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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce is a hearty dish which I prefer eating with loads of cheese. For those who don’t like chili or if you plan to serve this dish to children, you may remove the chili. Adding some basil instead of parsley slightly alters the taste as well if you want to add some herbs.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 400g can diced tomatoes

1 small fresh red chili, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley

Salt & ground black pepper to taste

1 625g packet gnocchi

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Sliced crusty Italian bread, for serving

 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes or until the fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and the chili. Set the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for around 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the parsley and then season it with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Half fill a large saucepan with salted boiling water. Cook the gnocchi for one minute or until they float to the surface. Drain well, but reserve two tablespoons of cooking liquid. Place the cooked gnocchi and the reserved liquid to the tomato sauce. Gently toss to combine. Adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper if desired. Divide the gnocchi and tomato sauce mixture into individual plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

 

Image from:  10Rosso

Pork Saltimbocca

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Pork Saltimbocca is a delightful dish that melts in your mouth. For this recipe we used bocconcini, Italian cheese balls made from mozzarella. If it is not available, regular mozzarella will suffice.  You may also use chicken breast fillets instead of pork steaks if desired.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pork loin steaks

2 bocconcini

4 slices prosciutto

4 sprigs sage leaves

400g green beans, trimmed

50g butter

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 lemons, juiced

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sal and pepper to taste

 

Butterfly the pork steaks and open them out like a book. With a rolling pin or mallet, pound on the pork until its thickness is reduced in half.

Slice the bocconcini into twelve thin slices. Place three slices on one side of a pork steak and fold the other side to enclose the cheese. Wrap the pork steak with prosciutto and then top it with a sprig of sage. Repeat this with the remaining ingredients.

Next, place the beans in a pot of salted water over high heat. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook the beans for three minutes or until it becomes tender, but crisp. Drain well.

Melt 2/3 of the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the beans and stir-fry it for one to two minutes or until they are coated in butter. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Melt the remaining butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pork steaks, sage side down for two to three minutes per side or until they are cooked and golden brown.

Distribute the beans between individual plates and top them with the fried pork.

Place the same frying pan over high heat and add the lemon juice and parsley. Season it with salt and pepper. Once it begins to crackle, turn of the heat and spoon the sauce over the pork and beans. Serve immediately.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: Lec

Creamy Polenta

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Creamy polenta is a light and fluffy comfort food which can be eaten as is or served as a bed for other dishes.  You may also use soup stock instead of water to give it a twist.

For this recipe the polenta is not cooked in direct heat, but you may do so if you are using a heavy pan over low or medium flame. It is meant to be a little runny, so do not let it dry up. Add more water or soup stock if needed.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup polenta

125g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

5 cups water

2 bay leaves, plus extra for serving

50g grated parmesan, plus extra for serving

Salt and ground white pepper to taste

 

Half fill a large saucepan with water. Place it over high heat and bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile in a separate pan, place the milk, bay leaves and five cups of water. Set the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Add two teaspoons of salt. Whisk and then gradually add the polenta. Continue to whisk it for 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick.

After, transfer the polenta to a heatproof bowl and cover it with foil. Place the bowl over the water. You may also use a double boiler if it is available. Continue to cook the polenta for an hour and a half or until it is thick and creamy. Stir every thirty minutes. Add more water to the saucepan if needed. Remove from heat.

Place the parmesan cheese and butter into the polenta mixture. Stir until the cheese and butter melts. Season it with salt and pepper.  Place the polenta on a chopping board or individual plates and then top it with cheese and butter. Garnish it with bay leaves and Parmesan cheese before serving. If you are not serving it immediately, you may keep it over the water for up to two hours but make sure it is covered.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: meaduva

Italian Beef Rolls

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Italian beef rolls also known as bracioles are yummy beef rolls infused with the flavors of red wine and tomatoes. You can eat it as is with salad or use it as a pasta topping. I prefer sprinkling the beef rolls and tomato sauce with more cheese and baking it for a few minutes to make the dish tastier. This recipe is perfect for intimate dinners. It is a simple dish that will definitely impress.

 

Ingredients:

6 1cm-thick slices of beef steak, trimmed

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

6 slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 cups sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup corn kernels

1/4 cup sliced basil leaves, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place the steaks in between 2 sheets of baking paper. Pound the steaks with a mallet or flatten it using a rolling pin. After, slice them into half lengthwise.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, pine nuts, half of the garlic and parmesan. Season it with salt and pepper.

Place a slice of prosciutto on top of a slice of steak. Sprinkle with the parsley mixture and roll. Secure the ends with a toothpick.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the rolls for 3-5 minutes or until they are browned. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

In the same skillet, sauté the remaining garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and corn kernels. Pour in the wine. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil. After, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine is reduced and the sauce is thick. Return the beef rolls into the pan and add the shredded basil. Cook for 3 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and serve warm. You may slice the rolls before serving if desired.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  mazaletel