California Girl's Osso Bucco

A little Italiano comfort food. Rich, delicious and satisfying. 

Ingredients:
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup flour, for dredging

6 beef veal shanks or oxtails
1 large onion, diced medium

4 ribs celery, diced
3 to 4 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch thick coins
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon each, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper or course ground pepper
1 cup good red wine
1 to 1 1/2 cups beef stock
a good handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot, add olive oil and heat until very hot.

In a plate combine the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the shanks in the flour and shake off to remove any excess flour. Add shanks to the Dutch oven or pot and brown on all sides. This should take 5 to 6 minutes. When meat is browned, remove from pot and set aside.

Next add the onions, celery and carrots to the pot and cook until tender.

Add garlic and Italian seasoning and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pot with red wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom.  Add the stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, add the meat back, the can of crushed tomatoes, stir and cover with the lid and place into the oven.
Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add cornstarch, a bit at a time and stir to thicken to desired consistency. Sprinkle parsley.

Serve hot over buttery polenta, grits or creamy mashed potatoes.

Ravioli Bake

So when is Italian NOT a good idea. Oh, that would be NEVER. This baked ravioli and meat sauce is so simple and delicious, you'll want to add it to your monthly menu  now. It's a hit with the kids and the grown ups and add a salad and simple dessert and you've got dinner in a flash. Hot, quick, scrumptious. These are the keys to a happy family. Try it tonight!

 

   

 Recipe
1 lb ground beef, sweet Italian sausage or pepperoni
1 1/2 jars (28 oz size) Marinara or pasta sauce (I like marinara best or a mix of  : )

1 8 ounce brick cream cheese, cubed small

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste
1 large bag frozen beef and cheese ravioli or cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Garnish of sliced basil 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and  grease or spray a 9x13 inch dish with cooking spray.

In a skillet, brown ground meat or heat pepperoni and pour off excess fat, add sauce, seasonings and cream cheese. Continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and smooth. 

Coat bottom of pan with sauce.

Portion in half and layer ravioli, the sauce and the cheese ending with cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until ooey, gooey, stringy and bubbly delicious. Garnish with sliced basil and serve with salad and garlic bread.

   

Eggplant Parmesan

Caz and I are on the Atkins Diet. We've really fought hard to keep the carbs out of our recipes, so my eggplant parm got a makeover too.  Since flour and bread crumbs are a no no, Caz suggested crushing pork rinds for the coating. It not only worked, but it was out of this world delicious. This Italian favorite is a home run remake. Give it a try soon. Do it!


Ingredients:
Oil
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced (you will need 6 slices medium thin so they will cook tender)
1 large bag pork rinds
3 eggs
2 Roma tomatoes (You can use a large can of crushed tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce (We did not use this due to carbs)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 bell pepper. chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (we used more : ) divided in two
2 to 3 ounces ounces grated Parmesan  cheese, divided in two
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Wash, peel and slice eggplant.
Add pork rinds to food processor and pulse until rinds are roughly crushed. Not pulverized and no big pieces. You can also pound rinds by hand if you prefer.PLace crumbs in a plate and set aside.
Beat egg in a small bowl and pour into a deep dish suitable for dredging. Set aside.
In the processor, add tomatoes, garlic, bell pepper, onion and Italian spices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until you have a thick-ish sauce. Pour into a bowl and stir in the can of tomato sauce. Set aside.
Heat enough oil in a frying pan to fry six slices of eggplant. About 1/4 inch of oil. Dredge eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then into the crushed pork rinds. Coat evenly and fry in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Oil a casserole dish and ladle a few spoons of sauce. Enough to coat the bottom of the casserole. Place three slices of fried eggplant in the dish. Cover with sauce, 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Add the remaining three slices of eggplant and the remainder of the sauce and cheeses. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbling.  

Verdure di Carne Rigatoni Fornello

Serves 6
Ingredients:

Water for pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, veal or lamb (or a combination of)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 large zucchini, sliced into cubes
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
10 ounces rigatoni pasta

Directions:

Fill a 5 quart stock pot with water and add 1 teaspoon salt.  Cover and let water come to a boil.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat. Crumble ground beef and brown.  Drain fat in colander and return to skillet. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 3 minutes. Add remaining olive oil to pan and toss in zucchini. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until it is almost soft. Add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook until tender but still firm.

Add Rigatoni to boiling water and cook until al dente.

Add, tomatoes, 1 ladle of pasta water and 26 ounce jar pasta sauce (or homemade) to skillet. Stir in sugar. When sauce is hot, stir in cheese.  Allow to simmer about 20 on low heat so flavors can meld.

Drain pasta well and return to pot.  Add contents of skillet to pasta. Toss gently to combine. 

Plate in shallow bowls. Garnish with freshly grated Romano cheese. Serve with crusty Italian bread and herb dipping sauce.

Cooks Note: You can make this totally vegetarian by removing the meat.

Italian Cannellini and Kale soup

This is one of my favorite comfort soups. It’s brothy, yet rich and flavorful. I had this today for lunch and I feel like I’ve been to Yoga. Ahhh, peace… love...


Okay, not really, but it’s good. Now on to nuggets of information that is probably TMI, but I feel compelled to tell you anyway : ). First an admission. I do not soak my beans : /. I don’t think I ever have, even once. Why pray tell not? Well, it’s very simple and mind you, only my opinion. But to me, soaking does not really take off that much cooking time and it always seems to separate the outer layer of shell a bit so that it pulls away from the body of the bean and that’s just something that does not appeal to me.


I’m already taking cover incase of incoming hate mail on this subject. If you want to soak them overnight, do it! It’s a personal thing. You can add sweet Italian sausage or any particular sausage your like. I like to fry sausage in the casing and serve it at the side of the bowl (in the bowl). You can crumble it and fry it, or slice it into coins, if you like. I love the addition of the sausage, but I’m counting calories, so it’s out for now.


Godere di questa minestra!


Serves 6 to 8

1 pound dried cannellini beans, rinsed well
10 cups of water
4 to 6 ounces sliced pancetta or salt pork (optional, but tasty)
1 can diced tomatoes or 1 large tomato, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 2 teaspoons for the water.
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (to take away any bitters) Again this is optional.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 nice bunch fresh kale, roughly chopped

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add washed beans to a 5 quart stock or soup pot and fill with three times their volume of water. Leave about three inches at the top to reduce boil over. Add sliced salt pork. If you are not using salt pork, then add 2 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring beans to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Beans are done when you can smash a bean between two fingers easily.

When beans are done, stir in tomatoes, chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Allow to continue to simmer on low while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Add olive oil to a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, Italian seasoning and fennel seed. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add chopped kale and cook just to a wilt.

Add cooked ingredients to soup and stil. Cook another 10 minutes or so on medium heat.

Spoon into bowls, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese
and serve with crusty bread and herbed olive oil.

Beef, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
16 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seed (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 16 ounce container ricotta cheese
1 8 ounce container sour cream
1 egg
4 tbsp of Parmesan cheese
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
1 package (no cook) lasagna noodles
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
24 ounce jar of pasta sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef and add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook vegetables until almost tender. for 8 to 10 minutes. Add all seasonings and stir.

In a medium bowl, add ricotta, egg, ½ of the mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

In a square 8 X 10 baking dish, ladle enough sauce to cover bottom.

Starting with the noodles, layer with ground beef and vegetable mix, ricotta mixture, and finally spinach leaves. Continue to alternate until you have used up ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and sauce. Add remaining mozzarella to the top. Spray a piece of foil with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Cover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Carchovie

Shrimp Carchovie


Serves up to 6

Ingredients:
1 14ounce can or jar marinated artichoke hearts, halved
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pound medium frozen pre-cooked shrimp, peeled and rinsed
16 ounces spaghetti or linguine noodles
Sauce:
¼ cup butter (plus 2 tablespoons for sautéing)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme ( I have used dry)
2 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:
Heat a pot of water to boiling and add noodles. Cook to andante, drain.

While noodles are boiling, melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add cream and thyme and simmer until reduced by a third. Whisk in the cheese and cook until thoroughly combined and thickened slightly. Sprinkle in parsley. Your sauce is done, that easy! Set aside.

In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter on medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender and soft. Add noodles to skillet and combine with mushrooms. Add shrimp and stir, then add artichoke hearts and sauce. Toss gingerly and cook until heated thoroughly. Serve with garlic bread and salad for a fabulous Italian meal.

Cooks Notes:
In a hurry? You can skip a step and use a jar of alfredo sauce. Save more time by buying pre-sliced mushrooms in your produce department.