Pasta al Limone With Basil And Burrata

lemon burrata pasta

Pasta al Limone is the perfect spring and summer pasta dish to serve, it’s light and refreshing and so easy to make. You can make this for a weeknight meal or for a special dinner. I recently made it for Easter and served it as a side along with chicken Milanese and everyone loved it, but you can also serve it as a main as well.

I included basil and burrata for mine but you can also add in arugula, asparagus, spinach, peas and other fresh herbs.

 

lemon linguine ingredients

This is simplicity at it’s best, some of the basic ingredients you might even have in your own kitchen already. You might think lemon and pasta is an unusual combination but actually it originated in southern Italy in the regions of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast where lemons are famous and used in many dishes including this pasta dish.

lemon cream sauce

The sauce is silky and balanced and not heavy tasting at all. In my opinion the cream makes it a little more luxurious but you can certainly omit the heavy cream and just emulsify the sauce with the grated Parmigiano and some pasta water.

Use fresh organic lemons, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano and don’t forget that creamy burrata, quality ingredients are a must!

lemon linguine and burrata

Simple and elegant Pasta al Limone!

Pasta al Limone With Basil And burrata
 
A bright and lemony cream sauce coats your pasta like silk, the perfect dish to serve all spring and summer.
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Ingredients
  • ½ lb. of pasta, preferably a long pasta like linguine or spaghetti
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice made from organic lemons as well as 2 tablespoons of zest, plus more for garnish
  • ½ cup of heavy cream
  • ½ heaping cup of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, more for garnish
  • 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • a drizzle of olive oil in the pan
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • a small bunch of basil
  • 1 lemon seeded and cut into thin slices, basically for garnish
  • 1-4 oz. ball of burrata
Instructions
  1. Put the water on for the pasta, make sure you salt the water. When pasta is done cooking reserve some of the pasta water, about a half a cup.
  2. As the pasta is cooking grab a deep skillet, drizzle the bottom with olive oil and melt the butter.
  3. Add the garlic but make sure it doesn't burn! You just want it fragrant and slightly soft.
  4. Add the heavy cream and simmer, it will start to thicken fast.
  5. Toss in the lemon juice and half of the zest.
  6. Toss in some torn basil leaves and 2 thin lemon slices.
  7. The sauce doesn't take long, just a few minutes, shut the heat off and place the cooked al dente pasta in in the cream sauce.
  8. Toss in the grated Parmigiano turning to coat all the pasta, use the pasta water to loosen up the sauce if need be, just a little at a time.
  9. Taste and adjust as needed.
  10. Place your pasta onto a nice platter and tear open your creamy burrata ball and place all over.
  11. Garnish with additional zest, some basil and more Parmigiano.
  12. This recipe can easily be doubled, in fact I would encourage you to do so.

 

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Savory Artichoke Pie With And Without A Crust

artichoke pie with crust

Artichoke pie is seriously so easy to throw together and it’s always a hit.  The best part is you can make it with or without a crust and either way you choose it’s so delicious.

artichoke pie with crust

Artichoke pie is perfect for Easter and mother’s Day brunch, an appetizer, lunch or a main course dinner and it pairs very well with a beautiful salad on the side.

crustless artichoke pie

It’s so easy to make with canned artichokes, a frozen pre-made pie crust, a refrigerated pie crust, a homemade one or if you prefer, totally without a crust. Take it from me, it’s all good!

crustless artichoke pie

Artichokes, creamy mozzarella, grated cheese, fresh herbs and a little ricotta make up this perfect savory pie.

crusted artichoke pie

Here I used a prepared frozen pie crust and it was every bit of delicious!

sliced artichoke pie

For a little twist I served it with some warm marinara, but I’ve been know to cut off a chunk straight from the fridge and enjoy it just as much.

Enjoy!

Artichoke Pie With And Without A Crust
 
A delicious, savory artichoke pie served up for any occasion, with or without a crust.
Author:
Ingredients
  • a 9 inch deep dish pie crust, either 1 frozen prepared crust, or 1 refrigerated pie crust, homemade or even just crustless
  • 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained over a strainer then squished with your hands so all liquid is released from the artichokes, that's ok if they're broken up, this is an important step!
  • 4 eggs whisked
  • ⅓ cup pecorino romano, more for sprinkling on top
  • 2 garlic cloves grated, on the small side
  • 1- ½ heaping cup of shredded mozzarella, do not use pre- shredded, shred it yourself
  • ¼ cup of ricotta, drained well
  • fresh chopped parsley and basil, about 2 generous tablespoons each
  • olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. pre-heat oven to 350 Use a 9 inch deep dish pie crust.
  2. In a large bowl toss in the well drained artichoke hearts, the eggs, mozzarella, pecorino, garlic, ricotta, parsley and basil, season with black pepper and a little salt. Mix well.
  3. If doing crustless, just grease your casserole dish with olive oil and proceed as follows.
  4. Pat the mixture into your prepared pie crust, ( omit if crustless) no need to pre-bake spread mixture all around and pat into the pie dish.
  5. Sprinkle top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
  6. Bake at 350 for around 40 minutes or until top gets a nice golden brown color.
  7. Best served warm not hot or at room temperature ( but I like it cold too!)

 

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Italian Butter Cookies With Sprinkles For Spring

Italian butter cookies

If you walk into any Italian American bakery you’ll be sure to find these Italian butter cookies, they’re also known as sprinkle cookies. They’re buttery, not too sweet with a shortbread like texture and they’re very classic and traditional.

They’re surprisingly easy to make, just a few ingredients and you can whip these up in no time, the most challenging thing is piping the cookies out, it takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it goes fast.

full cookie tray

I ordered both my piping bag and tips from Amazon. I use the large 16 inch disposable bags, they come in a pack with quite a few and very reasonably priced, and for the piping tip I used a large star tip Ateco 869, very reasonably priced as well.

butter cookies

As far as the shapes of these butter cookies the sky is the limit. You can do singles like I did, circles, thumbprint, you can do figure eights or arches or just sandwich two together using  jelly or chocolate for the “glue”. Either way you can’t go wrong.

You’ll want to dip the tips into melted chocolate, you can use dark, white or milk, this will allow the sprinkles to stick and give you that characteristic Italian butter cookie look.

I chose a good quality white chocolate for these with pastel colored sprinkles for a springy, Easter look but believe me if you want to dip them in dark chocolate go right ahead. I made a big batch of the dark chocolate dipped ones last Christmas, with all different kinds of sprinkles and crushed nuts and gave them away as gifts.

Easter sprinkle butter cookies

They look pretty and festive for any occasion and they taste amazing because with just a few ingredients it’s imperative to not skimp on the quality of the butter, chocolate, eggs  and vanilla that you use, it really does make a world of difference.

I prefer these homemade ones over anything store bought, so rich and delicious and they’re a heck of a lot cheaper per pound than any bakery I know!

cookies and coffee

The white chocolate with pastels screams spring, don’t you think?

chocolate dipped

Here’s a photo of the dark chocolate dipped ones I made last Christmas, I think my piping skills have improved a little since then!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Italian Butter Sprinkle Cookies For Spring
 
Rich, buttery Italian butter cookies, sprinkle cookies for spring and beyond!
Author:
Serves: 21
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of very good quality unsalted butter, room temperature, try a European one like Pulgra
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, large
  • 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla not imitation
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream if needed to pipe easier
  • 12 oz. good quality white, dark or milk chocolate, not candy melts
  • sprinkles of your choice
Instructions
  1. The butter and eggs must be at room temperature.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a mixing bowl using a stand mixer or hand mixer cream the butter and sugar together until nice and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla until combined.
  5. Whisk together the salt and the flour then add to the butter mixture a little at a time on low speed until combined.
  6. If the dough seems too dry add the cream little by little, if too wet add a tiny bit more flour.
  7. Place dough into piping bag ( source in the post) I also use a tall glass to hold the bag while I'm filling it, leave enough room on top so the dough doesn't squish out.
  8. Start piping on your parchment, for the ones I made I they were about 2 inches long but and leave some space between for them to spread a little.
  9. Place the baking pan with the piped cookies into the fridge for ½ hour for better results before baking.
  10. Pre-heat oven to 350 and bake them 15-18 minutes with the bottom having a nice golden color.
  11. Cool COMPLETELY on a rack before dipping in chocolate.
  12. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a small bowl, 30 second increments, I added a ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil to my chocolate for smoother and glossier texture.
  13. Dip one side of the cookie into the chocolate then over a bowl add the sprinkles and place the cookies back onto a clean baking pan with parchment.
  14. Put the pan into the fridge so the chocolate gets nice and hard and sets well.
  15. Stores well on the counter in a container with wax paper between them, they also freeze well for a month.

 

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