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ITALIAN RECIPES

Pasta with Artichoke and Pancetta

Serves 4
by Deborah Mele

8 Small Artichokes Cleaned & Cut Into Pieces (Read my article "How To Clean An Artichoke")

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, Peeled & Diced

2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced

2 Ounces Pancetta Diced

3/4 Cup Dry White Wine

Salt & Pepper

Dash Red Hot Pepper Flakes

1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 Pound Pasta


To Serve:

Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese

Heat a pot full of salted water in your pasta pot. In a saucepan, heat the oil and then add the onion and pancetta. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and the pancetta is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Add the artichokes and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook over low heat until the artichokes are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pepper flakes if using them. Add the parsley and mix well. Keep warm while you cook your pasta until it is "al dente". Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the artichoke mixture, mix well, and toss over medium heat until piping hot. Serve, offering grated cheese at the table.

Risotto alla Zucca

For The Squash:

1 Small Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeds Removed And Cut Into 1 Inch Dice (About 3 1/2 to 4 Cups Total)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil


For The Risotto:

1 Small Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 1/3 Carnaroli or Arborio Rice

1/2 Cup White Wine

4 Cups Homemade Chicken Broth, Heated

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese


To Serve:

Finely Sliced Fresh Sage Leaves

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the squash pieces with the olive oil and spread out onto a baking sheet. Cook until tender when pierced with a fork and lightly browned. Remove from the oven.

In a heavy saucepan heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat in the onion and oil, cooking it for a few minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine is almost absorbed. Begin to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continually until the rice has cooked for 10 minutes. Add the squash, stir, and continue to add broth, stirring until each addition has been absorbed until the rice is tender but still slightly firm to the bite. Stir in the butter and 1/3 cup of the grated cheese. Serve in individual plates sprinkled with some chopped sage. Offer additional grated cheese at the table.

Mochaccino Biscotti

Makes 36
by Deborah Mele


4 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Instant Espresso Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

3 Large Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Toasted Hazelnuts, Coarsely Chopped


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, blend together the chocolate and brown sugar until fine. Mix together the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, blend the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add half the chocolate mixture and blend at low speed. Add half the flour mixture and blend. Repeat blending just until mixed. Stir in the hazelnuts and mix throughout the dough. Divide the dough into two equal parts.

On a prepared baking sheet, shape each half of the dough into a log about 12 inches long. Wet your fingers to shape if needed to keep the dough from sticking. Bake the logs for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the tops of the logs are firm to the touch. Allow to cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Decrease the heat to 300 degrees F. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1/2 inch slices and place flat on the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 10 minutes and turn the slices over. Bake another 10 minutes. Cool the biscotti completely and then store in an airtight container.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Makes 1 (7 to 8 Inch) Cake
by Deborah Mele


3/4 Cup Softened Butter

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

Zest From 3 Large Lemons

1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract

3 Large Eggs, Separated

1 Cup Full Fat Ricotta Cheese

1/2 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 7 or 8 inch spring-form pan. Beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, extract, egg yolks and ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt, and beat into the butter mixture just until combined. Wash your beaters well, and then beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter then spoon the batter into your prepared tin. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester stuck into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Penne Pasta with Rabbit Ragu

1 Pound Rabbit Pieces

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Carrot, Diced

1 Small Onion, Diced

1 Celery Stalk, Diced

3 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced

1 Chopped Red Chile Pepper

1 Cup White Wine

2 (14 Ounce) Cans Cherry Tomatoes (Or About 3 Cups Fresh Cut In Half)

Salt & Pepper

4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

Chopped Parsley

1 Pound Penne Pasta


To Serve:

Grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese

Chopped Fresh Parsley

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and brown the rabbit pieces on all sides. Remove to a plate. Add the carrot, celery, and onion to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or two. Add the white wine, and turn the heat up stirring the mixture to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the rabbit back into the pan with the tomatoes, red pepper, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 2 hours until the meat begins to fall off the bones, adding a little water to the pan if needed. Remove the meat from the bones and return it to the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Cook the penne in boiling salted water until it is "al dente". Drain and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir over medium heat until the sauce is well mixed with the pasta and piping hot. Serve in individual bowls topped with some chopped fresh parsley. Serve, offering grated cheese at the table.
By Italian Food Forever Deborah Mele

Pappardelle al Ragù Toscano con Funghi porcini e Salsiccia (with Porcini Mushroom and Sausage Ragu)

INGREDIENTS:

For 4 people

  • 300g Pappardelle
  • 200g Porcini Mushroom
  • 300g Italian Sausage
  • One onion
  • Extra virgin Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Put the mushrooms in a sauce pan with hot water for ten minutes. In the meantime, brown the onion with some extra virgin oil in a frying pan, and add the Italian sausages. Add some pepper and salt and keep on cooking. Once the sausages are cooked add the porcini mushrooms with some of their water and leave it to evaporate. On another sauce pan, boil the water for the Pappardelle. Once the Pappardelle are cooked, add the pasta into the Ragú and mix them together.

For a better result serve this dish with some Grana Padano.

 

Chicken Liver Crostino

INGREDIENTS

For 6 people:

  • Chicken liver 350g
  • Half onion
  • 1 tbs of Capers
  • 3 Anchovies
  • Stock (a glass)
  • Bread
  • Extra virgin Oil
  • Butter
  • Salt, pepper
  • Bay leaves

Brown the half onion in 4 spoons of extra virgin oil, then add the chicken liver, capers, anchovies and bay leaves. During cooking it is necessary to slowly add some stock in order to keep everything smooth and soft. After one hour of cooking , put everything into a blander in order to have a very smooth pate. After put the pate on the heat and add a tea spoon of butter and salt and pepper.

Serve this amazing Tuscan chicken liver pate on a warm crostino!!!

 

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

For 8 people

  • 4 or 5 slices of soft white bread
  • Beef Mince 250g
  • Chicken Mince 250g
  • Milk
  • Parmesan  4 tablespoon
  • 1 egg
  • Salt, pepper
  • Half onion
  • One carrot
  • One parsely
  • One tomato passata

In a  container put the slices of bread (without the edges) and soak them into milk.  On another big container put the mince meat, the egg, the salt and pepper, and the parmesan; once it is soft add the bread soaked in milk  and mix all the ingredients together in order to get a smooth mix.

Chop in thin slices the onion, the carrot and the parley. In a frying pan add some extra virgin oil and brown the chopped onions, carrots and parsley.

From the mix make small meatball and start frying them at low heat. Once they are all in the frying pan add the tomato passata and some salt and a tea spoon of sugar.

Cook for at least 30 minutes but keep a eye if the meatballs are cooked inside.

Enjoy!

 

Lasagne al Pesto

For 6 people

INGREDIENTS:

  • 700g fresh lasagne
  • 250g pesto
  • Salt
  • 1lt white sauce
  • 1 tbs butter
  • Parmesan
  • Pepper
  • mozzarella

Fill a sauce pan with ¾ of water slightly salted, put on the heat and wait for the water to start boiling. Then start inserting the lasagna layer in the water one at a time and cook it for one minute, then put the lasagna in a dry cloth. Do not put the lasagna layer one on the top to another. In another sauce pan, warm up  for 8 minutes the white sauce (in Italian it is called Besciamella you can easily find the recipe on internet), and add the pesto. In the meantime prehaet the oven at 190˚C. Grease with butter a baking tin (25X35), cover the bottom layer with some white sauce and pesto mix, then cover it with the lasagna pasta, and  add some parmesan and some slices of mozzarella. Keep the process as many layers of lasagna you want, it is important that at the top you put the white sauce and the pesto mix with mozzarella slices, parmesan and a tsp of butter in the middle, in order to make the last lasagna layer crispy.

Cook in the oven for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

Torta di Ricotta

FOR 4 PEOPLE

INGREDIENTS:

  • 300g of fresh ricotta
  • 300g Flour 00
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 spoon of yeast

 

Grease with butter a baking pan with a 26cm diameter, and prehaet the oven at 185˚C. Sieve the ricotta and put it in a tin, add the caster sugar, and mix it together very well for 10 minutes. Then sieve in the mix the flour and the yeast powder. Add one at a time the 3 egg yolks, and grate the lemon peel. Beat the egg white until stiff, and add it to the ricotta. Finally add the mix into the baking tin. Put it into the oven at 175̊C and cook for 40 minutes. To check if it is cooked just use a stick if it  is still uncooked in the middle the stick will come out wet.

Decorate it with some dusting sugar or cocoa powder on the top.