Category Archives: Pasta & All Carbs

I’m an Italian and pasta makes me feel at home

Try this: Delicious Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Tagliatelle with Mushrooms)

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If you’ve been following my blog you know how much I love to eat healthy and when it’s vegetarian it’s all the better. I think that sometimes we do get the misconception that if it’s healthy it’s probably not quite as good or that it’s not going to curb that craving we are having at the moment for something not too healthy. Well, I can assure you that it is possible to have a delicious and healthy meal all at the same time!

As you already know I love mushrooms, they do have a reputation of being slimy, or too mushy; however the truth is that they aren’t. The mistake alot of us make when cleaning mushrooms is washing them. However, we are not supposed to wash mushrooms, (and please never, never soak fresh mushrooms) the way we are supposed to clean a mushroom is with a damp cloth, you should gently wipe away any dirt, and in the hard to reach places grab your marinade brush (make sure it’s dry) and gently brush away any excess dirt; voilà you have a clean and ready to cook mushroom. Mushrooms are very porous and moist already, so if you wash them they will absorb all the water and when cooked release all the liquid which in turn make it very soggy, cleaning it the right way will help the mushroom maintain a nice texture and also flavor.

In this recipe I use funghi Pleurotos, it’s a type of mushroom that is quite common here in Italy you can find it all the time at the grocery store. I have not ever seen it in the USA but I would replace it with a Portobello, Porcini or Champignon any mushroom you find should be fine. This is an easy and healthy dish, very few ingredients and time are required, but you’ll look like a million dollar chef. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

250 gr. Tagliatelle*

8 oz. of Mushrooms**

1 garlic clove

4 tbsp of Extra virgin Olive oil

a handful of chopped Parsley

grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and Pepper to taste

crushed Chili pepper to taste (optional)

Place a pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime start cleaning your mushrooms, once they are clean you can slice into 1/4 inch thickness, if the stems are long remove the stem and slice separately then join together all sliced mushrooms and set aside.

In a medium or large sauce pan heat up your olive oil and join your garlic (whole but peeled). If you are using chili peppers you can throw in now as well. Allow the garlic to get golden and remove, throw in your mushrooms and let sauté at medium heat stirring occasionally (not too much). Also add salt; if you feel the need you may add a drop of water to the pan, so the mushrooms don’t stick.

By now your water should be boiling so throw in the Tagliatelle they should only cook for about 4 minutes (always follow box instructions). Drain the pasta and join to the mushrooms, mix together and turn off heat. Add the chopped parsley and pepper. Serve right away and top off with the Parmigiano Reggiano.

* If you don’t find Tagliatelle, you can use Papardelle, Linguine, or even Spaghetti.

** Whatever fresh mushroom you are able to find of course Porcini or Portobello is best but use what is fresh and available.

 


To eat or not to eat? A classic Italian Sunday Lunch

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Sunday is a very big day for families to get together and have lunch. It generally is held at your Grandma’s house or at your Mother’s house, she will more often than not make a 5 course meal where homemade pasta will made, with a delicious Ragù that has cooked for hours accompanied by a nice bottle of red wine; then followed by a vast array of meats and vegetables, cooked and served in various forms, from steamed to fried, boiled to sautéed, with all the in-betweens of bread, prosciutto, salami, cheeses, olives, etc… In other words it’s a day of sitting down around 1pm and getting up around 5pm.

My family is Traditional and we do (most Sundays) meet at my parents house in this cute town about an hour away from where I live with my Husband. The house is a typical old rustic house built somewhere about 80 – 100 years ago on a huge property with an old barn in the back, surrounded by vineyards. It’s perfect for family get-together’s although during the winter due to how old this house is it tends to be fairly cold. We are on the Adriatic coast north of Florence and South of Venice in the region of Emilia-Romagna, you may know the Region as this is where Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Balsamic Vinegar, Lasagna, Tagliatelle, Ragù a la Bolognese, etc…are from; not to forget also where Ferrari and Lamborghini are manufactured.

We are a large family and we love to eat. Although we do make some large meals, most of the time we try to not make too much food (as most Italians do) on Sundays, we generally pick one dish and then accompany that with veggies, wine (of course), tea, coffee and some sort of dessert. Now that I am pregnant I am lucky enough to be the one that gets the phone call of what my cravings are for Sunday, what would I like to eat and so forth; this will of course lead to the occasional sibling phone call telling me to tell my Mom that I am craving…..whatever they are craving. I can occasionally cave in to that but I also opt out at times, because it is generally something a little more fattening than I would appreciate to eat. I know that I am pregnant but I am still not in that mentality that just because I am pregnant I need to eat constantly and without watching what I eat. Don’t get me wrong I do occasionally indulge (why should I not) but those are on rare occasions, after all I am only going to be pregnant for another 4 months, after that I will have work to go back to my weight and all the eating I do now will be a huge factor of how and if I can do it in a timely manner. Fortunately, I haven’t had crazy, gross cravings so far, but I’ll talk about that another time.

As I mentioned earlier, Tagliatelle is very typical of this area and one of my favorite dishes for a Sunday, not to forget accompanied with Ragù a la Bolognese and the world-famous Parmigiano Reggiano. So, this Sunday that is what my Mom prepared, she made the Ragù the previous day cooked it for hours and it was delicious.

              

Don’t let yourself get distracted by the plastic plates….it doesn’t take anything away from the amazing flavor of the food. I prefer my Mom to use plastic plates, we are about at least 10-12 and that’s on a regular day when not all my siblings, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, nieces, nephews can show up; if we had to use the regular plates and cups I think that it would suck to have to clean up after that, let me remind you that here in Italy there are seldom dishwashers so to wash by hand is more time-consuming than spending time together. BTW….yes that’s my gorgeous Mother at 50 after 10 kids…still looks smoking even with leggings and a big sweater.

We followed the meal with lots and lots of vegetables, we are a family that loves vegetables, so we had that along with whole grain bread and Gorgonzola. Here in Italy, it’s very common to serve raw vegetables, like carrots, celery, fennel, endive, radishes, etc…and then pour some olive oil and salt and dip your vegetables in and eat it like that, if your like me then you add vinegar…balsamic of apple cider; here in Italy this array of raw vegetables accompanied by olive oil is called Pinzimonio, one of my all time favorites. It’s perfect for get togethers, dinner parties, cook outs and it also helps you eat slower because you dip it take a bite and repeat.

             

After that we ladies sat around made teas and chatted about most possibly every subject you can think of. It was an amazing lunch and many more of course; to follow. I wanted to share this with you (the reader) because I think that this is an important part of life, we eat but how do we enjoy it?

I enjoy it this way! I find that one day a week you should be allowed to pick one dish that you truly enjoy and eat it, but what makes it all the worthwhile is when you are surrounded by the people you love and enjoy because then you truly enjoyed that meal, from start to finish. You are talking, eating and don’t even realize that you are full and satisfied without over eating, because in great company you tend to eat slower, talk a little more and get full faster. So all in all it’s a win win situation. This is a day to Eat!

P.s. Recipes for this day to follow………Have a wonderful WEEK!

           

A Healthy twist on an Old Italian Recipe

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Bruschetta is a typical Italian dish that is served with bread. I happen to love bruschetta and it always seem to be so convenient to make especially as an appetizer, for yourself, for guests, at a dinner party and as hors d’oeuvres.

The other day for lunch I suddenly craved Bruschetta, I opened the cupboard and didn’t have any bread, which came as no surprise because I don’t keep bread in the house. So, I came up with the next best thing to satisfy this craving; make the bruschetta sauce and pour it over pasta.  I looked to see what type of pasta might be good with this and I had some whole-wheat penne, what a fabulous idea.

What I really liked about this was that I like to respect the quality of the ingredients I cook with, so of course when being able to make a dish that doesn’t require cooking any of the ingredients besides the pasta, makes me feel more wholesome and appreciative of the dish, also the ingredients are able to maintain their natural source of vitamins and color.

This is a simple, quick, and low-fat dish.  You can make it when out of time, as a pasta salad and when you want to eat something light. Enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

 250 gr. Of Whole-Wheat Penne pasta

2 large vine Tomatoes

4 Basil leaves

1 small crushed Garlic clove

A handful of Rucola (arugola)

1 small fresh Mozzarella Ball (100 gr.)

3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil

Salt to taste

 

Put a pot of salted water to boil, throw your pasta in and let cook for 9- 10 minutes. (Always follow the cooking time on the box).

Meanwhile, chop you tomatoes into small cubes, place in a medium bowl and add your garlic, olive oil and salt. Chiffonade your basil and add to tomatoes, mix the ingredients and let sit. Now cut your mozzarella into small cubes, add to tomato mixture.

Drain your pasta throw into bowl with tomato ingredients and toss together, until mixed well. Serve and enjoy.

 

Lasagna with: Spinach, Mushrooms and Artichoke

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I sometimes prefer to have an all-Vegetarian meal, and that doesn’t mean that I have to give up on the things I love.  I actually made this recipe years back because my sister-in-law was vegetarian and I was making Lasagna but she couldn’t eat it, so I decided to go ahead and see what I could whip up for her and I looked in the fridge and these were the vegetables that I had and that is what I used, it turned out great and every now and then I like to make it again, even for myself.

It’s very nutritious and doesn’t leave you feeling too full or guilty. Lasagna is delicious done pretty much anyway as long as you put some love and good flavors in it. I think that these vegetables are very good for the lasagna because the Spinach and Mushrooms are very moist s it helps the lasagna to not turn out dry.

Please Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. Spinach*

½ lb. Mushrooms sliced

½ lb. Artichokes quartered*

1 Garlic clove

3 tbsp. olive oil

Salt to taste

For the Besciamella:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup white flour

1 cup of milk (I use non-fat)

1/2 cup of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Remaining ingredients:

1 lb. mozzarella shredded or diced

1/2 cup parmiggiano shredded

500 gr. spinach lasagna*

 

In a large pan heat up your olive oil, then add your chopped up garlic, allow getting golden; and then adding your mushrooms, spinach and artichokes. Once they have all sautéed add some salt to taste and turn off heat and start your besciamella.

In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread some of the sautéed vegetables; arrange pasta sheets side by side until the bottom of the pan is fully covered. Evenly spread a layer of your besciamella sauce, and a layer of the mozzarella. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread a layer of the sautéed vegetables. Arrange another layer of the pasta sheets and add another layer of besciamella sauce, and then a layer of the mozzarella. Arrange another layer of the pasta sheets and spread another layer of the sautéed vegetables, add all the rest of the beciamella and parmiggiano evenly over the sautéed vegetables. (You may add another layer depending on how deep your pan is, or you can leave it like this just remember the final layer has to be the vegetables, besciamella and Parmiggiano.)

Cover the lasagna with some aluminum and place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until top is bubbling. Remove the aluminum and bake for another 15 minutes, you may now remove from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes. Then you may serve.

* Spinach: You may use fresh spinach or frozen, if frozen allow to drain and defrost.

* Artichokes: You may use canned (in water only) or frozen forllow same procedure as spinach of frozen.

* Lasagna sheets: I use spinach lasagna but you may use regular.

Delicious Orecchiette with Broccoli

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This dish is so simple and easy to make. I can remember this friend of the family would always like to come over to the house with her broccoli and pasta and whip up a pasta dish in no time at all, I became fond of this dish because it is simple but tastes great and is a wonderful way to eat healthy. This dish is also light so after the holiday food you might want something light that isn’t heavy or rich and this dish fits right in. This dish is good if you are vegetarian, follow a low calorie diet, and of course love broccoli. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

350 gr. of Orecchiette pasta*

1 medium head of broccoli

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

grated parmigiano reggiano

Salt to taste

Place a medium pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime cut your broccoli into small florets and set aside. Once water is boiling throw in your pasta follow cooking time on the box, stir and after 5 minutes throw in your broccoli as well, mixing occasionally.

At this point you can chop up your garlic very finely; put a small pan with the olive oil over medium flame and add your garlic and red pepper, once the garlic has started to sizzle you may turn off the flame and let rest. Your pasta and broccoli should be about ready now, so strain and return to pot, add your oil mixture and mix all ingredients well. Serve and add the Parmigiano. All done.

* you can substitute the orecchiette for whatever pasta you prefer.

 

Aglio E Olio with a Twist

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Growing up I always liked Pasta. My mom said that I stopped nursing at 8 month and started eating spaghetti right away, it was like I much rather have spaghetti than milk. I know now why I love pasta; since I was a child  I couldn’t wait to get some pasta, watching my parents eat it and getting it through my mother wasn’t good enough for me. Ha.

I know now though that you can’t eat too much pasta and when I do eat it I often like to substitute it for whole grain, whole wheat or gluten free.

Gluten free is mainly because it feels lighter, and sometimes easier to digest, and if you are a little sensitive to wheat this is an excellent option and substitute, I must say the difference in taste is really not that big at all.    In this I use Kamut spaghetti which are excellent and some of my favorite choices. This dish is light and delicious. Enjoy!

 Ingredients:

Serves 4

500 grams Kamut Spaghetti*

1 garlic clove

2 tsp. of crushed red pepper

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. salt

Grated Parmiggiano

In a pot for spaghetti (generally 8qt), fill with water a little over 3 quarters add salt and place to boil over high heat. Bring water to a boil and throw in your spaghetti. Let cook for 12 minutes if your spaghetti is Kamut or follow instructions on the box. Stir occasionally.

In the meantime place olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, slice your garlic and add to olive oil along with red pepper flakes. Let simmer until golden brown and remove from heat.

At this point your spaghetti should be cooked, strain and put back in the pot and add your olive oil mixture. Stir well and serve. Add some parmiggiano on top of spaghetti and enjoy.

* you can use regular spaghetti

 

What is your top 5 ……

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So my husband and I were having this conversation the other day and decided to start talking about what were our favorite top 5 ethnic foods. Now this one seems a little tough because I honestly have a favorite in pretty much every country out there; so to narrow it down to 5 was tough but in the end I came up with my top 5.

1) Italian – Pasta, Pizza, Risotto, Prosciutto, Salame, Cheese (parmiggiano, asiago, pecorino, mozzarella di bufala, squacerone, stracchino, ricotta, etc..), Fiorentina steak, Pandoro and Panettone, Crostacei (crustaceans), Prosecco, Wine (Amorone, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Pinot Nero, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Gavi, Pinot Girgio, etc), Etc…

2) Japanese – Sushi. Honestly one of my favorite foods ever! I could literally eat this everyday. I could die at Samurai Blue in Tampa, FL eating the following: Spicy Tuna Sashimi, Tuna Tataki, Emperor’s roll, Spicy Tuna roll, Tuna Summer of Love roll, Volcano roll, and possibly Devil’s roll.

3) Peruvian – Ceviche, Choros, Choclo, Papa a la Huancaina, Tallarines verdes, Lomo saltado, Anticuchos, Arroz con Pollo, Canchita, Pisco Sour, and more!

4) Thai – Tum Yum soup, Pad Thai noodles, Rat Na Noodles, Spicy thai chiles.

5) Indian – Naan Bread, Chapatis, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Curry, Chicken Vindaloo, Raita, Etc….

So these are just a few of the dishes that I can name off the top of my head. But then came the curiosity of knowing what is in your top 5??!! I am curious so post and lets see which one is the most popular.

Pasta and Fagioli my way

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In Italy Pasta e Fagioli which means ‘Pasta and Beans’ is a signature and typical winter soup. The orginal region from which it comes from is still not certain but there are a few places that we think this delicious soup was born: Lazio, Campagnia, Lombardia, Toscana and Veneto.

However, growing up I could never wait for a cold day so that I could eat this soup. My brother James was the best at making this soup, it always seemed to taste delicious and warm. I can never get enough of this soup! The ingredients vary from region to region, home to home, person to person. The way my family and I make it always seemed to taste the best to me. In this recipe I use Kamut short pasta it tastes delicious and much healthier this way. I also cook my pasta separately and not with the soup because I feel as though pasta tends to expand even after the cooking time is over and then absorbs all the liquid.

I hope that you can enjoy this soup as much as us Italians do. Have a warm and happy day. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Time : about an hour

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stock

2 bullions*

200 gr. Pancetta diced*

1 14oz can tomato sauce

4 14oz cans Barlotti beans*

5 cups of water

400 gr. Kamut ditalini*

3 tbsp. Olive oil

Salt to taste

Parmesan (grated)

In about a 4 qt. pot boil water for the pasta over medium flame.

Chop up your celery, carrot and onion very finely. In a 5.5 qt. pot over medium heat add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add your carrot, celery and pancetta and let sauté for 3-5 minutes, at this point you may add the onions and continue to sauté until onions are translucent. Add the bullion and let dissolve. You may add your tomato sauce and beans stir and add 5 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil, but continue mixing. Add salt and set to low flame.

Once the water for the pasta starts boiling, throw in your pasta and cook 8 – 10 minutes. Or whatever time it says on the box as cooking time may vary. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add a splash of oil so it won’t stick and stir.

Turn off heat for soup. Now put one spoon of pasta in bowl and cover with bean soup. Add Parmesan on top and serve.

* Make sure that the bullions are MSG free, and try to get more natural possible.

* Pancetta is Italian bacon, you can find it in the deli section, just ask them to cut you a chunk that weighs a quarter of a lb or 7oz. and then slice it yourself at home into cubes.

* Barlotti Beans may be hard to find in the USA, I used to use Cannelini beans, but you could try Pinto, Kidney, or even Garbanzo beans.

* I use Kamut pasta most easily found in your neighborhood Health store, or Whole foods. However normal pasta is perfect also. Or if you’re gluten intolerant use Gluten free pasta, you can literally use whatever you like.

My Exceptional Lasagna

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Now this is a recipe was brought to life when I was young, I liked to make Lasagna but I didn’t understand the reason why it always seemed like such a hassle and so complicated. I watched my Mom, my Grandma, Aunts, Friends, Cooking shows, and read tons of recipes; and what I found that all had in common were: Ragù (tomato and meat sauce), Besciamella (Beshamel), Mozzarella and Lasagna. Now in this recipe I make a lot of shortcuts, but the outcome is amazing. I serve this dish just about anytime I have house guests, when I go to visit my in-laws; etc… people just seem to love it! My husband loves it, and I love it. So why not share it with you. I hope that you enjoy this meal, and remember you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make this dish, now you can make it whenever you want. In this recipe I use spinach lasagna, but the regular ones are fine also, what I do think is important is that I use the no-boil lasagna; generally ‘Barilla’ is the brand I have used since the first time I made Lasagna.

This dish is complete. If there is something you want to serve before as an appetizer I suggest a nice crudités of vegetables, or a small salad. I would say to always serve something light, you don’t want people to be stuffed before they even eat the lasagna, and then this way you also have all the food groups in one meal; protein, carbs and veggies. If you want to serve dessert, I suggest a nice sorbet or a light and fluffy Tiramisu, a chocolate  soufflé or something that is going to help the digestive system.

Remember this is a delicious way to indulge in lasagna, it’s not heavy as the ones that I have seen made while living in the States, it’s more traditional to what you will find here in Italy, mainly the North where lasagna originally comes from.

Please enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

Serves 6

For the Ragù:

1 medium onion (peeled)

3 tbsp Olive oil

1/2 lb. Ground beef

1/2 lb. Ground pork

1 bullion

1/4 cup red wine

25 oz. tomato sauce

salt to taste

red chili flakes (optional)

For the Besciamella:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup white flour

1 cup of milk (I use non-fat)

1/2 cup of water

salt and pepper to taste

Remaining ingredients:

1 lb. mozzarella

1/2 cup parmiggiano

500 gr. spinach lasagna*

Start off by making your Ragù, first heat the olive oil in a medium pot or large saucepan, then add your onion cut in half, the onion serves just to give the aroma you will remove it later this is why I don’t chop it. After the onion starts to turn soft add the ground meats, cook until brown at which point you will add the bullion, once you bullion has dissolved add the wine and let simmer for about 8 minutes. You may now add the tomato sauce and your salt and red pepper flakes. Put at a low flame and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
Now you may cut your mozzarella in small cubes, or you can grate it. Once this is done, preheat your oven to about 350 degrees and lets start our besciamella.

Get a 2 qt pot, put over medium flame and melt your butter, when butter is melted remove from heat and add your flour (it should turn into a thick ball), Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming, when you have added milk add your water, salt and pepper to taste. It will be very liquid return to low flame and stir constantly, about 8 – 10 minutes. It will start to thicken up slowly, stirring constantly will help it not burn or get lumps. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

You may turn off you Ragù and remove onion.

In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread some of the ragù sauce, arrange pasta sheets side by side until the bottom of the pan is fully covered. Evenly spread a layer of your besciamella sauce, and a layer of the mozzarella. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread a layer of the ragù sauce. Arrange another layer of the pasta sheets and add another layer of besciamella sauce, and then a layer of the mozzarella. Arrange another layer of the pasta sheets and spread another layer of the ragù sauce, add all the parmiggiano evenly over the Ragù. (you may add another layer depending on how deep your pan is, or you can leave it like this just remember the final layer has to be Ragù and Parmiggiano.)

Place the lasagna in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes to 30 minutes, until top is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for about 15 minutes. You may serve.

Buon Appetito.

 

* if using regular lasagna follow cooking instructions on the box. What I generally do is place aluminium foil on top of baking pan place in oven for about 30 minutes, until top is bubbling. Then I remove foil and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Just make sure to read the instructions on the box to avoid over cooking or under cooking. Cooking time may vary just because I’m in Italy, although it should be around the same.