Showing posts with label Italian special. Show all posts

How to Make Quick, Easy, and Healthy Pizzas

Pizza is a favorite in most American households. However, it is always easier to pick up the phone and order what often turns out to be greasy, fat laden pizza. Now you can learn to make quick and easy pizzas at home. These pizzas are healthy and you can serve them to your family without concern. Choose from Grilled Nacho Pizzas that are made on healthy pita bread, Quick and Easy Chicken Fajita Pizza made on flour tortillas or Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza. Teach your children from a young age to eat healthier pizza.

GRILLED NACHO PIZZAS
4 pocketless pita rounds
olive oil nonstick cooking spray
1 1/3 cups canned fat-free refried beans
sliced pickled jalapeno peppers, optional
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
4 tbsp whole-kernel canned corn
salsa, for garnish
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Spray one side of the pita rounds with the olive oil spray. Grill on a hot grill for about a minute or until bottoms are lightly charred. Remove from grill and arrange on a platter or cookie sheet with the grilled sides up. Divide the refried beans evenly between the 4 pitas and spread over top. Add some jalapeno peppers, if using. Top with 1 tablespoon of corn kernels per pita. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the corn. Return to the grill and cover. Grill for a minute or until the cheese melts. Top with the salsa and cilantro, if desired.

Note: You could add a small amount of cooked diced or shredded chicken or some browned ground beef, if you want meat on your pizza.

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN FAJITA PIZZAS
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup ripe olive slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese on each of the tortillas. Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Toss the chicken and salsa together; spread on the warm tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the chicken mixture. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Top the pizzas with the chopped bell pepper, chopped tomatoes, and ripe olives.

CANADIAN BACON AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA
1 (10-oz) prebaked Italian bread crust shell
1/2 cup prepared sweet and sour sauce
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple tidbits, well drained
1 pkg (7-oz) Canadian bacon, diced
4-oz shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place the crust on an ungreased pizza pan or a baking sheet. Spread the sweet and sour sauce evenly over the top of the crust. Evenly distribute the pineapple tidbits over the sauce. Sprinkle the Canandian bacon over the pineapple. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

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Creative Cooking Italian Pasta Recipes

11:23 AM | Labels: Italian special

Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon

Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon is an attractive Pasta Dish using the cucumber's light texture that go hand in hand with fresh smoked salmon.

Ingredients: 350g dried tagliatelle, 75g butter, 1/2 cucumber, juice and rind of 1 orange, fresh dill, 300ml light cream, 125g smoked salmon, salt & pepper and fresh Italian parsley.

Method: Boil water in large saucepan, add pinch of salt and dried tagliatelle. Cook pasta until Al Dente. Drain. Cut cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds. Discard seeds and slice thinly. Melt butter in saucepan. Add grated orange rind, dill and cucumber - simmer for 1 minute. Add cream and orange juice, season and simmer for 1 minute. Cut smoked salmon into bite sized pieces and stir through sauce quickly to warm. Drain pasta and toss into sauce. Decorate with fresh Italian parsley and finely shaven parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with Herb Sauce

Herbs make a wonderful Sauce for Italian Pasta Recipes - Attractive, Aromatic and Full of Flavor.

Ingredients: 50g fresh mixed herbs, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 60ml toasted pinenuts or cashews, 150ml olive oil, 350g dried spaghetti, 80ml freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper for seasoning and Italian basil leaves for garnish

Method: Boil water in large saucepan, add pinch of salt and dried spaghetti. Cook pasta until Al Dente. Drain. Place herbs, crushed garlic and half of the pine nuts into a blender. Add olive oil gradually until mixture thickens. Toss pasta through pine nut mixture and add freshly grated parmesan, whole pine nuts and fresh basil leaves.

Fettuccini with Ham and Cream

Prosciutto is ideal for this dish. The richness and taste makes a Great Starter!

Ingredients: 125g prosciutto, 40g butter, 2 chopped shallots, 160ml cream, 350g dried fettuccine, 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and Italian Parsley

Method: Boil water in large saucepan, add pinch of salt and dried fettuccini. Cook pasta until Al Dente. Drain. Chop prosciutto into strips. Melt butter in a frying pan and sautee shallots quickly. Add prosciutto and cook a further 1-2 minutes or until golden. Season mixture and add cream. Toss sauce through fettuccini, season and add freshly grated parmesan and Italian Parsley.

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Italian Dessert Recipe

6:15 AM | Labels: Italian special

Dessert is usually some fresh fruit with a demitasse of espresso. On festive occasions there may be puddings, pastries or a cake. Wine is an integral part of Italian food. Relax with your favorite beer or wine and enjoy as the aromas of traditional Italian food.

In the kitchen, you may need a pasta pot, a colander, wooden spoons, and a mezzaluna. The mezzaluna is a crescent-shaped knife with a handle on either end that makes meat-mincing a whole lot easier.

Try this simple but exotic Italian Dessert Recipe - Hazelnut cake:

Ingredients
Toasted hazelnuts -10 ounces (250 g)
Oro Saiwa Cookies -4 ounces (100 g)
Unsalted butter -4 ounces (100 g)
Sugar -6 ounces (150 g, 3/4 cup)
Eggs, separated -3
Baking chocolate (crumbled) -6 ounces (150 g)

Method

Grind together the nuts and cookies in a blender until it becomes a fine powder.
Combine it with the crumbled chocolate.
Cream the egg yolks sugar and butter until the mixture is pale yellow.
Whip the egg whites until it forms firm peaks.
Combine the nut and cookie mixture with the butter mixture, and then fold in the whites.
Pour into a cake pan of size sufficient for it to be about an inch deep, and bake it a preheated oven (360 F (180 C)) for 30 minutes.

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Perfect BBQ Italian Meatloaf

11:34 AM | Labels: Italian special

Here is a recipe I learned while traveling through Italy. I made the switch from tomato sauce to a BBQ sauce. It works perfectly and the meat is moist and delicious. The recipe calls for bread crumbs and the secret to a good meatloaf is the bread. Try to use fresh bread that you cut up or blend into crumbs. This will give your meatloaf so much more texture and flavor.

Here is the Recipe:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red pepper, seeded, small diced
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the BBQ sauce.

Place your formed loaf into an oiled loaf pan, if you do not have a loaf pan. Top with the BBQ sauce making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Note: It is important to let your meatloaf rest before slicing. This will allow all of the juices of the meat to settle back into the loaf. After resting your meat will be moist and juicy. You may also wish to add more BBQ sauce onto each slice.

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Homemade Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

11:24 AM | Labels: Italian special

8 slices of bacon (diced)
4 eggs
3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (grated)
1 pound of spaghetti
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup of dry white wine (optional)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

To begin with this carbonara recipe, boil the spaghetti in a pot of water until it is done. Drain the pasta well and then toss it with one tablespoon of olive oil. Set it aside.
Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet until it is slightly crisp and then remove it and drain on a paper towel. Set aside two tablespoons of the bacon fat, add one tablespoon of olive oil and heat it in the skillet. Add the chopped onion and allow it to cook on medium until the onion becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic, cooking for an extra minute. I prefer to add some wine at this point to enhance the taste and allow it to cook for an additional minute.
Place the cooked bacon in the pan along with the spaghetti. Toss it so that it coats and heats through. When I find it becoming dry or beginning to stick together, I normally add some more olive oil.
Add the beaten eggs and allow it to cook while continuing to toss with tongs until the eggs are just hardly set. You may then add a 1/2 cup of cheese. I don't normally add salt because the bacon and Parmesan add plenty to this dish, although I do use a dash of pepper.
Sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley and serve it while it's still hot with the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.

Cooking time (duration): 40 Minutes

Number of servings (yield): 8 Servings

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How To Cook Pasta

8:20 AM | Labels: Italian special

Pasta is a delicious food to eat and easy to cook. You should cook pasta just before serving and this is an important thing to be kept in mind while cooking pasta. To enjoy pasta you should know the process properly. People who do not know the process properly will spoil the entire pot of pasta they are cooking. Here is how you can make delicious pasta and what you need to make pasta.

Per serving you need 1 liter boiling water
For salting the water you need salt
The sauce of your choice
Pasta, about 100 g or ¼ pound for one person.

First fill the stockpot with enough water and then add 1 teaspoon of salt that measures the water of 1 liter. Cover the pot to bring it to a boil. Remember while cooking pasta that after the pasta is cooked the pasta becomes double in size. So if you have not put enough water in the pot then the pasta will stick to each other.

To avoid the sticking of pasta it is important to stir well while adding the pasta to the water. Wait till the water starts boiling again after adding the pasta. The pasta takes eight to twelve minutes to get cooked fully depending on the quantity as well as the type of the pasta.

You need to simmer the stove to avoid the pot from foaming up and spilling over the edges of the pot. You can take a tiny piece of pasta and taste it just to check if the pasta is cooked properly. The center should not be hard. The pasta should be tender and firm.

Once your pasta is cooked properly then the excess water should be drained. If you are making cold pasta salad make sure to rinse it in cold water to get rid of the starch and prevent it from sticking. If you are not making the cold salad with pasta then make sure not to rinse this as the starch present in it will help to blend the sauce flavor in the pasta when you are ready to add sauce of your choice in the pasta. You can then leave the cooked pasta in a chafing dish until you are ready to serve it.

Make sure that you cook only one type of pasta at a time so that you get the best result. Keep checking the pasta from time to time while cooking to ensure that the pasta is not over cooked. Remember you should have a large capacity pan with sturdy and wide handle to cook the pasta.

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Neely's Italian Barbecue Chicken

9:01 AM | Labels: Italian special

Ingredients

2 chickens (or 4 whole bone-in chicken breasts) halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups Italian dressing
1/4 cup Barbecue seasoning
1 cup barbecue sauce

For the Italian Dressing

2 tablespoons ground mustard
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Neelys Barbecue seasoning
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except the oil and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

For the barbecue Seasoning

1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Barbecue Sauce

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Preparation

Rinse chicken halves in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a large bowl or baking dish, coat with Italian dressing and evenly season with Neelys seasoning.

For best results, allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

If Cooking Inside:

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and brush chicken with Neelys Barbeque Sauce.
Place into a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

If Grilling Outside:

Thirty minutes before you're ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the grill to a medium temperature, about 275 degrees F preferably over hickory and charcoal.

Place the chicken halves on grill, meat side down. Cover grill and cook for about 50 minutes.

Flip chicken over and let it brown until the chicken becomes golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.

The wing and the drumstick should become very tender and will easily pull away at the joints.
Brush the chicken with Neelys Barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

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How To Make Pizza Crust

2:27 AM | Labels: Italian special

The ingredients to make the pizza crust at home:

You need warm water (1-1/2 cup)
You need salt (about 1-1/2 teaspoon)
You need active dry yeast (about 2-1/4 teaspoon)
One teaspoon of sugar
You also need bread flour (about four cups)
Extra virgin olive oil (about 2 teaspoons)
Extra flour

Directions

Take a large bowl and place the warm water and sugar in it. Until the sugar gets dissolved in water stir it well. After that add the yeast to the water and sugar and mix gently till it gets dissolved. Leave the mixture for ten minutes so that the yeast mixes well and smells yeasty.

When the yeast gets mixed completely then you add salt and olive oil and stir well. Add the flour gently and mix it properly. Make sure the mixture is thick after adding flour. To avoid stickiness you can add additional flour. Turn the dough out for kneading by scattering the flour on the work surface. You need to repeat kneading about ten to twelve times to make the dough rise. Make sure after kneading, the dough becomes silky and is smoothly textured. You can bake the dough so that it rises and afterwards you can use it to make your pizza. Once you have your pizza made, you can then use a chafing dish to keep it warm before serving it to guests.

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Easy Chicken Recipe - Chicken Parmesan

8:23 AM | Labels: Italian special

This tasty Italian classic has been modified a little by adding longhorn cheese in addition to the Parmesan. The recipe looks a little complicated and drawn out but it really isn't hard to do. Assembling the ingredients will take almost as long as the cooking. The cooking is done in 3 stages: First the chicken tenders are coated with a mixture of bread-crmbs, spices and Parmesan cheese, then they are cooked. I used my favorite black iron chicken fryer skillet. The trick to get good flavor development is to be sure to allow the chicken pieces to brown and then to scrape all the little brown bits that stick to the bottom of the skillet, secondly the sauce is heated in the same skillet (to capture all the little bits), and thirdly the parts are combined and finished off by melting the longhorn cheese under a broiler.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
1 1/3 cups grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup soft bread crumbs

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten slightly

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup shredded longhorn cheese

1/2 teaspoon basil (dried)

Instructions:
1 - Preheat broiler

2 - Combine 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, basil & 1/8 teaspoon salt

3 - Dip each chicken tender in egg, then crumb mixture

4 - Melt butter in cast iron skillet and cook chicken tenders approximately 3 minutes per side, then set aside.

5 - Combine remaining salt, spaghetti sauce, lemon juice, and pepper in the same skillet.

6 - Heat this sauce for 5 minutes with occasional stirring.

7 - Place chicken
pieces in oven proof bake dish, then pour sauce over, sprinklewith longhorn cheese and remaining parmesan cheese.

8 - Broil for 2 minutes or so, just enough time to melt the cheese toping.

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Baking a pizza

9:15 AM | Labels: Italian special

Ingredients:
Strong plan white flour: eight ounces of
Salt: one teaspoon
Yeast: one and a half teaspoons
Hand hot water: three-four ounces
Sugar: a quarter teaspoon
Eggs: one
Olive oil: one teaspoon
Passata or tomato puree & cheese and a topping of your choice.

How to cook:
Put yeast and sugar into a basin and then whisk them. Leave that as it is for like 15 minutes. Then, you need to sift the flour and the salt and pour them in the yeast, while also adding the egg. Make sure that it's beaten before. Then, have it mixed to a dough and if need be, you should add more water.

Knead everything for 10 minutes. Then, you will need to transfer it to a bowl and then put the teaspoon of oil on your hands and mix it with the dough. After this, have everything covered with cling film and let it rest like that in a hot place for one hour. Then, when it's ready, knead the dough for 5 minutes before you will have it rolled out.

The next step is to consider the topping for your pizza and after that, let it cook in the oven pre-heated at 220 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

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Pepper Rolls

11:35 AM | Labels: Italian special

Ingredients:

4 yellow or bell peppers, 1 small can anchovies, drained, 1 tablespoon capers,

1/3 cup pitted green olives, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 envelope gelatin, 2 cups

Chicken broth, 2 lemons, parsley springs, 1 tablespoon parsley chopped with

1 clove garlic. 1 bay leaf, 1 cup distilled while vinegar, 4-6 tablespoon olive

Oil, salt, pepper.

Cut the pepper in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, ribs, and stems (1). And

Cut into large strips(2). Place under the broiler, skin side up, until the skin turns

Black, then remove and scrape off the skin with a knife (3). A few at a time, boil

Pepper strip for 3 minutes in 1 quart water to which you added the vinegar, bay

Leaf and 1 tablespoon salt (4). Dry and place in a deep dish. Sprinkle with a little

Lemon juice, the chopped parsley, and garlic (5). 3-4 tablespoon oil, salt, and

Pepper add sliced if you wish (6). Let marinate about an hour.

Mash the pitted olives in a mortar with the anchovies, capers, and mustard, adding

Enough oil makes a paste (7). Lay the pepper out on a marble slab and spread each

One with a little of the paste (8). Roll up each strip (9). And arrange on a plate (10)

Decorate with lemon slice and parsley springs (11). And, if you like, sliced stuffed

Green olives. Refrigerate.

Combine 2 tablespoon strained lemon juice and 2 tablespoon of the chicken broth in

A small saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin and let soften 10 minutes, add remaining

Broth and stir over low heat until gelatin completely dissolves. Let cool to room

Temperature, then spoon over the pepper (12). Return the plate to the refrigerator

Until the gelatin has completely set.

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Stuffed Onion

7:54 AM | Labels: Italian special

Ingredients:

8 large yellow onion, 2 bell pepper, one-oz can tomato,

4 tablespoon butter, 1 anchovy fillet,

½ cup pitted black olives, 2 tablespoon bread crumbs,

½ tablespoon oregano, oil, salt, pepper

peel the onion and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until partially tender. Drain and dry on a

Towel (!). cut the top of each onion, remove inner layer (2). And chop the pulp, broil the

Peppers until the skin char, then scrape off the skins with a knife and cut peppers into this

Strips. Drain the anchovies and chop then with the olves.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet and gently sauté the reserved chopped onion until soft.

Add the anchovy olive mixture, the pepper strips, and the canned tomatoes, drained. Simmer

Until the mixture become a thick sauce, then remove from the fire and add the oregano, the bead crumbs, and salt and a little pepper to taste.

Fill the onion with the tomato mixture (3), arrange them in a greased baking dish, and dot

With the butter (4). Bake in a 350’oven for about 40 minutes, or until is very tender.

This flavorful dish is best served cold. It makes a vary good first course in summer or an

Excellent accompaniment to roasts.

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Italian vegetable and bean stew topped with pesto vinaigrette

8:52 AM | Labels: Italian special

Author: Raqees
This stew and vegetable seeds to take effect from northern Italy.Dressing garlic sauce and basil pesto adds a touch of elegance to this dish a little rural. I cooked this soup in a large pot on my fork, but it might as well cook stove gas or electric powered.
Material - pesto vinaigrette
. 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. handful of basil leaves. 6 cloves garlic

Material - skillet
.1 medium onion .1 medium fennel bulb .2 zucchini .400 grams of tin ore
,150 grams of green bean stick .400 gram tin of baked beans .170 grams parmesan cheese
.200 grams potatoes
.3 tomatoes
.60 grams dried spaghetti .3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
. large stalks thyme
.1.75 liters vegetable stock
.Coarse sea salt and black pepper

Method - The bean and vegetable stew
Use a large pot with lid. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Peel and finely chopped onion, fennel and cut into four and cut and cut it in half and slice zucchini. Add onion, fennel and zucchini in hot oil and fry off about 10 minutes to brown.
Add vegetable broth to the pan with the thyme and bring to a boil. Cut the peeled and chopped potatoes and tomatoes. Add potatoes and tomatoes in a saucepan. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Drain and rinse beans and white beans and add to pan. Replace lid and continue boiling for 15 minutes.
Cut green beans into inch long pieces of spaghetti sticks and broke into pieces the same length. Add green beans and spaghetti to the pan and cook until spaghetti is tender, check after 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat but keep the lid while you prepare the pesto sauce.
Method - The pesto vinaigrette
Always prepare the sauce just before serving for best results.
Peel and roughly chop the garlic. garlic and basil leaves in a food processor Insert small and pulse to start. Add oil and mix as usual.
This recipe is a favorite of my mother and I just send a bouquet of roses as a thank you. Order flowers online, it's easy for me to send him flowers.
To Serve
Serve the soup into each bowl. Grated Parmesan. Add a good dose cheap Parmesan and pesto swirl over the soup.
Have fun!

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How to Make Quick, Easy, and Healthy Pizzas

Creative Cooking Italian Pasta Recipes

Italian Dessert Recipe

Perfect BBQ Italian Meatloaf

Homemade Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Instructions

How To Cook Pasta

Neely's Italian Barbecue Chicken

How To Make Pizza Crust

Easy Chicken Recipe - Chicken Parmesan

Baking a pizza

Pepper Rolls

Stuffed Onion

Italian vegetable and bean stew topped with pesto vinaigrette