This corn salsa hits the spot! It has the perfect balance of cool fresh ingredients with a spicy kick.
Heat 1t of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Place the tortillas one at a time in the pan and cook until golden (about 30 seconds per side) and remove from pan and set aside to keep warm. Continue until all tortillas are cooked. In the same pan add 2t of olive oil and shrimp, cook until pink and opaque, about 3 minutes per side.
Build tacos: place shrimp on tortilla, scoop of corn salsa and diced avocado. Garnish with wedge of lime and chopped cilantro.
Chickpea pasta is a wonderful comfort meal that is quick, easy, affordable and delicious! It takes me back to my grandma’s house. I remember being just tall enough to peek over the countertop and watching her toss the chickpeas with the pasta and grating a generous portion of fresh cheese on top. It was one of my favorite dishes she would make and I’m sure her most simple.
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat with crushed garlic. Once garlic has turned golden brown remove the garlic cloves from the oil. Add chickpeas, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Toss pasta and chickpeas together and if needed add pasta water. Top with a generous amount of pecorino romano.
This pasta dish is so easy and gives you a healthy portion of veggies, protein and of course carbs. It is a great weeknight meal. And what’s better yet, your kids will love it (just sub the spicy sausage for mild).
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add anchovy filets to olive oil and cook until dissolved. Add sausage, red pepper flakes and season with salt, breaking up sausage into smaller pieces. Once sausage is cooked through add the chopped broccolini and garlic. Add about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta waster. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add pasta to sauté pan and toss pasta, broccolini and sausage together and top with a generous amount of pecorino romano.
Eggplant Parmesan or Parmigiana di Melanzane is a classic southern Italian dish. Sliced eggplant layered with marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and pecorino romano cheese. I firmly believe that if someone tells you that they don’t like eggplant, serve them this dish and you will change their mind.
Everything great in life takes time and patience, this meal is no different. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the process as it can be a labor of love. It can be served as an appetizer, side or main course.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. In a small bowl, add beaten eggs with a sprinkle of salt. Coat pan with cooking spray or 1T of olive oil and working in batches, dredge the eggplant in the eggs and fry both sides in sauté pan until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining eggplant until all slices have been cooked coating the pan with cooking spray or olive oil between each batch.
Using butter, grease an 8inch x 8inch baking dish. Place a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom and cover with a single layer of eggplant and a layer of mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat until you have about 5 layers. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Dot with butter and bake in preheated oven at 400°F for 35 minutes.
This espresso gelato is silky, smooth and refreshing!
Gelato in Italian literally means “frozen,” but it is used to indicate the Italian version of ice cream. The difference between ice cream and gelato is gelato has a higher proportion of milk and a lower proportion of cream and eggs resulting in less calories and fat and more flavor. Another difference is that gelato is churned at a slower speed than ice cream, which means less air is whipped into the mixture creating a dense, velvety texture. It is also typically stored at 15°F whereas ice cream is stored at 0°F. Because it’s not quite completely frozen, gelato tends to be softer and silkier.
Meanwhile, put remaining milk, sugar, coffee grounds and cornstarch into a small bowl and stir until well combined. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in milk and sugar mixture. Return to heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put egg yolk into a small bowl and whisk until slightly thickened. Pour 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolk, whisking constantly then gradually add mixture back into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Stir until well combined. Set aside and let cool, stirring often. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Stir and churned at lowest setting in an ice cream maker.
Cacio e Pepe is one of the most basic and simple pastas. Only a few ingredients are needed yet it has complex and rich flavors. Simplicity at its best!
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add freshly cracked pepper to the butter and cook, swirling pan, until toasted, about 1 minute. Reduce heat and add cooked pasta with 1 cup of pasta water. Remove pan from heat and add cheese, stirring and tossing until melted. Add additional pasta water until you find your desired consistency. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery. Plate and sprinkle with additional pecorino romano and pepper.
This beautiful Rack of Lamb is juicy, tender and perfectly cooked to a medium-rare. This is a surprisingly simple dish to prepare, yet looks beautiful and impressive as the centerpiece of the table. It is lathered in a mustard, garlic and rosemary crust and pairs well with so many side dishes.
The only challenge with cooking a rack of lamb is making sure it is cooked through. For a large rack of lamb, I recommend cutting the rack in half prior to cooking.
In a small food processor add rosemary, salt, black pepper and garlic. Process until all ingredients are finely minced. Add mustard and balsamic vinegar to the food processor and process until well incorporated. Lather the rack of lamb with mustard mixture, place lamb in foil lined roasting pan fat side up and let stand for 1 hour to reach room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Roast the lamb for 20 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let lamb rest for 15 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve.
Note: For a large rack of lamb, I recommend cutting the rack in half prior to cooking.
This Sicilian snack will become a household favorite. Arancini are risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella, dredged in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Serve with a homemade tomato or Bolognese sauce for dipping and topped with freshly grated cheese.
Heat 2T butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent but not browned. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add rice to sauté pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and add wine and cook until wine evaporates. Pour in ½C of hot chicken broth, bring to a simmer stirring constantly. Once chicken broth has been absorbed continue adding ½C of chicken broth at a time until you have used all the broth. Once risotto is al dente remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, lemon zest, pecorino romano, cream, prosciutto salt and pepper. Spread risotto into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover a refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once chilled use an ice cream scooper to scoop up risotto. Stuff 1 mozzarella ball into the center and using your hand shape into a ball. Repeat until you have used all the risotto. And mozzarella. Freeze the balls for 10 minutes.
Heat oil to 350°F.
Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. One at a time, roll each ball in flour, shake of excess. Dip into egg mixture and coat. Roll in breadcrumbs. Carefully place the rice balls into the oil and cook until golden brown. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate. Serve warm on top of tomato sauce and top with grated pecorino romano.
Swedish pancakes are the perfect way to start your day. They are thin eggy pancakes that you can whip up in less than 15 minutes. Get creative with your toppings. Serve with butter, cinnamon sugar, fresh fruit, jam, whipped cream, syrup or dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Swedish pancakes are fluffier and airier than other pancakes. They have a high egg and butter content and use less flour. They are thicker and less dense than crepes and usually are served with a sweet topping.
Heat 10-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. When hot, coat pan evenly with cooking spray and pour about ½ cup of batter into pan. Immediately pick up pan and swirl it to spread the batter so that it coats the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Cook until the edges start to turn golden, about 1 minute. Using a spatula flip the pancake and cook the second side, about 30 seconds. Loosen the pan cake and slide onto a plate.
Continue making pancakes with the rest of the batter, adding additional cooking spray in-between each pancake. To serve, fold them in half and roll each pancake up. Top with your favorite toppings.
Cibo E Famiglia 