...when they rise to the surface, they're done!

Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Panzanella -- Tuscan Bread Salad

(a variation on a recipe I got from the chefs at BTC)

Salad:
6 C mixed baby greens
6 C bread, cut to ½" cubes and lightly toasted
   (it's okay, even good, if it's a little stale)
1 C red, green and/or yellow pepper, ½" diced
½ yellow onion, ½" diced
2 C tomato, ½" diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2+ Tbls pine nuts, toasted, salt & pepper to taste
3-4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2-3 Tbls fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbls chives, cut to ½" lengths

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 oz red wine vinegar
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
½ C olive oil
1 Tbls herbs (basil and/or chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, etc.)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine vinegars, mustard and shallots. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in herbs. Set aside.

Sauté garlic, peppers and onions just to soften (3-4 minutes). Reduce heat. Add bread, tomatoes, pine nuts and enough dressing to coat the mixture. Toss in basil and season with salt & pepper. 

Toss greens with remaining dressing, and spread over a serving platter. Top with warm bread mixture. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and chives.

Bruschetta

(Sorry about the very contrasty picture...not sure why.)

Simplest bruschetta...
sliced bread, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, toasted, then topped with fresh sliced tomatoes, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Deliciously enhanced with...
a drizzle of balsamic glaze
a slice of fresh mozzarella
fresh basil

Creamy Polenta

Here’s a fairly basic recipe for polenta (with a little parmesan). :) Pictured…I had a handful of mushrooms I sautéed, sliced very thin, and added to the mix, topped it with Italian parsley and a little basil (chiffonade), and some extra grated parmesan. Delicious!

Ingredients

2 C chicken broth (more if needed)

1 C milk

2 Tbls butter

1 tsp salt

1 C polenta

½ C grated parmesan (or similar)

Directions

Bring broth, milk and butter to boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt, and sprinkle in polenta while whisking. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes to prevent lumps. Simmer for about 40 minutes, partially covered, stirring about every 10 minutes. Polenta should be thick, but smooth and creamy (use a little additional broth if needed to maintain creamy consistency while cooking).  Add grated parmesan, stirring until melted and thoroughly combined.

Orange-Mango Gelato

Ice cream, sorbet, gelato...what's the difference? Check it out here.

Personally, I love this mango gelato swirled with raspberry gelato. The smooth, richness of the mango and the tart raspberries are a delicious -- and beautiful! -- blend. Or, garnish the orange-mango gelato with fresh raspberries, or a raspberry purée...  Blueberries would be fun to try, too.

Ingredients
3/4 C sugar
1 C milk
1 lb fresh mango*, cubed
1/3 C orange juice

Directions
Combine the milk, sugar, and mango in a saucepan; heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Place all ingredients, including orange juice, in a blender and process until smooth. Place mixture in ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes. If desired, transfer to an air-tight container to freeze for a firmer consistency.

* If mangoes aren't in season, you can used dried mango (reconstitute with orange juice) or frozen mango.

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Ingredients

12 ounces egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh)

2Tbls unsalted butter

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1" pieces

zest and juice of 1 orange

½ C heavy whipping cream

freshly ground black pepper

¼ C finely grated parmesan 

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.

Add reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest, and cream; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and divide among warm bowls. Makes 4 servings.

Deeply (Dark) Cioccolate/Chocolate Gelato

Ice cream, sorbet, gelato...what's the difference? Check it out here.

2 C whole milk
5 egg yolks
2 Tbls corn syrup
¾ C sugar
¼ lb dark chocolate
¼ C dark chocolate cocoa powder

Chop the chocolate into small pieces; add to an empty mixing bowl and set aside. (You will eventually pour the custard base into this bowl.)

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until simmering and whisps of steam begin to appear (about 140°).

While the milk is heating, beat the egg yolks and corn syrup until blended. Add the sugar and continue mixing at medium speed until color lightens to a light yellow. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl during mixing.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the hot milk to the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Mix until blended and then return this mixture to the saucepan. Heat the custard mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and a finger leaves a track when dragged across the back of a spoon (about 175°).

Pour the custard mixture through a sieve into the bowl with the chopped chocolate. Mix the custard and chocolate to melt and blend the chocolate. Add the cocoa and continue mixing by hand until smooth. The goal is to blend, not whip air into the gelato.

Place bowl with gelato base into an ice bath or refrigerate until mixture is chilled to about 45°. Freeze according to your ice cream/gelato maker's instructions and transfer to a container. For a firmer consistency, scoop or pour into an air-tight container and freeze for 2+ hours.

Tiramisu

The recipe below is from my cooking class in Florence, Italy, recently. Even as the chef, Giovanni, was dictating the recipe below, he was telling us his own personal preferences for variations. (For example, he doesn't use any liquer, saying there are enough other flavors already, and it thins the cream filling.) The picture at right is my own variation of the recipe: I don't like coffee; so I substituted a chocolate infused red wine, and instead of dusting the glasses with cocoa powder I used a layer of fudge sauce. Use the recipe below, given in its original form, as a base and create your own favorite dessert!

Ingredients (serves 5)
1 lb mascarpone cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
5 Tbls (heaping) sugar
5 Tbls sweetened cocoa powder
10 ladyfingers (or other similar biscuits/cookies, or spongecake)
1 C coffee
5 Tbls liquer (Baileys, Kahlua, rum...)


Separate eggs. Whisk sugar into egg yolks a little at a time. Add mascarpone to yolk mixture, stirring until very smooth. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form; fold gently into yolk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Add liquer to egg cream mixture.

Dust serving dishes with cocoa. Add a layer of cream mixture, dust with cocoa, top with ladyfingers that have been dipped in coffee. (If using spongecake, slice and cut to fit serving dishes.) Top with another layer of cream, and dust tops with more cocoa powder.

Serve garnished with chocolate shavings, additional biscuits, whipped cream...

Egg Noodle Pasta

We made this type of pasta in both the cooking classes I attended when I visited Italy. This simple recipe can be rolled out and cut into spaghetti, vermicelli, fettuccine, linguine...made into ravioli (pictured below), farfalle... Or other shapes if you're really creative and have a lot of time. In one of the classes, the chef scoffed at using a pasta rolling machine, preferring to do everything by hand (which really doesn't take long if you're only making a single recipe -- below, serves 1 or 2). In the other class...the chef used one! :)

2/3 C flour*
1 large egg

(Lots of pasta recipes include a little olive oil and/or a pinch of salt. Neither of the chefs in my two cooking classes in Italy did -- but I have experimented with it since then. I like a little olive oil.)

Mound the flour on a flat surface and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the middle of the flour well. With a fork, beat the egg and begin mixing in the flour. As a dough begins to form, use your hands to knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is very smooth.

Roll the dough very thin; cut or shape into desired noodle size/shape. Place in boiling water for 2-4 minutes.


Cooking time may be slightly longer if you stuff the pasta (e.g. ravioli) or if it's folded or gathered like with a farfalle shaped noodle ('bow-tie' pasta); but with fresh pasta it's really quick.


*In Italy, the recipe was given in grams...so if you have a kitchen scale: 100 grams of flour. Generic, all purpose flour works well with this pasta. In one of the classes we made another pasta with semolina flour; I'll try that out and post it soon. :)

No-Fuss Focaccia

3 Tbls olive oil; additional oil for topping bread
1½ C warm water
4 tsp (2 pkgs) active dry yeast
1¼ tsp salt
3¼ C (bread) flour
Italian seasoning or dried herbs of your choice for topping

Lightly grease a 9x13" rectangular pan...drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in bottom of pan, tilt to coat.

Combine water with yeast. Add remaining oil, salt and flour; beat on high speed for 1 minute. Scoop sticky batter into prepared pan; cover pan and let rise at room temperature until it becomes puffy (about 90 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375°. Drizzle dough with additional olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning or herbs of choice. (I also added a bit of grated parmesan.) Bake bread until golden brown (35-40 minutes). Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes then turn out of pan. Serve warm.

Sausage & Spinach over Polenta

1¾ C chicken broth
1¾ C water
1¼ C cornmeal
¾ C shredded mozzarella (3 oz)
12 oz fully cooked sausage
(turkey, pork, anykind...)
1 tsp oil
1 medium onion, cut in thin wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
10 oz. spinach, coarsely chopped

For polenta...
In a large saucepan, heat 1¼ C chicken broth and 1¾ C water just until boiling. Slowly stir in cornmeal, ¼ C at a time. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in ½ C shredded mozzarella. Spread evenly in a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare sausage and spinach...
Bias cut sausage into ¼" thick slices. Heat oil in a large skilled; add sausage, onion, garlic and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender and sausage is heated through.

In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and remaining chicken broth. Add to skillet mixture; cook and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and add spinach, a little at a time, stirring constantly until all is wilted. Serve over polenta.

I like garlic, but I could do with a little less in this recipe; let the other flavors come through a bit more. 2-3 cloves, or 4 small cloves...

Italian Stew

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken
2 Tbls olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1 Tbls capers, drained and minced
1 lemon
1/2 C white wine
2 C chicken broth
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 8-oz pkg/jar artichoke hearts
1/2 C flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 C pitted green olives
salt & pepper
optional: lemon wedges

Cut chicken, potatoes and artichoke hearts into approximate 3/4" cubes.

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, turning at least once, until browned (about 5 minutes). Remove from pot and set aside. (While chicken is browning, press or mince garlic cloves; zest and juice lemon.)

Reduce heat. Add minced garlic, minced capers, and lemon zest; stir just intil fragrant (1 minute or less). Add wine, scraping browned bits from chicken off bottom of pan; simmer until reduced by about 1/2 (2-4 minutes). Add broth, potatoes, and chicken and return to simmer. Lower heat slightly to maintain simmering. Cover,and cook 20-30 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and parsley, stirring to combine. Simmer until heated through, or until potatoes are tender.

Cut olives in half if desired. Add olives shortly before serving, allowing time for them to get thoroughly heated. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, with lemon wedges on the side.

Baked Ravioli

I love ravioli; in fact it's what I'll often order to kind of 'test' a new Italian restaurant. This recipe uses store-bought ravioli, but a homemade sauce. I reduced the recipe by about 1/2, so the picture shows it baked in a large loaf pan; a full recipe should go into a casserole dish.

Baked Ravioli
2 Tbls olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
1 tsp dried thyme or oregano
1 28 oz can crushed/diced tomatoes
1 lb store-bought ravioli
1/2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 425°.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (5 min). Add thyme and/or oregano and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, breaking up tomatoes until sauce is thickened and reduced; 20-25 minutes. (I scooped about half of this tomato-onion mixture and blended it in my Magic Bullet so it was really saucey, but still with some good tomato and onion chunks.)

While sauce is thickening, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water just until they float to the top. The pasta will continue to cook while baking. Drain pasta.

Toss pasta in sauce, and pour pasta (and sauce) into 9x13" casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.