Pillowy Ricotta Gnudi, by Cheryl

I was looking for a ricotta recipe that wasn't lasagna and came across this! I don't know what I was thinking this would be except a big ball of gooey warm cheese, but that's exactly what it is. I made it with a butter sage sauce, which was good, but I think a marinara sauce like the recipe stated would be better. These would be great on some doughy pieces of bread! I liked it a lot, but it's not for dinner. Maybe an appetizer? I'm still not sure how I feel about it. And I have about 12 balls leftover. Yum? 

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 oz ricotta cheese, (1 large container, or two small)

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

Sauce: 3 cups marinara sauce or butter with sage

Directions: 

1) Place Parmesan cheese in large bowl with the ricotta cheese. Add two large eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until just combined.

2) Dust a rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 flour. Scoop out a golf ball size gnudi and place them on the sheet. You may have around 35 balls. Sprinkle the top with the other 1/2 cup flour. Place is refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

4) Gently place the gnudi one by one into the boiling water without overcrowding. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnudi to the serving bowls.

5) Spoon the sauce over the gnudi. Garnish with chopped basil. 

The Best Bruschetta, by Cheryl

I love a good flavorful bruschetta. I was thinking of making some variation of it, but decided to stick with the tried and true tomato recipe. This was so delicious and was a big hit. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bread and garlic

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 pints grape tomatoes (I used a colorful variety), cut into halves or quarters

1 whole baguette

1 tbsp balsami vinegar

16 basil leaves, cut

salt and pepper

Directions: 

1) Heat some oil in a pan. Add the garlic and stir, lightly frying them. Remove and cool.

2) Add tomatoes, basil, and balsamic to a bowl with the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two.

3) Cut the baguette in diagonal slices. Brush with olive oil and very lightly toast.

4) Give tomato mixture a final stir and spoon generously over the bread slices. 

Tender Meatballs, by Cheryl

These are the most tender meatballs I've ever made! Everyone in my house ran through the first batch so quickly that I made two more batches the next day for snacks and meals. I've used milk in meatballs before, but not in the way this recipe had me do it. It truly made a difference! Eat on their own or with spaghetti! Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

1 lb ground beef

2/3 cup bread crumbs

7/8 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp fresh Italian herbs

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400. Add the milk and the bread crumbs in a bowl and stir until absorbed. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well until combined. 

2) Roll the mixture in meatballs and lay them on a lined baking tray. Wet your hands with water to prevent sticking. 

3) Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes. Serve with whatever you want!

Paccheri with Shrimp in a Tomato White Wine Sauce, by Cheryl

Oh paccheri, how I love you! This is my favorite pasta and I fell in love with it during my time in Naples. I also fell in love with their classic white wine tomato sauce. I can't ever seem to replicate it as well as they do, but this dish definitely brought me back. I loveee it. Yum!

Ingredients: 

1 package paccheri

1 8oz container of grape tomatoes

1 cup white wine

1 onion, chopped

A couple tbsp minced garlic

A couple handfuls of spinach

1 lb shrimp, seasoned

Salt

Olive oil

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to directions.

2) Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the white wine, tomatoes, and garlic and simmer, mixing occasionally until sauce thickens. 

3) Cook shrimp in separate pan and then add to the sauce. 

4) Pour everything over the pasta. 

Italian Chicken Meatball Wedding Soup, by Diane

I made this for lunches this week as a fusion of a few recipes I found and had been saving for a chilly week. This is really warming and very easy to make! The meatballs had a ton of flavor and I would definitely make these again on their own. I added too much kale and would reduce this or just use spinach next time. I also left out the pasta here but it could easily be added with more broth. 

Ingredients:

For meatballs

1 lb ground chicken

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg 

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tbsp dried basil

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tbsp coconut oil

For soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil

3 cups chopped carrots

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large leek, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks celery

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

6 cups bone broth (I used beef/chicken/Turkey mix)

1 bag spinach

1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces

Directions: 

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl except for the coconut oil. 

2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on medium, and add in coconut oil when hot. 

3. Drop in meatballs and cook 4 minutes until browned, flip and brown another side. After 4 minutes, mix the meatballs and cover for 3 minutes to steam. 

4. Remove the meatballs and set aside, saving the pan juices. Add in the remaining coconut oil, then carrots through turmeric and cook until tender (cover as needed).

5. Add in the bone broth and bring to a boil, taste and adjust for seasonings. 

6. Add the meatballs and boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and stir in spinach and kale.

Baked Eggplant with Mushroom and Tomato Sauce, by Cheryl

I needed to use stuff in my fridge in order to fit more food in it. This meal kind of just came together with the ingredients I had on hand. I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to make with it and then used this recipe to help execute. I would have been fine with this as the main dish, but Jon needs some extra oomph to a meal so I added some pasta on the side. This was super delicious and very easy to put together! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 cup chopped onion

cooking spray

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package of sliced mushrooms

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Broil for 3 minutes per side.

2) Preheat oven to 375.

3) Heat a pan with oil and cook the onion and everything through the mushrooms for 7 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes or until water evaporates. 

4) Spread half the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish coated with spray. Arrange half the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture on top. Arrange the rest of the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

5) Cover and bake for 1 hour. 

6) Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Melanzane A Funghetto (Eggplant cooked like mushrooms), by Cheryl

In Italy I took a cooking class with some friends. This recipe comes from the teacher who shared with us many different Neapolitan recipes. I love eggplant so I decided to whip up this yummy side dish... I'm surprised I never posted it before! Usually this dish is used as a vegetable side, but it's so versatile, you can make it for bruscetta or use it as a sauce for pasta! I made one change though - the Neapolitans love frying the eggplant in oil, which can lead to a greasy consistency if not done right, and can have a ton of hidden calories since eggplant absorbs oil like crazy. I baked my eggplant cubes with oil first and then continued on with the recipe. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
salt
EVOO
1 clove garlic, minced
20ish cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup water
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh basil

Directions:

1) Place the cubes of eggplant in a strainer and sprinkle salt generously on top. Mix around. Place a place and something heavy on top in order in order to get out the bitter juices. Leave for at least an hour.

2) Preheat oven to 430. Rinse the eggplant and dry thoroughly.

3) Put the eggplant in an oven dish with a few tablespoons of olive oil and mix well. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Meanwhile, add some olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and squash the tomatoes to release the juices. Cook for five minutes, stirring.

5) Add the eggplant, water, and balsamic vinegar. Cook for around 5 minutes. Cool before serving.

6) Garnish with fresh basil.

Antipasto Salad, by Diane

Last night it felt like summer, and all I wanted was a fresh and light dinner. I created this mix of deliciousness and afterwards I realized it kind of reminded me of an antipasto salad- but way better! To make it whole30 compliant, just check the meat doesn’t have any sugars in it. This was delicious, quick, and exactly what I wanted after a hot day in the sun.


Ingredients:

30 baby multicolor heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup black or kalamata olives
1 14.5 oz can hearts of palm, sliced into inch rings
1 14.5 oz can artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces
1 package prosciutto, rough chopped
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
A splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar


Directions:

Toss everything together and adjust seasonings/oils/vinegars to taste. Eat fresh!

Polpette Alla Napoletana, by Cheryl

For the first cookbook club that I hosted I chose the cookbook Cucina Napoletana. I thought it would be different than the typical American food cookbooks that we have chosen and I could also use my nice Italian ceramic dinnerware! These meatballs were amazing!! I have always wondered how to get my meatballs as tender as the ones we had in Italy and this recipe does it. I think the trick is soaking the bread in milk beforehand and then when it's mixed into the meatballs it produces such a softness and tenderness to it. I will definitely be making meatballs this way again. Yum!

Ingredients:

1lb 2 oz stale crustless bread (I bought the pre cut stuffing cubes)
a little milk
1lb lean ground beef
handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1.75 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 oz golden raisins (optional)
1.5 oz pine nuts (optional)
EVOO
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 lb 5 oz canned whole peeled plum tomatoes
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Soak the bread in a little milk. Squeeze gently to remove any excess liquid and place in a bowl with the ground beef, parsley, and garlic. Mix well and add the egg, a pinch of salt, black pepper, Parmesan, golden raisins, and pine nuts. Combine thoroughly with your hands. Shape into meatballs.

2) Fry in plenty of hot oil in a large heavy pan over medium heat for ten minutes .Keep turning the meatballs carefully to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

3) Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Sweat the onion in a little olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce and cook for ten minutes to heat through. Serve hot.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta, by Cheryl

Ugh, another night of what to make for dinner? I'm in a rut! Help me!!! Anyway, I had eggplant, tomatoes, and pasta so I put together this together. I used this recipe as a guide to help with some of the sauce making. The sauce came out really well and was tasty. I ended up adding a teaspoon of baking soda to take out the acidity of the tomatoes and it worked! This is a great meal to whip up when you have no idea what to make for dinner!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
olive oil
2 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pasta of choice.. something like farfalle or radiatore would be good

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 450. Toss eggplant with some olive oil and salt. Roast about 30 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook pasta until about 1 minute shy of al dente.

3) Grate tomatoes (until you get to the tomato skin) over a skillet using the large holes of box grater. Add garlic and 1 tbsp of olive oil and bring to a simmer. Simmer until pulp is reduced by half, then season with salt. This is where I added a teaspoon of baking soda and some cherry tomatoes to cut the acidity and add some chunk to it.

4) Add the butter and pasta and toss together. Bring to a simmer and cook until pasta is cooked through. Add eggplant.

5) Serve pasta with a little more olive oil and Parmesan cheese if using.

Chicken Sausage Bolognese, by Diane

This recipe comes from @kitchfix and it was a really interesting take on Bolognese sauce with a DIY chicken sausage! It also happened to be paleo, which I was a fan of, although you could easily swap in real cream and parmesan cheese at the end.

This sauce turned out like a rose sauce, slightly creamier than a traditional Bolognese. I found that as instructed the sauce wasn't nearly as flavorful as I was expecting, but I amped the flavors with spices and next time would cook the sausage longer (all listed below). It also came out way to acidic, so I would omit the vinegar next time (I used sugar to balance it out this time). The finished product was really good- I had it with zoodles, and also over sweet potato wedges. Making it again this week!


Ingredients:

For the Chicken Sausage:
1 lb. ground chicken
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp each dry oregano and fresh thyme (chopped)

For the Sauce:
1/4 c EVOO
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
64 oz canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp red wine vinegar (I would omit this next time as the sauce was so acidic I had to balance out with 1 tbsp. sugar)
1/4 c raw unsalted cashews
1/5 c water
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Combine all chicken sausage ingredients and set aside.

2. In a large soup pot, heat EVOO over medium high heat and add in onions and garlic. Cook until they start to brown, then add in the chicken sausage, salt, pepper, and seasoning. Cook the sausage until browned as well (this is important for the flavor, and was missing in the recipe!)

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and vinegar and simmer for 30 min.

4. While the sauce simmers, combine cashews, water, and nutritional yeast until completely smooth. It will be liquidy.

5. After 30 min, stir in cashew mixture and basil. Simmer another 5 min and ready to serve.

The Best Italian Meatballs, by Diane

These are one of the best things I've ever made!! This recipe is Whole30 from @bazaarlazarr,  entitled Lazy Girl Whole30 meatballs. Meatballs are my favorite food, because they are quick and delicious and so this title caught my eye immediately! However, I quickly found there is nothing lazy about this recipe (you have to brown them individually which I hate bc it's so time consuming!), and my Speedy Weeknight Meatballs are way faster (just throw them in the oven). BUT- the recipe is so flippin' delicious that I'll make it over and over on repeat, it's definitely the best meatball recipe I've tried. What makes them so good is the flavors which taste incredibly authentic (Cheryl is our resident Italian judge and I think she'd agree?!) and the cooking process (turns out browning and baking is the way to go!). Not to mention the sauce I used, Rao's, is delicious. Hooray!

Note: The original recipe calls for half a pound of veal and half a pound of Italian sausage, but there is no compliant Italian sausage for Whole30 so I doubled the veal to one pound and added in paprika and onion powder (I didn't have fennel on hand or I would have added that too).


Ingredients:

1 lb grass fed beef
1 lb veal
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg, lightly whisked
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (I used 4!)
Salt and pepper (use a pinch more salt than you'd think)
1/4 cup almond flour (sub in breadcrumbs if keeping it traditional)
1 24 oz. jar tomato sauce
Fresh basil, torn, for garnish


Directions:

1. Combine ingredients through almond flour and mix well, careful not to over mix so the meatballs stay tender. Form into balls, about 1.5 inches in diameter (this recipe yielded 20 for me).

2. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high, brown the meatballs on all sides and set on a paper towel lined plate.

3. Preheat oven to 325.

4. Drain the oil from the pan, place the meatballs back in and top with sauce. Spread evenly and bake for 30-40 min (I did 40).

5. Remove from oven and top with basil.

Italian Vegetable Soup, by Diane

I came across this recipe on Facebook and it looked really good, and it was simultaneously 20 degrees outside so I thought this would be the perfect weekend to make it! This soup was really, really good after a few seasoning changes (I'll post my version below). I also wish I used way less cabbage than listed (also posted the appropriate amount below). Definitely a good one to have on rotation this winter, and it came together REALLY fast! This would be very good with sausage, which I'll try next time!


Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

EVOO
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 medium size carrots, thinly sliced (2 cups)
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (2 cups)
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 head green cabbage, roughly chopped (1 cup)
Shredded Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley for serving (optional)

 

 

Directions:

 

1. In a large soup pan, brown and crumble the beef and set aside. 

 

2. Leaving the juices in the pan, add the EVOO and cook the carrots, onions, and celery until translucent. 

 

3. Add the beef back into the pan and all other ingredients except cabbage, bring to a boil. Adjust the broth level if needed (this soup works better when thicker and the cabbage will take up liquid). 

4. Bring to a simmer by lowering heat and cook uncovered for 20 min.

5. Adjust seasonings, and add cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is wilted.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats, by Diane

This squash was the width of my hand plus about 1.5 more hands length!

My dad got this MEGA squash from a neighbor's garden, the size of which we have never seen (see photo above for reference- a whole pound of meat plus all the toppings fit in here!). We were looking for things to do and I came across this recipe, and man was this delicious!! Although ours turned out more like zucchini yachts instead of the little boats as pictured in the recipe due to the size! We topped it with parmesan cheese before roasting it in the oven, and every time we opened the oven door to check it the whole kitchen smelled amazing! I would definitely make this again. I'm adding the little changes we made here and there below.

Ingredients:

3 large zucchinis, seeds removed
EVOO
1 lb. ground turkey (we used lean turkey breast)
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 pack crimini mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes in italian herbs
1 jar marinara sauce (we used Classico rustic marinara- man this stuff was good!)
1 tbsp dried italian herbs
Salt and pepper (be generous with the salt)
Parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. Cook the turkey with EVOO, crumbling in the pan and remove.
2. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook until soft. Drain the liquid and add the turkey back in.
3. Turn off heat and add in the tomatoes, marinara, herbs, and salt and pepper. Stir well.
4. Stuff the mixture into the zucchini boats, top with parmesan, and bake at 375 for 15-20 min (or until squash is soft in the center).

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Balsamic Brown Butter (Italy), by Cheryl

I'm up to Italy in my countries theme! I had thought about doing a recipe from different regions of Italy, but I already have a bunch of Italian recipes on here, plus I can always add those later since my former neighbor still sends me her recipes from time to time. This is a recipe from the Veneto region of Italy. While visiting Verona and the surrounding area we had gnocchi around the clock - and not your typical gnocchi that we're used to here. I mean melt in your mouth, creamy, decadent, sweet, gnocchi - something that I had never experienced before. An important ingredient in the gnocchi recipes in the region of Veneto is ricotta cheese (which contributes to it's creaminess), so when Jon came across this recipe and it included ricotta cheese with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes we knew we had to make it. The more flour you use in the gnocchi dough, the more dense it will be so you'll want to use the least amount of flour possible while still making a pliable dough. This is amahzing (definitely top 5!) and we have already made it two more times since the first time. Yum!

Ingredients: 

Gnocchi:

2 (1 lb) sweet potatoes, cooked in microwave to be fork tender

1 12oz container ricotta, strained in a sieve for 2 hours

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons salt

2.5 cups all purpose flour

Sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup loosely packed sage leaves

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

1) After microwaving or baking the sweet potatoes, cut them in half and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. Thoroughly mash the sweet potatoes.

2) Transfer 3 cups of sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add the strained ricotta, stirring until thoroughly combined. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and salt, then start adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Shape the dough into a large ball.

3) Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside. Lightly flour your work surface and divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Take one portion and roll it on your work surface or between your hands until it's about 20 inches in length. Cut the dough into 20 pieces to form each gnocchi then transfer them to the flour baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

4) Using the back of a fork, press each gnocchi into the tines to form an indentation. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

5) Make brown butter sauce before cooking gnocchi. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the butter until the foam subsides and it begins to form a golden brown color, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the sage leaves, allowing them to cook for one minute.

6) Remove the brown butter from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately with the gnocchi (after it's cooked).

7) Add a portion of the gnocchi to the boiling water, stir, and let the gnocchi cook until they float back up to the top, about 1 minute. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

8) Toss the warm gnocchi with the brown butter sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve. 

Kale and Mushroom Pasta, by Cheryl

What a healthy and easy recipe from 100 Days of Real Food! I actually needed to use up the kale and mushrooms in our fridge before we went away for vacation and when found this delicious recipe during my internet search. The sauce is really really good - I just wish there was more of it! Next time I will double the ingredients for the sauce in order to coat the pasta better. Yum!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pasta
1 ounce dried mushrooms (I used regular raw ones)
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, diced (I used an onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups loosely packed kale, stems removed and cut into strips
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) In a small pot, add the dried mushrooms and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the mushrooms are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Drain while reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Dice the cooked mushrooms.

2) In a saute pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook while stirring for two minutes.

3) Pour in the white wine and turn up the heat so the mixture comes to a boil. Cook until the wine almost completely boils off, about 3-4 minutes (longer if you double the recipe).

4) Pour in one cup of reserved cooking liquid (I just added water since I didn't use dried mushrooms) and cook until reduced by half.

5) Turn the heat back down to medium and add the heavy cream, kale, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Fold in the noodles, garnish with cheese, and serve.

Melanzane Sott'olio (Marinated Eggplant), by Cheryl

This is a staple of Neapolitan cuisine. Melanzane Sott'olio literally means "eggplant under oil", which is exactly what it is! It is marinated eggplant that sits in a jar for two to three weeks soaking up the flavors around it. My neighbors would often bring us jars of these to keep in the house for a couple of weeks in order to snack on later. Other friends would bring their finished product to our house as an appetizer before dinner or as a snack for parties. Since we always had this in our house from other people I never actually made it myself, though I do have my friend's recipe. I found my stack of recipes from her, translated it, and made this a few weeks ago. We just opened it last weekend and it was so good! Just like Italy :)

Ingredients (measurements are converted from grams):

2 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup salt
2 cups white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 cups olive oil (or less depending on how big the jar is)
5 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes, or halved hot pepper - crushed
1 quart glass jar with lid

Directions:

1) Peel and slice the eggplant into strips. Place layer of eggplant strips in large colander and sprinkle with a portion of salt. Repeat process until colander is full and all eggplant has been salted. Cover the eggplant with a weighted plate for 2-3 hours - this helps to remove the bitter juices.

2) Combine vinegar and water in a pot and bring to a boil for two minutes. Add some of the eggplant to water and blanch for two minutes. Remove eggplant with strainer, place in a colander, and let cool. Continue this process until all eggplants have been blanched.

3) Take a sterile jar and sprinkle garlic, oregano, and hot pepper on layer on cooled eggplant. Repeat layering until 1 inch from the top of the jar. Add enough oil to cover the eggplant. Store for 2-3 weeks.

4) Make sure to use clean utensils when retrieving mixture. Add oil to keep vegetables covered as necessary.

Pasta Tradizionale, by Cheryl

This is so simple and soooooo good! Typically, pasta tradizionale (Traditional Pasta) consists of spaghetti with an oil sauce made of garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. It really is the easiest dish to make that packs so much flavor in each bite. The key is to infuse the oil with the garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes for about 30-60 minutes beforehand. The amount of ingredients you use also depends on your tastes. If you want it really spicy then add more red pepper. If you want less of a garlic flavor than don't use as much garlic. You get the idea. It's so good and has become a part of our rotation! Yum!

Ingredients:

Pasta (any kind will be fine, but I like either spaghetti or rotini)
Approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil (more or less)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
a couple of teaspoons of salt
a couple of teaspoons of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1) In a bowl combine all ingredients except pasta. Let sit for 30 minutes - 1 hour stirring once or twice in between.

2) Cook pasta according to box directions.

3) Heat oil in a pan. Add cooked pasta and stir until coated. Enjoy!

Ravioli with Tomato, Arugula, and Pancetta, by Cheryl

Hooray for U.S. television again!!! More specifically, hooray for cooking shows that I have missed while being abroad! Before moving overseas I used to watch Giada a lot and have gotten a lot of recipes from watching her show. Since being back I've watched quite a few episodes and that's where I got this recipe from. Since you're not making the ravioli from scratch this recipe is pretty easy and is very good. I think it needed a little bit more flavor so I put more salt on it as I was eating it. But I tend to like a lot of salt on my meals as well. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 pound cheese ravioli
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (I used bacon)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, plus extra for seasoning
3 cups arugula
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves, divided
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Directions:

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook according to package instructions.

2) In a large non-stick skillet of medium-high heat, add the pancetta, and cook - stirring frequently until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain.

3) Add the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper, and cook for two minutes until tender.

4) Add arugula and 1/4 cup of basil and cook until wilted.

5) Stir in butter and melt. Add the ravioli and cooked pancetta and toss until coated.

6) Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

7) Garnish with the remaining basil and serve.

Fiori di Zucca Fritti (Fried Zucchini Flowers), by Cheryl

I don't know about you, but I had never heard of or seen zucchini flowers before moving to Italy. A zucchini flower is the golden flower blossom at the end of each growing zucchini. A very popular recipe here is to make a light dough batter, cover them in that, and fry them in oil. Our neighbor (who else?) gave us her recipe a few months ago, but the final product didn't turn out well for us. We were trying to make balls with the delicate flowers inside of them, but the dough overpowered the flower and we were unable to taste anything but that. Then we said, f*** it, let's just use crescent rolls and wrap them in that. Same problem except now they had a buttery sweet taste to them and all I wanted to do was eat the rolls and flowers separately. Alas, we tried once more and found a recipe online that we can now use forever from here.The key is not to make a ball of dough to put the flower inside. The key is to make a more liquidy dough to dip the flower in, just covering it, and fry it like that. They were so tasty and easy to make that we'll be making them part of our rotation as a side. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12-16 zucchini blossoms
1 cup water
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 pinches of salt
vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Remove the stem of the flowers.

2) Prepare the batter by mixing the water, egg, and salt together, gradually sifting the flour into the water and mixing it with a wire whisk. The batter should be moderately dense. You can add more water or flour depending on your preference.

3) Place an ample amount of oil into a pan and heat the oil over high heat. Make sure it's hot before you use it.

4) Dip each flour into the batter, covering it completely, and place it carefully into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until they are golden brown.

5) Remove from oil and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the oil. Add a sprinkle of salt to the finished product. They are excellent when hot, but can also be eaten at room temperature.