Braciole

I'm sorry to say that I do not have a picture of the completed dish. I made this for dinner last nite and I forgot to take a photo. Sorry!! Definetly try this, it was delicious!

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/2-2 pound flank steak
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs ( I use the Italian Seasoned kind)
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used pecorino romano)
• 2/3 cup shredded provolone cheese (can use more for extra cheesiness)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (not too much!)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• Handful of chopped fresh parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dry white wine, 1 cup (I used a Pinot Grigio)
• Butchers twine
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups tomato sauce, blended in a food processor until smooth

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350F. Take the steak and lay on flat on work surface. Using meat mallot, pound out to make steak even in thickness. Next combine bread crumbs, garlic, grated cheese, provolone cheese, pinch red pepper and parsley in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix again. Put mixture over steak and press down. Starting at the smallest end of the steak, roll steak up. Tie with kitchen twine on both ends to secure. Some filling might come out, thats ok. Try to stuff as much as you can back in! In a large dutch oven, or any stove-to-oven safe pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil. When oil is hot add braciole and brown on all sides. Next add the wine. Let the wine come to a slow boil for a few minutes. Then add the tomato sauce. Mix well and let come to a simmer. Tent the pot with foil and put in the oven. Baste and turn the meat after 30 minutes. Do this twice. Then after an hour remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. When slicing the braciole, slice from end to end making little jelly roll type slices. Arrange on a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Enjoy!!

This recipe is part Giada De Laurentiis'. I just love her!

Risotto with Broccoli

This dish requires a good amount of attention. There is a lot of stirring and careful watching. It needs around 30 minutes cooking time. This dish can also be made with other veggies. Peas are very good too. You also might like to add about a 1/2 or so of white or red wine for added flavor. Add it before you begin putting in the chicken stock and let reduce for a few minutes. But make sure it's a good drinking wine. As a general rule, if you won't drink it, don't put it in your food.

What You'll Need:

• 1 small onion, chopped


• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice


• 1 package frozen broccoli, thawed


• 4-5 cups chicken stock, low sodium (preferred)


• 2 tablespoons butter


• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil


• Grated Cheese, if desired

In a pot, heat the chicken stock. Never add cold liquid to a hot pan when cooking risotto. Heat large skillet over medium flame. Add butter and oil. When melted add chopped onion, garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add arborio rice. Let sit in pan, stirring, until the rice is a nice golden, toasted color. (takes a few minutes). When browned, begin to ladle in the hot chicken stock about 2-3 ladle fulls at a time. Stir often. When the liquid is mostly absorbed, add 2 more ladle fulls. Keep stirring. The risotto will release starch and as it cooks it plump up and get nice and creamy. Repeat the process and continue stirring until all the liquid is used or the risotto is fully cooked. If you use all the stock and the rice is still too chewy, its ok to add a water a little at a time until cooked. In most rice dishes the liquid to rice ratio is 2 to 1, but with arborio rice its almost 4 to 1. When rice is cooked, add the broccoli. The hot risotto will heat the broccoli. Fold in the broccoli until well incorporated. If desired you can add the grated cheese last. Buon Appetito!

*Cooks Note: you can subsitute veggies if you like. Peas are really good in this recipe too.

Mini Meatball Soup (Kinda like Italian Wedding Soup)

What You'll Need:

For the Soup:

• 12 cups chicken broth/stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped

For the Meatballs:

• 1 pound beef/veal mix (or just beef, whatever you like)
• Bread Crumbs
• 1 egg
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, a pinch
• 1/2 Cup grated cheese
• Fresh parsley, chopped (dried is ok too) 2-3 tablespoons worth (if using dried, use less)

• 1 box Ditalini macaroni (little hoops)

What To Do:

In a large stockpot add chicken stock and the veggies. In a separate bowl combine meat, bread crumbs, egg, red pepper, grated cheese and parsley. Mix well, but no too much, with hands. Roll mixture into little bite sized meatballs. Drop into the stockpot to cook in the broth. Let simmer. When the meatballs float, they should be done. I like to simmer mine for about an hour or so just to let all the flavors steep. Towards the end of the simmer, bring a separate pot of water up to a boil (enough water to cook a pound of macaroni). When water is boiling, salt it and add 1 box of Ditalini (little hoops). Cook until al dente. Spoon macaroni into soup bowls, add soup and serve with extra grated cheese and italian bread. Buon Appetito!

Grilled Steak, Roasted Red Potato & Carmelized Onion

What You'll Need:

• Top Round London Broil - size depends on how many you are feeding
• Montreal Grill Seasoning
• 2 Red Onions sliced
• 2lbs or more Red Potato
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• Rosemary (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Butter

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take steak and rub with olive oil and steak seasoning. I usually make my own marinades, but in these grill mates spices are really good, expecially the Montreal. Let rest. Scrub potatoes and cut into inch sized pieces. You can peel them if you prefer it without the skins. Put cut potatoes into pot, fill with with water till potatoes are covered completely with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Cook till fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and put potatoes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & rosemary (if desired). Put in oven and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes. While potatoes are cooking heat grill pan over high heat. While grill pan is heating, heat a smaller pan over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When hot, add sliced onions and cook until browned and soft. When grill pan is good and hot add the steak. Cook about 8-10 minutes on each side. A little longer for more well done. When steak is done, let rest on a cutting board for 3-5 minutes to let juices re-distribute. About this time the onions and potatoes should be done. Slice the steak against the grain on a slant. Serve with onions and roasted potatoes. Buon Appetito!

Spaghetti Bolognese

I made this tonite for dinner, but I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!!

What You'll Need:

• 1 medium sized onion, chopped into small pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 celery stalk, chopped into small pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef ( I like to use the pork, beef, veal mix)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 or 35 oz can
• Flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped (appx. 3 tablespoons worth, more or less depending on your taste)
• 1-2 Bay leaves (depends on your tastes)
• Fresh Basil, appx. 6-8 leaves, chiffonade
• Salt & Pepper
• Grated cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Spaghetti

What To Do:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat When its good and hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes more or until the veggies are soft. Then raise the heat a little and break the meat with your hands and add to the pan. Stir and break up any big pieces in the pan so that the beef is all broken up into small pieces. Cook until cooked an no longer pink. Lower the heat. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper. I add a little grated cheese here too, just because I like it that way. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. While its simmering, cook spaghetti and reserve a ladle full of cooking liquid before straining it. When done put reserved cooking liquid in big shallow bowl, add cooked spaghetti and top with the bolognese (remove the bay leaf first). Serve with grated cheese and bread. Buon Appetito!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

What You'll Need:

• Boneless chicken breasts sliced thin, quantity depends on how many people you are feeding.
• Bread Crumbs
• Eggs, 1 or 2
• Milk, appz 1/4 cup
• Sliced ham, deli is fine
• Sliced swiss cheese, deli is fine
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or your preference
• Toothpicks

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish. Beat eggs and milk together in separate bowl. Take the ham and the swiss and cut into strips about 1 inch thick (so they fit on top of the cutlet but dont hang off the sides). Dredge each cutlet in the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs until both sides are well coated. Then take 2 slices of each ham and swiss (more or less depends on your tastes) and place on top of the cutlet. Roll each cutlet up and put 2 toothpicks to secure it so they dont open up while they are cooking. Place on cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until nice and golden brown on bottom and all around. Buon Appetito!