Caprese Stuffed Chicken (Pasquale Sciarappa)

 Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
2-3 plum tomatoes sliced
4 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella
basil leaves
oregano, to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar, drizzle for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position rack in the middle position
2. Place the chicken breast on a cuttin board and cut six slits into each chicken breast, making sure not to cut allthe way through. Tip: you can use two wooden spoons along each side of the chicken breast to keep the knife from cuttin all the way through.
3. Stuff each chicken preast with a sllice of mozzarella in every other slit. Stuff the remaining slits with a slice or two of tomatoes and one ofr two basil leaves.
4. Season the stuffed chicken breasts with salt, black pepper nd oregano.
5. Drizzle some olive oil onto the bottom of an oven safe pan or baking sheet. Transfer each stuffed chicken breast into the oven safe pan or bakin sheet. Drizzle the caprese stuffed chicken breasts with olive oil.
6. Bake the caprese stuffed chicken breasts for about thirty to thirty-five minues or until no longer pink. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella for a more cheesy result.
7. Place back into the oven and bake for five more minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the caprese stuffed chicken with balsamic vinegar.

Lasagna Rolls (Giada De Laurentis)

 

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch of ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

1 (15 ounce) conatiner whhole milk ricotta

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto,  chopped (optional)

1 large egg, beaten to blend

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tablespoons of oliive oil

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups of marianara sauce

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

Directions:

1. To make the sauce (Bechemel):  Melt the butter in a heavy medium sacuepan overr medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. 

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

4. Add a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

5. Butter a 13-by-9-by 2 inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sacue over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread a large spoonful (about 3 tablespoons) of riicotta mixture evely over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the maining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marianara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Baken until heated through and the sacue bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover  and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside. 

Penne alla Vodka (Gabriele Bertaccini)

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt

1 pound of penne pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves of garlis, minced

1 stalk of celery, minced

1 shallot minced

1/2 sweet onion, minced

freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons vodka

1/2 cup of good quality tomato paste

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of sugar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup freshly grated Gana Padano, plus more for serving

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente accordinng to the package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and 1 tablepoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic, celery, shallots and onions, reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the vodka, raise the heat to medium high and cook until the vodka is almost evaportated, about 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste. Add the cream, sugar and red pepper flakes, if using, and season again with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer gently so the flavors come together, about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and season again if needed.

Add the pasta to the sauce and mix to combine; add some pasta water if it seems dry. add the rimaing 2 tablepoons butter and mix to combine and melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add the Grana Padano and parsley and mix gently to combine. Transfer to serving bowls and finish with some more Grana Padano, freshly ground pepper and a sprinkle of parsley

 

Stanley Tucci 6 ingredient pasta casserole

 Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, or as needed
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced
• 6 ounces frozen peas
• 8 ounces cooked farfalle pasta
• 2 cups béchamel sauce (or other jarred creamy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in pancetta and frozen peas. Cook until warmed through and pancetta has crisped up a bit.
3. Combine cooked pasta, béchamel, and pancetta mixture in a casserole dish. Dot with butter and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbly and the top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Béchamel Sauce Recipe (Italian White Sauce)

• Prep Time: 5 Min
• Cook Time: 15 Min
• Servings: 4 people or 500 ml (2 ½ cup) of bechamel sauce

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Bechamel Ingredients

• 500 ml (2 cups) of milk
• 50 g (1,7 ounce or ¼ cup) of unsalted butter
• 50 g (1,7 ounce or 4 tablespoons) of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt
• freshly grated nutmeg
• Parmigiano reggiano cheese (optional)

WHITE SAUCE RATIO: the ingredients for this recipe are for 500 ml (2 ½ cup) of Bechamel sauce. If you need 1 liter (5 cups) of bechamel, doubled the ingredients. If you want a more liquid béchamel sauce, reduce the flour and the butter. For example 30 g (1 ounce or 2 ½ tablespoons) of flour and 30 g (1 ounce or 2 tablespoons) of butter.

Crema Di Pomodoro (cream of tomato soup)

 Ingredients:

About 1 loaf of Italian or French bread
2 carrots
2 celery ribs
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, crumbled
3-4 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

cut enough bread into 3/4 inch cubes to measure about 3 cups and arrange in one layer in a shallow baking pan. toast bread in middle of oven until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

Finely chop carrots, celery, onion and garlic. In a heavy 4-5 quart pan cook chopped vegetables and garlic in oil with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until tender but not browned, about 10 minutes. add wine and boil 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and 1 cup of water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in heavy cream and sour cream. Cool soup for 10 minutes. In a blender puree soup int aches, transferring as pureed to a large bowl.

Return soup to pan and thin to desired consistency with remaining water. Season soup with salt and pepper and heat over moderate heat, stirring until heated through. Do not let boil.

Serve soup ladled over croutons in large bowls.

Grilled Corn and Pepper Soup

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of butter

2 ears of corn grilled

1 onion chopped

1 red pepper grilled, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups of half and half

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon of minced dill

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. While it melts, cut kernels from corn. Set aside 1/4 cup of the kernels.

Add remaining corn and onion to saucepan and cook over medium heat until slightly softened, 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and continue to cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. add half and half, broth and dill and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 15 minutes.

Puree soup in blender inn batches until very smooth. strain into clean saucepan, reheat and season with slat and pepper to taste. Top with reserved corn prior to serving.

Garnet and Ray's Corn Chowder

 Ingredients:

2 TBS of butter

1 large onion, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

large baking potato, diced

1-2 small cloves of garlic

1 tsp cumin

1- 1 1/2 cans of chicken stock

6-8 large ears of corn cooked with kernels removed

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 cups of half and half

Grated Cheese (mixed types)

Cilantro

Directions:

In a large cause pan, melt butter and add onions, clery, potato, garlic and cumin and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add 1 can of chicken stock then add the corn and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Puree in batches and adjust thickness of the soup with either stock or half and half. Taste for seasoning. Recipe says to add an additional teaspoon of cumin. 

Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese.