Tag: Italian

Pizza

  • Chef Boyardee Cheese Pizza Kit  (Keep dough mix, throw away the rest)
  • Shredded mozzarella
  • Pizza sauce
  • Other toppings
  1. In a medium bowl, gradually pour 2/3 cup of warm water into the dough mix.
  2. Stir vigorously until the dough becomes roughly ball-shaped.
  3. Lightly coat the dough with about 1 Tbsp of canola oil.
  4. Cover the bowl with a cloth and place bowl in warm oven (200°) for about 5 minutes to rise.
  5. Spray pans and hands with Pam and spread the dough onto the pizza pan.
  6. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired.
  7. Bake in oven at 425° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Can use flour instead of Pam when working the dough.

Pasta Fagioli

Some time ago, I found a website claiming it had the ‘secret’ restaurant recipes of popular dishes.  It claimed this is the same pasta fagioli soup from Olive Garden.  I don’t know if that’s true, but it sure is tasty!

Pasta Fagioli
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
  • 1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 15-oz can red kidney beans (w/ liquid)
  • 1 15-oz can great northern beans (w/ liquid)
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 12-oz can V-8 juice
  • 1 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp thyme
  • ½ lb. (1/2 pkg) ditali pasta
Instructions
  1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.
  2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
  4. About 50 minutes into the simmering, coo the pasta in 1½ to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.
  5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more and serve.

 

Chicken Carbonara

So, compared to many of the other recipes here, this one is a little more complicated, but well worth the effort.

Chicken Carbonara
 
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Recipe type: Main
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. Olive oil
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 ½ cups whipping cream
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 8 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • Salt
  • 1 lb. Spaghetti (I use cellentani pasta)
  • 4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I usually leave these out)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest (finely grated lemon peel)
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta ans garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is jut tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.
  4. Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine.
  5. Add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs).
  6. Season the pasta to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need).
  7. Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.