Archive for the ‘Italian’ Category

I have a great passion for good food, good wine and good company. And there is no better place in the world that combines those ingredients then Italy.  Italy has to be my favorite country when it comes to food.  I was really hoping to travel there this summer for a cooking vacation, but my dream trip will have to wait… So, I figured if I can’t go to Italy for the summer, than I will bring Italy to my house!  All summer long, I will be sharing with you my food tour through Italy. We will taste the savory flavors from places like Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, and Basilicata.

We’ll be making all kinds of delicious dishes, like Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Pasta made from scratch, simple Marinara sauce, Bolognaise sauce, Crema di Carciofi (Artichoke Cream Sauce), and we’ll also be cooking with meat, fish and game, and, of course, we’ll try our hand at several kinds of traditional pizzas…

So, be sure to check back often…

This sandwich is in the top 3 of sandwiches that I love to make.  I have been hooked on Chicken Cacciatore for as long as I can remember.  This sandwich really hits the spot at lunchtime.  It’s full of flavor, hearty and with  a scoop of garlic mashed potatoes it will definitely hold you till dinner time.

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breast, shredded

1 medium red onions, sliced

1 ounce capers

7 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

3 ounces sherry wine

3 cups marinara sauce

3 ounces olive oil

1 ounce garlic

Hoaggie Bun

Provolone cheese sliced

Sliced Olives

Directions:

Boil chicken breast till tender, about 40 minutes, allow to cool and then shred.

In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Sauté until onions become tender.

Add capers, oregano, basil, and sherry. Once half the sherry has cooked out, add the marinara sauce.

Add the chicken and reduce by a third.

Add cheese to the hoaggie bun and toast under a broiler
Once toasted fill bun with chicken and top with sliced olives
Serve with favorite side, mine is garlic mashed potatoes or chips and a pepperchini pepper

So, till next time I hope you enjoy my Pulled Chicken Cacciatore Sandwich.

Home Chef, Mark Stroginis

This Grilled Shrimp Scampi Recipe is so easy to prepare and it’s healthier than most scampi’s. You will be tempted to serve it all the time.

So, fire up your grill good and hot and put a large pot of water on and get ready to have healthy Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Whole Wheat Linguine.

I would say this recipe serves four.

I hope you enjoy

Recipe after the photos:

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat linguine
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, diced
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 pound large shrimp
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

While the grill is heating up combine all the above ingredients except for the linguine.

Let the shrimp soak in for just a few minutes, because the acid will make the shrimp tough.

Pour the shrimp on to the hot grill pan or grill wok and turn a few times over the next 8 to 10 minutes depending how hot your grill is. They are done once they turn pink.

Add the shrimp to the pan with the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Italian Sausage Peppers and Pasta, oh my…. 
While at my Weight Watchers meeting today not only did I lose some weight, (yay me!!!) but I found an awesome Italian recipe.  I love the idea of having Italian food made healthy, and this dish has it all spicy sausage, red wine and fire-roasted tomatoes. 
Recipe follows the pictures

 

My “Junior Chef” Garrett told me this morning that raviolis should be for dinner tonight.  I told him, “Great! You can make them.” “Make them?” he asked. “Yep, we’ll make them completely from scratch.” 

Ingredients
The filling
1 lb fresh spinach
1 lb ricotta cheese, thoroughly drained
1 egg
4 oz parmigiano reggiano cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

The dough
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions
Boil the spinach in lightly salted water. Place the boiled spinach in a cheese cloth and form a small sack. Squeeze the sack to expel as much water as possible. Chop the spinach finely

Place the spinach in a bowl. Combine the drained ricotta, egg, parmigiano cheese, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and nutmeg if necessary

To prepare the pasta dough: Combine all the ingredients, mix the dough so it is very soft and moist. Use the minimum flour necessary, just enough to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while working.
Cut the dough in two parts.
Place one of the pieces on the work surface, and flatten it with a rolling pin until it is very thin.
 Repeat the same steps with the other half of the dough, making a pasta sheet of the same size.
Set it aside, covered with a moist towel if necessary to prevent the pasta from drying too much. 

Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling on the dough, spaced 2 inches apart. 

Bring water to a boil in a stockpot. Gently drop the ravioli in the boiling water a few at a time 

Cook until the pasta is al dente (firm but not too soft or overcooked). Drain ravioli, picking them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon

Serve with your favorite sauce.   Cheers!!!