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Italian Recipes

As promised, here are a couple of the recipes I used for our Italian meal last night.

I don’t think I have craved anything as much during my pregnancies as I have this salad and simple dressing.

Italian Salad: 

• Mixed Baby Greens, White Raisens and Toasted Pine nuts 

Lemon Dressing:

• 2 Tbs Lemon juice (fresh if possible–about 1-1/2 to 2 lemons)
• 3 Tbs Olive oil

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and pour over salad immediately before serving. Toss the salad well. And add salt to taste.

Gretencord Variation:

I still use the Mixed Greens salad, but when I don’t have the raisens or nuts on hand, just mix in whatever salad veggies  you like. I’ve recently taken a liking to topping my salads with Feta cheese…yum.  If you have a Good Seasons Cruet, fill with lemon juice upto the “V” marking, then water upto the “W”, and olive oil to the “O”.  This make about twice the amount.  I like making this dressing in the cruet because I have plenty left over and everyone can pour as much as they like in their own salads. 

Tiramisu

This turned out to be a truly Gretencord variation.  I combine what I liked out of two different recipes I found.  Note that I went easy on the coffee and liquer because of my pregnancy.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (16 oz) Mascarpone Cheese
• 1- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tbs Brandy (Or substitute Brandy and Vanilla for 1/4 cup Marsala Wine)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2/3 to 1 cup Strong Coffee
• 30 lady fingers or (Family Size of Sarah Lee Pound Cake–found in frozen food section.  I used the pound cake as the grocery store was out of lady fingers. It makes the tiramisu a bit denser.)
• 1 tbs cocoa or grated chocolate

Cream together the Mascarpone cheese and 3/4 cup sugar.  Add whipping cream, brandy and vanilla.  Set aside.

For the strong coffee I used 4 tsp coffee with 1 cup of water in the coffee machine.  If you have instant coffee or expresso, you can use that as well.  In a sauce pan heat coffee and 1/2 cup sugar until boiling.  Set aside and cool.

In a large dish (about 2 inches deep) place one layer of lady fingers (or pound cake cut up in strips) to cover the bottom of the dish.  Brush with half of the coffee syrup.  Spread half of the cheese mixture on top.  Repeat with remaining lady fingers, syrup and cheese.  Sift cocoa over the top cream mixture.  Refridgerate for at least 4 hours. 

Lenten Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes for Lenten Fridays…and the rest of the Fridays throughout the year.

Vegetarian Chili

Saute garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in a medium sized pot until union and celery are clear and tender. Add beans, hominy, chili powder, cumin and sauce. Stew for a while or eat right away. Serve over brown rice with cheese and sour cream or plain yogurt with a side of corn bread.

Pesto
(Fr. Tim, you can pass this along to Dusty.)

Strip basil leaves from stems. In a blender or food processor, chop basil leaves and garlic; add pine nuts, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil until reduced to a thick sauce. Add parmesan cheese and blend.
Serve over pasta, mix with green beans or potatos, use in sandwiches or just about anything you like!

Italian Vegetable Stew (from A Continual Feast)

1-1lb bag of Red Kidney, Red or white beans
1/4 cup oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatos, cubed
1/4 head of cabbage chopped
5 peeled and chopped tomatoes, or 1 can tomato paste
1 clove
pasta shells (optional for a Minestrone type of soup)

Clean and soak beans overnight. Cook in two inches deep of water for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If the water runs low, add boiling water to avoid splitting beans.
When the beans are almost done, saute garlic, onion, celery, carrots until clear and tender about 10 minutes.
Add this to the beans. Add potatos, cabbage, clove, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 15 minutes. You may need to add more water for a soupy consistency. Add pasta shells if desired and cook another 15 minutes.
Top with croutons, or mix in a tsp of pesto.

Butternut Apple Soup

Here’s another squash recipe (from cooks.com) to add to your fall meals!

Ingredients: 

• 4 1/2 lbs. Butternut squash (3 sm.)
• 4 1/2 lbs. Jonathan or Granny Smith apples (9 lg.)
• 9 c. water
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
• White pepper (optional)
• 2 tsp. curry powder (optional)
• 3 c. half & half (optional)

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and fiber. Cut in half again, lengthwise, and pare off the outside shell. Cut the squash into cubes. Quarter, core, and pare the apples. Cut them into cubes also. Place the squash, apples, water, sugar, cloves, salt, and pepper (add curry later) in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until the squash and apples are extremely soft and beginning to form a puree.
Puree the mixture (including the water) in a food processor or blender. The soup may be stored in the refrigerator at this point. Before serving, stir together the squash-apple mixture, curry powder, and cream in a saucepan. Bring slowly to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Should the soup be too thick, add a little water.
 

**I put “(optional)” by a few things that I didn’t use.  I made a simple batch that was absolutely yummy without the extra sodium or fat. I also made half the recipe and used the same about of cloves.

Simple Acorn Squash

Have you ever wondered what to do with all those weird looking squashes at the supermarket?  Well, aparently so has everyone else.  I got this simple recipe for acorn squash from a sticker that was on the squash when I bought it.  I was originally going to prepare the squash for Fulton, but after I read the recipe, I decide I HAD to try it.

Ingredients:

• Acorn Squash,
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Butter

Directions:

Cut squash in half length-wise.  Scoop out and discard the seeds.  Place the squash skin-side up in a baking pan with about 1 inch of water.  Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Turn the squash over and put 1 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp butter in each half.  Bake another 10 mintues. 

Make 4 servings.

Athenian Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

Since whole chickens are really cheap, I like to stock up on them.  We have quite a few in our freezer.  My problem until now was that Adam wasn’t a big fan of how I was roasting the bird.

I found a very yummy recipe on Stonyfield Farms: I made a small change as I don’t have time to search for Greek herbs.  I’m sure you could do with regular Thyme and oregeno.   I just used rosemary.

Athenian Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 stick butter (unsalted)
3 lemons cut in half
2 tablespoons each thyme and oregano (Greek preferably)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

8 oz. Stonyfield Farm plain yogurt
2 oz. minced onion
1 oz. minced garlic
3 oz. fresh lemon juice
lemon pepper to taste 
  
Directions
Season chicken inside and out. Seperate the skin from the flesh of the chicken. Slice butter and stuff under the skin. Place lemon halves and herbs in the cavity of the chicken. Roast at 425 degrees F. for 1 hour.

For the sauce:  Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for as long as possible but at least 4 hours. Serve sauce cold with the warm chicken. 
 
 Yields
4 portions