Recipes - Italian

Category: Italian
Recipe #: 001

Herbed Beans and Roasted Pepper Salad

Ingredients     
4 large Red Bell Peppers
1 lb Dry Tuscan beans (Cannellini, Cranberry, Borlotti, etc.)
2 whole fresh Thyme sprigs
2 whole fresh Rosemary sprigs
2 whole Spice Appeal BAY LEAF, Whole
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for baby greens
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
3 green onions, very thinly sliced
1 Tbsp Spice Appeal ORANGE PEEL, Whole , finely chopped
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, plus extra for baby greens
Salt & Spice Appeal BLACK PEPPER, Ground
      
Description     
For Peppers
Clean and dry the peppers. Place them onto a gas flame, outdoor grill or into a broiler. Roast (turning occasionally) until they blister. They should be completely black but not gray ash. Wrap the roasted peppers in a moisten paper towel. Place into a ziplock bag and seal tight. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Once cooled, use the paper towel to carefully slip off the charred skins. Cut them open and remove the stem, core, and seeds. Do not rinse with water. Cut into medium strips.

For Beans
Using a large saucepan, combine the beans with enough cold water to cover by 2”. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from the heat, and soak for 1 hour. Drain and discard the water. Return the soaked beans to the same saucepan. Add the herbs, and once again cover with 2” of cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the beans are tender but not mushy (about 45-60 minutes). Drain and spread out on a cooking sheet to cool faster.

Gently toss the prepared peppers and beans with the olives, onion, orange peel/zest, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place bean salad in a platter, cover, and allow to rest at room temperature for one hour.

Place greens in a bowl and season with Kosher salt and ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the greens. Blend well. When ready to serve, pour bean salad over greens.

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Category: Italian
Recipe #: 002

Three-Cheese Baked Pasta with Porcini and Radicchio
 
Ingredients     
1 ounce dried porcini
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces sliced pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 heads of radicchio, each cut into 8 wedges through the core
Salt and Spice Appeal Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp Spice Appeal Sage
1 lb lumache pasta or medium shells
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1½ heavy cream
Pinch of Spice Appeal Whole Nutmeg
¼ lb Asiago cheese, grated (about 1⅓ cups)
6 ounces Fontina cheese, grated (about 1⅓ cups)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
      
Description     
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. In a heatproof bowl, soak the porcini in boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Rinse the porcini to dislodge any grit, then drain and chop them. Discard the soaking liquid.

2. In a large, deep skillet,melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in the olive oil. Add the porcini, pancetta and one-third of the garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

3. Add the radicchio wedges to the skillet in a slightly overlapping layer and cook over moderately high heat until wilted and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the radicchio is slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes longer.Stir in the porcini mixture and the sage.Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

4. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain very well. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter. Add the flour and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil; cook, whisking until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to the bowl with the radicchio.

5. Add the pasta to the bowl along with the Asiago and Fontina; toss well. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

6. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pasta for 2 minutes, until the top is golden bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes; serve.

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Category: Italian
Recipe #: 003

Biscotti
 
Ingredients     
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp Spice Appeal Ground Cinnamon
4 Tbsp Butter, cold and cut up
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 cup almonds, toasted and chopped finely
      
Description     
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare Biscotti:
In a large bowl, with spoon, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. With a pastry blender or two knives used in a scissor-fashion, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Spoon 1 Tbsp beaten eggs into cup; reserve. Add cranberries, nuts, vanilla, and remaining beaten eggs to flour mixture. Stir until evenly moistened. With hands, press dough together to form a ball.

With floured hands, divide dough into 5 equal parts. On each of two large, ungreased cookie sheets, shape two pieces of dough, crosswise, into 9” by 2” logs, 4 inches apart. Use a pastry brush to coat tops and sides of logs with reserved egg. Bake logs on two oven racks for 25 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Cool logs on cookie sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Place 1 log on a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut warm log crosswise into ½” thick diagonal slices. Place slices upright at least ¼” apart on the same cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining logs. Bake slices 15 minutes rotating pans halfway through baking to allow biscotti to dry. Cool biscotti completely on cookie sheets with wire racks.

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Category: Italian
Recipe #: 004    

Linguine with Artichokes and Lemon
 
Ingredients     
9 ounces fresh linguine
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
½ tsp Spice Appeal ROSEMARY
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 can (8oz) artichoke hearts, quartered
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup whipping cream
1 tsp Spice Appeal LEMON PEEL, Whole , grated
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Lemon Wedges
      
Description     
In a 5 to 6 quart pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add linguine and stir occasionally until barely tender to bite, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan, over medium-high heat, stir onions and rosemary in oil until onions are limp. 1 to 2 minutes. Add artichoke hearts, broth, wine, cream, and lemon peel; stir until boiling. 1 to 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and return to pan. Add artichoke sauce, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Lift gently with two spoons to mix. Pour into a wide serving bowl. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Category: Italian
Recipe #: 005

Spaghetti with Curried Seafood Marinara
 
Ingredients     
1 lb spaghetti
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Spice Appeal Curry Powder
½ tsp Spice Appeal Crushed Red Chili Pepper
Salt
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups plain tomato sauce
½ lb shelled and deveined medium shrimp
½ lb squid, bodies cut into thin rings
½ lb sea scallops quartered
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
      
Description     
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the curry powder, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook over high heat until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the shrimp, squid and scallops to the skillet and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti, add it to the skillet and toss well. Season with salt and sprinkle on the parsley. Transfer the spaghetti to bowls and serve.