Uncategorized Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Veggie Bundles Wrapped in Phyllo

May 15, 2013 by Marie 3 Comments

veggie bundle in phyllo This is such a great lunch or even a light dinner. You could use leftover veggies either roasted or grilled and all you’ll need is a box of phyllo, a little bit of cheese and some muffin tins. Crunchy on the outside with cheesy flavorful veggies on the inside.

It’s an individual take on something I make quite often at my house, which is this.
roasted vegetables I always have roasted veggies in my fridge and now that the weather is staying warm I’ll be stocking up on grilled instead. Any combination will do, use whatever you like, you’ll only be using 1/2 cup per muffin.

veggies in phyllo In the past I was always afraid to use phyllo dough, but now I never go without a box in my fridge and use it for both sweet and savory dishes. I love to work with it because it’s so forgiving. My kind of dough!
I also like the free form look of the finished product, no matter how you fold the phyllo up over the veggies it always looks pretty in the end. Serve with a nice salad and some roasted red pepper sauce on the side, so good!

Veggie Bundles Wrapped in Phyllo

Ingredients

precooked grilled or roasted veggies of your choice
5 sheets of phyllo
1 cup of shredded cheese like asiago, mozzarella or fontina
olive oil for brushing
roasted red pepper sauce or marinara for swiping bundle in
muffin tin
makes 6

Instructions

Lightly oil muffin tins.
Layer 5 sheets of phyllo on top of each other brushing olive oil on each individual sheet.
Cut into 6 squares.
Press one square into each muffin cup and fill with 1/2 cup veggie mixture.
Top with grated cheese, then fold over the corners to secure filling.
Brush tops with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 375F until golden, around 30 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Best eaten same day or otherwise reheat in a 400F oven until crispy again.

http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2013/05/veggie-bundles-wrapped-in-phyllo.html

3 Comments Filed Under: Savory Tarts, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged: light dinner, lunch, roasted veggies

Lasagnetti with Crumbled Sausage, Asparagus and Zucchini Coins

March 5, 2013 by Marie 20 Comments

I always gravitate towards the unique non traditional pasta shapes, when I see a shelf full of them I always have to grab a bag or two. My pantry is stocked with different shapes just waiting to be cooked up, so every now and then I will showcase one here on my blog.

Like these cute little lasagnetti which I recently found, they look like mini one inch square lasagne sheets. As far as what kind of sauce to serve with it, my first idea was to toss them into marinara and then dot the whole thing with fresh ricotta and a little romano, but I wanted something different this time and since fresh asparagus has been popping up all over in my area I used that as my inspiration to make this dish.

The combination of roasted zucchini coins, asparagus, medium spicy Italian sausage and sauteed grape tomatoes turned out to be the perfect flavor combination to grace my lasagnetti. Of course, any sturdy pasta shape would do, but if you’re interested my fellow Chicagoans, I got this pasta at Caputo’s.

If you’re looking for something a little different for your next dinner party I would suggest this dish, not only does it taste great it looks really nice spread out on a platter!

It’s fun to get out of your comfort zone every now and then!

Lasagnetti with Crumbled Sausage, Asparagus and Zucchini Coins

Ingredients

3 small yellow squash cut in 1/4 inch slice
3 small zucchini cut in 1/4 inch slice
1 lb. fresh asparagus cut diagonally
12 or more grape tomatoes cut in half
1 large shallot finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup each of white wine, chicken broth and pasta water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. of cooked lasagnetti or any sturdy pasta, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water
1 cup of ricotta
fresh basil and grated romano for garnish

Instructions

Roast zucchini coins and asparagus on a baking sheet drizzled in olive oil at 425 until golden brown.
Saute the tomatoes in olive oil in a small skillet.
Brown sausage in a skillet with the chopped shallot and garlic cloves, my sausage is very lean so I add a little olive oil when browning. When sausage is cooked through add in the wine, broth, 1/4 cup olive oil and pasta water, this will be the base for your sauce.
Toss everything into a large bowl coating the cooked pasta with the sauce, tossing with grated cheese, fresh snipped basil and salt and pepper to taste.
Place on a platter and dot with fresh ricotta and a drizzle more of olive oil if needed.

http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2013/03/lasagnetti-with-crumbled-sausage-asparagus-and-zucchini-coins.html

20 Comments Filed Under: Chicago, Pasta, Uncategorized Tagged: Caputo's Fresh Market, Italian sausage, lasagnetti, unique pasta shapes, zucchini coins

Dinner Party Worthy, Shrimp and Artichoke Risotto

December 12, 2012 by Marie 16 Comments

I made this recently and it was such a big hit I wanted to share! Succulent tiger shrimp with fresh artichoke hearts, sitting on a bed of creamy risotto.

The flavor was super enhanced by this fabulous roasted garlic olive oil I received from Colavita. I love their olive oils but I never tried their roasted garlic version, all I can say is you need a bottle of this in your kitchen! I had a few fresh artichokes ( you could use frozen, I wouldn’t use canned) that I cut, quartered and steamed, then tossed them into the garlic oil and placed them in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, the flavor is addicting!

I did the same thing with the shrimp, tossing them into the roasted garlic oil, sprinkling them with salt, pepper and a little peperoncino. I roasted the shrimp Ina’s way on a baking sheet for 5 or 6 minutes at 400 until the shrimp are cooked through. This method is full proof, cooks perfect every time!

The risotto itself was made with 1 box of chicken stock that was warmed in a pot on my stove and
1 1/2 cups of arborio rice.
In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sweat 1/2 diced onion. Add the rice, stirring and coating it with the butter and oil. Saute for a couple of minutes but don’t brown it, then add 1/2 cup of white wine and let it absorb. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and let all the liquid absorb, then add another ladle and repeat the process stirring constantly.
I tossed in a handful of frozen peas along the way, added fresh snipped basil and parsley and a touch more butter in the end.
Pour your creamy warm risotto on a nice big platter and lay your roasted artichokes and shrimp all around.
The roasted garlic flavor took the risotto to another level, there wasn’t one grain of rice left!