Tag Archives: Recipes

Shrimp Mango Salad

  

Delicous! Refreshing! A meal all wrapped into one dish. Anytime Salad that adds a refreshing twist to everyday vegetable and fruit serving.

4 cups lettuce (washed, dried tore into bite size leaves)
12 shrimps (pre-cooked and shelled) For OPTIMAL taste, grill shrimp and add to salad.
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 avocado diced
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Dressing
1 Mango (peeled, remove pith, dice mango)
Juice of 1 Lemon or 1/3 cup orange juice

For dressing: Blend mango and juice for about 30 seconds.
In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add dressing to salad and gently turn dressing into salad with large spoon.

Lasagna with Meatballs

“The history of the name of these noodles is actually quite interesting. “Lasagna” is derived from the Greek lasanon, which means “chamber pot.” The Romans borrowed the word to refer to cooking pots of a similar shape, and eventually the word came to be used to refer to the noodles which were traditionally layered in a lasanum, a Roman lasagna dish. Many people are unaware of the humble origins of the name for this popular Italian food, which means that you can trot it out at your next dinner party and look impressive.”

Ragu`

1 onions
1/4 cup Olive oil
2oo g sausages
500 g of hamburger meat (halved 250 g each. Reserve half for Ragu` and half for meatballs.)
1/2 cup red wine
2 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce or 700 ml Tomato sauce.  (reserve 1/3 cup sauce to use with ricotta or cottage cheese)
2/3 cup water
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 box Barilla Lasagna Pasta Sheets
1/3 cup canola oil
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Reserved 1/3 cup tomato sauce
250 g ricotta or cottage cheese
200 g mozzarella sliced
Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C.

In a large pan over medium heat saute` onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add ground sausage and 250 g. of hamburger meat. Working quickly with a wooden spoon break apart the the meats until they resemble meat crumbs about 4 minutes. Add wine, allow to come to vapor, 1 minute.  Add Tomato sauce with 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup milk and salt to taste. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Stir occassionally, for 10 minutes.

Prepare the meat balls.
In a seperate pan, warm canola oil over low heat. Then quickly start meatballs. In a bowl, add250 g hamburger meat, garlic and parsley working with hands to ensure all ingredients are well combined.
Shape into meatballs the size of a cherry and fry in oil until outerside is slightly hard. (5 minutes)

Ricotta and Sauce
Mix the ricotta with a ladle of sauce ‘Working with a fork combine sauce and ricotta until creamy (1 minute)
Assembling Pasta Layers for Lasagna
In a deep roasting pan, pour three ladles of sauce to thoroughly cover the bottom of pan.
Place a layer of pasta add three ladles of meat sauce.
Place a layer of pasta. Then spread the ricotta.
Place a layer of pasta, then three more  ladles of meat sauce, add the diced mozzarella.
Place a layer of pasta layer with three ladles of sauce, add meat balls as well.
Place a layer of pasta and four ladles of sauce.
Top off with mozzarella slices and Parmesan Cheese
Lightly Cover pan with aluminum foil, leaving space between cheese and foil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and allow to bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, let stand for twenty minutes so that ‘everything is’ congeals’ a bit before dividing into the portions.

History of Lasagna  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-lasagne.htm

Gatto` di Patate (Potato Pie)

500 g potatoes
50 g soft butter
2 eggs
1 / 2 cup milk
70 g ham ( 3-5 slices)
150 g provolone (8slices)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp salt

Boil the potatoes in their skins (or cook in microwave).
While still warm, peel them and pass them to the crushing potatoes. Place them in a bowl.

Add butter and mix until ‘is completely dissolved, then add the eggs, milk, Parmesan cheese and coarsely chopped or slices of  ham. Add salt.

Grease a baking dish (20-22 cm in diameter) and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Make a layer with the mixture of potatoes.
Then one of provolone slices and ham slices
Cover with remaining potatoes.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs, a small amount of parmesan and a few slices of provolone and drizzle olive oil on top.

Bake already ‘hot about 190 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until’ the surface is golden brown.

Remove from oven and wait a half hour before serving.

Tuscan Cacciucco Fish Stew

A variety of fish, tomatoes, and onions makes for a delicious meal.

Cacciucco is a fish stew commonly made in the Northern Tuscany seaport of Livorno. At the end of a day at sea and after auctioning off the fish to both locals and fish markets, the fisherman takes his fresh fish and puts it into a pot with onions, garlic and fresh tomatoes topped off with a dash or two of red pepper! This flavorful dish takes your imagination directly to a beach restaurant where you sit outside on a deck, feeling the breeze gently on your face and saltwater fish in every tasty bite.

Serves 6

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (1/2 to 1 kilo) of mixed fish (see list below)
  • A half a medium onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • A bunch of parsley, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 pound sliced fresh or canned plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • Salt to taste
  • Crumbled or minced hot red pepper (about a half teaspoon, or to taste)
  • Toasted Italian bread rubbed with garlic

Preparation:

Ingredients for Cacciucco or Fish Stew

Fish: Go with what’s in season, keep it cheap! Example: sole, mullet, catfish, dogfish, goby, squid, octopus, fresh shellfish and shrimp. Chop the large fish, but leave the small ones whole.

Direction: Sauté in olive oil the onion, parsley, and garlic in the oil in a deep bottomed pot (5 minutes). Once the onion has turned translucent, add fish and turn with other ingredients in pan, (3 minutes).  Add wine, when the wine vapors are released (1 minute), stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt the mixture to taste. This is one of the few spicy Northern Italian dishes, add in red pepper.

Simmer the Cacciucco until the fish is done, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast several slices of bread and rub them with a crushed clove of garlic.  Once the fish is done, line the bottoms of your bowls with the toasted bread, ladle the Cacciucco over them, and serve.

Spiced Rice

Spiced Rice may be served with: Curry, Stews, Sauces. Here presented with almonds and soy beans

Flavorful rice that can be a great additive side dish, especially with curry, stews and sauces. See instructions below to add a creative aspect to this delicious plate!

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cup’s Rice
  • ½ onion diced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 4 whole cloves
  • ½ cinnamon bark (1 inch or 2.5 cm in length)
  • 2 cloves of cardamom
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Rice should be washed by placing into a bowl and covered with water, carefully remove water. Repeat process 3 times.   Allow rice to remain in water for 30 minutes, remove water from rice and set aside. (If rice is not pre-soaked add another ½ cup water to dish when rice is added to pan for a total of 3 ½ cups)

Over medium heat add oil to a large frying pan with onion, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom; cook for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add rice and incorporate well with onion and spices.  Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Fluff rice with 2 forks and recover pan.

BE CREATIVE:

  1. May add vegetables to this dish before water is added to rice.
  2. May add Saffron or Tumeric to dish at end of cooking.
  3. Rice can be placed into a mold pan upon completion of cooking.  Allow to cook for 20 minutes, invert pan to release formed rice and top off with almonds and soy beans.

Suggested dishes to accompany Spiced Rice: Permjit’s Chicken Curry, Paratha, Raita,  Chicken or Veal Parmesan, Florence Italy’s Peposo