Orecchiette with Artichokes Hearts and Tomatoes

I tried this recipe because I wanted to enjoy the orecchiette pasta, a typical pasta from my home region in Italy (Puglia). Typically this dish is served with "cime di rape" (broccoli rabe), however this particular dish seems a bit difficult to come by around Utah.  It is also served with a classic tomato sauce, but this time I wanted to try something else.  And the results were delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 lb Orecchiette pasta
3 Artichokes, if you use fresh you will need to get the heart, or you can simply buy canned artichokes hearts (they'll do just fine), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 box cherry tomatoes,halved
Dried Basil, Salt & Pepper
3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil for the pasta
2. In a sauteing pan, heat up the olive oil at low heat.  Add the garlic and let cook for about 2 minutes.  Watch it closely as you don't want to burn the garlic.
3. Add the previously thinly sliced artichoke hearts, and tomatoes, give it a good stir and add basil, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Cook the pasta
5. Once your pasta is cooked, toss with artichoke and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese
6. Serve and enjoy!

ROBERTO'S MAC & CHEESE DELIZIOSO

Every once in a while I love to play in the kitchen with my kids and come up with recipes that are fun to make with them, as well as for them.  My kids love the classic mac and cheese, however it seems that the boxed products just don't do justice anymore, so here's my little spin on it.  It is fairly easy to make, and it was a hit with my children, so I hope yours will love it as well.  As always, leave a comment if you try it.


Ingredients for 5 servings:

1lb Campanelle (little bells) pasta- Barill makes this as well as Walmart's great value brand.  The kids love the shape and it work real well with the cheesy sauce;
1 tsp cornstarch
3 c. grated colby jack cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. grated romano cheese
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 and 1/2 c. milk (2% will work best)
2 TBSP Flour (sifted for best results)
2 TBSP Butter
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions on box.  Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the cheeses with the cornstarch and coat well ( I learned this trick from a friend, and it help so that the cheese does not string as much).  In a medium saucepan, slowly melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour slowly being careful to mix slowly and well as to avoid clumps, then add the milk and the cream and continue to stir until you obtain a smooth sauce.  At this point, you are ready to add the cheese mixture.  Continue to stir keeping the heat at a low setting.  Add the paprika, nutmeg, and pepper.  Taste for salt and adjust.  Once your past is cooked, mix in the sauce mixture.  Top it off with extra grated parmesan and serve hot!

BRACIOLE DELLA NONNA (Grandma's bracioles)

So this recipe comes in quickly after my last post because I have had a few requests. It is a Braciole's recipe, you may be familiar with this dish from the SITCOM "Everybody Loves Raymond". Marie, Ray's mother made this dish often. There are several variations of braciole's depending on where you are in Italy. The one I post here is one my mom made often for us, mostly as a second course on a succulent Sunday dinner, and it is by far the one I am accustomed to and prefer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

NOTE: Braciole steaks should be a very thin cut and should come from the center cut of the top or bottom round. Since not everyone is familiar with Braciole steaks, I usually ask the butcher to cut me some steaks as thin as his machine will allow.

This recipe will serve 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Braciole steaks
4 thin slices of prosciutto ( you could substitute with cooked ham, but I do not recommend it)
4 thin slices of Swiss cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Vegetable Oil


DIRECTIONS:
Begin by salting and pepper the steaks. Place a slice of Swiss cheese, on one of the steaks. Ensure that the cheese is as much to the center as possible, to avoid spilling over while cooking. Place a slice of prosciutto immediately above the cheese. At this point I like to place some of the smashed garlic around the top of the steak. Roll the steaks and keep closed with string. Heat the oil and brown each of the rolled steaks ensuring they are thoroughly browned. Once you have done this you are ready to cook them in your favorite red sauce (the best is a very simple tomato sauce with butter and onions). That's it serve and enjoy.

PENNE AL CAVOLFIORE (Penne Pasta with cauliflower)

A few weeks ago a friend approached me and asked me if I would be interested in joining a group of our friends for our own "Biggest Loser Challenge". I, being as competitive as I am, of course, could not turn this one down. Well really the reason is that I know I need to shed a few pounds. So after so many months of slacking off on this blog, I decided to post one of my favorite, so to speak "healthy" recipes. This one makes me feel a little better about eating pasta and still trying to lose weight. Anyhow, I remember this from my beautiful mom, and I remember that when she made this growing up, we all of course would not be thrilled to actually eat cauliflower. Now as I said, I have not only out on a few pounds, I also would like to think that I got a little wiser and I truly love this recipe. If you end up trying it, please leave a comment on this blog whether you liked it or not. This will keep me motivated to keep posting. Well for now here it goes, enjoy:

INGREDIENTS: (Yields 6 servings)
1 medium cauliflower (break it into florets)
1 garlic clove (crush)
4 cups canned whole tomatoes (drain and chop)- I use these rather than the chopped tomatoes already because they seem to work better on this recipe
1/2 cup extra vergin olive oil
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Begin by warming up the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the garlic clove being careful not to burn it. Once the garlic is a little softer add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften as well. Make sure you stir occasionally. You are now ready for the star attraction of this recipe: Add the cauliflower pieces and mix well together. At this point you can add a little hot water (about 1/2 cup should do the trick), cover your pan and lower the heat to low (not simmer but medium low), let cook about 40 minutes or until the cauliflower is nice and tender.
While the action is happening in the sauce pan cook the penne pasta according to directions on the box. Please, please make sure you don't over or under cook the pasta (first rule of cooking italian). When the past is cooked and your cauliflower is ready, mix together (drain the pasta first please), sprinkle with parsley and salt and pepper and serve hot. Most people enjoy a little parmesan cheese but I don't use it on mine simply for taste reasons.
GIVE IT A TRY AND LET ME KNOW HOW IT TURNS OUT.

FETTUCCINE DI SPINACI CON SUGO ALLA CREMA E PISELLI (Spinach Fettuccine with cream and ham sauce)

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Spinach Fettucine;
1.5 cups fresh or frozen peas (if you use fresh you just have to do the extra work and shell them :))
2 cups light cream
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
1 cup (split into two halves) grated parmigiano cheese
1 pkg cubed ham
Salt, pepper as desired.
This is one of my favorite recipes, especially because when I make this, I like to make my own pasta, but that would be a recipe for another time, should I choose to share it. ;) For now, any type of spinach fettuccine you find in the store, should work fine. It is also a fairly simple recipe and you should have no trouble enjoying it.
Cook the pasta. While that is going, place the cream in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat. As soon as it begins to boil, turn setting to low heat and place the fontina cheese, the asiago cheese, and half the parmigiano and stir together until sauce thickens. At this point add peas and ham, and heat still at low setting, just enough time to get peas and ham warmed.
Drain the fettuccine, pour sauce over, mix, and serve hot sprinkling the remaining parmigiano and black pepper to taste. ENJOY!

4 ALARM MOM MY THROAT BURNS, CHILI!

So last month, I attended my Church's annual Halloween party and tradition has it that on that evening, there is a wonderful and delicious chili cook-off. This year I finally decided to make my very spicy and yummi chili, which won the prize for the "hottest" chili, and was a huge success. Many of the attendees and friends asked for a recipe, so I have decided to break and no longer be selfish and share it. Please keep in mind that this is a slow simmer chili, and it is a multi-step type recipe. You will see that some fo the ingredients will repeat in more than one step, that is not a error, and it is done on purpose. If you'd like this is a recipe that could be worked out with the children. I usually like to ge the ingredients ready in advance, then have my children pour them in. Well, I hope you enjoy it and once you try it, feel free to post comments. Also rather than list the ingredients and then the recipe, I will list the ingredients by step to make it easier. Here we go:

4 ALARM MOM MY THROAT BURNS, CHILI!

Start off with 2 lbs of beef. I use stew meat which works very well. You can probably ask your butcher to dice you a good piece of beef if you can't find a 2 pounder package.

Brown the meat in 2 TBS of butter. Once the meat has browned drain some of fat and place it in a large pot (large enough to contain the chili). Then add 2 cups of Beef Broth and bring to a boil.

At this point you are ready for step 1, so you will add the following:

1 lb black beans and 1 lb red kidney beans (previously sorted and soaked according to directions on package);

1 can petite diced tomatoes;

1 TBS Paprika;

1 TBS Garlick Powder;

1 TBS Chili Powder.

Let it cook for about 1 hour, then add the following:

1/2 tsp Salt;

1/2 tsp Brown Sugar;

1 TBS Cayenne Pepper;

1 tsp nutmeg.

Simmer for 20 minutes and add step 3 ingredients as follows:

1 TBS Paprika;

1 tsp Red Pepper;

2 TBS Chili Powder.

This will now simmer for another 15 minutes and be ready for the following:

2 TBS Chili Powder;

1 tsp Paprika;

1 TBS Cumin;

1/4 tsp Brown Sugar;

1 TBS Chipotle Chile Pepper;

1/4 tsp Unsweatened Cocoa.

Reduce heat to low setting and let simmer for another 30 minutes. Before serving adjust for salt.

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Passion for Food, Love for Cooking!

Welcome! I would like to thank you for visiting my blog site, and consider it a privilege. I realize that if you are reading this it is either because you saw my shameless plug on my facebook page, or you might share with me a passion for food. If you are a "guy" (don't worry no one will know or tell), then perhaps you might be looking for ideas to help the wife in feeding the children without major permanent damage, or your wife thought you had too much time on your hands and cooking should do you some good. Whatever the reason may be, I hope that you will find some good insights, some great recipes, even a little humor, and I hope that this will allow you to actually prepare easy and simple meals that will make you look like a great chef.
The idea for a blog was two-fold: first as an Italian immigrant to the United States, I have always loved food and enjoyed preparing it. Some of my fondest childhood memories are tied to my mother and me in the kitchen, where as she prepared succulent dishes, I would observe and talk; she listened. My father wasn’t much of a talker, nor was he a cook, so that time became special, and I chose at a very young age that I would want to be there for my children, to listen. The second part of my idea came from our current state of affairs in the country. Economy is still slow, and a few months ago I found myself starting a new business while my wife worked a little extra, until things picked up. We ran the business from home, so this meant that I could be around much more than I had been; however this also meant that I had to make sure the children were taken care of while my wife was at work. This wasn’t as simple as mixing together a few ingredients and create a meal. Parents know, and understand that children will be your best judges in terms of your culinary expertise, and have clear and set ideas on what would be considered a delicious meal. Although a fancy Parmesan-Scampi Penne might go well with some of your adults friends, it may not have the same success with your children.
Do not however dwell in despair, as I am planning on sharing some recipes that might be fun to prepare with and for your kids, I will, of course, also share some that are a little more fancy and more catered to the "grown up" population.
I do realize that some of you might have had a lot more experience in the kitchen than me, perhaps are true experts (I do not consider myself one), and I hope that you would be kind and know that I am simply guided by a passion for food and love for cooking. With that said, let's begin our adventures in the kitchen.