Fettuccine Pasta with Prosciutto and Mascarpone Cheese

Deliciously creamy and savory fettuccine pasta with mascarpone cheese and prosciutto.

Here is another of my favorite, super easy recipe that I'm sure, once you try it, will end up in your list of best-loved, Italian dishes, ready in 30 minutes or less. And in this case, depending on which pasta you choose, it can take as little as 15 minutes. Really!! The De Cecco egg fettuccine I used only take 5 minutes to cook. So, it's just a matter of boiling the water, and while the pasta cooks, your sauce will be ready.
This pasta is not only great for a last-minute meal at home, but also perfect for a fancier dinner party among friends. Your guests will be impressed by the choice of selected, delicate and oh-so Italian ingredients. You can't go wrong with prosciutto and mascarpone cheese. Make sure, though, you don't tell your guests that it's so easy to make! It's our secret :)  Buon appetito!

Ingredients, 4 servings:

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• about 4 oz of prosciutto
• 4 oz (half package) of mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• freshly grated black pepper
• 1/4 cup of walnut (optional)
• salt
• 8.8 oz (1 package) of Egg Fettuccine, I used DeCecco

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Directions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine when it boils.
Step 2: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the prosciutto cut in strips, and let simmer for a minute.

Step 3: Add the mascarpone cheese with a couple of tablespoons of  hot water (from the pot where the pasta is cooking). Decrease the flame to low, and stir in the mascarpone cheese until melted and soft. Add some freshly grated pepper.

Step 4: Drain the fettuccine pasta and toss it in the skillet. Mix well, adding the Parmesan cheese.

Top with walnuts cut in small pieces if you like. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pasta Salad with Grilled Eggplants, Sundried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Pasta salad with grilled eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella: an irresistible combination of Mediterranean flavors!

I hope your Sunday was amazing, and you had the chance to enjoy some special time with all the Dads in your life.

My Sunday was pretty great. Quite fun and relaxing. At the beach yesterday morning, I finished a book I started only last week, "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty. It's a really great book, perfect read for the beach. I have not been able to put the book down until I found out (about halfway through) what the secret was. And then, I could not wait to see how everything solved itself out. I am not going to give out too many details in case you want to read it. But, was I the only one rooting for Connor, the sexy ex-boyfriend with the motorcycle?! Well, I guess that was not in Tess's plan. As the author says "None of us ever know all the possible courses our lives could have and maybe should have taken. It's probably just as well. Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever." Hmm... what do you think?!?

Going back to my Sunday, for a picnic lunch at the beach, I prepared this delicious pasta salad with eggplants, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. This Italian recipe is perfect for the summer: fresh and healthy. An enticing combination of delicious Mediterranean flavors!
Here is the recipe for you ...  and no secret ingredient! :)



Ingredients, serving 4 people:

• about 1.5 oz of sun-dried tomatoes (I used Trader Joe's julienne cut tomatoes, about half a bag)
• 1 medium eggplant
• 8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• extra virgin olive oil
• oregano
• salt
• 12 oz pasta

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

Step 1: Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl with hot water, for 15 minutes of so.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
Step 3: Brush a grilling pan slightly with olive oil, and grill the eggplants thinly sliced. Sprinkle with salt.

Step 4: Cut the grilled eggplants in small strips. In a large bowl, add the eggplants with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, sliced garlic and oregano.

Step 5: Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, cut in small pieces and add to the bowl.

Step 6: Drain the pasta, pass it under cold running water to stop it from overcooking. Add to the bowl and mix well. Add the mozzarella cut in small cubes and mix again. Add more olive oil and oregano if necessary. That's it :)

Buon Appetito!

Octopus and Potato Salad

Light, summery octopus salad with potatoes

After my first successful experiment with the grilled octopus over grilled vegetables, I decided to try one more recipe with this mollusk. This time, when I went to the fish market (I like to go to the Santa Monica Seafood Market) I found frozen baby octopus. I was very excited about it. These sound perfect in a salad with potatoes, just like the one my mom makes!
Octopus is a great choice for a seafood dinner: it's low in fat, rich in minerals like calcium, potassium and phosphorus, and great source of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acid. Perfect, right? And baby octopus have a more tender meat, and cook in no time.
The only problem I had: as soon a I defrosted the baby octopus, I noticed that they were not completely clean. No ink sack, but the eyes were still there, and the heads were not empty. Ugh! After a quick on-line search, I found several sites that explain how to clean octopus. It's not really hard: just cut out the eyes with a sharp knife, remove the beak and the stuff inside the head. But it can really be time consuming. Cleaning 2 pounds of tiny octopus took me a long time! Here is one link that I looked at on eHow.
What I learned from this link is also that baby octopus are not actually babies... phew! They are adults of a specie of octopus that don't grow very much. This really made me feel better :)

Here is the recipe for this light, summery seafood salad, perfect for a cozy family dinner!


Ingredients: about 4 servings

• 2 lb of baby octopus
• 4 medium size potatoes, about 5 oz each
• a bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation time: About 40 minutes...plus the time to clean the octopus :( if needed

Directions:
Step 1: Wash and scrub the potatoes under running water. Place in a large pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered until fully cooked. For my potatoes, it took about 30 minutes. For smaller potatoes about 20 minutes, and 40 or so minutes for larger ones. Test with a fork to make sure the inside is fully cooked.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Clean the octopus if necessary, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. My baby octopus were really small, so they cooked in no time!
For larger octopus, the boiling time should be about 20 minutes for every pound.  Check again with a fork for tenderness. And let the octopus cool down in the water while you wait for the potatoes. This should make the meat extra tender!

Step 3: Slice each potato in half, remove the skin (should be very easy) and cut in large cubes.
In a large serving bowl, add the sliced garlic cloves, the chopped parsley and a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 4: Add the potatoes and the octopus cut in smaller pieces. Mix well, salt to taste and add extra olive oil if needed.

Serve warm. Enjoy! 

 

Pasta with Artichokes and Pancetta

In this pasta, the sweet taste of the artichokes combines with the sharp flavor of the Parmesan cheese, and the spicy aroma of the pancetta

Today I want to show you how to prepare this pasta with artichokes and pancetta. This is one of my favorite recipes: easy and tasty, and as usual, ready in no more than 30 minutes.
As you probably have noticed, I like to buy and use fresh vegetables in my recipes.
Artichoke though is one exception. Cleaning fresh artichokes is quite an elaborate job. It involves peeling off leaves, trimming stems and, I know!!, removing "hair". And after all the hard work, what I find most annoying is ending up with a tiny artichoke heart, as small as a walnut, when I started off with a big, fist-sized artichoke! All reasons why, I generally opt to buy frozen artichoke hearts. They are tender and juicy, and ready to use!
In this pasta, you will find the sweet taste of the artichokes, together with the sharp and nutty flavor of the Parmesan cheese, and the spicy aroma of the pancetta. What can I say? Pancetta, like bacon, makes everything taste delicious!
Here is the recipe for you:
Ingredients serving 4 people:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 6 oz artichoke hearts (I used Trader Joe's frozen artichoke hearts)
• 3 oz (one package) of thinly sliced pancetta
• half cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 12 oz of short pasta, I used Barilla gemelli pasta, but you could also use other shapes like penne or fusilli.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. And start cooking the pasta when it boils.
Saute' the chopped onion in about three tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat, for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Run the artichoke hearts under running water, if frozen. Cut in thin slices, and add to the onion. Saute' for a couple of minutes. Lower the flame to medium low, and cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Please note: the pancetta is relatively salty, so don't overdo with salt at this point.

Step 3: Cut the pancetta in small strips, add to the artichokes and saute' for another couple of minutes.

Step 4: Add the cream to the skillet and let cook for one minute.

Step 5: Drain the pasta when ready, and toss in the skillet, together with the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

FRUIT JUICE JIGGLERS

“Fruit Juice Jigglers” are a fun treat to serve your children and grandchildren when the weather turns warm because they are cool and refreshing. Better yet, they require NO cups/spoons/napkins; they don’t melt in those hot little hands AND they are nutritious!!

Jigglers are super quick and easy to mix up and after a 3 hour chill in the fridge, they are ready to snack on or take to a potluck (adults love them too!!)

 

2 cups your favorite fruit juice (divided)
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin powder

You will find it on  

the regular Jello aisle

 

Measure 1/2 cup COLD fruit juice into a bowl. Sprinkle TWO envelopes of UNFLAVORED gelatin over the juice and stir it a little. Set aside for about a minute or until it becomes fairly solid.

 

Once it becomes solid, pour 1 1/2 cups BOILING fruit juice over it and stir until everything is completely dissolved.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes and stir it again.

 

Pour this mixture into an ungreased 9x9 dish and let it chill for three hours.  Cut into squares and serve.

 

NOTE:  The dish size is not crucial: smaller dishes will give you thicker jigglers, larger dishes will give you thinner jigglers.

 

NOTE: I have only ever done this with clear (no pulp) juices, so I don't know how it would turn out with a heavy pulp juice.

 

NOTE: I use a sharp knife to cut the squares, then I use a 2" (narrow) spatula to help release them from the pan.

NOTE: You can use any flavor fruit juice or fruit juice blend.

 

 

ENJOY THE SUMMER FUN !!

Butter-Free Apple Cake with Ricotta Cheese

Wholesome, moist, soft and delicious apple cake with ricotta cheese and a sprinkle of almonds!

I can't imagine a morning at the beach without a nutritious, healthy and delicious snack for the kids.
That's why on Thursday night I prepared this apple cake with ricotta for Friday morning. It was the first day of vacation for my kids, and I organized a little gathering with some of our friends at the near by beach. I was so much fun! The perfect way to kick off the summer.
My only mistake: I should have made at least two of these butter-free, moist and yummy apple cakes! About a third of it was gone on Thursday night, right after dinner... well, maybe this was another mistake! But my kids, and I :-) really wanted a taste. It's so hard to say no to a just baked, still warm and incredibly fragrant dessert! And I had to make sure it was actually as delicious as it looked, right?!?
Anyways, the rest of the cake disappeared on Friday in less than 60 seconds. I guess I should have figured that out: playing in the water and running around the sand can sure make you hungry. Now I learned my lesson, and I will be better equipped next time!
As I promised my friends, here is the recipe.

Ingredients: to make one doughnut shape cake, 10 inch in diameter

• 3 apples, I used pink lady, about 1.25 lb total
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 7.5 oz of whole milk ricotta cheese (half of my package)
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil (I used olive oil, because I didn't have any other oil available!)
• 1 tablespoon (16 gr) of baking powder :-)
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sliced almond, unsalted dry toasted
• powder sugar to decorate

Preparation time: about 20 minutes to prepare, plus 60 minutes to bake

Directions:

Step 1: Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Place in a bowl with lemon juice (half lemon juice should be plenty).

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix well the eggs with the sugar.

Step 3: Add the ricotta cheese, and mix well again.

Step 4: Stir in the oil ... pretty simple, right?

Step 5: Add the lemon zest, the baking powder and the flour. Mix some more until nice and smooth.

Step 6: Last, add the apples and mix with a spoon.

Step 7:  Grease the bottom of your baking pan if necessary, and sprinkle the bottom of your mold or pan (which will be the top of my cake) with the sliced almonds.

                                              

Step 8: Pour the batter, and place in the middle of the oven.

Step 9: Cook for about 1 hours. Check with a toothpick if the cake is ready. The toothpick should come out clean, no streaks of batter.

 Let the cake cool down a bit, flip it over, and sprinkle with powder sugar. Yummy!!