Proud Italian Cook

Proud Italian Cook’s Twelve Most Viewed Posts of 2012

December 29, 2012 by Marie 16 Comments

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my most popular posts of 2012, it’s always fun to see what peaks my readers interest.
No name for This Salad which I made back in June, I’m a sucker for zucchini ribbons I just think they make every dish look pretty!

Faux Spaghetti, I made this last January when the reality of all the holiday eating hit me hard and once again I needed to go low carb, looks like I’ll be repeating this recipe real soon!

My Winter Veggie Torte, born from leftover veggies in my fridge and nicely formed in my trusty spring form pan. I think the sliced sweet potatoes on top gave it a nice colorful look.

Limoncello Tart with Amaretto Cookie Crust and a Blueberry Blackberry Sauce.
Come on, need I say more?

Grilled Vegetable Tart with Phyllo
I conquered phyllo and I’m proud of it!
As I sit here on a very cold night in Chicago I’m missing my grill big time!

Caprese Ravioli
I made this back in April for an appetizer, simple to make if you can find good quality store bought pasta sheets.

Summer Veggie Slaw
I made this deep in the heart of summer using the zucchini and herbs from our garden. This is a really good side dish with all your grilled meats, and everything is raw, so it’s quick to put together providing you have a julienne peeler!

Eggplant Patties
Even though I posted these last August I still make them on a regular basis, I serve them topped with a little bit of roasted red pepper sauce, make a salad and dinner is served!

Summer Bounty Zucchini Tart
Here I go again with the zucchini ribbons, and some blossoms here too, this time pressed into ricotta on puff pastry none the less!

Roasted Veggie Pasta
I make this often, great for a crowd. Hmmm, veggies seem to be a theme here on my blog, don’t you think?

Boneless Pork Chops in a Creamy Mustard Thyme Sauce with Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallots.
Comfort food that’s quick to make mid week!

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
This is so good your house will smell amazing while it’s cooking in the oven, I like to change up the marinara for roasted red pepper sauce, let me give you a little tip my fellow Trader Joe lovers, they have the best jar of red pepper spread that I use all the time, It’s called Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic, you really can’t taste the eggplant, but the red pepper flavor is outstanding.
I have 4 jars in my pantry and 2 in my fridge, I’m a horder, I smear it all over everything! If they ever stop selling it I’ll be devastated!As 2012 comes to a close my wish for you in 2013 is, HEALTH, HAPPINESS, PEACE, JOY, LOVE, LAUGHTER AND A HEALTHY DOSE OF AMAZING ITALIAN FOOD!

CHEERS!

16 Comments Filed Under: Seasonal, Winter Tagged: 12 most viewed posts of 2012, New Years 2013

Last Minute, Holiday Appetizers

December 21, 2012 by Marie 19 Comments

If your looking for a quick holiday appetizer to pull together on a moments notice have no fear, these bite size bundles are the perfect thing!

Providing you have a box or two of puff pastry tucked away in your freezer. You have some don’t you? If not you should!

Take it straight out of the freezer, lay it on your counter, in ten or fifteen minutes you’ll be able to separate the sheets. Then sprinkle a little flour on your counter and with a pizza cutter, cut the sheet into thirds, then each third into four slices, for a total of 12 per sheet, if you cut into the other sheet you’ll have a whopping 24 appetizers!

Now place each square into a mini muffin pan, I didn’t have to grease mine but it has been called to my attention that you might have to depending on the type of muffin tins you might have. My tins are not non stick but they are fairly new so maybe the butter in the pastry was just enough.

Now the fun begins, the fillings are endless! I had less than a cup of caramelized onions sitting in my fridge so I took a bowl and mixed the onions with gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts, that’s how I made mine here.
Each puff pastry cup only requires a heaping tablespoon so you don’t need much filling at all.
Think, tomato, basil and goat cheese, roasted peppers and fontina, spinach, artichoke and feta, crabmeat and cream cheese, gouda and apple, roasted mushrooms with gruyere, Do you have a jar of fig jam or even chutney in your fridge? How about a little brie and fig? You get the picture, use what you have, it’s all good!
They take 20 minutes in a 375 oven, in the meantime open a cold bottle of wine, they’ll be done in no time!

I know this is a busy time for everyone, myself included, I’ve shopped, wrapped, planned my Christmas menu and baked my last cookie, with a little help from my granddaughter!

Puff Cookies, they’re tradition in my house! One bite brings back happy memories to me.
Now if I could just stop at one bite, that would be a good thing!

But what I really wanted to do was to take this opportunity to thank you, all my readers, for the wonderful support you’ve given me, and to wish you all a very Happy Holiday filled with an over abundance of happiness, amazing food, surrounded by those you love!
xox

19 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Party Foods, Winter Tagged: christmas, holiday appetizers, puff cookies, puff pastry

Dinner Party Worthy, Shrimp and Artichoke Risotto

December 12, 2012 by Marie 17 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!