Dear valued Customers and Friends,
We want to let you know that we're extending our operating hours starting from December 1st until Christmas Eve.
Monday - Friday 10.30 - 6.00
Saturday - Sunday 10.30 - 6.00
We look forward to welcoming you all soon!!
http://www.bellaitalia-store.com
lunedì 29 novembre 2010
COTECHINO WITH CANNELLINI
Second course - celiacs and lactose intolerants safe
Cotechino is a big sausage, probably a little fatter without fennel seeds. It's traditionally served on New Year's eve dinner.
1 cotechino
2 14-oz cans Italian cannellini beans
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup basil leaves
Bring a big pot of water to a boil, add salt and cotechino and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
In the mean time, drain and rinse beans and arrange them in a blender along with basil and broth, blend until you obtain a smooth cream.
Drain the cotechino, slice it and serve it immediately with the cannellini and pureed potatoes.
This recipe serves 8.
- In order to cut (a lot) the preparation you can use the cooked cotechino: it comes in a foil bag and all you have to is to put in in boiling water (inside the sealed foil bag) for 20 minutes in order to warm it.
Cotechino is a big sausage, probably a little fatter without fennel seeds. It's traditionally served on New Year's eve dinner.
1 cotechino
2 14-oz cans Italian cannellini beans
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup basil leaves
Bring a big pot of water to a boil, add salt and cotechino and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.
In the mean time, drain and rinse beans and arrange them in a blender along with basil and broth, blend until you obtain a smooth cream.
Drain the cotechino, slice it and serve it immediately with the cannellini and pureed potatoes.
This recipe serves 8.
- In order to cut (a lot) the preparation you can use the cooked cotechino: it comes in a foil bag and all you have to is to put in in boiling water (inside the sealed foil bag) for 20 minutes in order to warm it.
lunedì 22 novembre 2010
MEAT BROTH
Basic recipe - Lactose intolerants and celiacs safe
This is a basic ingredient in Italian recipes: it doesn't take too much to prepare it (and it cooks by itself).
1/4 chicken
1/2 lb beef meat (possibly lean)
2 sausages (not Italian because they contain fennel seeds which cover any other flavor) - optional
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 medium onion
Salt
Take meats out of the refrigerator so they'll "warm" close to room temperature.
Put a large pot with water to a boil, add salt and vegetables, washed and/or peeled.
Cook for about 30 minutes, then add meats. When it boils again, lower heat to simmer and remove the foam that forms with a slotted spoon.
Cook for 2 1/2 hours, then remove from heat.
Remove vegetables and meats, let the broth cool down completely, put it in the refrigerator and, when fat is solid, remove it.
Pass broth through a fine strainer and, if you made a lot, freeze it in airtight containers.
- If you prepare it in a day you can dedicate to cooking and make a lot (and have a big freezer), you can freeze it in containers that will suit you: it will work as the canned broth, but it will be better, because you know what's in it.
- Serve warm meats and vegetable with "green sauce" (a pesto made with parsley leaves, garlic, anchovy and a very good extra virgin olive oil).
- Use broth to prepare risotto.
- Cook egg pastina in this broth, put a couple of laughing cow wedges on the bottom of the individual bowls and pour pastina with broth on top of it: cheese will melt and you'll have dinner ready in 10 minutes (pastina take about 5 minutes to cook).
- Meats can be use for several recipes: tortellini filling, "meatballs" and more...
This is a basic ingredient in Italian recipes: it doesn't take too much to prepare it (and it cooks by itself).
1/4 chicken
1/2 lb beef meat (possibly lean)
2 sausages (not Italian because they contain fennel seeds which cover any other flavor) - optional
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 medium onion
Salt
Take meats out of the refrigerator so they'll "warm" close to room temperature.
Put a large pot with water to a boil, add salt and vegetables, washed and/or peeled.
Cook for about 30 minutes, then add meats. When it boils again, lower heat to simmer and remove the foam that forms with a slotted spoon.
Cook for 2 1/2 hours, then remove from heat.
Remove vegetables and meats, let the broth cool down completely, put it in the refrigerator and, when fat is solid, remove it.
Pass broth through a fine strainer and, if you made a lot, freeze it in airtight containers.
- If you prepare it in a day you can dedicate to cooking and make a lot (and have a big freezer), you can freeze it in containers that will suit you: it will work as the canned broth, but it will be better, because you know what's in it.
- Serve warm meats and vegetable with "green sauce" (a pesto made with parsley leaves, garlic, anchovy and a very good extra virgin olive oil).
- Use broth to prepare risotto.
- Cook egg pastina in this broth, put a couple of laughing cow wedges on the bottom of the individual bowls and pour pastina with broth on top of it: cheese will melt and you'll have dinner ready in 10 minutes (pastina take about 5 minutes to cook).
- Meats can be use for several recipes: tortellini filling, "meatballs" and more...
lunedì 15 novembre 2010
POTATO PIE
Appetizer - side dish - vegetarian
1.5 oz dried Italian porcini mushrooms
2 lbs potatoes
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
3 tbsp parmigiano, grated
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra
vegetable stock
3 sage leaves
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
Soak porcini in lukewarm water for 20 minutes; peel and thinly slice potatoes. In a little bowl, mix together cheese and breadcrumbs.
Remove porcini from water (keep it), squeeze them and arrange in a skillet with olive oil, sage and garlic, sauté for a few minutes, then add a few tbsp of the water you used to soak mushrooms, carefully filtered, season with salt and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly grease a baking pan, about 8", and line it with potatoes; add a few tbsp of vegetable stock (or of the soaking water) in the skillet with the porcini, then layer them on top of the potatoes and drizzle with some olive oil.
Bake on central rack for 25 minutes, remove and make sure that potatoes are cooked through, sprinkle with breadcrumb and cheese mixture.
Return to oven and bake for a few more minutes, until crunchy.
Serve immediately.
This recipe serves 4.
- If you precook potatoes (about half of cooking time) your baking time will be shorter.
- Lactose intolerants can enjoy this dish as long as they double the breadcrumbs and avoid cheese.
- Celiacs can enjoy this dish as long as they double the cheese and avoid breadcrumbs.
- If you want, you can add some chopped prosciutto to the mushrooms (together with broth) for a different flavor, but it will no longer be a vegetarian dish.
1.5 oz dried Italian porcini mushrooms
2 lbs potatoes
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
3 tbsp parmigiano, grated
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra
vegetable stock
3 sage leaves
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
Soak porcini in lukewarm water for 20 minutes; peel and thinly slice potatoes. In a little bowl, mix together cheese and breadcrumbs.
Remove porcini from water (keep it), squeeze them and arrange in a skillet with olive oil, sage and garlic, sauté for a few minutes, then add a few tbsp of the water you used to soak mushrooms, carefully filtered, season with salt and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly grease a baking pan, about 8", and line it with potatoes; add a few tbsp of vegetable stock (or of the soaking water) in the skillet with the porcini, then layer them on top of the potatoes and drizzle with some olive oil.
Bake on central rack for 25 minutes, remove and make sure that potatoes are cooked through, sprinkle with breadcrumb and cheese mixture.
Return to oven and bake for a few more minutes, until crunchy.
Serve immediately.
This recipe serves 4.
- If you precook potatoes (about half of cooking time) your baking time will be shorter.
- Lactose intolerants can enjoy this dish as long as they double the breadcrumbs and avoid cheese.
- Celiacs can enjoy this dish as long as they double the cheese and avoid breadcrumbs.
- If you want, you can add some chopped prosciutto to the mushrooms (together with broth) for a different flavor, but it will no longer be a vegetarian dish.
lunedì 8 novembre 2010
FISH POCKETS
Fish entree - celiac and lactose intolerant safe
1 lb. your choice of fish fillets (cod, tilapia, whatever you like)
1/2 lb. shrimp or prawns
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. anchovy paste
1 bunch of parsley, leaves only
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Cube fish fillets (about 1") and arrange them in a bowl; add whole shrimp or prawns, which need to be cut in 2 or 3 pieces, depending on their size. Season with salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil, toss well to coat evenly.
Prepare the "green sauce": it's actually a pesto made with shallots, garlic, anchovy paste, parsley blended all together, adding oil in a slow stream.
Put half of this pesto in the bowl with fishes and mix well to coat.
Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper (or lightly greased foil) and divide the fish mixture onto the paper, close to form a pocket (allowing some space above the fish) sealing the edges well.
Place pockets in a steamer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.
Open pockets and served immediately accompanied by the remaining parsley pesto, a fresh, green salad and some garlic croutons.
Serves 4 people.
- If you don't find shallots, use half of a small onion.
- You can also use anchovy fillets (or not use any anchovy products) for the pesto: the anchovy paste ensures you a complete dissolution into the pesto itself.
- You can also bake the pockets, on the center rack, at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.
1 lb. your choice of fish fillets (cod, tilapia, whatever you like)
1/2 lb. shrimp or prawns
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. anchovy paste
1 bunch of parsley, leaves only
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Cube fish fillets (about 1") and arrange them in a bowl; add whole shrimp or prawns, which need to be cut in 2 or 3 pieces, depending on their size. Season with salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil, toss well to coat evenly.
Prepare the "green sauce": it's actually a pesto made with shallots, garlic, anchovy paste, parsley blended all together, adding oil in a slow stream.
Put half of this pesto in the bowl with fishes and mix well to coat.
Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper (or lightly greased foil) and divide the fish mixture onto the paper, close to form a pocket (allowing some space above the fish) sealing the edges well.
Place pockets in a steamer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.
Open pockets and served immediately accompanied by the remaining parsley pesto, a fresh, green salad and some garlic croutons.
Serves 4 people.
- If you don't find shallots, use half of a small onion.
- You can also use anchovy fillets (or not use any anchovy products) for the pesto: the anchovy paste ensures you a complete dissolution into the pesto itself.
- You can also bake the pockets, on the center rack, at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.
lunedì 1 novembre 2010
FUSILLI LUNGHI BUCATI NEAPOLITAN STYLE
Pasta entree - complete meal
1 lb fusilli lunghi bucati (hollow curly pasta - very long)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb peas (fresh shelled or frozen)
1 28-oz can peeled San Marzano
grated cheese (pecorino or parmigiano)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
In a deep skillet with lid, over medium-high heat, warm up the olive oil and sautee meat until well browned.
Deglaze skillet with wine the, once alcohol is evaporated, add peas, tomatoes and salt; mix well to combine then lower heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until sauce thickens.
While sauce is cooking, bring a tall pot of water to boil, add salt then pasta, stir and cook until al dente, about 10-11 minutes.
Drain, reserving the water, and arrange pasta in the skillet with sauce, toss to coat evenly and cook for about 2-3 more minutes (add water, little by little, is sauce thickens too much).
Serve immediately sprinkled with grated cheese.
This recipe serves about 6.
- It is always better to cook pasta a couple minutes less and finish to cook it into the sauce: result will be much better because pasta absorbs the sauce's flavor. In order to do so, always reserve some of the water you're cooking pasta in, when you drain.
- You can use chopped or strained San Marzano, as you prefer.
1 lb fusilli lunghi bucati (hollow curly pasta - very long)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb peas (fresh shelled or frozen)
1 28-oz can peeled San Marzano
grated cheese (pecorino or parmigiano)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
In a deep skillet with lid, over medium-high heat, warm up the olive oil and sautee meat until well browned.
Deglaze skillet with wine the, once alcohol is evaporated, add peas, tomatoes and salt; mix well to combine then lower heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until sauce thickens.
While sauce is cooking, bring a tall pot of water to boil, add salt then pasta, stir and cook until al dente, about 10-11 minutes.
Drain, reserving the water, and arrange pasta in the skillet with sauce, toss to coat evenly and cook for about 2-3 more minutes (add water, little by little, is sauce thickens too much).
Serve immediately sprinkled with grated cheese.
This recipe serves about 6.
- It is always better to cook pasta a couple minutes less and finish to cook it into the sauce: result will be much better because pasta absorbs the sauce's flavor. In order to do so, always reserve some of the water you're cooking pasta in, when you drain.
- You can use chopped or strained San Marzano, as you prefer.
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