6 servings
Ingredients
8 oz small shell macaroni
1/2 cup celery finely diced
Half a red bell pepper finely diced
¼ of a medium onion finely diced
12-ounce package of cooked medium shrimp
For the dressing:
½ cup mayonnaise
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon dill chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook shells according to package directions, then drain.
In a serving bowl, add the celery, bell pepper, onion, and shrimp. In a separate small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, dill, and salt and pepper.
Pour over the top of the pasta and stir everything to combine. Cover the bowl and chill the Salad until serving time.
Serve with lettuce. Deviled eggs, pickled, and sliced tomatoes
Still have lots of baked jam left over, make this easy soup, and freeze it for a later time when you are not tired of ham.
I like to use instant mashed potatoes in soup to help thicken it instead of using flour.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cups diced cooked ham
4 cups chicken broth
4 servings of instant mashed potato flakes
2 cups milk
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch Oven/ Add the potatoes, onion, and celery. Cook on medium for 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Add the chopped ham and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring it to a low boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
Srie in the instant mashed potatoes and stir until thickened, Stir in the milk and chives. Stir frequently until the mixture is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
6 servings
Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus
6 cups chicken stock
1 leek, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large baking potato, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coupons for serving
Directions
Cut the woody bottom half of the asparagus spears off and reserve the tops. Wash well. Place the woody stems in a soup pot along with the chicken stock. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the stems. Return the broth to the soup pot. Add the chopped leeks, celery, garlic, and potato. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer vegetables until soft, about 30 minutes.
Chop the top half of the asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces and add the asparagus pieces to the soup pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover the saucepan and allow vegetables to cook for 15 minutes.
Process these cooked vegetables and broth with an immersion hand blender in the soup pot,
Add the half and half, butter, dill, and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes, then taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef {or any ground meat you prefer}
1 cup dried bread crumbs
2 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
4 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons dried Italian Seasoning
Soup
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup yellow onion, minced
1 cup leeks, diced
1 celery stalk with leaves, diced
10 oz fresh spinach leaves chopped
8 cups rich chicken broth
2 carrots, chopped
Half a small red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup orzo
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish
Make the Meatballs
Working with your hands, combine all ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll into small meatballs, about 1 inch.
For the Soup
In a large heavy pot over low heat add the olive oil, garlic, chili pepper, carrots, onion, and leeks. Gently cook for 10 minutes until tender.
Add the broth. Bring mixture to a boil, add orzo, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute.
Add the meatballs, and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
Slowly pour in the beaten eggs, mixing gently to form fine threads.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup with grated cheese and crusty Italian bread.
Ingredients
1 cup of each of the following vegetables cut into small pieces
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Zucchini
Green Beans
Peas
Corn
Potatoes
Soup
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
1tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning
4 cups tomato purée
2 cups canned chopped Italian tomatoes
½ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
Parmesan cheese rind
Salt and pepper to taste.
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the vegetables that take longer to cook: onion, carrots, celery, green beans, and potatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and remaining vegetables. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Add purée, tomatoes, broth, water, cheese tind, and seasonings. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook untold the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Tuna Salad On Pumpernickel Bagel
4 servings
Ingredients
4 pumpernickel bagels
6 oz canned tuna, drained
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 slices American cheese
4 large Iceberg lettuce leaves
Directions
Combine the tuna, onion, celery, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl.
Slice the bagels in half and lightly toast them under the broiler.
Place a slice of cheese on top of each warm bagel half.
Divide the tuna salad evenly between the 4 bagels.
Top with a lettuce leaf and the a bagel half.
Serve with your favorite sides such as pickles, sliced tomato in fries.
This sauce has many versions that originated in the Emilia-Romagna province in Italy in the 18 h century. To me, the most authentic recipe comes from Marcella Hazen and that is the version I make.
Classic Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing with the pasta
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 pound ground beef chuck, not too lean
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
For serving: cooked pasta and grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Put the oil, 3 tablespoons of butter, and chopped onion in a heavy-bottomed pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables with fat.
Add the meat, a large pinch of salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Break the meat up with a fork, stir well, and cook until the meat has lost its raw color.
Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently until it bubbles.
Add the wine and let it simmer. When the wine has evaporated, stir in the tomatoes.
(Cooking the meat in milk before adding the wine and tomatoes protects it from the acidic bite of the latter.) When they begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface.
Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours (or more—she says more is better), stirring from time to time. If the sauce begins to dry out, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary to keep it from sticking. In the end, there should be no water left, and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste for salt.
Toss with cooked, drained pasta and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Serve freshly grated cheese at the table.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cartons (32 oz each) of reduced-sodium chicken broth (8 cups)
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups lightly packed Swiss chard leaves or baby spinach leaves
1-pint grape tomatoes halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown on the edges. Stir in garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Stir in tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini are tender.
Stir in spinach, tomatoes, and parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes
Top each serving with grated cheese.
ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
2 ribs celery diced
2 medium carrots diced
½ bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup brown or green lentils
1 rind Parmigiano Reggiano optional, see notes below
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
Directions
Heat a large saucepan to medium-low and add the olive oil, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and onion. Cook until soft and translucent (about 10 minutes).
Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
Next, add in the chicken broth and tomatoes, Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. . Cok the pan to a simmer until the lentils are soft (about 60-900 minutes).
Taste test and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and with grated cheese.
Ingredients
¼ to 1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 stems fresh rosemary and 2 stems fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
2 cans Undrained cannellini beans, or 3 cups cooked dried white beans with cookies liquid
2 tablespoons tomato paste
15 oz can chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cut into ½ inch slices
1/2 lb chicken tenders, each cut in thirds
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a medium Dutch Oven. Brown the sausage and remove to a bowl. Add a little more oil if needed and brown the chicken. Remove to the bowl with the sausage.
Add the vegetables to the pot, stirring frequently, and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients, 1 at a time. Bring to a simmer and transfer to the oven, Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until thickened slightly. Remove the herbs. Serve with crispy Ciabatta bread.
