2 Pkg Dry yeast
1/4 Tsp Garlic salt
2/3 Cup water, Warm
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp dry oregano leaves
2 cup cold water
6-1/2 cup All-purpose flour
3 Tbl corn oil
2 Tbl sugar
Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in the sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes or until very bubbly.
Combine the remaining ingredients with about half of the flour, beating to a smooth batter. Beat in the yeast mixture and then with a sturdy spoon work in remaining flour until you can toss it lightly on a floured surface and knead it until it feels elastic in texture. The kneading may require abaout 2/3 cup additional flour, that you will be coating your hand with as you knead the dough. Don’t let the dough become too stiff and yet you don’t want it to stick to your hands. Place it in a large plastic food bag, which you can spray inside with Pam or wipe the inside of it with oil and place the ball of kneaded douogh in this to rise until doubled in bulk. Be sure the plastic bag is large enough that it will permit the dough to double without splitting the bag. You can place the bag of dough on a warm, sunny spot on the table or kitchen counter which helps it to raise quickly and if it’s summertime, place the bag of dough (with open end sealed tightly with tape) in your car with the windows up!
When dough has doubled, punch it down and shape it to fit two 15’ round pizza pans that have been greased and dusted in cornmeal. Add the sauce and topping ingredients exactly in the order listed above, spreading each ingredients evenly over the dough. Let this rise about 20 minutes in a warm place and then bake at 450, about 20 to 25 minutes, putting one pizza at a time on center rack of the preheated oven. If you don’t want 2 pizza’s and you can only handle one of them, wrap the second pizza in foil or plastic and seal it with tape to lock out all air. Freeze it before it rises the last time. After letting it thaw 30 , you can bake as directed above.
1 med. red bell pepper - seeded, minced fine
1 med. green bell pepper - seeded, minced fine
1 sm. red onion - grated
1/2 Lb. sm. shrimp - canned OR fresh
1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 loaf French bread - cut in 1/2" slices
Combine all ingredients, except bread. Spread mixture onto bread slices. Bake in 350 degree oven for 6 minutes, or until cheese melts.
1 pound fetticini ( THIN Italian style, made with semolina flour )
1 cup butter
1 pint light cream
2 cups “LOCATELLI” cheese, this is the flavor & the secret you are
looking for!
salt & pepper to taste
When fetticini is almost completly cook, melt butter & cream over LOW
heat. Add cheese move quickly, cheese thickens the sauce quickly!
Plate & add extra cheese on top if desired. Serve with a nice green
tossed salad, tossed with a ranch or garlic dressing!
This recipe is claimed to originate from a little village in Caserata, Italy.
You can freeze any leftover sauce you do not use. Thaw it first before using it at a later date!
Astoundingly good for minimal effort, this makes an indulgent weekend breakfast or anyday dessert. A judicious smear of mascarpone (half the fat of butter) is part of the luxury, but even lighter low-fat cream cheese will work as well. The real secret is warming the berries just enough to make the flavor bloom and transform their juices into a rosy syrup.
To make ahead: Prepare the sauce (Step 2), cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, microwave on High for about 1 minute (defrost first, if necessary).
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to bubble, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add strawberries and stir until juices begin to exude and the berries are heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
Spread 1 tablespoon mascarpone on each piece of toast. Top with the warm berries.
Fusilli look like well-threaded screws, and are perfect for absorbing a sauce, especially one with cheese. Though more of a spring/fall dish, it will also work nicely in the summer, especially if served with a crisp, fruity white wine.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound fusilli
1/2 pound fontina valdostana (a moderately firm cheese made in rounds from the Val D’Aosta, which melts wonderfully - do not use the generic, industrial fontina that’s extruded in blocks)
1/3 cup fresh unsalted butter
Grated Parmigiano
4-5 leaves fresh sage
Set a pot of water to boil, salt it lightly, and as it heats thinly slice the cheese. When the water boils add the pasta, and while it’s cooking melt the butter, flavoring it with the sage. Drain the pasta when it’s still quite al dente, remove the sage from the butter, and stir the butter into the pasta, together with a heaping tablespoon of grated Parmigiano.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Take an oven-proof dish large enough to hold the volume of pasta and put down a first layer of pasta. Cover the pasta with a layer of cheese, and continue alternating pasta and cheese until all is used up, finishing off with a layer of cheese.
Bake the fusilli for about ten minutes, and serve.
This pleasant alternative is especially suited to the summer months.
INGREDIENTS:
A cup of fresh basil (about 30 leaves)
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
2 tablespoons grated Tuscan or Sardinian pecorino – Romano is too sharp; if need be increase the Parmigiano
1/2 cup excellent olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)
Salt to taste
A pound (500 g) of lasagne, either fresh or dried, and more grated Parmigiano
Preheat oven to 385 F (190 C) and set pasta water to boil.
Mince, in a food processor, the basil, garlic, cheeses, and a pinch of salt; you should aim for a uniform paste, rather than a liquid. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the oil in a slow stream, stirring so as to amalgamate it.
If the lasagne are fresh, cut the sheets into four inch squares if need be. Salt the boiling pasta water, add a spoonful of oil to it so the sheets won’t stick, and add the pasta. Cook it till it’s al dente, and then remove the sheets with a slotted spoon and set them to drain on a clean cloth. Stir two tablespoons of the pasta water into the pesto.
Melt a dab of butter in a hot serving dish, then lay down a layer of pasta and a thin layer of pesto, sprinkle the pesto with grated cheese, and lay down another layer of pasta. Continue alternating pasta and pesto till all is used up, heat through in the oven, and serve.
Serves four.
Note: This pesto sauce will work equally well with spaghetti.
Maccheroncini al Prosciutto Cotto - Baked Macaroni with Ham
This is a fairly rich dish suited to the period from fall to spring. It’s standard north Italian of the hearty sort one might expect in a good pizzeria.
Lightly salt a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and cook the pasta; drain it while it’s still quite al dente. In the meantime prepare the remaining ingredients and grease a large oven-proof dish with some of the butter.
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Use your bare hands
for best results. Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball.
Drop raw meatballs into large pot of sauce. Simmer for about 3 hours.
This traditional pasta and white bean soup is an Italian classic. Be sure to cook the pasta until just al dente. It makes a wonderful supper when served with a large tossed salad of romaine lettuce with red peppers, olives and sliced cucumbers and a dessert of plump dried fruit and roasted almonds.
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
1 cup dried small white beans
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 cup small pasta, such as orzo or small shells
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Wash the beans. In a large pot, cover them with cold water. Soak for 8 hours. Drain into a colander.
Add the beans and water or stock. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, add the rosemary, and simmer 2 hours or until the beans are tender.
Raise heat to high, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with the chopped parsey. Serve accompanied by grated Parmesan cheese and the optional extra-virgin olive oil.
1 and 1/2 lbs. Penne pasta
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 lb. Canadian bacon or smoked ham, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 28-oz. cans tomatoes, crushed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, Canadian bacon, crushed red pepper and peas and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and vodka and cook for 5 more minutes until sauce thickens. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil Penne pasta until it is al dente and drain. Place pasta on individual plates and top with tomato-vodka sauce and serve.
1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced lengthwise
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 8-oz. jar artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
4 oz. Feta cheese
Place sliced bread under the broiler in the oven and toast until just brown. Remove bread from oven. Combine tomatoes, basil, parsley, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper together and mix well. Spread the tomato mixture evenly over bread then top with black olives, artichoke hearts and Feta cheese. Place bread back under broiler for 2 minutes being careful not to burn the bread. Remove bread from oven and allow to cool for several minutes so you can slice and serve warm.
6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
3 - 4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, black olives, green peppers and celery together in a large bowl and toss well. Combine garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, basil, Tabasco and salt and pepper in a separate container and mix well. Refrigerate dressing for several hours, pour over tomato mixture just before serving and toss well. Serve over lettuce leaves.
This is my recipe for Italian Sauce. I learned how to make Italian sauce from a very nice Italian woman in East Boston, Massachusetts. It’s the best around. The amount of spices will not be exact as I never measure them. You can add more or less to taste.
Italian Sauce
Olive Oil for sauteing onion and garlic
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 Bay leaves
2 tsps dried Oregano
2 tsps dried Basil
2 tsps dried Parsley
1TBS Italian Seasoning
1 generous TBS Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 28 oz cans Ground Peeled Tomatos with 1-1/2 cans water, I like Pastene
1 6 oz can Tomato Paste with one can water
1/2 to 3/4 C finely grated Parmesan Cheese, Optional
Heat Olive Oil in large saucepan. When oil is hot add onion and saute until onion starts to soften and become opaque in color. Add garlic and saute for approximately another minute. Do Not Allow Garlic To Burn, it will turn bitter. Add tomato paste and oregano. cook until the paste starts to melt a little then add 1 tomato paste can of water. Mix well and bing just to a boil. Next add 1 can of Ground Peeled Tomatos. Bring it back up to a boil and add Basil and Bay Leaves. Then add 1 28 oz can water. Bring it to boil again and add second can of tomatos and parsley. Bring it to boil and add 1/2 can water and Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper and Sugar. The Sugar is used to take out the acid from the tomatos. Bring to a strong boil and add Parmesan Cheese and stir constantly until cheese is melted. At this point you can add any kind of meats you like. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours.
Enjoy. It is worth the work, trust me.
P.S. Notice above that I added Bay Leaves to the ingredients. Sorry I forgot them originally :oops:
Hi Folks…
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1 Recipe= 4 ½ C. INGREDIENTS
8 T Unsalted Butter
¾ C Quick-mixing flour
4 C Milk
½ t. Fresh grated Nutmeg
½ t. Salt
I ALSO ADD
¼ C Parmesan Cheese
1 Beaten Egg
Basic sauce is used for layering lasagna, covering cannelloni, and casseroles in general. Full recipe makes enough for a large (12-14 servings) lasagna and is of medium consistency, a factor controlled by adding more or less flour.
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the flour all at once and stir rapidly with a wire whisk until blended. When you use the quick mixing flour that has a granular feeling lumps never form. With reg. Flour the chance for lumps increases.
Heat the milk to scalding (just under a boil, when a skin has formed on top.) and add it all at once to the butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorously with a whisk. Continue cooking over med. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about the consistency of a thin pudding. Add the nutmeg, salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
Cool the sauce for about 15 minutes before using. It becomes firmer as it cools.
1/4 pound sweet peas in pod
1/4 pound green beans, ends snapped off
1 head broccoli, cut into thin spears
1 bunch scallions, root ends and greens removed
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 sweet yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips
3 lemons, cut into wedges
2 cups cornstarch
2 quarts extra virgin olive oil, for frying
Salt, to taste
Heat the oil in a deep pan with a basket until just smoking. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix half the vegetables and 1/3 of the lemon wedges. Sprinkle with 1 cup cornstarch and toss quickly with hands to coat. Toss into a large strainer with a handle and bat against hands to remove excess cornstarch. Drop the coated vegetables and lemons into the oil and cook until golden brown and crispy (about 2 minutes).
Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Immediately repeat with the 1/3 of the remaining lemons and all remaining vegetables. Season the hot fried foods with salt and serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thick slices
16 asparagus spears, bottoms trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 large yellow onion, cut into thick rounds
1 pound raw pizza dough, room temperature
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups pasta sauce
4 cups grated cheese (a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan works well)
Preheat grill to medium-high. Place the red peppers and asparagus in a large bowl or zip-lock plastic bag. Add several tablespoons of olive oil and salt, to taste. Toss to coat evenly, or seal the bag and shake. Using kitchen tongs, place the vegetables on the grill. Add the onion slices and brush them with olive oil. Cook until the vegetables are just tender, turning as needed. Remove from the heat and set aside. Divide the dough into either two or four pieces. Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Brush the top of each pizza with olive oil. Set pizza dough on the grill, oiled side down, and cook with the grill open until bottom is eared and cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes. Top should still be slightly doughy. Bubbles may form, but these will deflate when the dough is turned. Remove the dough from the heat and flip so that grilled side faces up. Brush lightly with olive oil and distribute garlic over the pizzas. Spread a thin coat of pasta sauce over, then arrange vegetables and top with cheese. Return the pizza to the grill, close and cook until the cheese is thoroughly melted and lightly browned in spots. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
