italian

Unlimited Broccoli Tidbits

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Unlimited Broccoli Tidbits! Here is a salad you can snack on over and over. It keeps for days in the refrigerator as the flavor intensifies. And because the broccoli is fresh, the crunch appeases the taste buds. By adding the sweetness of raisins and the saltiness of bacon, it soothes those unexpected cravings that sabotage even the strictest diet enthusiast. Go ahead, take a bite. Permission granted.

UNLIMITED BROCCOLI TIDBITS 

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, cut into florets and stems

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup bacon bits, fully cooked

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 envelope of Italian dry salad dressing mix

Instructions:

Combine broccoli tidbits, raisins, and bacon in a covered bowl. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian dry seasoning mix in a glass measuring cup until blended. Pour marinade over broccoli mixture. Gently stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate salad for two hours. Spoon reserve marinade over salad before serving. 

Lasagna Lovers

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Lasagna Lovers! Move over, ho-hum lasagna; Baby Kale Lasagna Roll-ups are here. This dish is fast and easy to prepare, while managing portion-control at the same time. If you are looking for a meatless meal, simply adjust the recipe to suit your needs. The taste is unbelievable and leftovers will have you looking forward to a savory dinner later in the week. Mama Mia, that’s amazing!

LASAGNA LOVERS

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage, bulk

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fennel

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon oregano 

1/8 teaspoon marjoram 

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

24 ounces pasta sauce

1 cup water

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

16 ounces lasagna noodles 

Baby Kale Leaves, stems removed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet brown Italian sausage until crumbly. Drain. Add onion, garlic, fennel, basil, oregano, marjoram, and mushrooms. Mix well. Add pasta sauce and water to the browned meat mixture. Simmer 10 minutes. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and parsley. Prepare lasagna noodles per package directions. Drain. When cooked, place the noodles lengthwise in a single layer on two sheets of aluminum foil. This makes it very easy to fill and roll up. Grease a 9″x13″ baking dish. Spread one half of the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish. To assemble lasagna rolls, spread 2-3 heaping tablespoons of ricotta cheese filling along noodle. Top with baby kale leaves. Beginning at one end, roll the noodle up. Transfer to baking dish. Repeat until all ingredients are assembled and arranged. Finish by pouring the remaining pasta sauce over lasagna rolls. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese over top. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately. 

Italian Herb Grilled Corn

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Italian Herb Grilled Corn! Get fired up about charred corn on the cob. By closing the lid of the grill, the corn gets slightly charred with a pleasant smoky flavor. The natural sweetness becomes an invitation to bump things up with seasoned butter…because we all know, it’s about the luscious creamy butter. 

ITALIAN HERB GRILLED CORN

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature 

4 ears corn, husked

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to 400°. Whisk together Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, and 4 tablespoons butter. Set side. Rub olive oil on the four ears of corn. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the prepared corn directly on the grill grates. Close lid. Cook 10 minutes until tender and slightly charred, turning 4 times during cooking. Remove corn from grill and allow to cool slightly before slathering with Italian herb butter mixture. Serve. 

Angel Hair Pasta Partners

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Angel Hair Pasta Partners! When you’re short on time and need things at your fingertips, turn to this quick weeknight dinner option. You’ll appreciate the convenience without sacrificing flavor. The texture is pleasing and the presentation is reward enough. Make this and you’ll be able to put your feet up and enjoy the evening. 

ANGEL HAIR PASTA

Ingredients:

6 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4-6 Roma tomatoes, quartered

1 green pepper, cut up chunks

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon marjoram 

16 Italian-style meatballs, fully cooked

Parmesan cheese for garnish 

Instructions:

Cook and drain pasta per package directions. As pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and green peppers. Cook 2 minutes until tender; remove from heat. Stir in Roma tomatoes and meatballs. Return to low heat and warm through. Add drained pasta and gently toss with basil, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Serve pasta meal sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Add a side of crusty garlic toast. 

Unbeatable Italian Favorite

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Unbeatable Italian Favorite! Let’s step away from pizza and pasta a minute to talk about another Italian favorite. Behold, the Caprese Salad. It’s a classic dish from the island of Capri, originating in the 1920s. The presentation is simple yet elegant, so choose your platter wisely. The serving piece should showcase the colorful beauty of the food symbolizing the Italian flag: green, white, and red. Appreciate the heritage, culture, art, and food of Italy. They hold a sense of gratification that is timeless. 

UNBEATABLE ITALIAN FAVORITE 

Ingredients: 

16 ounces ripe Campari tomatoes, sliced

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

3-4 tablespoons balsamic glaze

1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs, dried

Instructions: 

Choose a decorative platter or individual serving pieces. To prepare the base of the salad, arrange sliced Campari tomatoes along with fresh mozzarella slices. Tuck whole fresh basil leaves in between the layers for flavor as well as presentation. Drizzle the tangy balsamic glaze generously over the top of the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with dried Italian herbs. Serve immediately. 

Robust Tomato Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Robust Tomato Sauce! Tomatoes are my superfood. Slow-cooked tomatoes are my staple. Honestly, I can justify making tomato sauce all day long to anyone who would listen. What it “simmers” down to is a savory, garlicky, fragrance that fills the house with anticipation of what comes next. Call me a cheater, which I won’t deny, because I am a snob about beginning with San Marzano plum tomatoes grown in Italy. My eighth grade home economics teacher taught me to keep things simple. She said, “High quality ingredients can make an ordinary dish taste extraordinary. Always read the label!” To this day, I check the ingredient list because too often the additives can be artificial. And nobody wants that. 

ROBUST TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 garlic cloves, minced

28-ounce can whole peeled Italian tomatoes

3 ounces tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

In a large pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add chopped onion and diced carrot. Sauté for 8 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add minced garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Purée tomatoes with sauce in blender. Add to the onion-carrot mixture in the pan. Stir in tomato paste, fresh basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low setting and allow mixture to simmer for 25 minutes. Footnote: Robust Tomato Sauce can be simmered on low heat for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Zippy Stuffed Peppers

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Zippy Stuffed Peppers! I can hardly wait for my garden peppers to grow large enough for this tasty Italian-style meal. It is traditional, yet impressive, when serving to our dinner guests. And the presentation is phenomenal. When serving, place each stuffed pepper in a shallow bowl with a side of buttery bicolor sweet corn, cobs removed. Add crusty bread and everyone will sing your praises thinking you slaved all day to make such a five-star entrée. Live it up!

ZIPPY STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients:

6 large green bell peppers

1 pound Italian sausage, ground

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons onion, chopped 

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

I teaspoon fennel

1/8 teaspoon oregano 

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon marjoram

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup corn

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes in sauce 

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut off the top of each pepper and remove the insides. Rinse and drain. Brown the Italian sausage, garlic, and onion in olive oil. Drain and stir in the spices. Add cooked rice, corn, and half the tomatoes. Mix gently and heat through. Stand peppers upright in ungreased baking dish. Put a scant spoonful of sauce in the bottom of each pepper. Sprinkle in a little cheese. Then stuff each pepper with the meat mixture. Pour remaining sauce over stuffed peppers. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese, and bake 15 minutes longer. 

Noodle Rigatoni

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Noodle Rigatoni!  When time is of the essence, and you need a fulfilling meal, this dish can be made in minutes. While the wine is slightly chilling, and you wish to keep the kitchen cool, everything works together between stovetop and microwave. Your tastebuds will be satisfied without salad or bread as well since this meal-in-a-bowl hits the spot. 

NOODLE RIGATONI

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage, ground

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fennel

1/4 teaspoon oregano 

1/4 teaspoon basil 

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon marjoram

8-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, cut-up

2 cups of Italian Roma tomatoes in sauce, cut-up

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

16 ounces rigatoni noodles

Instructions:

In a large skillet, brown Italian sausage until crumbled and cooked through. Drain and add garlic powder, pepper, salt, fennel, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and marjoram. Keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. Warm separately the cut up tomatoes and the marinated artichoke hearts. Keep warm. Meanwhile, bring a 4-quart pan of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender; about 10 minutes. Stir often. It should be firm. Drain pasta. Place portions of rigatoni in individual serving bowls. Spoon tomatoes in sauce over noodles. Arrange artichoke hearts around edges. Lastly add crumbled Italian sausage over top. Garnish with feta cheese. 

Prosciutto-Wrapped Smokies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Cut Above: Prosciutto-Wrapped Smokies! I guess by now you realize I can graze through a meal by nibbling on this or that. I decided I prefer to eat small amounts of food rather than a full-blown plate of stuff. It works well to keep my digestive issues in check as well as controlling excessive weight gain. I also noticed my energy level remains consistent as long as I practice mindful eating habits. Willpower is my companion because, after all, at my age I’m now viewed as elderly. It’s okay, you can laugh. I do it every time I say it. 

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED SMOKIES

Ingredients: 

12 mini peppers, assorted

1-1 1/2 cups chihuahua cheese, shredded

12 little smokie cocktail links

12 strips prosciutto, thinly sliced 

Italian herbs, for garnish

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Set aside. Cut a horizontal opening in the mini peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Fill each pepper well with shredded chihuahua cheese. Pierce each little smokie link before placing over the cheese-filled pepper. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around each filled pepper, finishing with the prosciutto end on the bottom to seal. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all peppers are filled and wrapped. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto is crispy. Serve sprinkled with Italian herbs.