Fresh Tomato Basil and Caper Bruschetta
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup capers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4-inch slices (approximately 16 slices total)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half cross-wise
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1. Combine tomatoes, basil, capers and oil in medium bowl.
2. Toss gently.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Place bread slices on baking sheet.
5. Lightly toast both sides of bread in broiler until light golden.
6. Rub one side of each toasted bread slice with cut side of garlic.
7. Spoon about 1/4 cup tomato mixture over bread slice; sprinkle with cheese.
8. Broil for additional 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.
Serves 6
Savory Stuffed Peppers
This looks pretty on a buffet table.
4 red bell peppers
4 green bell peppers
4 yellow bell peppers
2 tbs. olive oil
24 rolled anchovy fillets with capers
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
Savory stuffing:
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 green onions, minced
1 clove garlic, mined
4 slices prosciutto ham, minced
8 anchovy fillets, minced
1/3 cup pistachio nuts. Minced
1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbs. Romano cheese
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. marjoram
1 tbs. parsley
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• Preheat broiler.
• Broil peppers turning them or 3 times until they are just charred on each side.
• Using kitchen tongs place them in a plastic bag.
• Close the bag tightly.
• Let it stand for 5 minutes.
• Use a knife to peel the peppers.
• Cut each one in half lengthwise.
• Discard the stems and seeds.
• Rinse in cold water.
• Pat dry with towel and set aside.
Make the savory stuffing.
• In a large sauce pan heat the oil over medium heat.
• Add the green onions.
• Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the garlic.
• Cook for one minute and then add the ham, anchovy and nuts.
• Cook for 2 minutes.
• Increase heat and add the breadcrumbs and cook until lightly browned for 3 to4 minutes. Add the cream slowly and stir until it is absorbed.
• Turn the mixture into a large bowl and cool for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the remainder of the ingredients.
• Brush a large shallow baking dish with 1 tbs. oil.
• Divide the stuffing among the pepper halves.
• Brush the peppers with the remaining 2 tbs. oil.
• Cover and let it stand at room temperature for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Let the peppers come to room temperature before cooking.
• Baking until heated through for 30 minutes.
• Carefully transfer to a large platter.
• Top each pepper with an anchovy fillet.
• Garnish with parsley sprigs.
Serves 12.
Artichoke Hearts Attack
Artichoke hearts are readily available in cans and jars in many countries, and are increasingly used in the making of snack dips. Many national chain restaurants in the USA have some variety of artichoke dip, which is usually mayonnaise-based. One of the easiest, yet unhealthy, variations on the creamy artichoke dip is jokingly called the Artichoke Hearts Attack, owing to the amount of mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese it contains.
As an “equal parts” recipe, (with 3 simple parts), it is especially amenable to whipping up at the last minute for a party, and as it is primarily a base to which other ingredients are added, it is popular among those who like to add something distinctive.
Ingredients
Equal parts:
* artichoke hearts, chopped or squeezed
* mayonnaise
* Parmesan or Romano cheese
Procedure
Just mix them up, that’s it.
Notes, tips, and variations
There are many who increase the amount of artichokes used, for health-conscious reasons. There are also versions that replace the mayonnaise with soft tofu.
Various items that are often added to the base artichoke dip, (to taste):
* salt and pepper
* chopped scallions, (green onions)
* dill weed
* finely chopped olives, (often with pimento)
* chopped tomatoes are an especially common addition
* any number of very finely chopped vegetables, sometimes pre-cooked but raw is fine
* chopped spinach, cooked
* ½ cup sour cream
* ½ cup cream cheese
* minced garlic
* small can chopped green chilis
* Dijon mustard (teaspoon or tablespoon to taste)
Serving
At room temperature, it is perfect for the savory dipping of vegetables, potato chips, and all other common party snacks. It becomes even better, however, as a warmed-up dip. Simply place it into a small, shallow, heat-resistant dish and broil it for just a little while, until the top turns slightly tan. It can also work well as a continuously warmed dip in a fondue pot, although it does need to be stirred every once in a while to prevent burning.
Another interesting use, for those who are definitely not counting calories, is as the base for a sandwich. Spread the dip onto a good Italian roll, then broil it. When the dip turns a nice tan color, take it out of the broiler and finish the sandwich with lettuce and tomato.
CROCKPOT CHICKEN CACCIATORE II
1 chicken (5 pounds), cut into pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup julienned carrot
1 cup julienned green pepper
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
8 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup red or Marsala wine
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
freshly grated Romano cheese
Wash and drain the chicken pieces. Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Roll and coat each chicken piece in the flour and brown each piece on all sides to a golden brown. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain. Saute the onion, mushrooms, carrots, green peppers, and garlic in the same skillet for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, wine, herbs, salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes.
Add all the chicken pieces and mix well. Turn down the heat very low, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste. Serve with some freshly grated cheese and a nice warm loaf of Italian bread. I made this up just like it says and then took it all and threw it in the crock. Its been there since 1pm and we will probably eat between 5 and 6pm. For me the longer a sauce simmers the better it tastes. You can also serve it over linguini noodles! YUMMMMMMMM
White Pizza
SAUCE:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon basil
2 cloves garlic — minced
TOPPING NO. 1:
1 1/2 onions
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 10-oz package frozen spinach
TOPPING NO. 2:
2 onions
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
8 ounces provolone cheese
1 ounce romano cheese
1 pound Italian sausage
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
pepper
SAUCE: Saute garlic in butter and olive oil. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.
TOPPINGS 1: Thaw and drain the spinach. Slice then nuke (microwave) onions for 5 minutes on high. Apply sauce to favorite crust, arrange onions, cheeses and spinach, add fresh ground pepper to taste, bake 425-450 until done.
TOPPINGS 2: Chop onions and sausage coarsely and nuke for 8 minutes on high, drain off liquid. Apply sauce to crust, arrange sausage, onions and cheeses, sprinkle rosemary and fresh ground pepper on top. bake 425-450 until done.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 737 Calories; 63g Fat (76.6% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 155mg Cholesterol; 1081mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 10 Fat.
NOTES : These are enough ingredients for 3 medium pies. Salt may be added to top but be careful.
CHICKEN IN CHEESE SAUCE
–WHITE SAUCE–
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Mix together above over low heat in saucepan, then add: 1 c. milk
1 c. sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. sherry
Dash of hot pepper
Stir over heat until sauce thickens and cheese melts. Broccoli spears
Slices of chicken breast, parboiled Place broccoli spears on bottom of baking dish with slices of chicken breasts. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle Parmesan or Romano cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, serve over rice.
Chicken Alfredo
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 eggs
• 1 T. milk
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 1 T. parsley
• bread crumbs
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
Sauce:
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 pt. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. grated cheese
•1 T. parsley
Beat eggs with milk. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese and parsley. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and roll in bread crumbs. Lightly brown in a skillet with a bit of olive oil. Remove to a baking dish.
Over medium heat, melt butter. Add cream and milk, stirring constantly. Add cheese and parsley until it is a warm sauce.
Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. During the last five minutes, add a slice of mozzarella to each bread piece and allow to melt.
Baked Stuffed Zucchini
2 md zucchini
1 pound ground beef
1 md onion — chopped
1 cup rice — cooked
10 milliliter garlic — minced
2 eggs — beaten
1/2 cup romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 bread slices — soaked
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 inwater and
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
squeezed dry
4 mozzarella slices
Preheat oven 350. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and remove pulp, leaving shells 1/4″ thick. Chop the flesh. In a bowl, combine onion, garlic, cheese, meat, rice, bread, eggs, salt, pepper, oregano, and zucchini. Mix well. Stuff each zucchini half with the mixture. Place in greased baking dish and cover. Bake 40 minutes. Place a slice of mozzarella on each half and bake, uncovered 10 minutes. Serve hot.
TUSCAN ONION SOUP
3 oz. bacon fat
1 oz. olive oil
2 lb. onion, cut into thin strips
2 oz. marsala wine
1 gal. chicken stock
1/2 gal. beef stock
1 tsp. each thyme, basil, oregano
Saute onion in fat and oil. Add wine and cook approximately 5 minutes, until onion is soft. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes. Skim fat from soup. Serve with croutons and grated Romano cheese.
Creole Skillet
2 Tb Margarine.
1 Md Onion- chopped
½ Md Green pepper- chopped
½ C Celery-chopped
2 Tb Flour
2 Ts seasoning salt
2 Can Chunky tuna
1 ½ Can Kernel corn
Melt margarine in skillet and lightly fry onion, pepper and celery until tender crisp.
Add other ingredients and heat through. Serve with rice and grated Parmesan /Romano cheese.
Yield 4 servings
Grilled Pizza
6 Ounces pizza dough (recipe included)
1/4 Cup virgin olive oil for brushing and drizzlin
1/2 Teaspoon fresh garlic — minced
1/2 Cup fontina — shred, loose pack
2 Tablespoons Pecorino-Romano Cheese — freshly grated
6 Tablespoons canned tomatoes in heavy puree — chopped
8 basil leaves
–The Pizza Crust– 1 env active dry yeast — (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1 c warm water
pinch sugar 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c johnnycake meal <
1/4 c fine ground white corn meal
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 1/2 c unbleached white flour — more as needed
=20 FOR THE PIZZA CRUST:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar. After 5 minutes, stir in the salt, johnnycake meal, wheat flour and oil. Gradually add the white flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough has formed.
Empty the dough onto a floured board, and knead it for several minutes, adding enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. When the dough is smooth and shiny, transfer it to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. To prevent a skin from forming, brush the top of the dough with additional olive oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place, away from drafts until double in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2= hours.
Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes. Punch down the dough. If the dough is sticky, knead in a bit more flour. Dough should be very soft however.
TO ASSEMBLE AND GRILL THE PIZZA:
Prepare a charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 3-4 inches above the coals.
On a large oiled inverted cookie sheet, spread and flatten the pizza dough with your hands into a 10-12 inch free form circle, 1/8 inch thick, do not make a lip. You may achieve a rectangle rather than a circle; the shape is unimportant; do take care to maintain even thickness.
When the fire is medium hot, use your fingertips to gently lift the dough by the two corners closest to you, and drape it onto the grill. Catch the loose edge on the grill first and guide the remaining dough into place over the fire. Within a minute the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear.
Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto the coolest part of the grill. Quickly brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough and spoon dollops of tomato over the cheese. Do not cover the entire surface of the pizza. Finally, drizzle the pizza with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
Slide the pizza back toward the hot coals, but not directly over them. Using tongs, rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat; check the underside often to see that it is not burning. The pizza is done when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted, about 6-8 minutes. Serve at once topped with the basil leaves and additional olive oil if desired.=20
NOTE: There are several traps and difficulties that with experience you will overcome. To start, be careful not to stretch the dough so thinly that holes appear. Don’t despair however if small holes do appear. Though you cannot repair them, you can work around them. To avoid flare-ups, do not drizzle any of the oil into the holes.
When you are lifting the dough off the cookie sheet, it will invariably stretch; do not try to compensate for this by moving your hands apart. Work as close to the grill as possible so the dough is without support for a minimum amount of time. If after 8 minutes the cheese has not melted and the topping is not bubbling, either you have been too cautious in your approach to the coals, or you have used too much cheese and topping ingredients. A longer time on the grill will only dry out the pizza and toughen it. The ideal crust should be both chewy and crisp. Do not be timid about the preparation of this pizza. From start to finish, the bold act will reward you with a first rate pizza.