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AKA
Buy~Sell~Broker~Locate~Upgrade~Consult~Renovate |
MORE Italian Recipes Page 3
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AKA
Buy~Sell~Broker~Locate~Upgrade~Consult~Renovate |
MORE Italian Recipes Page 3
An Evening in ROMA
ON THIS PAGE:
Chicken Parmesan!
Simple (but true) Marinara Sauce!
Italian Wedding Ring Sandwich:
ITALIAN FRIED GREEN TOMATO'S:
Italian Egg Rolls and Fried Rice
Zef's Lasagna ;o)
By now, you
may be wondering why we have not been including meals with the popular Veal. Well, Veal has
a wonderful tenderness to it, but when learning of how they treat the baby cows for this
product, I personally elect not to use veal. But don’t let that stop you! Go for it if you’d
like, however, I say, why pay up to $15.00 per pound for good veal, when you can use a
stupid, tasty chicken? Yeah, the old standby, chicken. When cooked properly, chicken can be
so very tender and nice.
So………….we gonna make Chicken Scaloppini in lieu of Veal Scaloppini.
You can
prepare your boneless chicken filets in any way you’d like, but if you want an easier,
quicker job of it, buy some ready cut chicken tenders from your butcher or meat department.
Take as many pieces as you’d think you would need to feed how ever many you wish to feed.
One quarter pound of chicken per person is plenty, but make nice, thin slices by beating the
tenders between two sheets of wax paper. The flat side of a square butcher cleaver/chopper
works well. POW!!!!! WHACK!!!!!!!! Now, you’ve got a nice thin piece, but not too thin. I’d
say about ¼” thick, no thinner!
Have some
pasta water heating up to a boil with salt and olive oil in the water meanwhile, and a pound
or so of angel hair pasta, or any very thin spaghetti you can find.
Heat up a
skillet and prep with a 1 cube of butter and ½ cup olive oil. On medium/medium high heat,
brown the chicken strips. That’s right, do not flour coat the chicken. Once brown and before
the butter has burned, add a small can/jar of artichoke hearts and some sliced mushrooms,
sauté, salt and pepper, add a cup of white wine. Cover the chicken and simmer for about 5
minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the butter-olive oil-wine mixture, add a cup of
half & half milk and lightly dust with flour, mixing in the flour a little at a time until
the mixture is semi liquid, like a light turkey gravy consistency.
Once
your pasta cooked to………..AL DENTE’…………Serve a pile of pasta on half the plate, lean a few
pieces of scaloppini against the pile of pasta, then on to the rest of the plate. Spoon the
sauce on to the pasta and chicken, garnish with fresh lemon slices for the chicken, and
fresh parsley.
Serve with a nice, crisp baguette and some white wine. mmmmmmmmmm
Chicken Parmesan!
Do you like crunchy Parmesan cheese?
yum yum.
Just like in
the chicken scaloppini recipe, pound your chicken breast very thin, down to no thicker than
¼”.
Heat up some
good olive oil in the skillet being careful that it does not get too hot. Just hot enough so
that when you put the chicken in, you get a mild sizzle.
In a wide
bowl or plate, mix up 1 cup (or more depending on how many pieces you’re going to cook) of
grated parmesan cheese with ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs. I like to add a few
tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, but not mandatory. Shake in a pinch of cayenne pepper
for a bit more personality, as well as a shake of garlic salt. A few shakes of black pepper
and you’re ready to fry ‘em up. In a bowl, beat an egg or two, thinned with milk, then
salt and pepper the mix.
Place your
chicken in the egg mix, then dredge in the parmesan mix, lightly fry until golden brown and
a bit crispy, not any further than that. There should be no black on your chicken pieces.
Now you have a choice to make. Serve as is over a bed of pasta with a bit of Alfredo sauce, or put some cheese over the top and bake it until cheese is melted and golden. I like it both ways. Photo above is oven finished.
You can eat it just like that with
salad, bread, and wine, or you can lay it over a bed of angel hair pasta, and lightly pour a
mixture of butter, milk, flour or corn starch for thickening, heat until smooth, salt and
pepper over the top of the chicken, being careful not to drown the chicken, but leave some
of its natural color in tact.
Hey, what’s wrong with that?!
Brachiolle or (Prociole) depending on where in Italy you're from
Eh youz guyz! If you are one of the many who have tried most of our recipe’s, here’s one for those who love a challenge……brachiolle, eh, brachiolle!!!!!! Bra what???? Yes, brachiolle (brazhioli). Brachiolle may be a dish that many of you have not as yet heard of. Well, loosen your seat belts, those daring and adventurous enough to try this recipe are in for one of the most pleasurable, sensational meals EVER! SO, HERE WE GO AGAIN! Take a day off for cooking. Maybe even a rainy one, and start early as this dish needs to cook in sauce all day long, and takes about an hour to prepare. Go to our recipe on marinara sauce under “Italian Meatballs section” (don’t make the meatballs this time, just the sauce.) Hard boil 6 eggs, and allow to cool preferable in the fridge. Take 1-1/2 –2 lbs. Flank steak, cover with wax paper and beat with a mallet until quite thin, no more than 1/8”-¼”. Try to make about 6 large pieces doing so, the set aside or back in the fridge. In a skillet, cook a chub of Owens Italian Sausage, or 4-5 links of Italian sausage, and remove the skin so that you can brown the sausage to the consistency of ground taco meat. Once browned, add 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs. Meanwhile in another skillet, you have been browning some chopped onion, about 1 cup worth. Add onions to the sausage mixture, stir, then simmer. Add 1 cup of deep red wine (Chianti, Merlot, Cabernet, etc.). Stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. (You will be attempted to eat this now…. Don’t!) :) Take a small jar/can of pignoli beans (pine nuts), drain and set aside. (Optional, but necessary in my book).
Chop up a small handful of fresh garlic. (use chopped garlic in the jar in a pinch), about 2 heaping tablespoons worth. Take your flank steak and place each piece on a flat surface. Spoon in the sausage mixture evenly between all flank pieces, distribute the garlic and pine nuts, then shake some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese over the mixture. Add a peeled, but whole hard boiled egg to each piece of flank steak. Sounds weird huh? Trust me! Roll the flank steak up in to a football shape with the ingredients rolling like in a cinnamon roll keeping the egg whole and in the center of it all, and tuck the edges in so that nothing spills out. Take some baking string and tie each roll in 3 places, center and both ends. Toothpicks can be used to help hold everything together, but must be counted and removed later so as not to forget and leave one that could be bitten in to. Ouch! In a cast iron skillet, add ½” olive oil and pre heat. Brown your brachiolles under medium to medium/high heat and keep turning until browned all around. Remove tooth picks if you used them at this time. Add the brachiolle rolls to your already simmering sauce, cover and allow to cook all day long until the meat is near ready to fall apart, but not quite. Carefully stir and turn the meat in the sauce. Finally, serve over a fresh bed of your favorite pasta, remove the strings and any toothpicks, and serve with deep red wine and a fresh baguette or better yet if you can find it, Italian ring bread with sesame seeds. Slice down the meat roll with a sharp knife being careful not to crush, but cut the hard boiled egg. (for looks). OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will be crowned the genius chef of all time by your family or significant other….(S.O.) You can change the size of this recipe to more fit the amount of people you are going to serve, however, putting the leftovers in the fridge is a good idea, because you will want to eat this dish over and over again, that’s a promise. It’s even good served cold. Now, for a song……………WHENA DA MOONA HITS A YOU EYE, LIKA da BIGGA PIZZA PIE, DATS AMORE…………LA LA LA LA LA…….HMMMMMM…….OH MADONNA MIA!!!!! ATSA NISSA!
Now, one a more! Eh gumbade, she was a sunate, a coma so sono, a fichcalete….a fichcalete, a violina, eh gumbade she was a sunate….ipedy dipedy da!……………….. ENJOY YOUR BRACHIOLLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Simple (but true) Marinara Sauce!
The term: "Marinara" has to do with the word "Mariner". On the coasts of Italy, the women would send their men out for the "Catch of the Day" (Cacciatore; trapped, Captured or "Caught"). The women would prepare the "Marinara Sauce" while the men were out on the hunt or on the waters to bring back some meat for the sauce. At times the men would come home empty handed and when that happened, they would eat the Marinara or "Meatless Sauce"! There are few meals out there as substantial, satisfying, and "clean" as a fresh plate full of pasta and Marinara! Below are some step-by-step photos of properly preparing such a delicious and hearty sauce!
Brown your onions, garlic, and paste Some Fresh Roma Tomato's to chop Some canned (strain & save the juice)
Add canned tomato's Add fresh chopped tomato's Add tomato sauce
Tomato sauce seasoning (see below) Grind seasoning in your hands for more flavor and then add water and sugar
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Stir 'em up! Add 1 peeled potato (soaks up acid) Have some wine (I ran out!)
Sure eat the potato! Don't waste good food!
Back to Businesse'! Full and happy campers!
Italian Wedding Ring Sandwich
Here's a great way to make a sandwich for your family or friends. While baking a loaf of Italian ring bread I thought of this new recipe. I named this the "Italian Wedding Ring Sandwich", because it is in the shape of a wedding ring. Go to the bread making recipe, which will use about 4-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups warm water whereby you've put a full tablespoon of yeast and tablespoon of sugar to set, mix and use. You will add salt and 2 more sugars, as well as 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
However, this time I want you to hand kneed the bread for 12 minutes. Then let rise for 1-1/2 hours.
On a lightly dusted bed of flour, place the risen bread dough. Carefully poke a hole in the center of your round lump and work the hole bigger. Once you can get your hands inside the hole, pick the dough up and work it from the inside of the hole round and round until the bread portion outside the ring is about 4" across. Once that is accomplished, take some kitchen scissors and clip a 1" gash every 2" all the way around the bread, then peel the little leaf shaped gash backward so that it is sticking up some to get extra crispy.
Five minutes into the baking process, pull the oven shelf out and brush on a mixture of egg white and water of the same volume as the egg white. If you have a helper, have them follow your around the bread as you brush sprinkling a liberal amount of sesame seed. If you're alone, brush fast only one quarter of the ring at a time, then quickly shaking the seed until all quarters are done. Bake the bread for another ten minutes or until but no more than light golden brown. (You are going to bake this bread some more).
Once done, pull out and place on a cooling rack so that air can get underneath the bread for crispiness. Allow bread to cool. You can even keep it overnight if desired, but no longer.
Next slice and sauté 2 large red bell peppers in olive oil until tender. Be sure to cut the peppers up in to 2" wide slices by the length top to bottom of the pepper before the sauté. Slice and sauté some nice mushrooms as well. Season with garlic salt. Brown a package of Owens Italian sausage and cut and cook to the size of homemade taco meat. Sort of crumbly/chunky.
Chop up some red onion to taste, but have enough to circle the ring bread. Don't sauté the onions so as to keep the sandwich from being too greasy. Open a large can of chopped black olives or chop some.
Make up some pizza sauce per recipes contained in this site. (Optional to omit sauce to add diced fresh seasoned tomatoes, Italian pepperocinni's or Greek salad peppers, with Italian seasonings such as oregano, thyme, garlic salt, pepper, and a bit of sage. Then add some grated cheese over the top.)
Carefully cut your bread down the center (like a bagel). Favor the bottom slightly for size. In other words, make the cut slightly above the center line of the bread so that the bottom is a bit larger in volume than the top piece. Next, use your hand to scoop out a channel of bread from the bottom to place the ingredients in to.
Spread the sausage crumbles evenly around the channel of bread. Over that, place the red sautéed peppers and mushrooms, a number of leaves of fresh basil if available, ladle the sauce (optional) in a rope shape all around the bread channel over the peppers. Add a layer of provolone cheese all the way around the "sandwich". Place the top of the bread ring over the sandwich and place in a 400 degree pre heated oven for six minutes or until the cheese is well melted.
Pull out and allow to cool for at least ten minutes, then use your corrugated bread knife to slice in to 4" finger sandwiches. Serves 4 to 6 people. For a complete meal, add a Cesar salad with fresh grated Romano cheese, a glass or two of good red wine to soften the crunch of the Wedding Ring Sandwich.
Eh, wassamatta wit dat?
ITALIAN FRIED GREEN TOMATOS:
Some-a-times around here we just love to eat finger type food. I guess we're in that mood lately as we gave you some recent finger food recipe's, so..................here we go again! Italian Fried Green Tomatoes are the same as regular fried green tomatoes as in the movie by the same name, and on many country type's tables, except you use Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs, then grate about 1/2 cup of fresh grated Romano or Parmesan Reggiano cheese. Heat up about 1/2" of extra virgin olive oil in your skillet to about medium/medium high heat. Try not to overcook the tomatoes making them gushy, just a bit crisp is great with a golden brown breading as a result. Cut your tomatoes up in to 1/2-3/4" slices, dip well in to a beaten egg, then bread with your mixture. If you have some fresh parsley, chop up 2 tablespoons full and add to mixture. If you like a bit more personality in your FGTs, you can add a shake of Cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper is very good for your body incidentally, and we use it a lot in place of Tabasco's, etc. You can dip the FGTs in a ranch type dressing, or as we like it, we found a wonderful creamy Vidalia onion dressing that goes great with all kinds of dipping type stuff. How about a night when you make some FGTs, and some crisp and tasty breaded and fried ravioli??? Hey, just buy some in your grocer's freezer and bread them like the FGTs, then fry. For desert...................go for a jog ;>) BTW, many Italians eat fruit directly after dinner as it helps settle the stomach and increase digestion, at least, that's what they say. I think it helps.
Italian Egg Rolls and Fried Rice oh please!
We have tackled some really
good food to this point, and at this point, we’re going to take a turn a bit eastward.
While we’ve approached some Italian foods in depth, I’m not sure that the
Chinese eat more Chinese food than the Italians do. After all, wasn’t it
the Chinese who invented the spaghetti noodle? I think so, and with our Italian twist, we’ll
all become Italianized for the day.
Anyhow, we sure love
Chinese food around here, so we’ll spend a few words telling you about how we fix our
“Italian” egg rolls and Chinese fried rice with twists of sorts:
Egg rolls are relatively
easy to make, and if you do it together, it can be a lot of fun too. First off, pour
yourselves out a glass of white wine such as Citra’s Trebbiano D’ Abruzzo. (our favorite
every day white wine). Or you can just use some Chardonnay or Chablis if you like.
Take your package of egg
roll wraps, coleslaw mixture, peanut oil, Italian sausage……(yep), here’s the twist. I n most super markets, you can buy pre-mixed salads and slaws. That’s what we do. Some sell even a Chinese mixture.
Regardless, if you make
your own slaw mixture, or buy one, add some large bean sprouts to the mixture. Take a chub
of Owens Italian Sausage or the like and fry it up making small chunks. Drain on paper
towels and let cool.
In a salad type bowl, add
your slaw, sprout, and sausage ingredients, along with some shakes of sesame seeds if you
wish and mix well.
Take a small bowl of water
and set it near your working area. Add a couple of tablespoons full of mixture to the egg
roll wrap, tuck in the ends and carefully roll it up. Wet your finger with the water and run
it along the edge of the egg roll wrap so that it seals shut, and continue until you’re at
the desired number of egg rolls. Hey, make ‘em all, partially fry the extra’s to about half
cooked and freeze for later.
Heat up your peanut oil in
a sauce pan to medium hot heat and cook 2-3 egg rolls at once, turning them once golden
brown. Place each cooked egg roll on a plate lined with paper towels and place each egg roll
in a standing up type position so that any entered oil will drain out. We keep a container
of pre baked sesame seeds on hand to shake on the egg rolls while still wet from the oil as
removed. Optional, but yummy.
Oh so crunchy, oh so
delicious! You can even vary your ingredients to include, chicken, shrimp, or just veggies.
Buy some duck sauce/sweet
and sour sauce and dip away.
***********************For
your fried rice proceed as follows:
In advance, cook up about 5
sticks of bacon very crisp, chop up in to small chunks some pepperoni and lightly fry that,
and some more Italian sausage if you please. Set aside.
Fry an egg by busting the
yoke and spreading it around the egg drop, and cook until the edges are crispy. Then chop
the egg up and set aside. T ake a few baby carrots and chop them up in to small pieces, and brown along with some baby peas and even some Chinese pea pods if desired.
Add two shakes of soy sauce
and mix up your ingredients. We don’t add salt as the soy sauce is plenty salty.
All the while, you’re
cooking up some white rice. We use Minute Rice simply. Be certain that the rice cools enough
to steam off the excess water and your rice is nice and flaky.
Now, in a large skillet or
Wok, heat up ¼ cup of peanut oil until hot, then add your rice quickly stirring it. Add some
soy sauce and/or Teriyaki sauce to taste, stir that up, then add your prepared ingredients
and mix well being careful not to break the rice in to mush. Simply cook until the entire
pan of fried rice is evenly brown colored and hot. It’s done!
Here’s the real deal: We
use a small, palm sized bowl such as one would be served a very small salad in, and pack the
rice in to that bowl tightly. Then place a dinner plate over the top of the rice bowl and
flip it over. Slowly remove the salad size bowl and you now have a perfectly formed mound of
appetizing Italian/Chinese fried rice to go with your crunchy, hot egg rolls.
Oh yum-yum!!!!!! Eat up and enjoy with some more white wine, have some
fortune cookies on hand for desert and prepare to be hungry half an hour later for some
pizza!……….Just kidding.
Soon, we will make up some meat lovers pasta sauce, so watch for that.
Zef's Lasagna ;o) While in Italy (October 2008) with my oldest son Michael, we searched for the great foods. We did not find much other than a great Napolitano Pizza on a rural highway near Naples. Our biggest surprise was that we did not find a restaurant that we considered a must return, so with that and upon our arrival home, I made Michael some Chicken Cacciatore that he had been craving. Meanwhile I brought home some a large chub of a wonderful Provolone cheese that I used to make a lasagna. See pictures below. |
Bon Apetito!
Mooney Aircraft Trio of Information Package
You know dats right! 
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