Trofie with Pesto, Genova Style

Reminiscing about my recent honeymoon to southern Italia, I also started to think about the trip we took in 2009 to the northern part. In Italia, each region has their specialty meals or products. In the Genova, Liguria area, a specialty dish is pasta with pesto, potatoes, and green beans.  We ate this for dinner a couple times while in the area. It's just, YUM. I've been wanting to make it at home ever since we went... lucky for my husband and me, tonight I finally made it! I opted to leave out the green beans in my take on this traditional dish - nothing against green beans, I like it better with just the potatoes. I'm a potato person. Anyway, our pesto was made from home-grown basil from my parents' garden, but grocery basil is always second best ;).  Now for the trofie pasta...in the USA, I haven't seen it all that much. You can find it in the specialty stores but if you can't, you could always use a fusilli-like pasta or trenette/spaghetti. My trofie are actually from the motherland herself. I purchased it there a couple weeks ago during our honeymoon. We love this pasta, it's just so perfect for this dish.

Ingredients:

Pesto: makes 1 cup

• 2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves, packed

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1/3 cup Pine Nuts

• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

Pasta: 4-5 people

• 1 pound Trofie

• 6 Yukon Gold Potatoes - cut into small chunks, skin on (If they are large potatoes just use 4)

• Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)

• Parmigiano Reggiano

• Olive Oil for drizzle

• Sea Salt for the Pasta and Potato Pots

Pesto Sauce:

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.  Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

Pasta: For 4-5 people

Boil the chunks of potatoes with lightly salted water until they are fully cooked through and softened. Strain and leave aside on warm stove.

Boil the pasta in water with sea salt. Cook until al'dente (about 9 minutes). Strain and put back into the pasta pot. Drizzle some olive oil and mix the pasta so that they don't stick to each other. Add in about 6 table spoons (give/take) of pesto so that the pasta is well coated to your liking. Left over pesto can be frozen! Add the red pepper flakes to your liking (I have a heavy hand here). If you feel like it needs more olive oil, drizzle on some more and mix it in. Add in the potatoes and carefully mix them in as to not smash them. 

Picture shows serving for 2 people

Serve with freshly grated parm and garnish with fresh basil.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza, Two Ways

I bought whole wheat dough a few weeks ago to make a carb-friendly pizza at home. I froze the dough so I could use it when I wanted. Well, today I was forced to use the dough because we lost power from Hurricane Sandy, and the dough rose when the freezer went warm. At least I was able to salvage it - luckily, we got power back on Friday night, so I was able to keep the risen dough in the refrigerator for a couple days! Here are two ways to make delicious homemade pizza.

First, I made a fresh tomato pizza with 3 cheeses - super tasty! Next, I made a margherita pizza - one of the classics of Italy. Fun fact: it resembles the Italian flag - green=basil, white=mozzarella, red=tomato. In my margherita, I substituted the basil for oregano to change it up since I used basil in the fresh tomato pizza.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. For both pizzas, first drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on a baking sheet. Spread the dough evenly across the baking sheet, stretching and widening the dough with your fingers. Flip the dough upside down so that both sides get coated with olive oil.

1) Three Cheese with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil:

• 16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• 1-2 packs of Cherry Tomatoes, cut into quarters or halves
• ~2 Handfuls Fresh Mozzarella, enough to cover entire pizza, thinly slice
• 1 tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tbs Grated Pecorino
• Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
• Olive Oil

Spread the tomatoes evenly over the dough.

Sprinkle on the parm, pecorino and basil leaves. Cover the top with the mozzarella. Drizzle additional olive oil on top.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, until crust is crunchy and slightly browned. Slice into 6 pieces. Of course, I added crushed red pepper on top before eating.

2) Margherita, Topped with Pickled Green Tomatoes:

• 16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• 1 Ladle of Tomato Sauce (you can get my recipe here - freeze any additional sauce!)
• ~2 Handfuls Fresh Mozzarella enough to cover entire pizza, thinly sliced
• 1-2 tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Italian Oregano
• Freshly Cracked Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Pickled Green Tomatoes (optional)

Sprinkle some garlic powder evenly on the dough. Next, evenly distribute on the grated parmigiano. Carefully pour the tomato sauce across the pizza, spreading with your ladle or a spoon. Add the mozzarella on top - again evenly distributed. Sprinkle on the dried oregano and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, until crust is crunchy and slightly browned.  Slice into 6 pieces.

Optional idea - top off with pickled green tomatoes. It gives a nice acidity taste and crunch. My mom makes the best homemade pickled green tomatoes. She pickles them in olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Lastly, of course, I seasoned the slice with crushed red pepper.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw

I've never been a huge fan of coleslaw, maybe because I didn't grow up eating it, ever. Things with mayo always sort of discouraged me. Over the years coleslaw has grown on me and I've learned that it can add nice flavor and crunch to certain dishes (like my pulled pork sliders!). We initially had this coleslaw in Wisconsin, credits to Ryan's mom, and he immediately fell in love with it. In an effort to be a good wife and make one of his favorite foods, I made this coleslaw (Ina Garten's), but tweaked it a bit to be my own. I used two different kinds of blue cheese for a more sophisticated flavor, and I used miracle whip instead of mayo to make it a tad bit healthier.

Ingredients: Party Size

Left - Roquefort, Right - Danish Mild Blue

• 1 Small Head Green Cabbage
• 1 Small Head Red Cabbage 
• 4 Large Carrots, cleaned and julienned
• 2 cups Miracle Whip (one jar) 
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard 
• 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp Celery Salt
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 lb Roquefort Blue Cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 lb Danish Mild Blue Cheese, crumbled

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Slice them very thin and chop into smaller slices, OR run them through a food processor. I prefer to hand cut so that I can get the size and texture I want. Transfer into a large bowl. Add the julienned carrots and mix altogether.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the miracle whip, mustard, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Add in the crumbled blue cheese and mix again. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Portobello-Shiitaki-Oyster Mushroom Risotto

You may be thinking - didn't she already write about a mushroom risotto (porcini risotto)? Well, yes, I did... but this one is very different. For one, I use different mushrooms in this recipe. I also use red wine instead of white, and I use pecorino instead of parmigiano. There are a few other slight differences as well, but both are very delicious.  I made this risotto because I purchased a gourmet mushroom mix pack, including Oyster, Portobello, and Shiitaki mushrooms. Originally thinking I would make it for a pasta dish...but then I decided to go with Risotto because the mushroom dish I was thinking about includes pancetta, and I didn't have any handy (so TBA on this recipe one day!).  We enjoyed this risotto with a glass (or two) of our homemade Cabernet Sauvignon. I recommend finding good wine to drink with this, as well as use in the recipe.

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 6-7 cups chicken broth, as needed
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1.5-2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 3 sprigs of thyme, pricked off the sprig
• 1 sprig of Fresh Rosemary, pricked off the sprig
• 4oz Mushroom mix: Oyster, Portobello, Shiitaki 
• 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
• Pinch of Crush Red Pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the chicken broth in a medium sauce pan. Keep warm over low heat.

In a medium skillet, melt half the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add half the onion and garlic. Once translucent, add the mushrooms. Mix well and cook over medium heat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Once they start to get soft, turn off heat and set aside. You don't want to over cook them as they will continue cooking in the risotto.

In the mean time, in a separate, large saucepan, melt the rest of the butter over medium heat and add in olive oil. Add in remaining onion, garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook until translucent. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain. When the rice begins to make a crackling sound, add the red wine. Stir constantly, letting the red wine cook off and the rice absorb the wine.

After about 90 seconds, add in 1 ladle of the warm broth and stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat this process, adding the remaining broth, one ladle at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.  About midway, add the mushroom mix along with the rosemary and thyme.

Test the rice to see if it is done. It should be slightly al dente, but creamy.  Add additional salt and pepper as needed.  After you add in your final ladle of broth, add in the grated pecorino cheese and stir well until cheese is blended. 

Plate in a bowl and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Heirloom Tomato and Balsamic Reduction

There's just something about biting into an heirloom tomato that makes it special, compared to a normal tomato. When you are making a salad or an appetizer where tomato is the focal point, I recommend looking for the heirlooms.There are a few different types of heirloom tomatoes...The kind in this post is a cross-pollination hybrid. Yes, we can cross-breed tomatoes just like we do dogs ... use two different parents! That's how we get the marble colors, stripes, and multi-colored tomatoes.

I used a few ingredients to create this masterpiece. First, I found an amazing extra large tomato, but you can find perfectly good heirlooms smaller in sizes. With that, you just need some olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, balsamic, honey, sugar, and some really darn good cheese. The cheese I picked here is called Roncal - a creamy sheep's milk cheese from Spain. It was a perfect pick to pair with the tomato and balsamic reduction...not too mild, but not too stinky. This simple appetizer was so fantastic, easy to prepare and looked beautiful!

Balsamic Reduction: For 1 Large Tomato

• 4 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Honey (I used Lavender Honey to give an extra kick)
• 1/2 tsp Sugar

Tomato Salad:

• Extra Large Heirloom Tomato, thickly sliced
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Roncal Cheese, sliced

For the balsamic reduction - heat the balsamic in a small pot until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and add the honey and sugar. Mix until it is fully dissolved. Once the balsamic cooks down and thickens remove from heat. That's it!

Slice the tomato like so.

To plate, first drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom of your plate. Add the largest layer of tomato slices on the bottom base. Add another drizzle of oil on top and some sea salt and cracked pepper. Repeat layers, largest to smallest. Drizzle a little of the balsamic reduction on the side for display, and put the remainder in a small dish for additional use. Add the Roncal on the side.

Dip a piece of tomato and cheese into the balsamic reduction - and enjoy!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Also know as "parm" - True parmigiana is made with eggplant, or melanzane. Italian Americans have modified the true parmigiana by using chicken, veal, shrimp, and who knows what else people have made into parmigiana. As the name suggests, it is called Parmigiana because of the Parmigiano cheese! I recommend getting a block of imported Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and grating it yourself. I do this every time I need it, but I am pointing it out here to give proper merits to the star of the dish.

Here is my very simple, but oh so tasty classic way to make eggplant parm. You'll notice that I peel the skin off the eggplant, and I do not use breadcrumbs anywhere in this recipe. If you find seedless eggplant, even better - I hate big fat seeds, gross! These are just my personal recipe choices - I think you'll agree. ;)

Ingredients: Serves 5-6 hungry loved ones

• 1 Large Italian Eggplant, peeled and sliced thinly.
• 1 Large Ball of Fresh Mozzarella, sliced into small pieces
• Loads of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 1.5 cups of Flour, give/take as needed
• Canola Oil for frying

Tomato Sauce:

• 2 Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes - Please get the good brand. I recommend Muir Glen.
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 2-3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Rind
• 6 Fresh Basil Leaves

Get the sauce going first, then prepare the eggplant. Run the tomatoes through a blender. Then, in a large sauce pan, add the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper on high heat. Cook for about 1 minute (don't let the garlic burn). Add in the tomato sauce and stir. Bring to a boil, and add in the parmigiano cheese rind, basil leaves, and salt to taste. Lower the heat; stir occasionally.

Now let's prepare the eggplant. You should have your sliced eggplant, cracked/beaten eggs, and plate of flour.  Take each slice of eggplant, dredge into the eggs, then into the flour. Pat it well so that it is fully covered in flour. Transfer to another plate.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Carefully place eggplant slices on the pan, in a single layer. Fry until each side is golden brown. Continue until all eggplant slices are fried.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Layer paper towels on top of each layer of eggplant on the plate. This way they don't stick to each other and the paper towel will soak up the excess oil.

By now the sauce should be done. Remove from heat. We are going to layer the ingredients in a baking pan now. First, add a ladle of sauce on the bottom so that it doesn't stick. Then add a single layer of eggplant, spread more sauce evenly on the first layer, then add the mozzarella and loads of parmigiano cheese. Repeat this until the eggplant runs out, should be 3 layers.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for about 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve!

Greek Salad

I love putting feta in salads. It gives a great, salty taste that I am sometimes missing in my greens. This Greek salad is a perfect side dish to my Mediterranean Chicken Skewers , but it can be used as a fantastic starter or side dish to any protein. I use Boston Lettuce because it is one of my favorites, but it's not mandatory here - use what you like best!

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of Boston Lettuce, washed and torn into big chunks
• 2 tbs Red Onion, chopped
• Large handful of Grape/Cherry Tomatoes, cut into halves
• Greek Olives
• Crumpled Feta Cheese, as desired
• 1/2 Lemon, squeezed
• 1 Small Seedless Cucumber, cut into big cubes/slices
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 tbs Dry Italian Oregano
• Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and add lemon juice + olive oil prior to serving. Toss lightly as to not wilt the lettuce. Enjoy!

Spicy Garlic Hummus

Hummus is a great, protein-filled healthy appetizer, side dish, or snack. I will be the first to admit it, I have done my fare share of purchasing Sabra pre-made hummus, but it actually is pretty easy to make from scratch. It's a great dip for hosting friends/family where they can dunk veggies, pita/pita chips, pretzels, etc.  Here is a very basic recipe that I personally enjoy, but you can add additional ingredients like roasted pine nuts, roasted peppers, or fresh herbs.

Ingredients: For a big bunch!

• 2 Cans of Chick Peas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
• 2 Lemons, Squeezed
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 3 tbs Tahini
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 2 tbs Water
• Few Squirts of Hot Sauce (as desired)
• Salt to Taste, about 1.5 tsp

Run all the ingredients through a food processor or blender until it becomes a smooth texture. Taste for salt and/or additional hot sauce. Refrigerate for 15+ minutes before serving.

Serve cooled, with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of paprika. Garnish with Greek olives.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Bread, cheese, garlic... what more do you need? I've been making my garlic bread the same way for years. I was inspired by the garlic bread served at my Family's restaurant.  I've made this cheesy garlic bread using different types of breads - white, whole wheat, multi grain... french baguette, dinner rolls, Italian bread. You really can't go wrong, but I prefer some type of baguette. In these photos, I used a multi grain baguette. It's is great as is or dunked in sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 Baguette, split in half
• 3-4 crushed and minced Garlic Cloves
• 1.5 tbs Butter, more for spreading
• Dry Oregano
• Paprika
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmigiano
• 1/2 cup Fresh Mozzarella, cubed/sliced

Preheat oven  to 350 degrees. Warm the butter on medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Slice the Baguette in half, and spread each side with butter. Season with dry Italian oregano and paprika. Add the melted butter and garlic mixture on each half.

Add the parmigiano and mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.



Slice and serve immediately.

Pesto Mac & Cheese

I invented this dish as I was trying to see what I can do with the left over sliced provolone cheese we had. Odly enough, pesto mac and cheese came to mind. I had elbow noodles, pesto sauce from a previous meal, sliced provolone cheese, breadcrumbs and of course, parmigiano at home.

I am really into pesto these days - It is so versatile. These simple ingredients made a tasty Italian version of Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients:

• Half box of Elbow Noddles, cooked al dente
• 1 cup Pesto Sauce
• 1/4 lb Sliced Provolone, cut into strips
• Lots of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 tbs Breadcrumbs
• 1 tbs Olive Oil

Mix the breadcrumbs and olive oil until the whole portion of breadcrumbs are moistened.

Once the macaroni are cooked strain them and put back into the pot. Add in the pesto sauce and mix well so that every noodle is coated. Add 2-3 tbs of grated parm and mix again.

In a banking pan, spread about half the noodles. Layer on half the provolone slices and add more grated parmigiano.

Pour the remaining noodles on top and repeat the cheese layers. Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Then turn on broil to get a nice golden crunch on top, for about another 3 minutes.