Author Archives: Kimberly Crocker

Cherry Tomato Sauce (Pomodorini)

Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce! DELICIOUS!!!

1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove peeled
2 pound Cherry Tomatoes washed and halved
1 Pat of Butter (1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper (of choice)
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon oregano

Over Medium heat, bring oil and garlic to a warmed temperature, about 3 minutes and garlic will become beige. Add tomatoes, butter and salt. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add pepper, minced garlic and oregano. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over favorite cooked pasta.

Gnocchi

5 potato’s peeled boiled and quartered.
1/2 cup Semola Flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mash potato’s by using a food processor or food mill. Add Semola  Flour and salt in order to form a ball. Quarter potato ball. Take one cut quarter of potato mass and begin to rotate back and forth in between hands on lightly flour dusted cutting board or table so that a rope forms. Rope should be about 8-10 inches long and about 1/2 -3/4 inch wide. Cut rope into about 1 inch long pieces. With a fork gently press down on each gnocchi. Continue same process for the rest of the pasta mass.
In a large pan, bring water to a hard boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add in gnocchi. When gnocchi floats to top they are done. About 2 minutes. With slotted spoon remove the gnocchi and place into individual dishes.
Best served with Simple Basil & Tomato Sauce and topped off with Parmesan Cheese.

Simple Basil & Tomato Sauce
1 medium onion
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
28 oz or 720 grams Tomato Sauce ( De Cecco or Fratelli)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
8 Basil leaves

Cime di Rapa (Broccoli Rapini)

Orecchiette with Cime di Rapa

Traditional dish from Puglia made with their trademark pasta Orecchiette (little ears)! Pasta combined with Rapa, associated with the Broccoli family.

Enjoy the Rapa vegetable tossed with olive oil, saute` onions, red pepper flake’s with a side of sausage drizzled with fresh lemon juice!

Broccoli Rapini is a cousin to Broccoli. Serve with pasta or by itself as a side vegetable.

INGREDIENTS

Bunch of Broccoli Rapini OR Broccoli cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
Optional: (4 filets of anchovies (optional) May substitute 1 minced garlic clove)
1 small onion thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/3 cup water

Thoroughly wash Rapa leaves. Cut off and discard bottom two inches of stems. With a knife or by hand cut or tear leaves into bite size portions.  Set aside.  Over medium heat in a frying pan, warm 1/2 cup olive oil with (optional,  4 anchovie filets and/)or sliced onion. Allow to saute` for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

saute` chopped onion in olive oil.

Add pasta to boiling water and 3 minutes later add all Broccoli Rapini leaves OR Broccoli to boiling pasta. Allow to boil for another 6 minutes. Using a colander drain pasta and vegetables, place back into large pan, add the oil and previously sautéed onions to pasta and broccoli rapini, stir well. Serve with parmesan on the side.
May be served as a vegetable and no pasta.

Southern Italian Lasagna

Delicious Italian Lasagna commonly served in Southern Italy. Buon Appetito!

Lasagna in an hour!

1 Carrot’s diced
1 Celery stalks diced
1/2 Onion diced
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/2 pound ground meat
2 28 ounces tomato sauce (unseasoned)
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups Mozzarella Cheese (shredded) 250 g freshly cut Mozzarella
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 box Barilla Lasagna

*Optional: Consider enhancing your Lasagna providing a slight creamy taste and reducing the tomato flavor.
Additional foods that will make your dining experience more tasty:
1 hard boiled egg. Peeled sliced and added into a layer of the lasagna.
6 slices. ham Place ham slices into lasagna and reduce salt granule’s by 1/2 tsp.
6-10 Basil Leaves or (1/2 tsp dried basil) Steps up the meaning of Party!

If adding in the egg slices for additional protein: On high heat, place a sauce pan with 2 cups of water and uncooked egg. Allow to boil for 15 minutes.

In a separate large pan combine vegetables, meat and oil and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break to pieces the ground beef and to combine with vegetables. Add wine and cover for 5 minutes. Reduce to medium-low heat.  Add sauce, milk, water and salt.  Placing a wooden spoon on top of pan, place lid so that is slightly tilted which will allow for water vapor to escape. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil leaves. Turn off stove and remove from heat.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F or 180 C.

In a 9×11 cake size pan add to bottom of pan 3-4 large ladles of sauce. Add 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Add 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan (OPTIONAL: place egg slices all over sauce covered pasta.)
Add second layer of 4 pasta sheets distribute so they are side by side. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of 6 mozzarella slices. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan (OPTIONAL: evenly distribute ham slices)
Add third layer of 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of parmesan.
Add fourth layer of 4 pasta sheets distributed side by side in pan. Pour 2-3 ladles of  sauce to cover pasta. Place on a layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on 2-3 tablespoons of parmesan.

SECRET TRICK to ensure perfect lasagna! Look at the constructed lasagna in the baking pan. The sauce on the side of the lasagna should stop and not elevate past the side of the third pasta layer. There is sauce on the fourth layer with cheese; you are looking for about 1/4 inch of space between the fluid which stops at the third layer and does not rise to the last layer. It will be “soupy” if the sauce on the side of the lasagna completely evens out with the fourth layer.

Place in oven and allow to bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and allow lasagna to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to sit and cool down for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.


2 Simple Spaghetti Sauces

Easy and Flexible. This sauce can be used for many dishes.

1. Pair this sauce with Spaghetti or any other pasta and top off with parmesan cheese.
2. Try serving the sauce over orecchiette and grating Ricotta Dura on top. A saltier and freshly made to serve cheese.
3. Serve sauce over white rice and parmesan cheese. Delicious!
4. Also as main sauce in Ragu. For Lasagna or Cannelloni (mozzarella cheese)  Authentic Ragu` Italian Sauce

Delicious Tomato Basil Sauce for the Eggplant Parmigiana

Delicious Tomato Basil Sauce for the Eggplant Parmigiana

Simple Spaghetti Basil & Tomato Sauce (Onion Based) serves 5-6
1 medium onion
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
28 oz or 720 grams  Tomato Sauce ( De Cecco or Fratelli)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
8 Basil leaves

In a medium size pan, sauté onion in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium low. Add tomato sauce, salt, milk (helps to reduce acidity of sauce which comes from the processed seeds.) Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil leaves to sauce at end of simmering time.

For nice presentation of dish pinch 2-4 leaves off basil plant and place on pasta dish.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

 

Marinara Sauce (Garlic Based) Serves 3 

  • 1/4 c. Olive Oil
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and minced (there are 2 garlic cloves in this recipe)
  • 14 oz Tomato Sauce (only Ripened Tomatoes)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt (salt to individual taste)
  • 1/8  tsp oregano
  • 1/8 tsp parsley
  •  pinch of red pepper flakes (1/16 – 1/8 tsp)
  • 1 garlic peeled and minced (for a hint of garlic taste) optional


In a saucepan, sauté garlic in olive oil over low heat for 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, water, milk and salt. Allow to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic clove minced and allow to simmer another 5 minutes of preparation.

Serve over favorite prepared pasta.