Italian Recipes to Show Your Love

Print Recipe

Love Pasta

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

Seasonal Event:

Valentine's Day

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, make Bolognese: In a large skillet or pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. In a bowl, mix ground turkey with Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper.
4. Add ground turkey to garlic and onion; cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes more.
5. Turn down heat and add cubed tomatoes and ½ cup of water, let stew for 20 minutes.
6. After 5 minutes, start layering in the Parmesan cheese, mixing frequently, adding water if needed to keep the mixture moist. Stir in sugar to taste.
7. Toss with pasta.
8. Serve, adding Parmesan on top. Serve with rustic bread or garlic bread.

Print Recipe

Polpette Alla Griglia

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

• In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain the breadcrumbs, squeezing to remove excess milk, then
• Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork fat, bread-crumb puree, ricotta, Parmigiana Reggiano, parsley, garlic, anchovy paste, chile powder, caraway seeds, ground fennel seeds, salt and fish sauce. Mix thoroughly by hand, kneading until you have a smooth, even mixture. Roll the picture in your hands to 18 well packed 2-ounce balls, roughly the size of golf balls, arranging them on a baking sheet as you work. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the wine to a boil and cook until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 120 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown around the edges, m about 1 minute. Add the sofrito and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the reduced wine, the tomatoes, anchovies, salt and 2 cups of water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer then remove the sauce from heat and set aside.
• Take the meatballs out of the fridge and bring to room temperature while you build a medium fire charcoal grill or preheat gas grill. Brush the grill grate with olive oil. Arrange the meatballs on the grate over medium heat. Sear on one side until well grill-marked, about 5 minutes, being careful not to move them too much, turn and sear for another 5 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the heat and over to keep warm.

• Just before you are ready to serve, make the braised greens.
• In a sauté́ pan over high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the greens to the pan in batches and sauté until wilted. Add the preserved lemon and 1/2 cup water and toss quickly until the water evaporates. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Place 3meatballs in the center of each serving bowl. Ladle about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce over the meatballs. Top each serving with about 1/2 cup of the braised greens and 1/4 cup of the ricotta. Garnish with a pinch of Maldon salt, a pinch of fennel pollen, a pinch of dried oregano and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

• In a pan, let it reduce and lightly brown.

Print Recipe

Mushroom Bolognese

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian, Healthy

Yield:

Serves 4

Time:

30 minutes

1. In the bowl of your food processor fitted with the blade pulse the mushrooms until they appear coarsely ground. Set aside.
2. Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add ¼ c of olive oil along with the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook while stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften.
3. Next, add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown and dry out then stir in the tomato paste, allowing it to toast for a minute before adding the milk.
4. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
6. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the cooking instructions.
7. When the pasta is ready add it to the mushrooms along with ¼ c of pasta water and toss to coat the pasta.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in some torn basil and freshly grated parmesan, grating more over the top for serving.

1. To prepare italian meat sauce: in a large casserole pot or dutch oven, brown italian sausage and ground chuck over medium heat, breaking apart meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain excess fat.
2. Return meat to pot; add olive oil, garlic, italian seasoning and crushed red pepper; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, fresh basil, salt, sugar and black pepper; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until meat sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning; set aside to cool.
3. To prepare ricotta mixture: in a large bowl, thoroughly mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, parsley, basil and egg; set aside.
4. To assemble lasagna: preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Spread 2 cups italian meat sauce in the bottom of a large 11-by-14-inch baking dish. Layer 4 lasagna noodles over sauce. Spread one-half of the ricotta mixture evenly over noodles. Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 cups italian meat sauce. Repeat with a second layer of 4 lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 cups italian meat sauce. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, remaining italian meat sauce and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake lasagna for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. (cover top loosely with foil if cheese is browning too fast.) Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
6. To serve: using a serrated knife, slice lasagna into 12 portions. Top evenly with grated parmesan cheese.

*For quick and easy lasagna noodle prep: arrange lasagna noodles in a baking dish, slowly pour boiling water over noodles, cover with foil or film wrap and let soak for 20 minutes or until pliable.

Print Recipe

Margherita Pizza

Course:

Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

• Dust the pizza dough in flour and stretch to 10 to 12 inches round
• Ladle the tomato sauce on top of the pizza spreading all the way to crust
• Bake in a 500-degree oven on a pizza stone or inverted tray for 4-6 minutes
• Finish with olive oil, parmiagiano cheese and fresh basil

• Place flour, water, and yeast in a stand mixer with a hook attachment. Mix on low for 7 minutes.
• Add salt and olive oil. Mix slightly faster for 3 minutes
• Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Shape into 4 balls. Dough holds refrigerated for 3 days. Best used on the second day. If using the day of, leave at room temperature for two hours before use.

• Place the canned tomatoes into a colander to allow excess liquid to drain.
• Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend till smooth

Print Recipe

Herby Italian Chicken

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the breasts until they are about ¼ inch thick.
2. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, thyme, parsley, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and the salt. Using tongs, add the chicken breasts to the bowl and mix to coat. (Optional: let the coated chicken breasts marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.)
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Pan fry the chicken breasts until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. In a large salad bowl, add the remaining olive oil and lemon juice and the basil. Add the tomatoes and arugula and toss to coat.
5. Plate each chicken breast with half of the salad mixture.

Print Recipe

Strozzapreti

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

1. In a large sauce pot add the oil and heat on medium.
2. Once the pan is hot, add the sausage and sauté until it is cooked thru and crumbled.
3. Next remove most of the fat and add the onion, garlic, carrots and walnuts. Sauté until translucent and al dente.
4. Add the white wine and reduce by half then add the chicken stock and slowly simmer until reduced by a quarter.
5. After that add the butter and broccolini simmer for 2 mins and remove from the heat.
6. In the meantime, cook the strozzapreti in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente.
7. Once cooked add the pasta to the sausage sauce.
8. Finish by topping with the toasted panko, a small amount of lemon zest, grated parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes and serve.

Print Recipe

Chicken Piccata

Course:

Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

1. Put one of the chicken breasts on cutting board. Keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board, cut into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Slice horizontally all the way through the chicken breast to make two thinner pieces that are about 1/2–inch thick. Repeat with the other chicken breast. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Put 2 pieces of chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 1 more minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour off the remaining oil and butter and wipe out the pan. Add another 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter to the skillet and repeat the same steps for the 2 remaining chicken pieces. Keep all cooked chicken pieces warm under the foil.
3. Make pan sauce by adding the lemon juice and zest, broth, and capers to the skillet and bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (those bits add a lot of flavor). Cook until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to pan and turn to coat.
4. To serve, put a piece of chicken on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon the sauce over chicken and garnish with the parsley.

Print Recipe

Eggplant Lasagna

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

*Broiled eggplant stands in for lasagna noodles in this robust dish

1. Trim eggplants, but leave peel on; slice lengthwise ¼-inch to 1/3-inch thick. Layer in a colander, salting each layer. Let stand in the sink or over a bowl for 15 minutes to drain bitter juices.
2. Meanwhile, in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, cook beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until browned and beginning to crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain liquid from skillet and stir in tomato sauce. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.
3. Brush mushrooms lightly with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 minutes per side in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Cut into 1/2-inch slices; set aside.
4. Heat broiler. Pat eggplant dry. Brush olive oil on both sides. Broil 3 minutes per side until just beginning to char; set aside to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
5. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine ricotta, spinach, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until blended. Add pepper.
6. Lightly oil a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant slices in an even layer, overlapping slightly. Top with half the mozzarella and all the mushrooms. Spoon on half the meat sauce, then spread all the ricotta mixture, in an even layer. Top with the remaining eggplant, followed by the remaining sauce and the mozzarella.
7. Bake about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Recipe courtesy of Atkins.com

Print Recipe

Cauliflower Baked Ziti

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine the cauliflower and pizza sauces and stir well
2. Bring sauce to a boil over medium high heat
3. Lower heat and cover the pot
4. Let simmer for 15 minutes
5. Preheat oven to 350 – in a medium bowl, beat together eggs, grated cheese, and salt. Set Aside.
6. After cauliflower is tender, stir in the spinach and simmer to cook off any excess moisture in the pot.
7. Remove Pot from Heat and stir in the egg and cheese mixture. Top with the shredded cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, until the eggs have set and the cheese is bubbly on top. Allow dish to cool for 10 minutes then serve warm.

Print Recipe

Fettuccini with Manila Clams

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian, Seafood

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a large pot on medium high heat, drizzle in a touch of olive oil. Add the chili flakes, sausage, garlic and clams and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the saffron and deglaze with white wine. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Reduce by half, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the pasta to water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pasta and add to clams. Continue to reduce the sauce, stirring pasta to release starch to help thicken sauce. Reduce heat to medium, add butter and stir to create sauce. If too thick, add a touch of pasta water to thin out. Fold in the parsley and season one last time with salt and pepper, if needed.

1. Place the egg yolks and whole eggs in a food processor using the blade attachment. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil, and pulse a few times.
2. Add half of the flour and pulse until the eggs absorb it and you have a semi-thick paste. Add the rest of the flour and allow the blade to rotate continuously. When the dough is ready, you should see a ball-shaped mass of dough bouncing around the canister. If the dough is still too wet to the touch, add an extra tablespoon of flour. If it is a bit dry, add a little water.
3. Take the pasta dough out and roll/shape according to the directions of the recipe you are making. If you’re saving some of the unshaped pasta dough for later, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Print Recipe

Seared Scallops

Course:

Dinner

Cuisine:

Italian, Seafood

Yield:

4 servings

1. In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, add the bacon and render it down until it starts to get crispy (3 minutes). Add the farro and gently sauté in the bacon fat (3 minutes). Start adding the chicken stock (just enough to cover), turn heat down and cook until it softens (20 to 30 minutes). Constantly stir and continue to add chicken stock as it absorbs. When the farro is “tooth tender,” add the butter, Parmesan and chopped Broccolini. Stir until it “creams out” smooth risotto style. Season with Salt and Pepper.
2. In another large sauté pan over high heat add canola oil. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt. Place them in the sauté pan and cook until they become golden brown on the 1st side -- 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for another minute or 2. Scallops are best mid rare.
3. Plate on a platter: Farro “Risotto” down first with the scallops on top of it. Finish by spooning the Gremolata over the top. Sit back, pour some wine, relax, eat, laugh, tell stories and make memories.
4. Broccolini: Toss the Broccolini in the olive oil, season with salt. Char in the oven on a high broil until it starts to blacken or grill to get the good Char. Don’t fear the burn!

1. Put every thing in a large pot and bring it to a gentle simmer. Cook it for 8 to 24 hours – add water as it evaporates. Strain it and refrigerate it. The fat will rise to the top – skim it and use the fat to cook with – better then butter. Return the stock to a pot and reduce it to about 4 to 5 cups - I like to store in an ice tray to enhance all sauces.

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl – EXCEPT the lemon juice. Not until you are ready to serve will you add the lemon juice.

Make sure you follow Chef Brian Malarkey, owner Herringbone, at www.Herringboneeats.com and @BrianMalarkey

Print Recipe

Italian Lemon Cakes

Course:

Dessert

Cuisine:

Italian

1. Preheat the oven to 320° F.
2. Prepare a 6-cup mini cake pan. Brush the individual cups with butter and then light coat in flour. Set aside.
3. Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. When the mixture is light and fluffy incorporate the eggs one at a time. Add the chopped almonds and stir to combine. Add the melted white chocolate.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the cake cups. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before you turn them out.
6. Serve the cakes with a scoop of strawberry gelato.

Print Recipe

Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti

Course:

Dessert

Cuisine:

Italian

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. If your hazelnuts are whole, stick the point of a knife into a nut at the fat, dimpled end, and it should break in half fairly easily. Don’t worry if the halves aren’t perfectly even. If that seems too fussy, then just roughly chop them. Just don’t chop too finely!
3. Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.
4. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. The mixture will be very dry and stiff. Use your hands to finish mixing, adding the nuts at the end.
5. Using your hands, form an irregular, raggedy mound of about a tablespoon of dough, and drop it onto the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the cookies about
6. 1 inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes. It is hard to tell when they are done, since they are a deep, dark brown, but 20 minutes is usually good.
7. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. The cookies will be very hard on the outside and a little moist and chewy on the inside. If making them ahead, store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Credit for the book: © The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Family and Friends, by Elizabeth Minchilli, Rizzoli, 2019. All images credited © Elizabeth Minchilli.

Print Recipe

Black-Tie Cannoli

Course:

Dessert

Cuisine:

Italian

Yield:

10

1. Put the flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons lard, vinegar, an egg, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix on low-medium speed until well-combined, approximately 10 minutes. (There is no need to stop the motor to scrape the sides because this dough will pull together into a ball when it’s ready.)
2. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours, to soften the dough and make it less elastic.
3. Lightly coat the dough with flour and roll it through a pasta machine set to the thickest setting (usually number 1). If you do not have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface, to no more than 1/8-inch thick.
4. Using a four-inch, round cookie cutter (or the mouth of a four-inch bowl), punch circles out of the dough. Working with one circle at a time, grasp the circles at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions and gently pull into an oval five-inches long. (If you plan to make a lot of cannoli, you can also bend a round cookie cutter into an oval shape by pressing on it on two sides.) Gather up the excess dough, knead it together, roll it out and cut ovals again. You should have 10 ovals.
5. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Fill a wide, deep, heavy pot two-thirds full of lard (the pot should be wide and/or deep enough to hold four cannoli shells without crowding or touching) and set over medium-high heat. Heat the lard to 350°F to 375°F. Line a large plate or platter with paper towels.
6. Wrap one oval lengthwise around a 6-inch long, 3/4-to 1-inch-diameter wooden dowel. Be very careful to wrap it loosely, leaving a little space between the dowel and the pastry dough so that, when fried, the inside will be cooked as well. Use a pastry brush to paint one end of the shell with egg. Pull the egg-brushed-end over the opposite-end, and press them together, sealing the shell around the dowel. (To speed the egg-washing process, you can do as we do at Carlo’s and arrange the shells in overlapping fashion, then brush egg wash on the “lips”.) Repeat with two more dowels and shells.
7. Carefully lower the dowels into the oil and fry the shells until golden-brown, turning them with a slotted spoon as they fry, approximately 10 minutes. Use the spoon to carefully remove the dowels from the lard and transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate to cool.
8. When the shells are cool enough to touch, approximately 10 minutes, pull the dowels out.
9. Repeat shaping, frying, and cooling for two more batches, frying three more in the second batch, and four in the last, until all shells have been fried and removed from the dowels.
10. To make the cannoli cream, put the ricotta, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer.) Paddle on low to medium speed until the sugar is completely dissolved, 2-3 minutes. The best way to tell if it’s dissolved is to taste the mixture until you don’t detect any graininess. Take care not to overmix, or the mixture will become soft and runny.
11. Add the chips and paddle just until evenly distributed, approximately 30 seconds. Stop to keep from breaking up the chips. (Note: You can make the cream ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.)
12. When ready to fill and serve the cannoli, put the cannoli cream in a pastry bag fitted with the #7 plain tip. Carefully insert the tip halfway into one shell and pipe the cream in, pulling the tip out to fill all the way to the end. Insert the tip in the other side of the shell, to the center and pipe and pull again to ensure the shell is completely filled from end to end. Repeat with the remaining shells.
13. Dust the finished cannoli with powdered sugar and serve.

Print Recipe

10 Minute Tiramisu

Course:

Dessert

Cuisine:

Italian

1. Beat whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
2. Add in mascarpone cheese and amaretto (if using) and continue to whip to stiff peaks.
3. Dip ladyfingers in coffee (and brandy if using) and place in an 8×8 pan to make the first layer – you can fit about 7 cookies in each layer. Don't let them soak as the will fall apart, just a quick dunk in the coffee is enough.
4. Spread half of the whipped cream mixture on top of the first layer of ladyfingers. Repeat process with the second layer of ladyfingers and cream mixture.
5. Dust the top of dessert with cocoa powder using a sieve. Refrigerate for about 2-4 hours (it gets even better in the fridge and is a perfect make-ahead dessert).