A sensational Summer dish, raw shrimp submerged in fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice, garlic, onions, olive oil and red hot pepper flakes. Marinate at least two hours or overnight which I prefer, for all these flavors to marry. I served the shrimp over garbanzo beans, a good alternative would be roasted corn off the cob.
Shrimp Cerviche
12-15 medium shrimp
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
hot pepper flakes
salt
parsley for garnish
Wash shrimp and place in a shallow bowl. In another small bowl combine all ingredients and pour over shrimp, refrigerate for at least one hour. I prefer to refrigerate overnight. Serve over garbanzo or white beans, drizzle with olive oil.
It's time for a coffee treat! Affogato, is a traditional and simply delicious drink
made with coffee and gelato or ice cream. You will fall in love with this drink.
Iced Coffee
1 cup of coffee
1 scoop of vanilla gelato
or ice cream
whip cream
shaved dark chocolate
Make coffee, cool slightly add gelato to glass pour coffee over and top with whip cream and chocolate shavings. Can also be made with chocolate or coffee gelato. Another option is to add 1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur. Serve immediately.
These scrumptious treats are, Raspberry Bars, so quick and easy to make you could whip up a batch before the company arrives. I used the finest jams made in Italy, created the
artisan way in huge copper vats.This method has been used for many years and it creates such deep flavors. My friend Andrea, from Andrini Marmellate, is the maker of these fine jams, and this is part of my, Chef Chuck's Cucina, food line.
Raspberry Bars
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
4 tablespoons raspberry jam
pinch of salt
Icing
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
In a mixer add chopped nuts, sugar and egg when combined add butter then incorporate a little flour at a time and a pinch of salt. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper over lapping the sides, for easy removal. Butter the pan, reserve 1/2 cup of dough and put the rest in pan and press down. Spread jam over the dough and then sprinkle the remaining dough on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes and remove from pan then cool completely. Make icing in a small bowl if needed add more milk and drizzle on top, cut in small squares and serve.
A satisfying chicken and bacon sandwich, perfect for the holiday weekend. I tenderized the chicken breast cutlet then dipped it in an egg bath and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Perfectly fried, topped off with a slice of provolone cheese, crisp grilled bacon, roasted red peppers and grilled zucchini. The dressing was a mayo basil spread and I chose a ciabatta roll to contain all this goodness!
Chicken Bacon Sandwich
4 chicken breast cutlets
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
4 slices provolone cheese
red roasted peppers
1 zucchini, sliced thin
8 slices bacon
mayo
a few basil leaves
salt and pepper
olive oil
Wash and pat dry chicken, beat egg in a shallow bowl add salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl add breadcrumbs. Dip chicken in egg then breadcrumbs, set aside. Grill bacon, set aside, grill zucchini and brush olive oil, salt and pepper on each slice. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook chicken about 3 minutes on each side. Mix mayo and chopped basil together. Now it's time to assemble sandwich, first spread mayo on both sides of roll add chicken, provolone, red pepper, bacon and zucchini.
I chose mostaccioli pasta for this springtime baked pasta dish. Garden fresh steamed green beans along with sauteed plump grape tomatoes were coated with a ricotta mixture and baked to perfection. A great way to get the kids to eat vegetables, just pair some with a baked pasta dish.
Baked Pasta
1 pound mostaccioli pasta
2 cups fresh green beans
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, whole paper on
salt and pepper
Wash and cut green beans to about 1 inch, steam for a few minutes, set aside. In a bowl combine ricotta, parmigiano, egg, parsley, salt and pepper, set aside. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta till al dente. In a large frying pan heat olive oil add garlic saute for 1 minute remove and discard. Add tomatoes and green beans saute for a few minutes, then stir in pasta and cheese. Preheat oven to 350 degrees butter a baking dish and bake pasta for 20 minutes.
This pasta dish is a favorite from Sicily since the finest pistachio's come from the beautiful island of Sicily. The nuts give this dish a salty and crunchy texture while the ricotta, parmigiano and cream bring this pasta dish all together. I enjoy the simplicity of this recipe.
Ricotta Pistachio Pasta
1/2 pound pasta
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup pistachio's, shelled
1/2 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup cream
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 sage leaves
salt and pepper
Cook pasta in boiling salted water till al dente. Meanwhile in a large frying pan heat olive oil, with the back of a knife bruise the sage leaves. Add these to the olive oil and cook for a minute, then discard.
Toss in pistachio's cook a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Add ricotta, parmigiano, cream, salt and pepper stir to combine. Add cooked pasta and mix together. Serves 2
A torta made with a flaky buttery crust, blueberry jam, fresh blueberries, and a sweet filling. The sliced almonds on top gave a nice crunch to this dessert.
Blueberry Almond Torta
Dough
1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups flour
Filling
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup blueberry jam
Prepare dough by heating milk to 105 degrees add yeast and sugar, stir and let sit for 10 minutes. In a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand combine yeast mixture along with sifted flour, salt, and butter. Knead dough a few minutes form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, let rest for 1 hour.
Prepare filling by mixing the finely chopped almonds with 1/4 cup sugar. In a small bowl using a fork mix 1 egg white with 1/8 cup sugar, set aside. In a mixer combine almonds and sugar, vanilla, the egg mixture then add honey and 1/8 cup sugar, gently fold in blueberries.
Roll out dough to fit a buttered 9 inch pie pan, layer dough with blueberry jam then add filling top with 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
