Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Calzones

There's this little Italian pizzeria in Denver near where my Grandpa lives called "Rico's." They make The Best Calzones I've ever had. Maybe it's because Rico is really Italian. And so are most of his kitchen staff (family members, by the look of things). The dough is perfect, the cheese melty and stringy and delicious, and the calzone is smothered in sauce. Most of the food they sell is for take-out as their little restaurant only seats about 20 people in their cramped booths and tables sitting almost in the middle of the walk-ways.

And the best part of all is if you're female and Rico isn't too busy with other things, he will shout "Ciao, Bella!" as you walk out the door. My dream is to go back and have Rico shout "Beautiful" to me. He didn't last time. Maybe one day...

I'm quite sure that if Rico had a bite of these calzones he would throw his Italian hands up in the air in dismay No sauce? Only one kind of cheese? Where's the MEAT?" But that aside, I think they're pretty dang tasty. I have an undying love for caramelized onions and red peppers, and these calzones contain both, so I'm pretty well satisfied. Except for the "Bella" part. No one called me Bella as I took these out of the oven.

Sausage, Mushroom, and Sundried Tomato Lasagna

My guess, you have a lasagna recipe. My next guess is that you don't have one like this, which is a variation on your standard ground beef lasagna. This lasagna incorporates some strong flavors - Italian sausage and sundried tomatoes, making it more bold than your average lasagna.

The recipe I adapted this from didn't ask for sundried tomatoes, but I thought they would be a great addition, and I believe they were. In fact, the next time I make this recipe I plan to double the amount of sundried tomatoes; their flavor is so unique and adds so much flavor to pasta dishes. Now, if you do like the flavor of sundried tomatoes, let me suggest that you also try our Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano which is heavily flavored with the sweet savory flavor of sundried tomatoes.

Baked Ziti

This is a SUPER SIMPLE dinner that you could make tonight. Admittedly, it is far from healthy with three cheeses making up half the ingredients, but hey, occasionally you just need something rich and delicious. This pasta is almost like a simplified stuffed ricotta dish, or perhaps a glamorous, meatless spaghetti. There are truly only a handful of ingredients, and prep time is basically as long as your pasta takes to cook. You could even compile this in the morning, throw it in the fridge, and then take it out and bake when you get home. And likely you have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now, so this could become a fall back weeknight dinner, especially on a cool wet day like it is here.

Baked Ziti
Recipe adapted from Everyday Foods
Picture by Caroline

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 large white mushrooms, diced
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, half the mozzarella, basil and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper.
3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Zucchini Orzo Salad

A few weeks ago, I had the questionable pleasure of throwing a baby shower for a friend, questionable because I'm not what most would consider a real party-planning type. I don't know if our friends realized this and therefore volunteered to share the burden or if they're just great like that, but I didn't really end up doing a whole lot. The games/prizes were planned by someone else (thank heavens!) and several of them even brought food, including a delicious pasta salad that gave me the inspiration for this one.

The thing I found most interesting about this salad is that the zucchini isn't cooked. It had never occurred to me to eat zucchini uncooked. I don't know why; it just seemed weird. Shouldn't zucchini always be sauteed in a hearty amount of butter or breaded or grilled? Raw zucchini weeps and becomes as slimy as a cucumber, but without the flavor. Right?

Chicken Tetrazzini

The other day I decided that I must have pasta for dinner, good pasta. I love Italian food and I was yearning for it (if you can truly yearn for food, which I believe you can). I looked through many recipes, some with beef, some with chicken, some vegetarian, and even some with turkey. And I found this recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini and knew that I must try it. At first glance I was a little weary of the long list of ingredients and the time it might take to put this dish together. And while it did take a little longer than my typical weeknight dinner, it was worth the effort.

This is a baked pasta. You put all the ingredients in one big bowl, mix them up, and bake. However, as I was sampling the food as I went along (one must do this to make sure it tastes good) and then having the finished product I was torn. I actually thought I might prefer the pasta pre-baking, but it was also very good baked. So next time I make this dish I may skip the baking portion and enjoy it right from the pot. Either way, this pasta is, in my opinon, worth the extra time it takes to put together. (FYI: it probably took me about 30 minutes to prep this meal).

Tilapia with Citrus Bagna Cauda

What I’ve learned is that bagna cauda is an Italian sauce generally made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and butter. This original recipe did include anchovies, however I omitted them, because I didn’t want them on my fish (and yes, I know that anchovies are fish). The citrus in the sauce is excellent paired with the mild flavor of the tilapia. I served it with rice and broccoli, and it made for a light and healthy meal. I will definitely make this one again.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

After a nice, but altogether too short spring break, we're back. We hope you missed us.

This dish is not your typical lasagna. It's layered with vegetables and a white sauce (béchamel) rather than meat and tomatoes. And it's really good. I can't wait to make it during the summer when I can pick all of these ingredients from my garden.



Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Recipe adapted from Gourmet May 2007
Pictures by Caroline

1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4-inch-thick slices,
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch slices
6 button mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 yellow onion, quartered
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to low broil. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange vegetables onto large baking sheets (you may need two), and roast about 15minutes, or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender (but not mush).
2. Meanwhile, soak noodles in hot water just until pliable, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Spread 2/3 cup sauce in an 8-inch square baking dish. Drain noodles and place a layer of noodles over the sauce. Top with eggplant, 1/2 cup sauce, then another noodle layer. For the second layer, spread peppers, onions and mushrooms, 1/2 cup sauce, and another noodle layer. For the third layer, spread the zucchini, 1/2 cup sauce, and final noodle layer. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle more cheese on top, if desired. (As an alternative (simpler) layering method: mix all the vegetables together and spread them, 1/3 at a time, over the noodles. Top each layer with 1/2 cup sauce).
4. Bake at 425 F until golden and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand in pan on a rack 20 minutes.

Béchamel Sauce:
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
3 ounces Italian Fontina, coarsely grated (1 cup)
1 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. While vegetables roast, cook garlic in butter in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, whisking frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes.
2. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking frequently, 8 minutes (sauce will thicken slightly when it first comes to a boil). Remove from heat and cool béchamel sauce, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in cheeses, basil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Pasta with Pink Sauce

I love pasta, that is probably obvious, but sometimes I get bored with the same old pastas. So we concocted a pasta sauce using two traditional ingredients: tomatoes and cream. We decided to call this pink sauce because the combination of those two ingredients literally turns pink and just in time for Valentine’s Day!

The cream tones down the acidity of the tomatoes, and the tomatoes provide a nice thinning agent to the cream. Really it is the best of both worlds, and the result is delicious. Try it, love it!


Pasta with Pink Sauce
Recipe by Two Little Chefs
Picture by Caroline

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium onion, minced
1 ½ cups chicken broth*
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces pasta, such as linguine

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cook pasta per package directions while cooking sauce.
2. Heat a large skillet over moderate heat; add the oil, butter, garlic, and onion. Gently sauté garlic and onion, about 3 to 5 minutes until they develop their sweetness. Add the chicken broth and swirl around pan; bring to a very gentle simmer.
3. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to chicken broth mixture; simmer until almost cooked through, about 5 or 6 minutes, and broth has reduced by about half.
4. Add the tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the cream, basil, and red pepper flakes to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a slow boil, and continue to stir for another minute or two. Take off heat and pour over cooked pasta. Serve hot.


*Remove the chicken, subsitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth (or a combo broth/white wine mixture) and this will be a wonderful meatless pasta.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

As many of you may have guessed by now, we both have a bit of a crush on Italian food...especially pasta. And as much as I love a good old fashioned American meal, to me it seems somehow fitting to end a holiday weekend with a splash of Italy. So this dish is what happens when you take leftover Thanksgiving turkey and force it to become Italian: you get turkey and cheese and basil and tomato sauce and goodness. Aside from mashed potatoes, this is the perfect comfort food.

Since we made this dish before Thanksgiving so we could share it with you, we didn't have any bits of turkey lying about. We therefore used ground turkey (as picture above). It worked quite well and means you can make this any time you want!


Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Recipe from Everyday Pasta

Pictures by Caroline

1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons evtra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound turkey meat, ground, or chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped*
1 (15 oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 tablesoons dried)
2 tablespoons chpoped flat-leaf parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
5 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and partiall cook until tender, but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
   
3. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is lightly golden and cooked through (if using already cooked meat, just heat until warm through). Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
5. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of sauce. Hold a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full (about 24 shells). Drizzle the remaining sauce over the shells and top with the grated mozzarella. Bake until the shells until warm through and cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

*We couldn't find any frozen artichokes, so we used canned ones. Just be sure to drain them well.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano

Last week I was looking through some of my recipe files and I came across this delicious Macaroni Grill copycat recipe. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about this tasty recipe because it truly is so good. There really are not too many ingriedents to this recipe, but the flavor is very full and is very good. The sundried tomatoes are the key*, and although they are slippery and difficult to cut, they are packed with flavor. And they are easy to find at your local grocery store; likely they will be in a jar near the bottled jalepenos and roasted red peppers.

Try serving with our Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia and followed with our 24-hour Fruit Salad or Perfect Lemon Tart.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano
Adapted from a copycat recipe I found online a few years ago
Pictures by Caroline

1-2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth*
1 cup heavy cream
1 chicken breast, diced*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 packet fresh fettuccini or bow tie pasta
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; heat oil. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; cook until lightly golden and juices run clear, about 6-8 minutes. Take chicken off heat and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, melt butter over low heat with ¼ cup of the chicken broth, scraping the pan to deglaze it. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes and the remaining chicken broth, increase heat to a boil. When you reach a boil, reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes leaving uncovered.
3. Add the cream, and bring back up to a boil, stirring continuously. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, add mushrooms and cooked chicken; continue to stir until sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and put back into warm pot; pour the sauce over the warm pasta, sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

*Note: This pasta could easily be made vegetarian by excluding the chicken and using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. The flavor would still be fantastic.

Orrechiette Carbonara

Pasta alla Carbonara is a traditional Italian dish originating in the Lazio region of Italy (where you find Rome). Although the exact measurements vary, recipes almost always include cheese, eggs, pork (usually pancetta, aka, bacon) and black pepper, served over some type of pasta. The combination makes a silky, creamy, not too salty (but just salty enough) sauce.


To cook the egg in this sauce, you add near boiling pasta water to the egg and stir vigourously to prevent the egg from curdling. Then you add the pasta water-egg mixture to a warm skillet and stir for a few more minutes, cooking the eggs a little more.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, orrechiete means "little ears" in Italian. They can be a bit hard to find (our store didn't have any), but are well worth it for the name alone!

Try serving with Red Bell Peppers with Spinach and Raisins or Green Beans with Shallots and Toasted Almonds or some sauteed zuchinni squash (for which we do not have a recipe posted...so just slice some squash sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper and cook them in a small amount of olive oil until lightly browned).

Orrechiette Carbonara

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetite April 2008

Pictures by Caroline

4 bacon slices, diced
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/3-inch pieces
10 ounces orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or small shells
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.
2. Add leeks and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 6 minutes. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid (don't forget this step!)
4. Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.
5. Add pasta to leeks in skillet and stir to heat. Remove skillet from heat.
6. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes. (Return skillet to very low heat if egg mixture is runny; do not overcook or eggs will curdle.)
7. Add some of remaining 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to pasta if needed to moisten. Stir in bacon, basil and pepper. Serve pasta, passing additional cheese separately.

Mushroom Risotto

Welcome to risotto, the Italian version of rice. But what's the difference between a plain old rice dish and risotto? Here's what trusty wikipedia has to say about it: "the main feature of a risotto dish is the maintenance of starch at the end of cooking that binds the grains together as a cream...Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite (al dente), and with separate grains. The traditional texture is fairly fluid...it should easily spread out but not have excess watery liquid around the perimeter."

In other words, first, you coat the rice in butter. Then you add some kind of wine (in this case, white wine). Once the liquid has been absorbed into the grains/evaporated, you increase the heat and gradually add liquid (in this case, vegetable broth) in small amounts while stirring very frequently. This process allows the starch inside of the rice to escape into the liquid, creating a creamy texture. And this creamy texture is what makes risotto different from any other rice dish.

It's not a difficult dish to make, but it does take some patience while adding the liquid and stirring. We definitely think it's worth it.

Mushroom Risotto
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit December 1999
Pictures by Caroline

3 14 1/2-ounce cans vegetable broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 pound assorted mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini or stemmed shiitake), sliced
1 cup arborio rice* or medium-grain rice*
1/2 cup white cooking wine*
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1. Bring vegetable broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep broth hot.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter with olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onions; sauté 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 8 minutes.
   
3. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.
   
4. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 3/4 cup hot vegetable broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining hot vegetable broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes.
   
5. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh thyme. Serve warm.

*Our grocery store was out of arborio rice, so we used what we happened to have: sushi rice! It worked just fine.
**I usually avoid using cooking wine when I cook (which seems odd, I know, since it's called "cooking" wine. Personally I don't think cooking wine should even exist) because it adds so much extra salt to your dish. But if you don't have any regular white wine, cooking wine is an acceptable substitute. I would, however, recommend using low-sodium broth if you're using cooking wine.

Chocolate-Craisin Biscotti

Looking for something to dip into your glass of milk, hot chocolate or tea? These are perfect. If you have never had biscotti, let me tell you a little bit about them. They are a hard, dry, cookie made for dipping. They orginate from Italy; today you will often find them decoratively displayed in a glass jar at your favorite cafe. You will often see almond flavored biscotti, vanilla biscotti dipped in chocolate, or chocolate biscotti with almonds. Really the options are endless. Here I combined the sweetness of chocolate with the tartness of craisins (dried cranberries). These are great to serve guests, give as gifts, or as a late night treat.

Chocolate-Craisin Biscotti
Pictures by Caroline
Recipe by Caroline
Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups white all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup craisins

Directions:
1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until blended and creamy. Add the eggs and the vanilla, blend. In another mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; stir together. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined; your dough will be quite thick. Add craisins to dough mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Divide dough into two pieces. Shape each half into a 10-inch long roll. Place rolls on the prepared cookie sheet (you can flatten them slightly with your hand if you want thinner slices). Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool rolls on the cookie sheet for about 30 minutes.
4. Cut each roll diagonally into ½ inch slices. Place slices close together, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Put back in the oven for about 8 minutes; remove from oven, flip each slice over and cook another 8 minutes (watch carefully so that you don’t overcook them). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack. (Keep these in a sealed bag or jar so that they don't dry out, or you can freeze them.)

Wonton Brusetta Stacks

As you may know from my Sweet-Pepper Balsamic Sandwiches, I think that a mix of tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar is one of the best flavor combinations around, thus I am a huge fan of brusetta. This recipe brings together a basic brusetta mixture with the tart flavor of goat cheese and the soft-crispiness of fried wontons. Now I realize that soft and crispy are different, but if you have ever had a fried wonton, you know that while they are crispy, they are also tender.

This is a great appetizer to serve guests and can be served in stacks as pictured below, or you could place all the components on a plate and let each guest make their own stack. Whichever way you choose, this is sure to be a favorite.