Foodie Fran
Simple meal and dessert recipes that I have collected over the years from different media outlets (and some of my own), have helped me in preparations for my busy family of six. In my thirty something years of family cooking, I have discovered that simplicity works the best in flavour and time management. Being of Italian descent born in Canada, I am fortunate to experience a fusion of delicious cuisine. Hope you enjoy the creations because after all, I consider cooking an art. Buon Appetito!
Monday, 8 May 2023
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Easy, delicious, and quick! This is a must try.
Ingredients
4 small-medium chicken breasts or 2 large halved
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup light cream or heavy cream
1 tablespoons Italian seasoning or oregano
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
1 cup spinach chopped (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet or pan. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minute per side or until the outside is golden and the chicken is cooked through (cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts).
Remove chicken from the pan, reduce heat to low-medium, and add garlic; stir for 30 seconds. Add the cream, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
Return chicken to the pan and simmer for another minute then turn off heat. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with pasta or veggies.
Note: Top with more Parmesan cheese if you like.
Sunday, 2 October 2022
Italian Anise Taralli #2
Forget the bag of chips! This recipe for these Crunchy Addictive Italian Anise Taralli taste like a gourmet version of a breadstick. Great for snacking.
Ingredients
• 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 8 grams
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup water lukewarm
• 1 kg all-purpose flour approximately 7 cups
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon anise seed heaping
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
Instructions
• In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water.
• Stir and let stand for 10 minutes (will get foamy).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the rest of the ingredients.
• Add the yeast mixture.
• With dough hook attachment knead for approximately 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth elastic dough. Alternately, you can knead by hand.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least 1 hour.
• Place the ball of dough on an un-floured wooden board.
Knead the dough for about 1 minute.
• Separate the dough into quarters (cover the dough you are not using).
• Cut each quarter into 16 pieces. (each piece should weigh about 25 grams-almost 1 oz).
• Roll each 25 gram piece of dough into a rope approximately 8 inches long and ¼ inch in diameter (about the size of a pencil).
Join the two ends together to form an elongated ring and line them up on a wooden board. (There is no need to flour your cutting board when you are rolling your taralli. Feel free to adapt any sized ring-shape when you are making these taralli; if you want thin crispy taralli, the diameter must be ¼ inch thick). Make sure that you press the ends firmly together.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil, then reduce heat so that the water simmers.
• Plunge the taralli in boiling water; 3-4 at a time. Once they surface to the top, remove with slotted spoon. The boiling process (per batch) should take less than 15 seconds.
• Place on cooling rack to drain.
• Repeat process until all the taralli have been boiled
Place boiled taralli directly on oven grates or on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375° F for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 350° F for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. (Set oven rack in the center).
Notes
1 cup=142 grams
Taralli will last about 1 month when stored in a dry place. I will usually keep mine in a basket, uncovered.I prefer to use the more pronounced taste of olive oil in my taralli. Feel free to use a vegetable or canola oil.
Crunchy Addictive Italian Anise Taralli https://www.shelovesbiscotti.com/crunchy-addictive-italian-anise-taralli/ January 23, 2016
Sunday, 2 May 2021
Potato Gnocchi
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
6 large Idaho or russet potatoes
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground white pepper
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups unbleached flour
Grated Parmigiano for serving
Directions
Boil the potatoes in their skins about 40 minutes, until easily pierced with a skewer. When cool enough to handle, peel and rice the potatoes, and set them aside to cool completely, spreading them loosely to expose as much surface as possible to air. (The reason for this is to allow as much evaporation of moisture as possible to avoid the need of additional flour, therefore keeping the gnocchi light).
Before proceeding further, bring 6 quarts of water and 2 tbs. of the salt to a boil. On a cool, preferably marble work surface, gather the cold riced potatoes into a mound, forming a well in the center. Stir the remaining 1 tsp. salt and the white pepper into the beaten eggs and pour the mixture into the well. Work the potatoes and eggs together with both hands, gradually adding 3 cups of the flour and scraping the dough up from the work surface with a knife as often as necessary. (Incorporation of the ingredients should take no longer than 10 minutes. The longer the dough is worked, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become).
Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with flour and cut the dough into six equal parts. Continue to dust dough, hands, and surface as long as the dough feel sticky. Using both hands, roll each piece of dough into a rope ½” thick, then slice the ropes at ½” intervals. Indent each dumpling with a thumb, or use the tines of a fork to produce a ribbed effect. (This facilitates adhesion of the sauce). Drop the gnocchi into boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they rise to the surface. Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer them to a warm platter, adding a little sauce of choice, and boil the remaining piece in batches until all are done. Sauce as desired, add freshly ground white pepper to taste and, if appropriate, grated cheese, and serve immediately.
la Cucina di Lidia
Thursday, 4 March 2021
Turkey and Escarole Soup
One of the best things about winter is comfort food. My all-time favourite types of minestrone/ soups And here's another one!
Ingredients
For the Soup: 4 quarts watercarcass of turkey. 2 pounds escarole, washed. 2 cups pulled turkey meat 1 medium onion, chopped. 5 cloves garlic. 4 bay leaves. 3 stalks celery, chopped. 1 cup chopped carrots. 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped. 3 medium potatoes, cubed. 14 ounces crushed tomatoes. 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,salt & pepper.
Directions
In a large pot add the extra virgin olive oil, the onion, the garlic, the carrots, the celery and bay leaves. Add salt and pepper as desired.
Saute` all the ingredients for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Add the water, the potatoes and the crushed tomatoes.
Add the turkey carcass and the turkey meat.
Cover the pot and boil for about 1 hour. Add the escarole.
Once the escarole are cooked to your liking, add parsley and serve with some parmigiano cheese if you like.
cookingwithnonna.com
Foodie Fran's Notes: when soup is done, add parmesan cheese and 1 beaten egg. I found a big difference in taste!
Acini di Pepe Pastina in Vegetable Soup.
When you're just in the mood, this soup and so quick and easy, but most important, so delicious!Serves 4.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 small onion, cut into a 1/4 inch dice2 small carrots, cut into a 1/4 inch dice1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved1 10oz bag frozen peas4 cloves garlic, sliced1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks8 cups water2 chicken bouillon cubes 8 ounces Ancini di Pepe Pastina.
Directions:
Put a stockpot over a medium flame and heat the oil. Add the onion & carrots and tomatoes. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the peas, garlic and potatoes and cook until the peas have thawed, about 3 minutes.
Add the water and bouillon cubes and bring the pot to a boil.
Add in the ancini di Pepe and cook until tender.
Serve with a drizzle of fresh extra Virgin olive oil and crusty Italian Bread. Add a sprinkle of grated cheese if desired.
cookingwithnonna.com
Tuesday, 23 February 2021
Italian sponge cake - 3 Ingredients
Ingredients
6 eggs
180 g sugar (1 cup)
180 g sifted flour 1 ¼ cups)
Directions
Beat eggs and sugar till firm about 6 to 7 minutes. Add flour in three portions once again sifted. Gently fold with a hand whisk rolling it from bottom to top, being careful not to deflate it.
Place in greased with parchment paper spring form pan evenly. Tap three times to remove any air, and place in in a 165 C – 329 F oven for 50 minutes.
When cake is done turn off the oven but leaving the cake in the oven with the door ajar for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let it cool. Then remove from the pan and parchment paper.
Rita Chef
Tuscan Garlic Chicken and Linguine
20 Minutes!
Yield: 4Author:Donna Elick
Garlic Chicken and Linguine is a simple recipe ready in 20 minutes. Tender and juicy chicken with linguine pasta and fresh red peppers are tossed in a rich and creamy Chardonnay garlic-cream sauce to create this Tuscan-inspired dish. There is nothing quite like a restaurant-style dinner that comes together in a snap.
prep time: cook time: 20 minstotal time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water1 pound linguine pasta, uncooked3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper4 cloves garlic, minced2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes1 cup Chardonnay2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning Blend2 cups half-and-half1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese5 ounces fresh spinach1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a small handful of salt and the linguine and cook until it’s al dente (has a bite to it). Drain the pasta and reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.Meanwhile, warm a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the skillet, add the oil. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken until it’s a deep golden brown and completely cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and place it on a plate.Add the garlic, bell peppers and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and seasoning blend to the skillet and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and the Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce, about 1 minute. Add the reserved pasta water, a ladleful at a time, to thin the sauce if necessary. Sprinkle in the spinach and add the pasta.Twirl the pasta and spinach into the sauce with tongs. Top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle with the parsley.
DONNA'S NOTESCovering your pot while bringing it to a boil will cut your cooking time. Be sure not to leave it unattended, or you may have a boil-over to clean up.If you are sensitive to alcohol, you can substitute the Chardonnay for chicken stock.
https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2017/10/tuscan-garlic-chicken-linguine-recipe.html
Recipe developed by Donna Elick The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)