Sausages with Greens & Beans and Grilled Garlic Bread

I fell in love with Italian Greens & Beans at our Italian friend’s family dinner and have been making it ever since. Here’s my spin on the dish. This dish is healthy, tasty, cheap and quick… and my hubby loves it!

 

Greens & Beans:

1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
½ cup broth
2 crushed garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes (Amount depends on how spicy you like it. I usually do 1 tsp.)
1 can cannellini or white kidney beans
Salt & pepper, to taste

Grilled Garlic Toast:

Rustic, crusty bread, sliced (I used a crusty sourdough loaf)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Garlic cloves
Sea salt

Sausages…your favorite kind!

In a large pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add kale and carrots; sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, pepper flakes and cannellini beans. Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to eat.

While the sausages are grilling, brush one side of each slice of bread with EVOO. Grill bread on both sides. Once bread is toasty, rub oiled side with garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt.

Serve greens and beans with grilled sausages and sprinkle everything with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

 

Note: I know traditional Italian greens and beans don't have carrots, but I like to sneak in as many veggies in every dish whenever possible.

Eggplant Parmesan over Fettuccine

I guess this is technically Chicken Parmesan made with fried eggplant instead of chicken and minus the parmesan cheese. I don’t know. What would you call it? Delicious?

4 servings

Vegetable and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for frying

1 large eggplant, sliced into ½” slices

Salt

Flour, for dredging
2 beaten eggs, for dipping
Italian seasoned bread crumbs, for coating

1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball, sliced

Package of your favorite fettuccine

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a sausage sauce to add some meat to the dish)

3 large fresh basil leaves, sliced, for garnish

Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and set aside. This will start to sweat the eggplant to remove the extra water.

In a large frying pan, heat half vegetable oil and half EVOO over medium high heat. You want the oil to come half way up the eggplant slices when cooking. While oil is heating up, finish preparing eggplant slices.

Using a dish towel or paper towel, rub eggplant slices with salt and remove excess water. Set aside.

Prepare three bowls in the following order: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Taking each eggplant slice, dredge in flour, dip in egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Drop in oil and cook until each side is golden brown, only flipping once. Remove from oil and place on a wire rack; set aside.

In the meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions; drain and toss with pasta sauce to heat through. Set aside.

Once all the eggplant is fried, top each slice with mozzarella cheese and place under a broiler until cheese is bubble and starts to turn brown.

To plate, add pasta topped with eggplant and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Baked Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Shells

Pick your favorite pasta sauce for this dish. I used a sundried tomato pesto sauce.

 

3-4 servings

 

8 oz jumbo pasta shells

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, save some to sprinkle on top

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, save some to sprinkle on top

2 green onion sprigs, chopped

2 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

Zest from one lemon

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

About 10 fresh basil leaves, sliced

 

Cook pasta shells according to directions on packaging. Drain, set aside and cool.

 

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, mozzarella, green onion, parsley, lemon zest and spinach.  Stuff each shell with cheese and spinach mixture.

 

Add stuffed shells to a greased casserole dish. Top each shell with a spoonful of your favorite pasta sauce. Top with extra cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Spinach Shrimp Fettuccine

Over the Christmas holiday while my parents were in town, we made fresh raviolis. They turned the leftover dough into fresh fettuccine for us. We hung the pasta in the laundry room to dry and now are enjoying it a month later. Perfect!

 

 

¼ stick of butter

1 cup half and half

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup chopped frozen spinach

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 tsp butter

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

½ raw shrimp, peeled

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

 

In a pot over medium heat, add butter and melt. Add half and half and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low until ready to use. Do not boil.

 

In another pot, boil water and cook fettuccine according to directions.

 

In a sauté pan over med high heat, add butter and EVOO. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp. As soon as one side turns pink, turn. Add cherry tomatoes. Sauté together until both sides of shrimp are pink. Remove from heat immediately, to not overcook. 

 

Drain fettuccine. Add pasta to pot with spinach Alfredo sauce; toss to coat. 

 

Serve pasta in a shallow bowl and top with sautéed shrimp and tomatoes. Sprinkle with extra grated parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi with Ham and Peas in Creamy Pesto

We just got back from our trip to Croatia where we had the opportunity to try all types of regional Dalmatian cuisine. In different parts of Croatia, the cuisine and architecture have Italian influences, since the two countries are located just across the Adriatic Sea.

This meal was inspired by a dish my husband had in a little town near Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. Since it’s all store bought (sorry, I cheated for this one!), it was super fast to put together. I think the longest cooking time was for the frozen peas! Perfect for a midweek meal.

1 package of Knorr Creamy Pesto sauce mix (or use your favorite jarred white sauce)

1-17 oz package of potato gnocchi
5 oz frozen peas
7 oz cubed ham
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Prepare Creamy Pesto sauce mix according to directions on packaging. Whisk constantly and remove from heat; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peas for 3 minutes, then add gnocchi for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan over high heat, sauté cubed ham to brown.

When gnocchi start to float to the top of the water, drain water and return to peas and gnocchi to pot. Mix in pesto and ham.

Serve in a shallow bowl and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. I garnished with diced tomato, just because I had some on hand to use up.

Black Risotto with Shrimp and Scallops

On our trip to Croatia, we made various stops along the coast – Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split – and in each town almost every restaurant offered black risotto (crni rižoto). The risotto is blackened using cuttlefish ink and includes sautéed cuttlefish.

When we returned to the States, I visited an Italian market that only sold imported goods and found a package of the black risotto. I was so excited to try this dish at home. Instead of running all over town and trying to hunt down cuttlefish, I decided to just use shrimp and scallops, then serve with a side of baked halibut.

1 package of black risotto (try to find this at your local Italian market)

½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ pound scallops
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Prepare risotto according to directions on package. My instructions called for cooking the risotto in a pot of salted water with 1 Tbsp of butter for 18 minutes. Once risotto is tender, season with salt and mix in half of parmesan cheese. Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp of butter over high heat. Sauté shrimp and scallops until shrimp turn pink and scallops are cooked through and are no longer translucent in the middle. This should only take about 3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Mix the seafood into the pot of risotto. Serve in a shallow bowl and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with green onions.

Fried Polenta with Black Bean Salsa

A little bit of Italy with a Central American flare.

 

Polenta originates from Italy and is a porridge like substance made from cornmeal. It has a smooth, creamy consistency, similar to cream of wheat or grits. Polenta can be used in place of rice, potatoes, pasta or bread and served as an appetizer or as a part of the main dish.

2 servings

1-18 oz tube of precooked polenta (I used  a brand from Quinoa)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Black Bean Salsa:

1 can of black beans (I used ½ a can)
½ small red bell pepper, diced
½ small yellow bell pepper, diced
½ large avocado, diced
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Juice from one lime
Salt, season to taste

Cotija cheese

Cut polenta into ½”slices. I cut 4 slices per person. In a frying pan over med-high heat, drizzle just a little EVOO. Cook polenta for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for black bean salsa. Carefully toss to combine without mashing the avocado.

Top fried polenta slices with black bean salsa. Top with crumbled Cotija cheese. Serve with grilled chicken.

Note: To prepare the chicken, I rubbed the chicken pieces with chili powder and salt, then drizzled with lime juice. Let marinate for 30 minutes and then grill until cooked through.

Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Where the flavors of Italy and the Mediterranean meet and create happiness in your mouth.

 

1 lb dried Orzo pasta

1 cup mozzarella cheese pearls

½ cup sliced Kalamata olives

1/3 cup diced sun dried tomatoes

1 large bunch of basil, chopped

2 green onion sprigs, chopped

1/3 cup minced Italian flat leaf parsley

Marinade:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

Juice from one lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Cook Orzo according to directions on packaging; cook until al dente. Set aside and allow to cool.

 

In a small bowl, combine marinade ingredients and whisk together; set aside. 

 

Toss cooled Orzo pasta with remaining ingredients. Add marinade and mix together until well combined.

 

Helpful hint: For a more flavorful pasta, make this dish a day ahead to allow the flavors to marinate overnight. 

 

Variations:

·         Substitute the sun dried tomatoes for halved fresh cherry tomatoes

·         Substitute the  marinade for a pesto sauce

Stuffed Chicken over Almond Pesto

A nice dinner for my hubby's Birthday: I started off with a Caprese Salad and then this main dish of sundried tomato and spinach stuffed baked chicken over homemade almond pesto pasta.

Stuffed Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
¼ cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and water squeezed out, split in four parts
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped, split in four parts
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Almond Pesto:

2 cups of packed basil leaves
¼ cup of slivered almonds
2 garlic clove
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Juice from one lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

½ lb pasta (bow tie or tube)

In a blender or food processor, add basil, almonds, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese and lemon juice; blend and slowly add EVOO while blender is on. Blend until smooth. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice each chicken breast in half and pound until about ¼” thin. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Layout out filets, add a slice of cheese, ¼ forth the spinach and tomatoes on each filet and roll up; secure with toothpicks.

In a sauce pan over med-high heat, drizzle EVOO and brown all sides of the rolled chicken. Then bake for 15 minutes, or depending on thickness, until cooked all the way through.

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Then drain and toss with pesto sauce.

Serve pesto pasta with sliced chicken. Drizzle chicken with remaining juices from pan. Enjoy!

Caprese Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage

3-4 servings

½ lb dried Rigatoni pasta

3 links of hot Italian sausage (turkey or pork)

Handful of baby heirloom tomatoes, halved

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, halved

Jarred sundried tomato pesto

3-4 large basil leaves, sliced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, cook sausages, turning occasionally until they are browned and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest.

Add a drizzle of EVOO to frying pan and lightly sauté tomatoes. Meanwhile, slice sausages.

Drain pasta, return to pot, stir in pesto and coat pasta. Stir in sausage, tomatoes and mozzarella. Serve in a shallow dish and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Double Chocolate Biscotti with Cherries and Almonds

Biscotti are twice-baked biscuits originating from Italy. They are pretty sturdy cookies so I thought they’d be the perfect treat to make and mail to my parents for Valentine’s Day.

2 cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¾ stick of unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

½ cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

Zest from one orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, or Kitchen Aide, beat butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs until combined. Stir in flour mixture until it forms a stiff dough. Stir in chocolate chips, almonds, cherries and orange zest.

With floured hands, create two flattened logs from dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let biscotti cool, leaving oven on.

Cut biscotti into ¾ inch slices. Arrange cut side down and bake for 9 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake another 7 minutes.

Cool completely and enjoy with coffee. Store extras in an airtight container.

Hearty Minestrone

About 6 servings

4 slices of bacon, diced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1 small bunch of kale, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, pressed
A few dashes of red pepper flakes
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups V8 juice (use the spicy flavor to kick up the heat!)
1 piece of parmesan cheese rind
2 bay leaves
1 can cannellini beans

In a large pot heat EVOO over med-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pot and set on paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Wipe out a majority of the bacon fat, add veggies, garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add water, broth, V8, bay leaves, cannellini beans and bacon, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Discard cheese rind and bay leaves before serving.

Enjoy in a shallow bowl with a rustic or garlic bread.

Pepperoni Chicken & Cabbage

This dish was inspired by an Italian recipe from Mike Isabella, the Top Chef star. I was a little scared of it at first because it sounded weird, but it was really tasty. I had defrosted chicken and a head of cabbage in the fridge so it worked out perfectly.

Chicken:
4-5 thinly sliced chicken breasts
2 Tbsp EVOO
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
2 Tbsp minced parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp paprika

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the chicken. In a large zip lock bag, add the chicken and marinade. Shake the bag to coat chicken. Marinade in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight.

In the meanwhile make the sauce and cabbage.

Sauce:
1 Tbsp EVOO
¼ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
About 2 oz chopped pepperoni
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 can crushed tomatoes, undrained
¼ cup broth (vegetable or chicken)

In a sauce pan over med-high heat, heat EVOO and sauté onion and garlic for about 3-4 minutes. Add pepperoni and pepper flakes; cook for 4 more minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While sauce is simmering, cook cabbage.

Cabbage:
2 Tbsp EVOO
½ cup diced onion
8 oz diced pepperoni
4 cups sliced cabbage
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced parsley

In a medium sauce pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add pepperoni and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until wilted. Just before serving toss with vinegar and parsley.

To serve, plate cabbage, then chicken and top with sauce.

Beef Involtini

I found this Italian recipe for rolled beef called Beef Involtini, which is similar to a Czech recipe I love called Spanish Birds.

4 servings

1 cup stale sourdough bread, chopped

1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup frozen chopped spinach, defrost and squeeze out excess water

1 1/2 lb round or flank steaks

sliced pepperoni, about 2-3 slices per roll

Salt and pepper

EVOO

½ small onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 large garlic clove, diced

1 can diced tomatoes with basil, undrained

In a large bowl prepare stuffing by combining bread, parsley, cheese and spinach; set aside.

Pound out meat into four ¼” thick steaks. Lay the meat out, place a couple slices of pepperoni on top and spoon stuffing over that. Roll up tightly. Secure roll with toothpicks or butcher twine. Repeat for remaining rolls. Season with salt and pepper.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, drizzle a little EVOO and add onion, celery and carrot. Cook until veggies are tender.

Add the involtini to the pan and lightly brown all sides; add tomatoes. Mix well, cover and cook for about 1 hour.

Remove toothpicks or twine from rolls before serving. Plate by creating a bed of rice, top with tomato mixture and finish with sliced involtini.

Spicy Italian Greens & Beans

This is a super easy, cheap and tasty dish to make. It is also pretty healthy too since the only fat added to the Greens & Beans is the oil used for sautéing.

 

½ yellow onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, mince (I love garlic, but if this is too much for you, just use less.)

1 bunch of kale, stemmed removed and roughly chopped
1 can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
Red pepper flakes
Chicken or vegetable broth
Salt, seasoned to taste
EVOO

In a sauté pan over med-high heat, add a few drizzles of EVOO and sauté onion and garlic until fragrant. Add chopped kale, beans, a few dashes of red pepper flakes and just enough broth to have liquid at the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the broth starts to evaporate, add more just to create steam in the pan, cover again and continue cooking. Add salt to taste. Stir in more red pepper if you like it spicier.

Serve with fried, thin-cut pork chops.

Note: If you want a stronger garlic flavor, add garlic at the end of cooking instead of sautéing with onion.

 

Potato Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

This dish was inspired by a meal we had in Venice, which was our most amazing dinner of the trip. At the restaurant, Rosa Rossa, they used “duck ham,” which was essentially fried duck fat, which I substituted for bacon here.

Gnocchi:
1 lb Russet potatoes
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup flour
Pinch of salt

Sauce:
3 slices of thick bacon, diced
4 oz Gorgonzola Cheese (room temperature)
1 oz butter
8 oz heavy cream
Freshly cracked black pepper
Zucchini, thinly sliced

Gnocchi:
Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Steam potatoes for about 10 minutes (or you can bake halved potatoes for 50 minutes); drain and let cool so you can handle them. Using a potato ricer, or the fine side of your grater, shred potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Add egg, flour and salt. Gently mix with your hands until ingredients are combined and you have a ball of dough. Do not over mix to maintain light and fluffy gnocchi.

Dust your counter top or work space with flour. Take one piece of dough at a time and gently roll into a long ¾” rope with your hands. Be careful not to press down on the dough, but to roll outwards.

(Make sauce now, before you start boiling gnocchi.)

Cut dough rope into ½” pieces. Drop into a pot of salted boiling water. As gnocchi floats, remove them and set them in a colander.

Sauce:
In a frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and to a paper towel on a plate. In the same pan, add zucchini slices and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over high heat, combine cheese, butter, cream and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer. Add bacon. Wisk sauce until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

Spoon gnocchi into a bowl, top with sauce, add zucchini, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Garnish with fresh basil.

Lasagna

Fresh from the oven. I usually top each tomato slice with a basil leaf, but I didn't have any. It looks really pretty.



I like to use a clear dish so you can see all the yummy layers and colors.



Wait for the lasagna to cool about 10 minutes after removing from oven so you can slice it nicely. Otherwise the cheese will be to soft and runny and you'll have a mess.


I box of non-bake lasagna noodles
I jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb of beef (or turkey or ½ and ½)
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, lightly salted
3 mushrooms, sliced
Onion, a few ring slices, separated
1 tomato, sliced, lightly salted
½ cup cottage cheese
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 egg
1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan, sauté beef until almost done. Drain fat. Return to stove top and add spaghetti sauce, about ¼ of jar. Mix with beef and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, spinach, egg, ½ bag of mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese together.

In a casserole dish (9" x 9"), add a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce. Spread around to cover the bottom of the dish. Start to layer from bottom to the top: lasagna noodles, beef, lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce to cover noodles, cottage cheese mixture, zucchini, onion rings, mushrooms, lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce, the rest of the mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, and then the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and back for 45 minutes. Uncover and back for an additional 10 minutes, so top cheese melts and browns. Let lasagna sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.