Chef Chuck's Stuffed Onions

Cipolle Farcite


A unique sweet baked onion filled with a meaty stuffing. First boiled, then stuffed and baked to perfection. Onions and beef have always been a great marriage of flavors.


Stuffed Onions
4 medium size white onions
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, diced
8 ounces organic ground beef
2 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot of boiling water add onions and boil for 10 minutes, remove and set aside. In a frying pan heat butter and olive oil saute onions and peppers for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes, stirring for another minute. Cook beef with bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper till browned. Stir together the egg and cheese and add to beef mixture, remove and let cool. Cut the bottom of the onion off so it will sit, then cut off the top and with a teaspoon and knife hollow out most of the inside. Stuff each onion and place on a baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, uncovered.

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Eggs

Uova Farcite


Stuffed eggs is a sign of the summer season served over a bed of lettuce, with sliced garden tomatoes on the side. These eggs are filled with a creamy mixture of yolks, mayo, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Topped off with a caper or two gives a tang of saltiness to these stuffed eggs.


Stuffed Eggs
8 eggs, boiled and peeled
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
capers
lettuce
tomatoes, sliced


In a medium size pot, place 8 eggs, fill with water just till eggs are covered. Salt and boil the water then turn heat off, put lid on and wait 15 minutes. Drain and run cold water over eggs to cool, peel and cut in half. Put yolks in a bowl and mix together the mayo, mustard, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Fill yolk mixture in a pastry bag or a small plastic bag cut a small hole in one corner and pipe in yolk. Place a caper or two on each egg, sprinkle paprika and pepper on top.

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Sweet Cherry Peppers

Stuffed sweet cherry peppers is a great recipe for an appetizer. Simple, yet full of flavor with the anchovies and olives, they are great for any summertime party. Serve with an assortment of olives, cheese, some crusty bread and your favorite wine.


Stuffed Sweet Cherry Peppers
1 jar sweet cherry peppers, about 12
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
4 small anchovies
6 green and 6 black olives
1/3 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2-3 tablespoons olive oil


Rinse and cut out stems of peppers, discard seeds. Combine all other ingredients in a food processor and stream in olive oil till moist, gently stuff each pepper.

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Tomato with Orzo

Pomodori di Riso


Stuffed tomatoes is an excellent summer appetizer, stuffed with orzo and vegetables. Today we drove down the road to our local farmer, who grows wonderful produce. These are Sunshines tomatoes, and spinach. If no one is home, she has an honor system at her family farm, take what you want and leave cash in the box! Isn't the farm life great. Orzo is sometimes called Italian rice, but it is a pasta, also great for soups. I stuff the hot orzo mixture into the tomato which allows the inside of the tomato to cook.


Stuffed Tomato with Orzo
4 large tomatoes
1/4 pound orzo
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
8 Kalamata olives, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
6 large spinach leaves, cut up
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
olive oil, drizzle


Cut off tops of tomato and use a teaspoon to hollow out. In a frying pan saute onions and olives in olive oil, add garlic, mushrooms, spinach, salt, pepper and parmigiano cheese. Gently stuff each tomato then drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Chef Chuck's Olive ripiene all'Ascolana

The Noble Fruit!


Stuffed olives began in the town of Ascoli Piceno, Italy. The olives grown in this region are plump and juicy, perfect for stuffing. Olives are stuffed with a minced meat and then fried. I prefer to stuff with cheese and wrap with proscuitto, now it becomes a bitter and salty treat. Or you could make these vegetarian by omitting the proscuitto. A great appetizer to make with your friends and family. The larger the olive the easier to stuff and purchase pitted olives. Often served with lemon slices and usually made on holidays or special occasions.

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Olives


2 dozen large green olives
12 small cubes of mozzarella
1 heaping tablespoon parmigiano cheese
12 slices thin proscuitto
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
black cracked pepper
1/2 cup olive oil for frying
1 cup canola oil for frying


Stuff each olive with a small amount of mozzarella cheese then wrap with half a slice of thin proscuitto. Make 3 bowls one with beaten egg, parmigiano cheese and pepper. One bowl with flour and one with breadcrumbs. Dip olive in flour, egg and then bread crumbs. Deep fry in 350 degree oil about 1 1/2 minutes or till golden brown. Drain on paper towels or kitchen towels and sprinkle with pepper while still warm. Serve hot

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

Fantastic Funghi!


Here is a great appetizer that seems to please everyone that samples one. These mushrooms are a palate teaser. So many flavors in one little package, to make vegetarian leave out the sausage and use vegetable broth instead. This recipe is dedicated to Toni, in celebration of her life, she was a great cook, who shared this recipe with me.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
3 dozen medium mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds ground sausage hot or sweet
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley or
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups beef broth
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3/4 cup of hot water
1 egg
1 onion, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Saute onion and celery in pan with 2 tablespoon soil. Add sausage in small chunks until brown. Mix bread crumbs, egg and water together and add to sausage. Then in a separate pan saute butter and garlic for 1 minute add beef broth, parsley and lemon, stir together. Pour sauce over mushrooms when ready to bake.
Assembling:
Hollow out mushrooms with a small spoon add sausage mixture and mound it up. Put in baking pan and pour over broth. Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

Chef Chuck's Mediterranean Stuffed Shrimp

Crustacean Creations!!


This salty crunchy goodness is one of my creations that you must indulge in.
Its the beginning of our traditional 7 seafoods for Christmas Eve. Our families
have enjoyed this seafood tradition forever. We have changed some of the recipes
like this one but still continue to have 7 different seafoods for dinner.
This shrimp dish is stuffed with gooey goodness of herb goat cheese then wrapped
like a gift with one of the best hams known to man, proscuitto! So please try
this recipe, it will be your present to you and your family. Also for Christmas
Eve our special pasta dish, Nanie's thin tomato sauce with black olives and pinon nuts over
angel hair pasta.


Happy Holidays


Mediterranean Stuffed Shrimp
12 medium shrimp peeled, tail on and butterfly
12 thin slices of prosciutto
5 ounces herb goat cheese
2 eggs beaten with a little salt and pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup light olive oil or canola oil for frying


Prepare shrimp and rinse, stuff with about 1 teaspoon of cheese then wrap
with prosciutto. Dip shrimp carefully in egg mixture then in bread crumbs.
Fry in oil 3 minutes until golden brown or deep fry using canola oil at 350
degrees about 2 minutes, only fry a few at a time. Place on paper towels to
remove any excess oil. Arrange on serving platter and enjoy.
Can replace goat cheese with your favorite soft cheese.