Veal And Ricotta Meatballs In Spicy Tomato Sauce

Meatballs or polpettine are an Italian favorite with regional variations, but are not served with pasta in Italy as they are in the United States. Some may say that meatballs are an Italian American invention, yet Pellegrino Artusi, author of La Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene, (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well) published in 1897, includes three recipes for meatballs, though none of these recipes include pasta. It wasn’t until Italians emigrated to the US and opened restaurants here that meatballs started to be served alongside (or on top of) pasta.

Meatballs can be made of many things, including bread, ricotta cheese, or a variety of ground meats. I learned from my Mother-In-Law that by cooking meatballs in the sauce, you create a much more tender, juicy meatball so I generally follow that rule. These meatballs combine ground veal and ricotta cheese, are bound with a little breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and eggs, and are then slowly simmered in a spicy tomato sauce until tender and cooked through. You can serve these meatballs on top of Creamy Baked Parmesan Polenta as I have in the photos, on top of pasta, or simply as a main course served in a bowl alongside some good, crusty, Italian bread. I chose to use ground veal as I wanted a lighter meatball, but you can substitute ground beef if you prefer.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 Pound Ground Veal
1/2 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Homemade Soft Breadcrumbs
1 Large Egg
1 Garlic Clove, Finely Minced
Salt & Pepper To Taste
3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Parsley
Sauce:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Onions
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 (28 Ounce) Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper To Taste
1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients with your hands until blended. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until sizzling over medium heat, then add the onions and cook, stirring often until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook just until fragrant, another minute or two. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil and stir to mix. Season well with salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Using damp hands, roll the meatballs into balls and carefully drop into the sauce. Continue to form all the meatball mixture into balls, and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Carefully move the meatballs around with a spoon, and add a little additional water if the sauce is too thick.
Cook the meatballs for an additional 10 minutes, then use meatballs and sauce as desired. source: http://www.italianfoodforever.com

Bitter Greens Salad With Roasted Beets And Orange Vinaigrette

We just returned to Toronto where almost any type of ingredient is readily available and while grocery shopping recently we made a great find. Although radicchio lettuce is now found in many produce stores, one normally only finds radicchio di Chioggia, which is maroon, round, and about the size of a grapefruit, or radicchio di Treviso, which resembles a large Belgian endive. We were very surprised to find a very rare type of radicchio called radicchio di Castelfranco, which is a ruffled variety that is creamy white in color with burgundy flecks. This rare variety is a little milder than the more common varieties but still has a slightly bitter taste.

We were so excited by our new find that we bought a head of Castelfranco, one of Treviso, and a red leaf lettuce to balance out the salad and created this recipe. I decided to add roasted beets to the salad which are naturally sweet, and dressed the salad with a zesty orange vinaigrette to cut just a little of the bitterness of the lettuce.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2011

Sweet roasted beets balance out the bitter greens in this winter salad perfectly.

Ingredients:
1 Head Racchicio di Treviso
1 Head Radicchio di Castelfranco
1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce
4 Green Onions
4 Medium Beets
1/4 Cups Olive Oil
5 Tablespoons Orange Juice
Zest of 1/2 Orange
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Wash the beets, remove the stems, place the beets in a casserole dish, and bake until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Allow to cool.
Remove the stems and tear the lettuce into two to three inch pieces.
Place the lettuce in ice water for 15 minutes, drain, and place in a salad spinner to remove all traces of liquid.
Peel the beets, and cut into 1 inch dice.
Set aside.
Chop the green onions.
Mix together the olive oil, orange juice and zest, and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over top, then toss lightly to coat all of the leaves.
Arrange the dressed leaves on four individual plates.
Arrange the beets and onions on each plate and serve.

Italian Tomato And Herb Bruschetta

1 1/2 lb Plum tomatoes, halved, -seeded, chopped
1/3 c Chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tb Chopped garlic
1 tb Chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 tb Balsamic vinegar
1 tb Olive oil
1 ts Fresh lemon juice
6 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices -crusty bread, toasted
Mix first 7 ingredients in bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
(Tomato mixture can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room
temperature.) Cut toasted bread in half. Spoon tomato mixture atop

Italian Scallops and red pepper with linguine

Ingredients:
1 lemon
12 oz dry linguine (i used fresh)
1 lb scallops, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into this slivers
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup regular strength chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Using a zester, cut peel from lemon in fine shred. Set aside Squeeze
juice from lemon – you need 1/4 cup. Set aside.
In a 5 to 6 quart pan cook linguine in 4 qts of boiling water until
tender to bite. Drain well and set aside.
Meanwhile, slice scallops 1/4 inch thick and set aside. (I don’t do
this, since I buy the smaller ones) Melt butter in oil in a wide frying
pan over med-high heat. Add bell peppers, garlic, and crushed red
pepper, then cook, stirring , for 1 minute. Lift out bell peppers with
slotted spoon and keep warm. Add broth and lemon juice to pan and bring
to boil. Add scallops, cover and cook until scallops are opaque
throughout(2-3 minutes) Remove from heat and lift out scallops and add
to bell peppers.
Add cooked pasta to pan mixing lightly with 2 forks until pasta is hot.
Transfer pasta a sauce to a warm serving dish, then top with parsley,
scallops and peppers mixture and lemon peel. Mix lightly and season
with salt and pepper

Italian Risotto with Arugula, Radicchio and Gorgonzola

2 1/4 cups chicken stock or broth; or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 small bunches arugula, about 4 cups packed, finely chopped
1/2 head radicchio, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated imported Parmesan cheese for serving
1. Heat stock in small saucepan to a simmer; keep it at a simmer. Melt
butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until
it begins to soften, 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring so all the grains are
coated with butter. Add wine; cook until almost all of it evaporates.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add about 3/4 cup of the stock. Cook, stirring often, until most of
stock has been absorbed. Add an additional 3/4 cup stock; cook, stirring,
until it is almost absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and continue cooking
until rice is tender but firm and is creamy but not wet. Add remaining 1/4
cup stock as necessary. Total cooking time will be about 25 minutes.
3. Add arugula, radicchio, basil and gorgonzola. Cook gently just until
cheese is creamy. Remove from heat; add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at
once with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Baked Lasagna

 1 lb. Lasagna pasta noodles, cooked
2?16 oz. jars meatless sauce
2 cup cottage cheese, lg. curd
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 lbs. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions or until tender but still firm. Drain, keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, saute the ground beef, garlic and onion is a large heavy skillet or saucepan until beef is done. Add sauce, salt, and Italian seasoning and mix well. Simmer on low heat 12 to 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and cottage cheese.
3. Grease a 9″ x 12″ or larger, baking pan. Arrange a first layer of noodles, a layer of the cooked beef, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Add a second alternating layer of lasagna noodles and other ingredients. Repeat until pan is full ending up with a top layer of the lasagna sauce.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

Italian Calzones

1 (10 oz) package refrigerated pizza dough
1 egg
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 Recipe Sausage-Mushroom, Ham-Spinach, or Chicken-Olive filling
For Calzones, unroll pizza dough. Roll or stretch dough into a 15×10-inch rectangle. Cut into six 5-inch squares. Divide desired filling among squares. Brush edges with water. Lift one corner and
stretch dough over to the opposite corner. Press edges of dough well with fork to seal. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. Prick tops with a fork. Combine egg and 1 teaspoon water; brush onto calzones. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake in a 425 deg. oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 calzones.
SAUSAGE-MUSHROOM FILLING: In a skillet cook 12 ounces bulk pork sausage or Italian sausage till brown; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup pizza sauce, one 4 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese (1
cup), and one 2-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained.
HAM-SPINACH FILLING: Cook one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach according to package directions; drain well. In a bowl combine spinach, 1 cup finely chopped fully cooked ham (5 ounces),
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 ounces), and 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion.
CHICKEN-OLIVE FILLING: In a medium bowl combine 1-1/2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives,
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup soft-style cream cheese with chives and onion.

Italian Almond Biscotti (Buiscuits)

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons Anise seed
3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chopped Almonds (can substitute with Walnuts)
To prepare the biscotti, cream butter, sugar and 1 tablespoon anise seed.Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and 1 tablespoon Anise seed. Add to cream mixture. Add nuts, mix in, and form cookie dough into 2 or 3 long thin rolls. Place rolls on a ungreased baking pan or cookie sheet and bake biscotti cookie rolls at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes, or till light brown. Remove from oven and cut diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. Put back in oven and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or till Biscotti is lightly toasted. You want the biscoti to dry slightly. It will look somewhat like a elongated piece of french bread, except smaller.
Source : A Taste of Italy

Italian Antipasto Platter

1/2 Pound sliced Genoa salami
1 slicing tomato
1 large white onion
2 roasted red bell peppers
1 Pound sliced provolone
2 cans black pitted olives
1 can baby corn on the cob
1 small jar of Pepperoncini peppers
2 stalks of celery
1 can of rolled anchovies
extra virgin olive oil
Use a long platter, and arrange in the following order:
Salami, provolone, tomato, onion, red peppers, and achovies. Put the baby corns and olives in the center of tray. Take and cut in half celery sticks. Then slice each again length wise. Arrange celery sticks in between each antipasti. Sprinkle some salt lightly on everything. Then drizzle olive oil on everything. Let the antipasti sit covered in the refrigerator till ready to serve. Sitting helps enhance the flavors.

Baked Mozzarella & Tomatoes

6 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
100g/4oz mozzarella cheese, grated
6 black olives, stoned and sliced
12 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 slices white bread, diced
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/Gas mark 6. Lay the tomato slices, overlapping them slightly, in six individual shallow ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle the cheese, olives and basil leaves over the top. Add a few drops of olive oil to each, then a small splash of lemon juice. Put the bread on a baking tray, and place both the bread and the individual dishes in the oven. Bake for 8–10 minutes. Sprinkle the croûtons over the cheese, and serve hot

Italian Barchetta Endivia Belga E Taleggio

4 Belgian endive heads
1/2 Pound Taleggio cheese, room temp
1/4 Pound Smoked Salmon, thin slice
15 Prosciutto or bresaola  cured beef slices
2 Tablespoon Fennel leaves, finely chop
2 Tablespoon Parsley, fresh, fine chop
1 Tablespoon Sun dried tomatoes, pureed
1 cup Roasted peppers, cut in thin strips
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Carefully remove endive leaves: rinse and dry carefully. Salmon boats: Place a slice of salmon on the endive leaf, enough to sit in the (endive) “boat”. Remove the outer skin of the taleggio and leave half the cheese for the second combination. Gently blend the cheese with the fennel leaves. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on the salmon and grind a couple of turn of pepper. Place a spoonful of taleggio on top and serve. Bresaola boats: Place a slice of bresaola or prosciutto on the endive. Place a strip of roasted red pepper on top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Gently mix the sun?dried tomatoes into the cheese. Place a spoonful on top of the “boat”(endive) and serve. If unable to locate Taleggio cheese use goat’s cheese.

Basic Italian Bread

Biga:
1/2 Teas. Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Lukewarm water
2 Cups Unbleached, All-purpose Flour
Mix the yeast and water together, and then slowly start adding the flour, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
Bread:
2 Cups Warm Water (about 90 degrees F.)
1 Pkg. Active Dry Yeast
5-6 Cups All-purpose, Unbleached Flour
2 Ts. Salt
Place the water in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast overtop and mix well. Let sit 10 minutes until bubbly. Add the biga, flour, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon (or mix with your hands) until everything is mixed. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky at this point. Cover and let stand in a warm
spot for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in volume. Punch down the dough, folding it over on itself two or three times, cover and let rise once more until doubled, about 1 hour. If you choose, you could refrigerate your dough at this time and leave it overnight to prepare the next day.
Turn out your dough onto a floured baking sheet, and without overworking it too much shape into one large or two smaller round or oval shaped loaves, using as much extra flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Slash across the tops of the loaves with a serrated knife or razor just prior to baking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and place a casserole dish with boiling water on the lower oven rack. Bake your bread 30 minutes, turn the baking sheet around, and reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 30-45 minutes. At this point your bread should be golden brown and should sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Allow the bread to cool to room temperature and serve.

Italian Bite-Size Taco Calazones

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup taco sauce
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (10 oz) package refrigerated pizza dough
1/4 cup shredded American or cheddar cheese (1 oz)
1 egg
For filling, in a small skillet cook ground beef till brown. Drain off fat. Stir in taco sauce, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set aside. Unroll pizza dough. Stretch or roll dough into a 14×10-1/2 inch rectangle. Cut into 12 3-1/2 inch squares. Divide filling among dough squares. Sprinkle with cheese. brush edges with water. Lift one corner of each square and stretch dough over to the opposite corner, making a triangle. Press edges well with a fork to seal. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. Prick with a fork. Combine egg and 1 teaspoon of water; brush onto calzones. Bake in a 425 deg. oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 mini calzones.

Italian Light and Easy Lasagna

3 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian-style plum tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (12 ounces each) Italian tomato paste
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each, crushed: dried leaf thyme, dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 pound part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 ounces imported Parmesan cheese, grated
1. Put onions and garlic in large saucepan. Cook, covered, over low heat
until tender, adding a little water if necessary to prevent scorching. Add
tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, oregano, thyme, marjoram and pepper.
Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
2. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes.
Drain in colander; rinse with cold water. Drain well.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover bottom of lightly oiled 13 by 9-inch
baking dish with 1/4 of the sauce. Add layer of lasagna noodles. Top with
1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/4 of
the Parmesan cheese. Cover with 1/4 of the sauce. Repeat procedure 2 more

Italian Style Chinese Pasta

Sauce ingredients:
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
3 c. water
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 large bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt dash of pepper 2 or 3 Italian sausage links (optional)

Meatball ingredients:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. cracker or bread crumbs
1 egg
pinch of oregano
pinch of basil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
vegetable oil for frying
Pasta ingredients:
8 oz. mostaccioli or rigatoni noodles, uncooked
1 qt. sauce 25 to 30 small meatballs
1 or 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
dash of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Preparations:
Sauce :
Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.* (If sauce becomes too thick and begins to stick to the sides of the pot, add a little water.) Remove the lid about 15 minutes before serving so that the sauce can thicken. (Sauce should be heavy and smooth.)
Meatball :
Put all ingredients except oil in a large bowl and mix well. (Many cooks use their hands for mixing meatballs.) Roll about 1 tbsp. meat between the palms of your hands to make meatballs that are 3/4 inch in diameter. In a frying pan, brown meatballs in about 1/2 inch of oil. Drain. (Or place meatballs in a shallow pan and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.)
Pasta :
Boil noodles according to directions on package and drain. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a square 8 X 8-inch baking dish or cake pan, layer ingredients in the following order: a small amount of sauce on the bottom; then noodles, meatballs,and egg slices; then another layer of sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese. (Save some sauce to pour over each portion after baking.) Sprinkle with Romano or Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and heated through. When done, remove Chinese Pasta from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting into squares for serving. Pour remaining sauce over each serving.

Grilled Marinated Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 aubergine
1 zucchini
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped basil
salt for seasoning
Method :
Prepare the vegetables: Slice the eggplant, and zucchini, cut the peppers into four.
In a bowl, mix olive oil, salt, garlic and parsley.
Coat the vegetables with the dressing.
Grill in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes

Italian Herb Focaccia with Three Cheese and Caramelized Onions

2 cups water, at 70 degrees F
2 teaspoons RapidRise yeast
4 to 4 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional for coating dough

Place water and dry yeast in a 5 quart Kitchen Aid mixer bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Scoop in bread flour, and add salt and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix 6-7 minutes. Dough will be sticky but manageable. Cover dough well with olive oil and a damp cloth. When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and place on a 15 inch by 10 inch baking sheet that has been coated with olive oil. Push the dough outward with your hands. Let the dough rest and repeat until the dough totally covers the baking sheet and doesn’t spring back. Let the dough rest on the baking sheet until it reaches double its size. While waiting, gather the following ingredients:
2 onions, sliced and caramelized (see note)
3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning
When dough has doubled in size, use your fingertips to dimple the dough. Spread caramelized onions, cheeses and herb seasoning on top of dough, and push into the dough. Let the dough rise again until it comes up and over all the ingredients on top. Brush olive oil on top, and bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Slice and serve.
NOTE: To caramelize onions, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring until onions are translucent. Sprinkle onions with 1 tablespoon sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until onions are very soft and well caramelized.

Italian : Salad Dressing

1 c. olive oil

1/4 c. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. basil
1 clove garlic, crushed

Combine all ingredients in a tightly covered jar. Shake well until dressing is thoroughly mixed.Refrigerate for 2 hours. Shake well before serving.