Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs a dinner classic for any table. My Mother-in-Love was pure Sicilian and her recipes although when read I question have turned out to be mouthwatering originals. They have been passed down from generation to generation and I hope to carry this tradition on in my own family. 

Ingredients for your balls

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 medium carrot- grated
• 2 stalks of celery-finely chopped (optional)
• 1 medium onion-grated
• 1/4 cup of whole milk
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

For your Sauce

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 fresh bay leaves or 3 dried

1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 - 28 ounce cans of tomato sauce

1 - 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes crushed

First we need to get the sauce done this way it is ready for the balls when they are made. You want your balls to cook as long as possible in the sauce. This lets the flavor go to the balls keeping them moist and tender. 

Use a big pot as you will make the sauce and have the meatballs in this also. And as you cook you may want to add different ingredients. Like I always say you need to make recipes your own. So taste and add what makes your palate sing. 

Add some olive oil to the pot and cook the onion until softened. Turn down the heat and add your tomatoes and tomato sauce. Next add your vinegar and all your spices. Let this mixture simmer for as long as it takes to make your meatballs. Stir as you go. Lets get those meat balls done. 

First thing you must remember is that you do not want to over mix your meats this makes for a tough meatball. Have a large bowl ready to combine the ingredients for your meatballs. Place the beef and pork in the bowl and tear and mix them softly. Next top with your chopped carrot, celery  and onion. Let this sit covered while you get the wet ingredients together. Mixing them together in a separate bowl lessens the mixing of the meats. 

Place your bread crumbs into a small bowl add tour spices and mix well. Now make a well in the middle of the crumbs. Pour your milk into the well. Mix this together until well mixed. You want this mixture moist and easy to add to the meat mixture. 

Let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the flavor.

You want everything ready when you are going to mix the meat remember the key is mix less makes moist meatballs. The less you work the meat the better. That is why I mix the pork and beef softly at first. Then add the seasonings and veggies to the mixture without mixing until I have the bread mixture ready then do your thing with mixing softly. 

Once everything is mixed it is time to make your meatballs. I make them and pre-fry them in a skillet to get them browned up. Once they are a bit more solid I will add them to the sauce to finish them off and get that mixture of sauce and meatballs perfect. You can also cook your meatballs in the oven prior to adding them.

I personally like a bit of the flavor from frying. Let your mixture of sauce and meatballs sit and simmer for at least one hour. The longer the better just stirring frequently. I use my meatball with a light noodle pasta called bow ties. Enjoy next we will make them with sausage added. 

Oh Yum !

Italian Caponata

I am blessed to have a mother-in-love who is "pure" Sicilian and full of wonderful recipes she learned from her family. One I loved and always looked forward to was Caponata. It was always during the Holidays this side dish would come alive. It is a cold horderve. Made with fresh garden eggplant and tomatoes on a slice of bruschetta "Heaven in a Bite". 

The eggplant absorbs all the favors. It is meant to be served cold. Letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator takes it to another level of Yum. I also today for the first time tried some hot on some pasta and just devine. So Hot or Cold it is great. Cold is the traditional way. 

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1/2 cup celery chopped
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 2+ cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 large eggplant cubed skin on
• 1 15 ounce of stewed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of capers (also add some of the liquid for taste
• 1 can/jar of green olives sliced in half (also some of the liquid)
• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon of each salt, ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon of oregano, basil and parsley
• 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (optional)
• 
  

Pour some olive oil into a frying pan turn on to a medium heat and add celery first after about 5 minutes add the red pepper and the onion. Add the garlic last.

Once they have softened add your eggplant and keep cooking until the vegetables are lightly browned. Add seasonings and stir until completely combined.

Once browned and seasonings are combined add your can of stewed tomatoes. Cover and simmer on low for approximately 20 minutes. Next add your capers and chopped green olives and stir. Mix in the Vinegar and sugar until dissolved and simmer an additional 20 minutes. 

Last step is to uncover your pan, cool and refrigerate. Serve with slices of baguette bread toasted slightly. This will keep in the refrigerator for a week. Make it the day before a party and just take it out of the refrigerator put in a serving dish with baguette bread on the side and your guests will love it. 

Like I mentioned earlier I made it a put it on top of some pasta it was heavenly. I put a portion in the refrigerator for serving the next day. 

Spinach Basil Pesto

 

Presto originally named Pesto Alla Genovese it originated in Genoa a city in Italy. Basil Pesto is the original pesto made all over Italy and what every other pesto is derived from. In our pesto today we are adding some wonderful baby spinach. 

There are so many delicious ways to save any leftover to use later. Freeze the leftover in ice cube trays. This way makes it easy to just pop out what you need. This is so simple you will more than likely start creating your own flavors.

Spinach Pesto Basil

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 
  3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 4 cloves of garlic peeled  and quartered
• kosher salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• zest from the lemon
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 
  

The first thing you need to do it roast your pine nuts. This is relatively easy but you need to keep an eye on them. Like a baby in a bath do not leave. I use a small teflon pan with a medium heat. just cook them until they have a brown roasted look. I toss them into a small bowl and let them cool prior to adding them to the blender.

While those pine nuts are cooling get all your ingredients together making the process so easy. I just pop everything into my blender. Use the olive oil sparingly at first use a couple tablespoons of it while blending then adding the remainder towards the end of blending. 

You can use a food processor or any tool that will blend the mixture up for you. I always seem to make more then required for my pasta. And it seems no matter how much I learn about Pesto's I just add a lot to my dish. 

There are many other ways to use this pesto one idea is to baste your fish with a bit  then the last 15 minutes of baking slater it on. 

I used this pesto to cover my tortellini pasta and I chopped up some fresh tomatoes to add to it. It was delicious. 

I know I added to much but the beauty of cooking meals at home is who gives a la la lee 

Enjoy this and get creative and make some of your own flavor Pestos the choices are endless. 

Mexican-Italian Chicken

Chicken Mex-Italian Recipe this is a good one just made it up ! I so do love chicken there are endless ways to use it. I think when you make this dish you want to think outside of the box add spices that make you happy. Kick it up a notch for flavor. This dish is so versatile. I used store bought item's this is not my usual way of cooking. I do so love to use what is in the garden and natural ingredients.




I am getting some of the canned goods left in the pantry out.







Ingredients



5 chicken breast larger ones that means not wimpy ones

Mushrooms’ use the ones you like I use plain old round ones
7 oz.can of green chilies or fresh not hot ones unless you feel frisky
1 red onion chopped
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Some fresh oregano is best (did you plant yours yet?)
And seasonings of your choice










Clean and trim your chicken breast.

Then I like to cut off the fat and reserve it with one of the breasts for soup later in the winter.

During the year when cooking or making things you should reserve the cut items. When I say that I am talking about onions, celery, carrot tops. The things you would usually throw out or put into your compost pile. Use them for soup stock.






I use a baking pan. I will line it so it is easier to clean. But I need to stop that it is really wasting. Spread some of the crushed tomatoes from the can on the bottom of your pan line up your trimmed chicken breast.

I do a head to toe kind see the picture once they are lined up you can spread your stuff on .









Start anyway you like I begin with the mushrooms.









Add the chopped green chilies, onion, peppers,  and sprinkle some of the Parmesan cheese on the top.

Once this is done you can spread the rest of the crushed tomatoes and top with the seasons of your choice add the shaved Parmesan cheese.






I put some sprigs of oregano from my garden in the corners and remove it before I serve the dish.

Let us talk Parmesan cheese.

Pa likes the grated on the right. I like to shave mine from a block of fresh Parmesan .








Place your baking pan in the oven and bake for about 30 to 45 minutes. you know when it is done if not remove the dish from the oven watch your hands it is hot.

Now cut through one breast and see if it is soft and not pink inside.
Ok your done

Ta da ya did it !

Italian Rocotta Cheese Cake

This was taken right out of my Mother-in-loves mouth. It is a classic but I did tweak it a bit she never adds a crust so.

My Mother-in-Love is right off the Italy Boat. She has all the old school recipes and I am blessed to have her and her recipes in my life! 









Do you remember the Nut Crisp Cookies ? I made a batch that was really thin.They were so thin I crumbled them up and froze them. I took those same cookie crumbs and added 1 cup of gram cracker crumbs and a half cup butter for the crust. Now here is a funny story that goes with this cheese cake adventure for the whole story go here....


 

Italian Ricotta Cheese Cake

Ingredients
* 2 -8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 lb ricotta cheese
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 4 eggs room temperature
* 1 tbss fresh lemon juice
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 3 tbs cornstarch
* 3 tbs flour
* 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
* 1 pint sour cream

 Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined.











 Stir in sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter.

 Add the sour cream last and stir

Pour the mixture into the prepared spring-form pan

 Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour turn oven off

    Leave in oven 1 hour more
   

 Allow to cool completely in refrigerator
             before serving

 I think I could have cooked it a shorter amount of time notice the crack. But a bit of my homemade preserves covered that up just fine

Penne Carbonara

This is so simple and so delicious man this cooking stuff is so yummy

Jamie Oliver "Happy days with the Naked Chef" 2002

Classic Penne Carbonara

1 lb dried penne
10 slices of pancetta or bacon
Olive oil
5 organic egg yolks (freeze the whites for later)
7 tablespoon of heavy cream
4 1/2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper





Cook penne in salted boiling water until al denti (check the package for the cooking time)










 While the pasta is cooking, slowly fry the pancetta or bacon till crisp. Break it up a bit and put it aside.

In a bowl whip up the egg yolks, cream and Parmesan cheese.


When the pasta is done, drain it and immediately toss it with warm crispy pancetta/bacon and the egg mixture.

  A lot of carbonaras are over cooked and resemble scrambled egg sauce-if you add the penne immediately the residual heat is enough to cook the egg sauce enough to keep it smooth and silky.



 Season well, using plenty of fresh ground black pepper, and add extra Parmesan to taste. Serve straight away, with a big bowl of salad


 To the right is a block of Parmesan Cheese we like to shred our cheese fresh.

Italian Calzone

The Calzone I am baking is a recipe from my Mother-in-love. She is Sicilian and when she made this calzone for the first time. I scratched my head and said  “What the Hell”.  Where is the sauce Well there is NO sauce is Traditional Calzone. I am use to the half moon pie type with sauce. After a long Italian conversation about the origin of this in her family I got it. Why? you ask because it tasted so scrumptious. I always cook this at Easter because it reminds me so much of my Mother-in-love. 

Now it uses a boxed roll mix which I found almost impossible to find. I finally just took what I could find. I got a picture off the Internet so you know what to look for.


I do make bread and plan on trying my own dough one day when I grow some Italian Balls. Plus I was still in shock over the no sauce thing! xoxo But not to detour the original recipe here we go.

Ingredients

2 box's of Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 pound of Italian sausage it is about 6 sausages. I got three sweet and three spicy
2 white onion's chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
13 eggs
1/4 cup milk (any kind)

2 cups fresh ricotta (drained)
1 cup of fresh shredded Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley

What you need a large skillet, a large bowl to combine the cooked ingredients, a large roasting pan or cooking vessel with at least 3" sides and a rolling pin. The roasting pan I used is pictured below.

This recipe takes time but a tradition on our Easter table. If I do not make it or my Mother-in-love than we call Easter off and Jesus stays in the cave!


Prepare all your ingredients for the stuffing of the calzone.
You actually are not stuffing it is like a big square pie!





Chop your onion and fry them in a large skillet until translucent. Chop your garlic and add it to the onion and simmer until they are cooked but not browned.





Take the casings off your sausage and add them to your onion/garlic and cook until your sausage is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set this mixture aside in a large bowl.

Now put all your eggs, milk, salt and pepper to taste into a large bowl whisk them together really good and put them into the same pan you already used.



No need to clean all the taste is going together anywho! Now cook up your egg mixture just like scrambled eggs.

Once your eggs are scrambled take the sausage mixture, egg mixture and parsley and pit it into a large bowl. DO NOT add the cheese until the mixture is cool!


  Here the ingredients are co-mingled.

I actually make this mixture the day before you bake the Calzone. This way you  can concentrate on the dough preparation. Just take the mixture of sausage, eggs and parsley and add all your cheeses and cover for the night. Make sure your mixture has cooled prior to adding the cheeses.

You need a  box of mix for the crust of the calzone and a box for the top.




You need time to let the bread rise once prior to rolling it out and assembling the dish. Follow the direction on the box.

Once your dough has done it's first rise then take one loaf and roll it out for the bottom of the roasting pan. Add your filling and roll out the second dough and apply it to the top.Seal all the way around and brush  the top with egg white. This gives it the glossy look plus the egg white can be used to help you seal any edges that are not cooperating.




 Bake in a 400 degree oven uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes. Until the top is golden brown.

Beautiful sorry there is no picture on a nice plate they ate it right up !