My Culinary Blog

Ingredients: 

1 lb hot Italian sausage
1 slice finely chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp salt
ca. 1 1/4 cups spaghetti sauce
40 large mushroom caps
oil
mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Cook Italian sausage, onion, green pepper, garlic powder, and a handful of mushroom stems, finely chopped, in a skillet, then drain fat. (It’s best if you put meat mixture into a food processor with steel blade at this point to give meat a finer texture. Just process for about 5 seconds or less.) Then add bread crumbs, pepper, salt, and spaghetti sauce. Coat mushroom caps with oil. Fill mushroom caps with meat mixture. Cover with foil and bake at 350 about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then broil until cheese is melted and mushrooms are tender. (Or loosely cover with wax paper and microwave.)

Recipe and instructions for Tiramisu

Read the Tiramisu Recipe

A video tutorial about Italian Wedding Soup

Read the Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

1 pound extra−lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups spinach − packed,
rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup seashell pasta
3/4 cup diced carrots

1 In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Shape mixture into 3/4−inch balls and set aside.
2 In a large stockpot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in the spinach, pasta, carrot and meatballs. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

1 pound Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can
Italian−style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great
northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups spinach − packed,
rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.2 Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

3 Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

4 − 7 oz. cans roasted peppers
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
8 oz. shredded fontina cheese
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup imported grated romano cheese
A few sprigs of fresh
parsley, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
Flour and beaten eggs (enough to dredge peppers in)

Olive oil to fry peppers in Drain peppers and rinse with water. Open peppers, splitting in one side, so that they lay flat on counter. Sprinkle with small amount of breadcrumbs, reserving most to coat peppers with. Add minced garlic, shredded fontina cheese, parsley, and grated romano cheese.  Read more »

2 − 28 ounce cans diced or ground tomatoes or whole
tomatoes NOT packed in puree or sauce
3 tablespoons high−quality olive oil
1 large, thick pork chop or 1−1/2 pounds beef chuck,
steak preferred
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup red wine
1−1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons fresh basil or Italian parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using whole tomatoes, drain them, reserving the liquid and chop. Reserve tomatoes and juice in a bowl. In a nonreactive Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Season the chop with salt and pepper and brown over medium−high heat on both sides, about 8 minutes total.

Read more »

4 Tablespoon Butter
8 Slice Bacon; cut in 1/4″ strips
2 Eggs
2 Egg yolks
1 Teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup Heavy cream
1 Teaspoon Salt
Black pepper
1 Pound Spaghetti
8 Quarts water

Cream soft butter. In another bowl, beat eggs & yolks and whisk until blended, add 1/2 cup cheese. Heat large casserole dish in 200F oven. Bring water & salt to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, fry bacon in skillet over med heat until crisp. Pour off half of fat and stir in red pepper flakes and cream. Bring cream mixture to simmer and keep warm until spaghetti is done. Transfer cooked spaghetti to heated serving bowl and stir in creamed butter.
Coat well. Stir in hot bacon & cream mixture and finally the beaten eggs and cheese. The heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining grated cheese.

6 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup marsala
3 tbsp. dark rum
1−1/2 cup heavy cream

Separate the eggs and place the yolks in the top part of a double boiler. Place the whites in a stainless steel bowl at room temperature. Add sugar and nutmeg to eggs and beat, off the heat, until it forms ribbons. Add marsala and rum and place over double boiler. Beat until frothy and foamy and quite firm, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to ice bath and cool while whisking. Beat the cream to soft peaks and fold egg mixture into whites.
Place into ice cream machine and chill according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place in freezer, well covered. When ready to serve, scoop
into balls and garnish with crushed amaretti cookies.

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
5 to 6 Roma tomatoes, chopped, (28−ounce. can plum tomatoes)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 Cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 Pound angel hair pasta, (uncooked)

Saute the garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Do this in a skillet large enough to hold the tomatoes later. Leave garlic in skillet. Place tomatoes, salt & pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar in a non−reactive bowl and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Boil water for pasta.
Just before you put the pasta in the water, drain tomatoes and reserve the juice that runs off. (I usually set my colander on a dinner plate). Put the angel hair pasta in the water to cook for the recommended amount of time. Heat your garlic skillet and toss drained tomatoes briefly JUST to heat. They should retain their shape. The pasta should finish cooking (usually no more than 5 minutes for angel hair) at the same time the tomatoes are ready.

Toss the pasta and tomato mixture together and serve with freshly grated

parmesan cheese.