KARIN'S PASTA SALAD

Entree - Can be Vegetarian, Lactose and Gluten free (READ footnotes)

On Saturday we were invited by our friend Karin for a dinner together (I owed her a tiramisu`, and that has been my contribution to the dinner ;-) ). I loved her pasta salad and she gave us a big batch to take home with us; I decided that pasta salad would have been our Monday lunch and our weekly recipe as well. I only added one ingredient that you'll find in the footnotes.

1 lb Italian pasta (cavatappi in this case)
1 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup Italian sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1/4 cup Hot peperoncini, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Pepperoni, thinly sliced and halved
1/4 cup Italian black dried olives, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp pinenuts
3-4 tbsp Italian pesto
2 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
Italian sea salt


Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In the meantime, prepare the "sauce": in a bowl mix artichoke, sundried tomatoes, peperoncini, pepperoni, olives, pinenuts and half pesto; mix well until combined nicely.

When water boils, add salt and pasta, stir and cook for about 2 minutes shorter than it would take to get "al dente". Drain it, quickly rinse it under cold running water, to stop the cooking. Spread on a kitchen cloth to cool down completely.

Transfer pasta to a big bowl with all other ingredients and mix well. Add the remaining pesto and olive oil.

Refrigerate, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for 2 hours at least.

This recipe serves 4-6


- It's a perfect dish for a buffet.
- It's great during summertime.
- I added some thawed peas, that I had leftover, to Karin's amazing dish.
- Alternate small batches of pasta and other ingredients, so they will combine more easily.
- For a gluten free version, use Italian GF pasta (we carry it).
- For a vegetarian, avoid pepperoni.
- For a lactose free version, don't use pre-made pesto: make your own without cheese.
- For a dish as simple as this, use only good quality ingredients, like the ones we carry (and we carry MOST of the ones listed here).

TUSCAN PANZANELLA - THE REAL ONE

Appetizer or entree - Vegetarian and vegan - Lactose free

This is the recipe for the REAL Tuscan panzanella, a peasant dish created by farmers to use old bread that could not be given to farm animals. There are very few ingredients, bread has to be old (not croutons or anything similar), vinegar is wine vinegar and not balsamic that was not used in Tuscany. Whatever other recipes you find, whether online or in print, is NOT the original recipe.

Old bread, at least 2 days old and dry
2 ripe but firm tomatoes, sliced
1/2 big red onion, sliced
5-6 fresh basil leaves
High quality Italian wine vinegar (red or white)
High quality Italian extra virgin olive oil
Water and salt

In a big bowl arrange water and wine vinegar. Soak bread in it (you should use ciabatta, preferably, or Italian round, Pugliese or Tuscan artisan breads).

In a separate bowl, the one you'll be serving you salad in, arrange tomatoes and onions, season with oil and salt and stir to combine all ingredients.

Remove bread from water and squeeze it carefully, then crumble it with your vegetables.

Hand chop basil and drizzle with some more olive oil. Toss to combine nicely.

Refrigerate until it's time to serve.

- I haven't mentioned most of the quantities because it's up to personal taste and liking.
- The use of very high quality (like our Italian vinegars and olive oils) is mandatory in order to obtain a good result, when there are so few ingredients.
- Basil should never be washed: to clean it, just use a damp cloth or paper towel. Also, it should not be chopped: anytime you can, just break leaves with your hands.
- Vinegar in the water is used to add flavor to a bread that (in Italy) does not contain salt and doesn't have much flavor. By adding vinegar in the water, you will have a more even distribution of flavor.
- This is the summer paesant dish involving old bread, the winter one is a soup called ribollita.
- Because it's a peasant dish, no other ingredients were used (only the ones available at the farm): to make it a complete dish, you can add tuna or hard boiled eggs; people also add cucumbers.
- You can find the video here

ITALIAN FARFALLE WITH SAUSAGE AND BELL PEPPER CREAM

Entree - Lactose free - Can be gluten free (READ footnotes)

The bell pepper cream recipe has been generously provided by our Facebook’s friend Giovanna, but I used it into this dish in a slightly different way. In the footnotes, you'll find links to both Giovanna's original recipe and my video about it.

1 pound  Italian bowties (farfalle) pasta
2 sausages or bratwurst sausage links
1 small onion, finely slice

For the bell peppers cream:
2 red bell peppers (yellow and orange could be used as well), cut in big pieces
1 tbsp. of Sicilian capers, packed in salt, rinsed and halved
3 shot glasses of water
4 tsps. of freshly chopped parsley

1 shot glass of brandy liquor
5 tbsps. of Italian extra virgin olive oil, total
Sicilian sea salt


In a large non-stick skillet with lid over medium heat, pour 3 tbsps. of Extra virgin olive oil, stir in the capers, bell peppers and water; season with salt. Oil should not be too hot, since the bell peppers should not fry or sautée. Cook, covered with lid, on medium-low heat until bell peppers are soft, stirring every once in a while, checking if you need to add more water.

In the meantime bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it gets  to a boil, add salt. Add the Farfalle pasta; stir and cook until “al dente”.

Meanwhile in a second skillet over medium-high heat, warm the remaining olive oil and sautée onions and the crumbled sausages or bratwurst links, after you have removed their casing and until onions are translucent. Deglaze with brandy liquor and cook 5 more minutes.

In a blender, blend the cooked bell peppers with their cooking juice until you obtain a smooth cream (you can add a little cream cheese, if you wish). Add the cream to the skillet with sausages and cook for 2-3 minutes more, so all flavors will combine nicely.

When pasta is al dente, drain it and transfer it to the skillet with the sauce (save some cooking water, to add in case your sauce is too thick). Sautée everything for a couple more minutes, tossing to coat evenly.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Buon appetito!

This recipe serves 4-6

- Here you can find the whole recipe for the bell peppers and the video is here.
- The reason why I always use and suggest Sicilian capers packed in salt, is beacuse this way, once you rinse salt away, all you add to your dish is the actual capers, not brine or vinegar.
- This recipe is lactose free. If you add cream cheese, it will no longer be lactose free!!! It can be gluten free, if you use GF pasta (which we carry).

NO-BAKE ITALIAN-AMERICAN NOCCIOLATA CHEESECAKE

Dessert - Vegetarian

1/2 lb "S" cookies
1 stick butter
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz Nocciolata Rigoni


Take the cheeses out of the fridge and bring them at room temperature.

In the meantime, melt butter and process cookies, crumbling them finely but not powder. Mix them together.

Line the bottom of a spring-form pan with parchment paper, then press the cookies-butter mixture on the bottom and refrigerate for about 20-25 minutes.

Now prepare the cream. In a big bowl put ricotta and cream cheese and mix to soften the cream cheese, then add Nocciolata and whisk until well combined.

Pour on top of the cookies base and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate 4 hrs at least.

When it's time to serve, run a spatula around the side of the cake to detach it, then remove the side. Slid the cake on a serving platter and, carefully, remove the paper at bottom.

Decorate as you prefer: chopped hazelnuts and/or almonds, whipped cream, strawberries...

The quantities are for a 9" spring-form pan.


- I suggest Nocciolata Rigoni because it's the best hazelnut-chocolate spread on the market, at the moment.
- I suggest the "S" cookies because the are almond based and it goes perfectly with the cream.
- I didn't use enough butter, so my base was a little "crumbly"; I increased the butter quantity to the one mentioned here in the recipe, it should be enough, you might need to increase it a little more, if you use drier cookies.
- I did not use any sugar, since I don't think it's necessary. If you like it sweeter, you can add some when adding the Nocciolata.
- I love this cake because you do not need to turn the oven on, nor you need any jelling agents!!
- In case you are wondering, We do sell the "S" cookies and the Nocciolata!!

PACIFIC SNAPPER IN POCKET FOIL

Entree - Gluten and Lactose free - Suitable for diets

2 fillets Pacific snapper (about 1 lb total)
1 tbsp Italian capers, packed in salt and rinsed
6-8 Italian dried black olives
1 big ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Parsley
Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian sea salt


Brush foil with olive oil, then line with tomato slices, capers and olives.

Then top with fish fillets with parsley.

Brush another piece of foil and loosely cover fish fillets; seal the edges tightly.

Place on central rack of oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven, let stand for a couple minutes and open pocket carefully. Season with salt and serve.

Serves 2-3

- I used parsley stems: I always freeze them when I use leaves!
- If you're using frozen fish, let it thaw and pat it dry.
- Be careful when you open the pocket: most likely there will be juice in it (as you can tell by the photos)
- I cooked it in a skillet, covered with a lid, with a little bit of water (just cover the bottom of the skillet making sure it wont cover the pocket edges), you can also put the pocket in the steamer: either way, cooking time won't change.
- If you like the punch, you can add a few hot pepper flakes.

FRITTATA ROLLS

Appetizer or entree - Low in fats, vegetarian and gluten free. Can be Lactose free (READ notes at bottom)

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

Basil or parsley

Italian Sea Salt

Italian extra virgin olive oil

Spreads suggestions:

Italian artichoke bruschetta topping

Italian eggplant bruschetta topping

Italian sundried tomatoes, packed in oil and julienne cut, mixed with cream cheese or ricotta cheese

In a bowl lightly beat eggs, milk, herbs and salt.

Prepare the frittata: in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, warm 3 tbsp of olive oil and pour part of the egg mixture (the quantity depends on how thick you want your rolls). Let it thicken, allowing the liquid part to get to the bottom, lifting the edges and tilting the skillet to ease the process. Invert the frittata onto a platter (or a lid) and slide it back in the skillet, cooking until lightly golden. Invert one more time to evenly golden it on both sides.

Repeat until you finish the mixture.

Let the frittata cool down to room temperature, spread with your choice of filling and roll. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours at least.

Cut in 1"-thick slices and serve.

- It's perfect in a mixed appetizer, lunch box or even as entree served with a salad or other vegetables.

- The ones in the ingredient list are just a few suggestions: unchain your creativity!!!!!!!

- Always make sure to use high quality ingredients.

- You can use dried Italian herbs.

- This recipe is very low in fats, vegetarian and gluten free! For a lactose free version avoid milk in the eggs and cheese in the stuffing.

- You can find a video for the frittata (a different one, but gives you the general idea) here

AN ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

Entree - complete meal - Can be vegetarian, lactose and gluten free (READ notes at bottom)

1 lb Italian penne
1 5-oz cans Italian tuna in olive oil
2 big ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 small eggplant, grilled
1 cup mozzarella, diced
4 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian sea salt
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Salt


Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In the meantime, peel and dice cucumbers, dice tomatoes and drain tuna but reserve its oil.

Transfer tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, tuna and mozzarella in a bowl and season with olive oil, salt and herbs. Mix well and refrigerate until it's time to use it.

When water boils, add salt and penne, stir and cook for about 2 minutes shorter than it would take to get "al dente". Drain it, quickly rinse it under cold running water, to stop the cooking. Spread on a kitchen cloth to cool down completely.

Transfer penne to a big bowl with all other ingredients and mix well.

Refrigerate, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for 2 hours at least.

This recipe serves 4-5

- It's a perfect dish for a buffet.
- It's great during summertime.
- Alternate small batches of pasta and other ingredients, so they will combine more easily.
- For a gluten free version, use Italian GF penne (we carry them).
- For a vegetarian, avoid tuna and for a lactose free dish, avoid mozzarella (both can be replaced with hard boiled eggs).
- For a dish as simple as this, use only good quality pasta, tuna, EV olive oil, like the ones we carry.