An Italian Dinner

An Italian Dinner

A wonderful Italian dinner starting from homemade noodles complements of Karen Hancock- the Eclectic Epicurean.

Basic Pasta
 2-4 serving                            5-6 servings                       7-8 Servings
1-1/2 C flour                          2-1/4 C flour                      3  C flour
2 eggs                                    3 eggs                                 4 eggs

Note: Because of Utah's dry climate, a few tsp of milk are usually necessary. Never add water, oil, or salt to Italian pasta dough. When making stuffed pasta, add 1 additional tsp milk for every egg.

Hand Method: Mound the flour on the work surface. Make a well in the center. Place the eggs (and the milk if adding) in the mound and beat them with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the mixture. When enough glour is incorporated, knead the mixture, pressing against it with the heel of your palm folding it over and turning it again and again. After 8-10 minutes, it should be a smooth, compact, and elastic ball of dough. Pat it into a flattish bunlike shape.

Food Processor Method: Place the eggs and flour in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the mixture looks like cornmeal; if it is very dry and does not hold together when pinched with your fingers, add milk. Dump the mixture on a clean, dry countertop and form it into a ball.

Both Methods: Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest 15-30 minutes before rolling out.

Rolling out: Cut the ball of pasta into two pieces. Keeping one piece covered, flatten one half by patting between your fingers and palms. When it is about 1/2 inch thick, put it through the pasta machine at the thickest setting (#1); fold in half crosswise, and put it through at the thickest setting again. Run it through the second to thickest setting: fold the irregular side in  and roll through again. Continue rolling on thinner settings until the dough is the thickness you need for the type of pasta you are making.

Canneloni
Basic dough (2-4 servings)
 Bechamel Sauce
Spinach and Cheese Filling
3-4 cups Homemade or jarred (if you must) Italian Tomato Sauce
1/3 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C Butter

Roll the pasta dough as thin as possible and cut into rectangles 3"x4". Drop into boiling water; let each one cook about 2 minutes then plunge them in cold water and spread them on a dry non-terry towel. When all are cooked, pat dry with another towel.

Butter a 9X13 glass casserole dish. Spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish and drizzle 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bechamel. Spread each of the pasta rectanles with a thin layer of bechamel, top with about a tablepoonful of filling, leaving a 1/2" border. Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, and place side by side in the prepared dish. Pour enough of the tomato sauce over to completely cover., then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the cheese, and dot with the butter. kBake at 400* for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then serve.

Spinach and Cheese Filling
 10 oz. pckg. frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp butter
1/4 C onion, finely chopped
1 beaten egg
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 C ricotta cheese (not fat-free)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Can add Italian sausage/ground turkey or beef - cooked

Squeeze out all of the liquid out of the spinach and chop fine. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the onion, ksaute over medium heat until soft. Mix the onion and the spinach. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
 Variation: Remove the casing from 4 hot Italian sausges brown in a skillet, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain well and stir in the spinach and cheese filling.

Bechamel Sauce
1/4 c butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk

Melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour and salt and whick until smooth. Add the milk, whisking constantly until the sauce is thick.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
2 lbs. large mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
4 finely chopped green onions

1 lb. kItalian sausage
1 pkge (5 oz.) stick pepperoni, coarsely chopped
1/2 C ricotta cheese
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly and remove the stem, set the mushroom caps aside and finely chop the stems. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the chopped mushroom stems and green onions. Saute until soft, set aside.  Cook the sausage breakin it up until it is cooked through. Pour off all of the grease and add mlusroom onion mixture, cream cheese, salt and Italian Seasoning. Stirring over low heat until the cream cheese is soft, kStir in the mozzarella and Parmessan
Scoop the filling into the mushroom caps. Bake at *350 for 45 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Italian Chopped Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
2 heads romaine
1/2 C cooked and crumbled bacon (can use prosciutto - bake at 400* for 10 minutes until crumbly)
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1-1/2 C crumbled Gorgonaola or blue cheese
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 avocados, chopped

1/2 batch Restaurant Style Italian Dressing

Chop the lettuce in small pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Stir in all but dressing and avocados. Mix a little of the dressing with the avocados then add with all the dressing into the lettuce.

Restaurant Style Italian Salad Dressing
1-1/2 C white wine vinegar
1 C water
1 C vegetable oil
3/4 cup corn syrup
1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (cheap stuff is okay for this)
1 pdg (2 oz) dry pectin
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes   
                            
 

Fall Vegetable Oven Hash

I tried this recipe from the Trib and we quite liked it. I served it with quinoa for a main dish.

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The Healthy Plate: You won’t miss the meat or bread in this vegetable-rich oven hash

By MELISSA D’ARABIAN

Heading into crisper weather, I start to crave the holiday classics that beg to be made this time of year. One of my favorites is stuffing (technically “dressing” since I haven’t stuffed it in the turkey ever since Alton Brown talked me out of it over a decade ago when I read his recipe for roasted turkey). Seasoned cubes of dried bread sauteed with celery, onion, herbs and butter, then baked up to crispy-outside-soft-inside perfection?

Yes, please!

Except... My extended family has three vegetarians and my daughter is gluten-free. So my challenge was how to make a dish that scratches the stuffing itch for them without making it seem like the ugly duckling of the Thanksgiving table. The solution ended up being a roasted vegetable medley that I promise will be the most-requested recipe of your holiday. It is that good, and full of nutrients, too.

To make that happen, I rely on a mix of roasted vegetables for a caramelized sweetness that feels roasty and homey. And I add meaty mushrooms sauteed in garlic and the trifecta of holiday cooking herbs: rosemary, sage and thyme.

A Granny Smith apple cut into tiny cubes brings just enough acid for depth, while a surprise little hero tucked into the recipe — toasted walnuts — adds texture, along with some nice healthy fats to fill up vegetarians who will be skipping the turkey.

Easy, healthy and satisfying. Your healthy or vegan or gluten-free guests will feel satisfied, not sidelined.

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Veggie oven hash

2 1/2 cups (3/4 pound) cubed butternut squash (1-inch cubes)

Olive oil

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 cups (1/3 pound) small cauliflower florets

2 cups (1/3 pound) small broccoli florets

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (cut in half if slices are larger than bite-sized)

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with kitchen parchment or foil.

Mound the squash on one of the prepared baking sheets then drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of oil. Toss to coat, then season with salt and pepper.

Arrange in an even layer, then roast until tender, 30 to 35 minutes, turning once or twice.

While the squash is roasting, mound the cauliflower and broccoli on the second sheet.

Drizzle them with 2 teaspoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, then arrange in an even layer and roast for 25 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the cauliflower is golden.

All of the vegetables should finish roasting around the same time. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and mushrooms, then saute until the mushrooms are starting to get tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the apple, thyme, rosemary and sage, then cook another 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender (but not floppy). Stir in the lemon juice, remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the slightly cooled roasted vegetables and the toasted walnuts.

Stir and adjust seasoning if needed.

Start to finish • 40 minutes

Servings • 8

Nutrition information per serving • 140 calories; 80 calories from fat (57 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 150 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 4 g protein.

Chicken Bundles

Whenever I make these people ask me for the recipe.  They are a rather old-fashioned dish but still good. I serve them with rice and pour the sauce on both. It makes a nice looking plate with some colorful vegetables.

Chicken Bundles

6 oz. Cream Cheese (3 oz. with chive or green onion, 3 oz plain)
4 cooked chicken breasts, cut up in bite size pieces
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can mushrooms, drained
pkg. of 8 crescent refrigerator rolls
herb stuffing mix (like Pepperidge Farm) ( if I have the Italian Bread Crumbs on hand I just use those)

Mix the first 4 ingredients.  Put 1/4 cup of mixture into each crescent roll. Roll up and seal and dip into stuffing mix.  Cook in oven at 350* for 25 minutes. Serve with sauce on top.

Sauce

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 Cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix in a sauce pan and stir on medium until heated through.