Penne alla Vodka

Tags

basil, Italian, pasta, tomato, vodka

Vodka with dinner? Yes please! Hehe. Add in pasta and it makes it that much better! 🙂 I’ve always eyed the jars of vodka sauce in the grocery store, curious about what it really was. It just seems odd to add something such as vodka to a pasta sauce. But much to my surprise, it is awesome! And I’ve made it twice now in the last couple of weeks. It’s fast and easy, and really good. It has a little kick from the red pepper flakes, with a little bite from the remaining vodka. It’s a perfect way to jazz up spaghetti night at home!One Year Ago: Morning Harvest Muffins and Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

Penne alla Vodka

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ small onion, minced (about ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
⅓cup vodka
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 pound penne, or desired pasta shape
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, until just shy of al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, add half of the tomatoes to your food processor and pulse until smooth. Dice the remaining tomatoes into ½-inch pieces. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the diced and pureed tomatoes and add the reserved tomato liquid until the total measures 2 cups.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add in the onion and tomato paste, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the tomatoes and salt; take the pan off of the heat and add the vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer until the alcohol flavor is mostly cooked off, about 8 to 10 minutes; stir constantly, lowering the heat if needed to maintain a simmer. Stir in the cream and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Add the pasta back to the large pot; pour the sauce over the pasta, and toss over medium heat until the pasta absorbs some of sauce, about 1-2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water as needed. Stir in the basil and season to taste with additional salt, if necessary. Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures via Cook’s Illustrated

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Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Tags

cheese, chicken, Italian, slow cooker, tomato

Looking for a super easy and super tasty chicken recipe? Then look no further! This recipe consists of dumping everything in your slow cooker, then walking away for 8 hours. Come back, and dinner is ready!! It’s flavorful, easy, and leaves you with lots of leftovers for lunches at work or dinners. I’ve only tried it over pasta, but this past time I made it, I was thinking that it might even work as a sandwich. Throw some chicken on a french roll, melt some mozzarella on top and you have a delicious Italian chicken sandwich. Definitely going to have to try that next time I make this, which I’m sure will be fairly soon!Crock Pot Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts
½ cup light Italian salad dressing
1 (24-ounce) jar tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for topping

Place all ingredients in crock pot except cheeses and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with fork. Serve over pasta of your choice; top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from Ryan Bakes

Lasagna Soup

Tags

cheese, Italian, mozzarella, pasta, ricotta, sausage

I’ve recently discovered Google Reader and it has since become one of my favorite websites/phone apps. It makes it so easy to keep up on all the blogs I follow! I was reading through some of the blogs I follow and over my shoulder I hear, “Ooo, I want that!” Apparently my husband was looking over my shoulder and had seen the words lasagna and soup. That was all he needed and he wanted some! He loves soup, and he loves the meat-pasta-cheese combo so this soup was perfect for him. And I must say, he made a great decision in picking this soup! I had most of the ingredients on hand so I just needed to grab a couple other things and I was ready to go. This soup was amazing, and perfect comfort food! The taste is very similar to skillet lasagna, which is another tasty and easy lasagna alternative. Stirring cheese into the soup broth makes it creamy and reminiscent of the layers of lasagna, where sauce and cheese and meat all meld into one delicious flavor. Top if off with a nice ricotta mixture, and you have yourself and quick and easy lasagna, but in scrumptious soup form! Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 – 8 ounces spiral or curly pasta
½ cup chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
½ cup lowfat ricotta

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add desired amount of noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the 3 tablespoons Parmesan.

While the pasta cooks, thoroughly mix ricotta with ⅓ cup Parmesan. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a few tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Garnish with additional mozzarella cheese.

Source: Adapted from Spiffy Cookie

Tuscan Bean Stew

Tags

beans, cannelini beans, carrot, celery, Italian, kale, onion

I totally didn’t realize there was so little time until Christmas! I’m so not ready yet! I had all these plans to make cookies and candies, and try all sorts of new and festive treats and share with you… but alas, I am running out of time. Guess I’ll have to see what I can bust out in the next week, and share what I can. There’s always next year to share more!

Now this soup isn’t festive, but it’s perfect for fall and winter. I tried this last year, and when the temps started dropping here, this is one of the first soups I got a craving for. It’s loaded with vegetables and beans, and is super hearty and filling. Cook’s Illustrated has a quick version, which is the one I used, and a longer version that uses dried beans. I would love to try this with dried beans, but I can’t seem to find dried cannelini beans in any stores nearby! Please let me know if you’ve ever found them, and if so where!! But anyways, if you’re a fan of beans and vegetables in soup, then you’ve got to try this delicious recipe!Tuscan Bean Stew

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped medium (about 1½ cups)
2 medium celery ribs, cut into ½-inch pieces (about ¾ cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
8 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
2 bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium bunch kale (about 1 pound), thick stems trimmed and leaves coarsely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Heat oil and pancetta or bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 6 to 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, bay leaves, tomatoes, and kale. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add rosemary and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables and greens are fully tender. Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig; season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve lightly drizzled with olive oil.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March 2008

Eggplant Parmesan

Tags

basil, breadcrumbs, Cook's Illustrated, eggplant, garlic, Italian, tomato

I’m a little late in getting in the Christmas spirit. I’m still trying to get there, and am starting to feel like I’m really running behind. I’ve just now sort of started my Christmas shopping, and in terms of Christmas baking… well, I have ideas and plans, so now I just need to motivation and spirit to get started! Hopefully soon. 🙂

In the meantime, it is super cold  here. Not compared to places where it snows and whatnot, but it’s cold for my area, and it’s very cold to work outdoors in! It’s times like this that warm comfort food is perfect. And for me, at least, Eggplant Parmesan fits that bill. It’s my favorite Italian dish of all times. Yes, it is a little time consuming with multiple steps and components, but so worth it! Especially since this recipe is baked instead of fried, so it’s healthier than your standard Eggplant Parmesan, and certainly doesn’t lack in flavor like some healthier alternatives sometimes do.

Salting the eggplant helps remove some of the bitterness from the eggplant, and remove some excess liquid so you don’t end up with watery Eggplant Parmesan. You make your own simple sauce, which could be skipped to make things a little simpler if desired. And the really unique thing about this recipe is that you leave edges of the eggplant exposed while baking it, so it doesn’t end up all soggy and mushy, but instead has some crunch to it! Gotta love a variety of textures! I serve it alongside some spaghetti with tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic, or butter and Parmesan to keep things simple and purely Italian! 🙂 Enjoy!Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant:
2 pounds globe eggplant, cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
8 slices high-quality white bread, torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish

To prepare the eggplant: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, adding second batch to colander. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.

While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Lightly whisk eggs in a second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, then dip in eggs and let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack. Repeat with remaining eggplant.

Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place breaded eggplant on the sheets in a single layer; bake about 30 minutes, until eggplant is well browned and crisp, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

To make the tomato sauce: While eggplant bakes, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is light golden and fragrant; stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit. Spread 1 cup sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is browned. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated January 2004