Proud Italian Cook

It’s Paella Time Again….My Way

October 31, 2014 by Marie 4 Comments

This is not the first time I’ve made and posted a vegetable paella here, I think it’s been about a year and a half since I made my first one, but I just love making them because you can be as creative as you want with all sorts of vegetables, especially what is currently in season right now.

The rice is your blank canvas, so everything you place on top of it just makes the whole dish come alive!

This was not a planned recipe what so ever, these were the actual veggies that I had in my fridge the other day, so before they went bad I decided to roast them all, which I do quite often.

Roasting vegetables dramatically enhance their flavor, It’s a simple method where the vegetables are tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper then placed in a 425 degree oven and roasted until nicely golden and tender.

I usually have a few rimmed baking sheets going at the same time because I like to roast the vegetables individually according to their kind instead of mixing them all together. As you can see I had quite a variety!

I used red pepper, broccolini, yellow squash, zucchini, leeks, butternut squash, baby thin carrots, fennel, yellow and white cauliflower and those cute little enoki mushrooms. I also added roasted cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of frozen peas.

The point is you can make it your own with whatever vegetables you have on hand, don’t be afraid, anything will work. The more color the better, just play around with it and have fun, and besides, eating more color brings many health benefits to us, and that’s a good thing!

The instructions for paella and starting the rice can be found here in my previous post, just change out the veggies and make it your own, of course mine is not so traditional but made with an Italian flare.

It’s a one pan meal you can pull together during the week,( especially if you roast your vegetables ahead of time) or special enough to serve to your guests at a dinner party. Any leftovers you might have taste equally as good the next day!

I guarantee you’ll have extra roasted veggies left over so why not make a hearty minestrone with them like I did. I mixed homemade broth with a good boxed broth, simmered it for a while with a few parmesan rinds ( or grated cheese) that I always keep in my freezer plus a can of cannellini beans, some kale, leftover chicken if you have it and cooked pasta if you like. When the broth is nice and cheesy place some of those leftover veggies into a bowl and ladle the broth right on top. So good, and so good for you!

4 Comments Filed Under: Fall, Rice and Risotto, Soups and Stews, Vegetables, Winter Tagged: gluten free, healthy eating, one pan meal, paella, roasted veggies, vegetable paella

Autumn Kale Salad

October 24, 2014 by Marie 7 Comments

Here’s a nice autumn salad that features some of the fruits of the fall season along with our beloved kale. It’s pretty and festive and it could be a nice side to balance out a heavy meal, plus it requires very little work to bring it together!

You can put your own twist on it by changing up the type of fruit and nuts that you and your family like. For mine and for presentation, I added chopped apple and thinly sliced pear, I liked the contrast between the two cuts, I also added dried cherries, toasted walnuts and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

The dressing really pulls this salad all together, it’s a mixture of apple cider vinegar and white balsamic blended together, which is a must. The oil you can change up to your liking, but I highly recommend roasted walnut oil for a little treat. Also, If you want to sweeten your dressing up a bit you can, but I never ended up doing it, it was perfect without.

Whatever nuts you use be sure to lightly toast them beforehand, it intensifies their flavor and also gives them more crunch.

It’s colorful, healthy, fresh and good for you, so dig in!

Speaking of colorful, every tree and bush I see is worthy of a snapshot. Chicagoland is exceptionally vibrant and beautiful this season!

Autumn Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch of curly kale
1 apple, chopped
1 pear, thinly sliced
dried cherries or cranberries
toasted walnuts
pomegranate seeds, optional
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
½ cup toasted walnut oil, (or oil of your choice)
¼ cup of vinegar total, using half apple cider vinegar and half white balsamic
1 teaspoon, Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove grated on a microplane
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove the stems from the kale, chop,wash and spin dry, place into a large bowl or platter. Curly kale holds on to water so spinning it dry is an important step.
Chop 1 apple and slice 1 pear then squeeze a tiny bit of fresh lemon on top and set aside.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing then pour onto the kale and toss until well coated,a little goes a long way, but feel free to make more if you have a huge amount of kale.
Arrange the apples and pear on top and sprinkle with dried fruit and toasted nuts, any amount you desire.
Serve immediately!

7 Comments Filed Under: Fall, Fruit, Greens, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged: fall fruits, kale

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll Ups

October 16, 2014 by Marie 22 Comments

I’m sorry, but I’m at it again with butternut squash. I can’t help it, it’s so creamy, delicious and nutritious and it just screams fall to me! Not only that, it’s versatile and can be used in various dishes, just check out my archives for several different ways that I’ve used it in the past.

Sure, I’ve made your typical type lasagna using butternut squash but recently I realized that I never used it in a lasagna roll up.

I’m seriously considering this as my pasta side for Thanksgiving dinner this year, it’s that good!

Now lets talk sauce, which is based on a recipe from Chef frank De Carlo, well it just elevates the dish and funny thing is, you don’t really need alot. If you look at my top photo you’ll see I just put a little on the bottom of my baking dish and then I spooned some on top of each roll up, it’s not heavy at all, it’s dreamy!

Infuse some sage into melted butter and shallots, deglaze with broth, whisk in a small amount of pureed squash, add a little bit of cream and some parmesan. This is definitely party worthy!

Roasted and mashed butternut squash, chopped spinach, a mixture of ricotta, parmesan and asiago with a slight hint of garlic and lemon zest fills the pasta noodles.

The day I made this my whole family stopped over for one reason or another, I made a big salad to go along with it, and it was devoured in seconds!

Great as a stand alone meal right now, but certainly worthy for the upcoming holiday season. I see Thanksgiving side written all over this!

Lucky me, I was the recipient of all these beautiful squashes, so no doubt you will be seeing more squash recipes here in the future.

They were sent to me by a wonderful local company called Door to Door Organics, where you can have fresh organic and local produce, plus grocery items delivered right to your home. It’s funny because I had used them myself way before they ever even contacted me.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know how I love my veggies so this offer for me to try was a win win for me! I remember in the dead of winter last year how happy I was to see my order sitting outside my front door. What I love about the company is that there’s is no commitment, you could stop and start whenever you want.

So for all my readers who live in the Chicagoland area and want to give Door to Door Organics a try, here’s a ten dollar off coupon for you on your first order.

Now on to the recipe!

Butternut Squash Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients

1 good sized butternut squash
2½ cups of cooked butternut squash for the entire recipe, 2 cups will be for filling mixture, ½ cup will be reserved for the sauce
1 cup, ricotta
¼ cup of frozen, chopped spinach, measured after it is drained well
½ cup of grated parmesan
⅓ cup of grated asiago
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove grated on a microplane
salt and pepper to taste
8 or 9 cooked lasagna noodles
FOR THE SAUCE
½ cup of reserved squash pulp, pureed smoother than the pulp for the filling
2 shallots, or ½ of a white onion, finely diced
½ stick, unsalted butter
1 small bunch of sage leaves
¾ cup of stock, I used chicken
¾ cup of cream
½ cup of grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare your squash ahead of time. Cut lengthwise, with skin still on, remove seeds and roast the squash, cut side down at 350 degrees until tender and a knife goes through with ease, close to an hour. Let it cool, then scoop out pulp.
FILLING MIXTURE
Mash 2 cups of the squash pulp into small chunks, making it easy for spreading.
Add in ricotta, egg, cheeses,grated garlic, zest, salt and pepper, mix together well, then fold in spinach until incorporated.
SAUCE
Make your sauce by sauteing shallots in the butter with the sage leaves until slightly golden, then deglaze with the broth and whisk in the ½ cup of the well pureed squash that was reserved until nice and smooth on low heat.
Whisk in the cream and add the grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
INSTRUCTIONS
Spread about 3 tablespoons of filling on each cooked lasagna noodle, then roll up and place them seam side down on a shallow baking dish that has some of the sauce spooned onto the bottom. Spoon sauce on top of each lasagna roll up, plus grate a little parmesan cheese on top of each.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, sauce will be set and top will be slightly golden. There should be extra sauce for serving.
This whole recipe can easily be doubled.