Italian ravioli salad

Great make-ahead meal, and perfect for packing for the pool or lake!

http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/italian-ravioli-salad/

Photo & recipe credit: http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/

Vegetarian Italian chopped salad

http://cookieandkate.com/2017/vegetarian-italian-chopped-salad-recipe/

Photo & recipe credit: http://cookieandkate.com/

Italian spaghetti salad

Dinner last night:
 http://therecipecritic.com/2016/08/italian-spaghetti-salad/

Recipe and photo credit: http://therecipecritic.com/

Mini calzones

These mini calzones from Food & Wine are fun & delicious. There's just something irresistible about these shrunken pizzas!  You can experiment with different fillings, changing it to suit your taste.  I did half of ours with pesto, ricotta, and pepperoni, and the other half with marinara, ricotta and pepperoni.  We loved both versions, and I served marinara on the side for dipping.  My kids devoured these too, so it's a family friendly meal!

MINI PEPPERONI, RICOTTA AND PESTO CALZONES

Yield: 16 calzones

Ingredients:

DOUGH:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees is ideal for the yeast)

1 tablespoon honey

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

3 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1 cup ricotta cheese

4-6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni, chopped

1/4 cup jarred basil pesto

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Olive oil, for frying

Instructions:

MAKE THE DOUGH:

In a large bowl, stir the warm water, honey and yeast until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir until a loose batter forms. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour until almost completely incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a work surface with any remaining flour and knead until the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and silky, 7 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and brush all over with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and transfer to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes.

FILL THE CALZONES:

Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 4-inch round, a scant 1/8 inch thick. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta on one half of the round, then top with 2 to 4 pepperoni slices and a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the pesto. Fold the dough over to form a half moon and press the edge to seal tightly. Crimp the edge with a fork or pinch at intervals to make pleats. Transfer the calzone to a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make the remaining calzones.

Preheat the oven to 325°.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 350°. Fry 4 calzones at a time, turning once, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the calzones on paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest. Serve hot.

** MAKE AHEAD: The stuffed calzones can be prepared through Step 3 and frozen for up to 1 month. Let the calzones return to room temperature before frying.

Meatball sandwich

David Lebovitz is the author and creator of some of my favorite ice cream recipes, and lo and behold, he does savory dishes as well!  This meatball sandwich is delicious, hot, cheesy, tomato sauce-y goodness.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm!

MEATBALL SANDWICH

Yield: 4-6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

1 medium onion, peeled and minced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 15 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sugar

For the meatballs:

1 medium onion, peeled and minced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 pound ground beef (not too lean)
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Pecorino cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 cup dried breadcrumbs or panko
4 tablespoons milk

-Mozzarella or provolone cheese for topping

-Crusty Italian or French bread

Instructions:

1. For the tomato sauce, sauté the minced onion in a good pour of olive oil in a Dutch oven or very large saucepan, seasoning them with a bit of salt and a few generous turns of black pepper, stirring frequently – until the onions start to wilt. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are completely soft and translucent.

2. Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, the bay leaf and the sugar, and let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

3. To make the meatballs, sauté the onion in some olive oil in a large skillet, seasoning with a bit of salt and black pepper, stirring frequently, until the onions start to wilt. Add the garlic, and cook until the onions are completely soft and translucent. Remove from heat, scrape into a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

4. To the bowl, add the ground beef and pork, the eggs, cheese, parsley, herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, a few generous turns of black pepper, the fennel seeds, the breadcrumbs, and the milk. Use your hands to mix everything together thoroughly.

5. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease them with olive oil.

6. Form meatballs slightly less than the size of unshelled walnuts, and space them evenly apart on the baking sheets. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, pluck out the bay leaf, and slide them into the tomato sauce.

7. Heat the sauce with the meatballs in it until everything is warmed through. If the sauce is very thick, it can be thinned with a bit of warm water.

8. To make sandwiches, take crusty French or Italian bread, cut it open almost all the way through. Slice some of the meatballs in half and put them between the bread, pressing down with a fork to meld them with the bread. Top with slices of cheese and heat in a hot oven (about 400ºF), or under a broiler, until the cheese melts.

Rigatoni with ricotta

This rigatoni with ricotta is a simple, delicious pasta dish from Rachael Ray.  It's like a riff on lasagna with the ricotta and red sauce, but without the layering!

RIGATONI WITH RICOTTA

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 32-ounce can whole tomatoes (I used crushed)

1 small onion, peeled and halved

A few leaves of basil, torn

1 fresh bay leaf

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into fine dice, divided

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 lb box Rigatoni pasta

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small saucepot, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter and melt. When it starts to foam, add garlic, stir a minute and add tomatoes, mashing them up. Add onion, basil and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 30 minutes over low heat. Remove onion. Add butter to sauce to finish.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Combine ricotta with salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, mint, lemon zest, half the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheese.

Salt the pasta water. Boil rigatoni about 7-8 minutes, under-cooking it a minute or so to al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of starchy cooking liquid. Drain pasta and return to hot pot, stir in ricotta mixture and add starchy cooking water to combine as needed. Transfer to a baking dish

Pour tomato sauce evenly over top of pasta in baking dish, top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly and the cheese is browned, 15-18 minutes--being careful not to dry the pasta out.

Prosciutto-wrapped ricotta-stuffed chicken

We made these prosciutto-wrapped ricotta-stuffed chicken breasts from Rachael Ray last week, and Robert was surprised how much he enjoyed it because according to him, "it's hard to make a chicken breast exciting".  I agree, but this recipe takes the lowly chicken breast to a new level by stuffing it with parmesan herb ricotta, then wrapping it in thinly sliced prosciutto.  Delicious!!


PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED RICOTTA-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp. grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 1 small clove garlic, grated or pasted
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• A few leaves basil, chopped
• A couple sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 4 small pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast, butterflied
• EVOO, for drizzling
• 4 thin slices prosciutto di parma
• A splash white wine
• 1 tbsp. butter
•    

• DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, season the ricotta with salt and pepper. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano, garlic, parsley, basil and thyme. Place some of the ricotta mixture on each butterflied piece of chicken and fold the breast over. Drizzle with EVOO and wrap with the prosciutto.
  2. Heat an ovenproof skillet with a drizzle of EVOO. Add the chicken bundles and brown over medium-high heat, turning once, for 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the oven to cook through, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Remove the chicken from the pan and deglaze the pan with the wine. Swirl in the butter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

Toasted ravioli

A long-standing favorite restaurant of my family's closed recently, citing the tough economic times.  Bruno's was an Italian place loved by many for their pizza, but I ordered the toasted ravioli every time, without fail. When I came across this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, I was excited to recreate the dish at home. That is, until halfway through prepping it I realized I was totally out of bread crumbs.  And panko.  Oops.  So Robert suggested we substitute crushed Ritz crackers... which turned out to be a genius idea!  It created a buttery, crispy crust that was to die for.  I'll post the original recipe below with our variations noted.  

Ingredients

• 3/4 to 1 pound small fresh ravioli (meat, spinach or cheese- the pre-made refrigerated kind)
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups breadcrumbs (or panko, or crushed Ritz crackers.  Your choice)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Marinara sauce, for dipping
• 
  
• Directions
• Spread the ravioli on a baking sheet and freeze until hard, 20 to 30 minutes.

Whisk the eggs and milk in a shallow dish or pie plate. Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in another shallow dish.

Dip the ravioli in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Return to the baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 15 minutes.

Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the ravioli in 2 or 3 batches, turning as needed, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and immediately sprinkle with the parmesan. Serve with the marinara sauce.

Crispy gnocchi with pesto

We made this crispy gnocchi with pesto from Rachael Ray a few weeks ago and it was a big hit!  It is simple to make and has lots of flavor.  In fact, it's so festive in it's red and green that we're planning to serve it as part of our Christmas dinner this year!

Baked parmesan spaghetti

After seeing this recipe for baked parmesan spaghetti on Pinterest, I immediately bookmarked it for a future meal.  The recipe is simple, and the end result is hot, cheesy goodness!

Meatballs a la pizzaiola

We made these meatballs a la pizzaiola last week. They were from a Giada de Laurentiis episode about spicy foods, but personally I don't think they're hot so don't let that scare you away! The key here is the smoked mozzarella- it is easy to find at our Kroger, right next to the regular fresh mozzarella in the 'specialty cheese case'. I served ours swimming in marinara sauce over whole wheat pasta. Yum!

Manicotti

Dinner last night was manicotti from the Food Network. It is a traditional recipe, but still delicious!! I used frozen spinach vs fresh, and instead of just simmering the sauce with a stem of basil in it I added it chopped at the end. Cheesy and delicious!

Mozzarella, prosciutto and pesto sandwich

Dinner tonight was mozzarella, prosciutto and pesto sandwiches. These are SO easy to make, especially since I subbed store-bought pesto instead of making our own. (It is an excellent way to use more of the pesto from the chicken and pesto pizza on the previous post). I ate mine cold, but Robert grilled his like a panini. Both ways are delicious, so take your pick!

Chicken parmesan with pepperoni

We made chicken parmesan with pepperoni from Food + Wine magazine for Sunday dinner this week. It was a huge hit - everyone loved the addition of pepperoni to this classic dish. Robert said it was the best chicken parmesan he's ever had, and will probably be asking for a repeat next week!

Sloppy lasagna

We made Rachael Ray's sloppy lasagna last week, and it was devoured while we watched Sunday night football. It's a delicious recipe with a meat sauce AND a bechamel cheese sauce. I read people's reviews of the recipe and followed their advice to use 1/4 less lasagna noodles, and it was a perfect amount. I also increased the amount of tomatoes because I like my pasta saucy - I used a can of diced tomatoes AND a can of crushed tomatoes. I served it with the grilled romaine salad from an earlier blog post. Yum-o!

Ravioli lasagna

We made this ravioli lasagna for dinner a few weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting it. We've tried several new recipes lately, but I'm behind on blogging... so here goes! We made a small tweak using cheese tortellini in place of ravioli because it's the only thing the store had in a small package (I halved the recipe as I was only cooking for 2). You don't have to pre-cook the pasta, which is a nice timesaver. We will definitely make this again, but agreed that we like our pasta a little saucier, so I think I'll use my go-to Rachael Ray easy marinara next time and pile it on. Overall, very delicious!

Chicken parmesan meatballs

There was a cold and rainy night last week, so we wanted comfort food for dinner - Rachael Ray's chicken parmesan meatballs to the rescue! They were rich in flavor, thanks to the spinach, parmesan cheese, and homemade tomato sauce. Definitely a keeper!

Caprese wraps with chicken

We made Cooking Light's caprese wraps with chicken for dinner earlier this week. We love caprese salad as a side dish, so it was genius to add chicken and make it an entree! We usually make our caprese salad with balsamic vinegar, but this recipe calls for white wine vinegar - I think they would be delicious either way.

Baked shells casserole

We made Rachael Ray's baked shells casserole this weekend. I"ve seen similar recipes with these ingredients - pasta shells, spinach, marinara, etc - and knew we would like this one. I halved the recipe, which still made 4 servings, so it provided dinner for two nights. There are a couple of surprise ingredients - carrots in the marinara, and nutmeg in the spinach - that make this a signature Rachael Ray dish!

11.12.09 Lasagna soup

Staying with the lasagna theme this week, we made lasagna soup from Rachael Ray's magazine for dinner one night this week. Again, a simple recipe and it tastes just like lasagna! I used whole wheat lasagna noodles (the regular kind, not no-boil). Yum!