Proud Italian Cook

Linguine and Zucchini On Your Table In Minutes

May 4, 2020 by Marie 9 Comments

We all need a quick go to meal, one that we can put together in minutes without much thought. This recipe uses ingredients that are very inexpensive and easy to find but when put together tastes like a million bucks!

Linguine and zucchini, a match made in heaven, but truth be told you can really use any shape of pasta for this dish, use what you have and like, you can’t go wrong.

Zucchini coins that are pan fried in olive oil gives you the flavor base along with toasted breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese, parsley and toasty nuts and of course my choice, good old fashioned toothsome linguine pasta.

Fry up as many zucchini you like, you’d be surprised how many slices you get from just one good sized zucchini. You can go heavy on the veg and light on the pasta amount, or visa versa, it’s up to you.

When you pan fry the zucchini it goes really fast, it doesn’t take long before you’ll get a nice golden brown color on them. The time it takes you to boil the water you’ll be done with the frying.

This is such a satisfying and comforting dish quick to make for mid week or the weekend, I hope you make this linguine and zucchini for your family!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Linguine and Zucchini On Your Table In Minutes

Author: Marie

Ingredients

Linguine pasta, or any other of your choice, ½ lb. or 1 lb. However much you want to make
1 or 2 zucchini, medium sized sliced into coins
2 shaved garlic cloves
a generous handful of toasted walnuts, grated Pecorino or Parmesan along with breadcrumbs, preferably homemade
chopped parsley
red pepper flakes, (optional)
olive oil

Instructions

In a frying pan cover the bottom with olive oil and start frying your zucchini coins, sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside on paper towels to drain.
Have your salted pasta water going while you’re frying up the zucchini.
When done frying the zucchini, add more oil to the bottom of the pan and toss in the shaved garlic, the toasted nuts and the breadcrumbs, everything should be golden and toasty.
Cook your pasta Al dente, reserve some hot pasta water then drain the pasta and toss it into the pan with the breadcrumb mixture.
Gently toss in half of your zucchini coins, combining well.
If you feel you need to loosen things up add in some of the pasta water.
You can then toss in your parsley, check for seasoning adding salt, pepper, more cheese and maybe an extra drizzle of olive oil, it's up to your taste buds.
Place pasta into your serving dish and top with the remaining zucchini coins for a nice presentation along with a sprinkling of nuts and more parsley.

9 Comments Filed Under: Pasta Tagged: linguine, quick and easy, quick midweek meal, zucchini, zucchini coins

White Pasta Fagioli

April 24, 2020 by Marie 12 Comments

I don’t know about you but I’m still seeking out comfort foods, especially soup. On a rainy, dreary April day this white pasta fagioli is just what you need!

It’s nice to make a big pot and have it ready to heat up for lunch during the week, it’s so comforting and I know we can all use some comfort right now.

Let’s talk about the white version of pasta fagioli or “pasta fazool”which I grew up calling it. You won’t find any tomatoes in this version at all and although I love the tomatoey version, the white is hands down my absolute favorite!

There’s something about the smokey bacon flavor that goes so well with the beans, garlic, celery and onions, ( yes I use bacon). You could use pancetta if you like, but I prefer using bacon.

No elaborate ingredients go into this dish, in fact probably have some of the pantry items already, boxed stock, pasta and cannellini beans as well as celery, grated cheese, onions and garlic, staples you might have in your fridge.

This actually takes no time at all to make, before you know it you’ll be enjoying a hot steamy bowl right in front of you, with some crusty bread I hope!

It’s so satisfying and it has that feel good flavor, I hope you find comfort in every bite!

5.0 from 3 reviews

White Pasta Fagioli

Author: Marie

Ingredients

4 slices smokey bacon, medium dice
3 celery stalks, diced
½ white onion, diced
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 large can cannellini beans, 1 lb. 13 oz or 2 regular sized cans, drain half of the liquid
½ lb. of ditalini pasta or something similar that size
a handful chopped parsley
a generous handful of grated parmesan cheese
chicken stock in a box, or homemade if you have it, not quite a whole quart or depending on desired thickness
a pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
black pepper and salt to taste
olive oil

Instructions

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a heavy pot to cover.
Cook the diced bacon until it gets slightly, crispy golden.
If it's too greasy, remove and drain on paper towel, wipe out pan and add more olive oil and return the cooked bacon.
Toss in the the garlic, onion and celery, cook til it softens, add in your red pepper flakes to taste (optional).
Throw in the beans with the remaining liquid in the cans.
Stir well, then pour in the chicken stock.
Get it to a boil then simmer it for 15 to 20 minutes, it should thicken to the right consistency on its own, if it doesn't thicken enough I take my immersion blender and do a quick blitz on the side, not too much, just enough to puree some of the beans to act as a thickener.
In the meantime boil the pasta on the side, a’dente then drain it.
Turn off heat when soup is finished, add a big handful of grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Add a little bit of the pasta, reserving most of it for your individual bowls, this way the pasta won't blow up in the hot soup and you can take as much as you want for your bowl.
Taste for seasoning on everything.
Ladle into bowls adding a drizzle of olive oil, more cheese, black and red pepper.
Enjoy!

12 Comments Filed Under: Beans, Soups and Stews Tagged: comfort food, pasta and beans, pasta fagioli soup, pasta fazool

Pizza Night At Home, Who Needs Delivery!

April 16, 2020 by Marie 4 Comments

Nothing beats the smell of freshly made pizza cooking in the oven and it’s easier to make than you think. You might have a favorite handed down pizza dough recipe from your family, I know I do but honestly I hardly ever use it these days.

Good quality ready made pizza dough can be easy to find nowadays. You can find it in Italian markets, grocery stores and even your local pizzeria will sell you some.

I usually buy a few balls of dough and stick them in my freezer so I have them readily available when we feel like pizza night at home, you can do the same with your homemade dough if you make it ahead and freeze it. I’ll usually take the dough out of the freezer in the morning, as it sits it will defrost but then more importantly it comes to room temperature which makes it very pliable and easy to roll out.

The above photo was a pizza I recently made which was really fun to do and it tasted amazing, I call it pizza art. This pizza needs no sauce or cheese.

I always start out coating my pans with olive oil on the bottom and sides, then I sprinkle the bottoms with a light dusting of cornmeal or polenta.
I used a quarter sheet pan for this with a heated oven at 450F.
Place 1 pound of dough into the pan and make dimple marks all over with the tips of your fingers.
Drizzled olive oil all over making sure it falls into the dimple indentions.
All the vegetables I used in the photo above were uncooked, I also added olives and very thin sliced potatoes.
Drizzle the top of the veggies with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, maybe red pepper, oregano whatever you want.
Bake til golden brown on bottom and sides, maybe 15 minutes or so but ovens do vary so keep an eye on it!

One of my personal favorite types of pizza to make is this white pizza with garlic sautéed spinach, oh it’s so delicious!

The topping has no red sauce but rather a mix of ricotta, shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese and you really don’t need a lot! I also take a nice handful of fresh spinach and wilt it down in a sauté pan with some garlic flavored olive oil, then cool it down and squeeze it til no moisture is clinging onto it.

This pizza was made using 1/2 pound of dough, rolled to fit a 15 inch round pizza pan.
Prep the pan with olive oil all over and a dusting of cornmeal or polenta on the bottom, preheat oven to 500F.
Mix together 1 cup each of ricotta and shredded mozzarella, add in a good handful of grated parmesan cheese.
Pre- cook dough for 5 minutes in hot oven, only 5! Then take it out, push it down if it bubbled up and spread the ricotta mixture all over the warm top, then arrange your spinach all around.
Bake for around 12 – 15 minutes till golden on bottom and sides. (ovens do vary).

When I use red sauce on a pizza I make a simple and light sauce which doesn’t overpower the ingredients but rather enhances them.

Open a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, a good Italian brand.
Right into the can add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 small smashed garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and an optional pinch of red pepper flakes.
Stir it up and that’s it, it’s ready to use!

My husbands favorite combination on pizza is cheese, sausage, mushroom and onions. The pan and the pre-cooking of the dough was exactly the same as above pizza. By precooking the dough for the 5 minutes it gives the bottom a head start on a nice crispy crust.

The sausage was removed from the casing then browned so there was no visible pink.
Spread your fresh sauce on top, then shredded mozzarella, onions, sliced mushrooms, dotting the cooked sausage all around.
A quick drizzle all over with olive oil, you can add fresh basil or dried oregano whatever you have.
Into the 500 degree oven for around 15 minutes or so.

If you’re from Chicago then you’re very familiar with a very popular sandwich here called the Italian beef. It’s thinly sliced beef in a highly seasoned Au Jus, it’s usually served with sweet peppers on top, and hot giardiniera on the side. It’s excellent and you can also put all the components on a pizza!

Same as above, precook dough on nicely oiled pan for 5 minutes, spread red sauce, then cheese, thin slices of beef and slightly sautéed peppers.
In 15 minutes or so remove and drizzle on the giardiniera on your individual piece.

And let’s not forget dessert! You can make a Nutella pizza and it is sinfully delicious! You may think cooked pizza dough with Nutella on it? Don’t think twice just do it!

I did a step by step post on it here, so check out how it’s done. Feel free to top it with berries of your choice or sliced bananas topped with nuts, you can’t go wrong with any of it!

Enjoy having pizza night at home, it’s inexpensive, it uses few ingredients, it’s so easy to do and the kids can even get involved.

Like I said, you may never order delivery again!

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