Who doesn't like combining cheese and fungus. Like most things that I put together, it's kind of made up, but it tastes good. I usually just eyeball the proportions, test the mixture as you go along. That's part of the fun of cooking.
Mushrooms - I generally use one of three types of mushrooms, white button, crimini, or portobello. Wash well and pull out the stems. If you want, you can keep the stems for something else or process them and add them to the stuffing mixture.
Stuffing: combine equal parts of the following cheeses
Cream cheese (or mascarpone)
Asiago
Parmesan
Mozzarella
To spice it up, you can add in some chopped spinach, crab meat or ham.
Mix the cheese well and stuff it into the mushroom caps. I like to cover it well, because the more cheese, the better.
Set the oven to bake at 500 degrees and put in the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown on top. For an additional party in your mouth, after you've taken the mushrooms out of the oven, top the mushrooms with marinated roasted red pepper slices and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Buon Appetito!
24.10.09
27.9.09
Sugo di Pomodoro
Before spending any time in Italy, I thought that Italian food consisted of some type of pasta and a tomato sauce. While this does happen quite frequently, there are just as many recipes without tomatoes as with. That being said, I love a simple tomato sauce. The basic version is quite simple, requiring only a few ingredients and a few minutes.
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic (or about a tablespoon of minced garlic)
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can of tomatoes (either diced, crushed, pureed...however you want them)
a pinch of sugar
a couple pinches of basil (about 1 tablespoon)
chop up the onion fine and saute it with the garlic, red pepper flakes (if you want a sauce with more kick, add more red pepper flakes) and olive oil on medium heat until the garlic is lightly browned and the onion is transparent. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil and stir, turning the heat to medium low and simmering until the excess liquid of the tomatoes cook off. Combine with pasta and enjoy. To really make it work, a good Parmesan or Pecorino is essential to topping off the finished product, but that is only my humble opinion.
There are many variations that can be done with this. I really enjoy mushrooms, zucchini, sausage and wine cooked in as well. Once you get a good base sauce down, you can experiment with lots of different options. High five Bain. Buon Appetito!
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic (or about a tablespoon of minced garlic)
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can of tomatoes (either diced, crushed, pureed...however you want them)
a pinch of sugar
a couple pinches of basil (about 1 tablespoon)
chop up the onion fine and saute it with the garlic, red pepper flakes (if you want a sauce with more kick, add more red pepper flakes) and olive oil on medium heat until the garlic is lightly browned and the onion is transparent. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil and stir, turning the heat to medium low and simmering until the excess liquid of the tomatoes cook off. Combine with pasta and enjoy. To really make it work, a good Parmesan or Pecorino is essential to topping off the finished product, but that is only my humble opinion.
There are many variations that can be done with this. I really enjoy mushrooms, zucchini, sausage and wine cooked in as well. Once you get a good base sauce down, you can experiment with lots of different options. High five Bain. Buon Appetito!
10.9.09
Caprese Salad
This is one of my favorites. Quick, easy, yummy.
sliced tomatoes (the quantity depends on how many are eating and if it's the main course or not. for a meal, I eat one tomato all by myself)
sliced fresh mozzarella (the best is mozzarella di bufala, but that is pricey and hard to find. most places nowadays have bocconcini, which are sufficient) one for each tomato slice
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
basil (fresh is best, but if you don't have any, dried will do)
a dash of salt and pepper
Layer the tomatoes, cheese and mozzarella then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top off with salt and pepper. Every now and then I'll throw in some olives if we have any. They are a nice compliment to the tomatoes and mozzarella, plus I just really like olives. Buon Appetito!
sliced tomatoes (the quantity depends on how many are eating and if it's the main course or not. for a meal, I eat one tomato all by myself)
sliced fresh mozzarella (the best is mozzarella di bufala, but that is pricey and hard to find. most places nowadays have bocconcini, which are sufficient) one for each tomato slice
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
basil (fresh is best, but if you don't have any, dried will do)
a dash of salt and pepper
Layer the tomatoes, cheese and mozzarella then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top off with salt and pepper. Every now and then I'll throw in some olives if we have any. They are a nice compliment to the tomatoes and mozzarella, plus I just really like olives. Buon Appetito!
24.5.09
Asparagus and Prosciutto
This is a tasty, easy dish that is perfect either as a side dish or as a main dish. Yummy.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
6-7 shoots of asparagus (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)
6-7 slices of prosciutto (I like 1 slice per asparagus shoot)
Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and wrap each shoot of asparagus in a thin slice of prosciutto. Place in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Buon Appetito!
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
6-7 shoots of asparagus (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)
6-7 slices of prosciutto (I like 1 slice per asparagus shoot)
Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and wrap each shoot of asparagus in a thin slice of prosciutto. Place in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Buon Appetito!
13.5.09
Orecchiette with sausage and rappi
This dish came about kind of as a mixture of several different dishes. I love the combination of the sausage, rappi, cheese and pasta. It's great. I've never tried making less than one pound of pasta for this dish, so if that is too much for you to stomach, this makes great leftovers.
1 lb. Orecchiette (any tubular pasta would work just fine)
10-12 oz sausage (I like hot Gianelli sausage for this, but you can experiment and find what works for you)
1 lb. rappi (broccoli rabe)
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese (I prefer parmigiano reggiano)
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes and the sausage and cook until the sausage is browned and broken up into little pieces. Remove from heat. Put at pot of about 4-6 quarts of water on the stove to boil. While the water is cooking, wash the rappi and cut about two inches off of the stems and discard. Chop up the rest of the rappi and set aside. Prepare a large bowl (big enough for the rappi) with ice water and set aside. When the water on the stove is boiling, add the rappi and blanch for no longer than two minutes. After two minutes, strain the water from the rappi (saving the water) and immediately put the rappi into the prepared ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the rappi is cooled, remove from the ice water, pat dry and set to the side. Take the water used to cook the rappi and put it back into the pot and use to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta until not quite al dente and remove from the stove, strain - saving one cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta, rappi, and cup of pasta/rappi cooking water to the pan with the sausage and cook for several minutes on medium high, stirring frequently until the water has mostly cooked off. Top with salt, pepper and cheese and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
1 lb. Orecchiette (any tubular pasta would work just fine)
10-12 oz sausage (I like hot Gianelli sausage for this, but you can experiment and find what works for you)
1 lb. rappi (broccoli rabe)
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese (I prefer parmigiano reggiano)
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes and the sausage and cook until the sausage is browned and broken up into little pieces. Remove from heat. Put at pot of about 4-6 quarts of water on the stove to boil. While the water is cooking, wash the rappi and cut about two inches off of the stems and discard. Chop up the rest of the rappi and set aside. Prepare a large bowl (big enough for the rappi) with ice water and set aside. When the water on the stove is boiling, add the rappi and blanch for no longer than two minutes. After two minutes, strain the water from the rappi (saving the water) and immediately put the rappi into the prepared ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the rappi is cooled, remove from the ice water, pat dry and set to the side. Take the water used to cook the rappi and put it back into the pot and use to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta until not quite al dente and remove from the stove, strain - saving one cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta, rappi, and cup of pasta/rappi cooking water to the pan with the sausage and cook for several minutes on medium high, stirring frequently until the water has mostly cooked off. Top with salt, pepper and cheese and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
25.4.09
Gorgonzola Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
This stuffed pork tenderloin is simple and full of taste. Like most of the food that I love, some good cheese is an essential part of the mix. In this case, it's gorgonzola, although if that is too strong for you, you can substitute brie, that has a much milder, more buttery taste.
Marinade - this is enough for about 3-4 lbs. of meat.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine (for those of you a little squeamish to use wine, sorry, don't know what to tell you to substitute for it, you can always use cooking wine that you can get in any grocery store)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white pepper
This part is really simple. Combine all of the ingredients, add the meat and let sit overnight. Done.
Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup gorgonzola
1/4 cup white wine (again, if you don't want to use wine, try the cooking wine or just use water for this part)
1 cube chicken broth
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Crush the broth cube and add it with the cream, stirring constantly. Mix in the wine and continue stirring until the sauce boils. When the sauce reaches a boil, add the cheese and turn the heat to low, stirring until the cheese melts. When the cheese is melted, remove from heat and let sit for several minutes until the sauce thickens.
The Pork Loin
3-4 lbs Pork Tenderloin
1 apple or pear
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
baking twine
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peal and core the apple, then slice it into thin pieces. Place a small pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and apple slices, and saute until tender, 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and slit the pork lengthwise to at least the center of the tenderloin and stretch out. Place the gorgonzola and sauteed apple slices along the center of the tenderloin, wrap and tie with the twine to secure. Put the stuffed tenderloin in a pan over medium heat, and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Finally put the tenderloin in a pan, cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin). When the tenderloin is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for several minutes before cutting it in medallions. Cover the medallions with the sauce and serve.
Buon Appetito!
Marinade - this is enough for about 3-4 lbs. of meat.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine (for those of you a little squeamish to use wine, sorry, don't know what to tell you to substitute for it, you can always use cooking wine that you can get in any grocery store)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white pepper
This part is really simple. Combine all of the ingredients, add the meat and let sit overnight. Done.
Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup gorgonzola
1/4 cup white wine (again, if you don't want to use wine, try the cooking wine or just use water for this part)
1 cube chicken broth
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Crush the broth cube and add it with the cream, stirring constantly. Mix in the wine and continue stirring until the sauce boils. When the sauce reaches a boil, add the cheese and turn the heat to low, stirring until the cheese melts. When the cheese is melted, remove from heat and let sit for several minutes until the sauce thickens.
The Pork Loin
3-4 lbs Pork Tenderloin
1 apple or pear
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
baking twine
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peal and core the apple, then slice it into thin pieces. Place a small pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and apple slices, and saute until tender, 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and slit the pork lengthwise to at least the center of the tenderloin and stretch out. Place the gorgonzola and sauteed apple slices along the center of the tenderloin, wrap and tie with the twine to secure. Put the stuffed tenderloin in a pan over medium heat, and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Finally put the tenderloin in a pan, cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin). When the tenderloin is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for several minutes before cutting it in medallions. Cover the medallions with the sauce and serve.
Buon Appetito!
22.4.09
Pasta Belligerence*
This dish that owes it's name to the excessive amounts of pasta eaten by missionaries in the Italy Milan Mission, and was named by Kimball Hobby. It also goes by Pasta Primavera, but is markedly different than another dish with the same name. This is a pasta salad, eaten cold and is comprised mainly of fresh vegetables. It is a perfect dish for either a light lunch or dinner, especially in the spring or summer.
2-3 tomatoes
1-2 bell peppers
1 cup olives - kalamata or large green
8 oz of fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 lb penne pasta
salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
The above are the basic ingredients, but for those willing to go the extra mile, your taste buds will be rewarded. The extra mile also includes:
8 0z pancetta (if you can't find any pancetta, cubed bacon will do)
8 0z Italian sausage (I prefer hot)
1 can artichoke hearts
This dish is extremely simple. Boil enough water (I couldn't tell you how much water to boil, I always eyeball it, better too much that too little) for the pasta, adding about a tablespoon of salt and olive oil to the water. Dump in the pasta and cook until al dente. When the pasta is done, empty it into a colander and briefly (2-3 minutes) run it under cold water and then place in the fridge. Chop up all of the veggies and cheese and then combine them in a salad bowl. If you are going the extra mile, cook the pancetta and the sausage (I prefer them slightly overcooked and somewhat crunchy, adding a different texture to the salad) strain off the grease, and add the meat to the salad bowl as well. Once the pasta is cold, add the pasta to the rest of the ingredients.
When we serve the pasta, I prefer to let each individual dress it according to taste, with the chopped basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. The pasta keeps well in the fridge for a few days, except for the cheese. So if you are planning on keeping it around as left-overs like we often do, plan on keeping the cheese separate from the rest of the dish, so that it doesn't become too mushy. Buon Appetito.
*At it's most belligerent, I made this with roughly 6.5 lbs of pasta, 15 tomatoes, 15 bell peppers, 7.5 lbs of fresh mozzarella, and four pounds each of pancetta and sausage. All for four elders. It was all eaten. Forza Grifoni!
2-3 tomatoes
1-2 bell peppers
1 cup olives - kalamata or large green
8 oz of fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 lb penne pasta
salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
The above are the basic ingredients, but for those willing to go the extra mile, your taste buds will be rewarded. The extra mile also includes:
8 0z pancetta (if you can't find any pancetta, cubed bacon will do)
8 0z Italian sausage (I prefer hot)
1 can artichoke hearts
This dish is extremely simple. Boil enough water (I couldn't tell you how much water to boil, I always eyeball it, better too much that too little) for the pasta, adding about a tablespoon of salt and olive oil to the water. Dump in the pasta and cook until al dente. When the pasta is done, empty it into a colander and briefly (2-3 minutes) run it under cold water and then place in the fridge. Chop up all of the veggies and cheese and then combine them in a salad bowl. If you are going the extra mile, cook the pancetta and the sausage (I prefer them slightly overcooked and somewhat crunchy, adding a different texture to the salad) strain off the grease, and add the meat to the salad bowl as well. Once the pasta is cold, add the pasta to the rest of the ingredients.
When we serve the pasta, I prefer to let each individual dress it according to taste, with the chopped basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. The pasta keeps well in the fridge for a few days, except for the cheese. So if you are planning on keeping it around as left-overs like we often do, plan on keeping the cheese separate from the rest of the dish, so that it doesn't become too mushy. Buon Appetito.
*At it's most belligerent, I made this with roughly 6.5 lbs of pasta, 15 tomatoes, 15 bell peppers, 7.5 lbs of fresh mozzarella, and four pounds each of pancetta and sausage. All for four elders. It was all eaten. Forza Grifoni!
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