Aunt Rita's Italian Stew: Recipe
1: Aunt Ritas Italian Stew
¤ Aunt Rita's Italian Stew
1 pound mild Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced (optional)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the sausage with onion and garlic in a large, deep skillet or pot over medi- um heat, until the meat is browned, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in the summer squash, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, and stewed tomatoes, reduce heat to medium-low, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, …show more content…
about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.
# 2: A-plus Italian Olive Oil Balsamic Bread Dip
¤ A-Plus Italian Olive Oil Balsamic Bread Dip
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 pinch salt and black pepper
Place the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and salt and pepper into a shallow bowl in that order. To serve, spoon small amount onto bread.
3: Arangini Italian Rice Balls
¤ Arangini (Italian Rice Balls)
3 3/4 cups water
1 1/3 cups uncooked brown rice
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 egg whites, divided
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the rice, and add the garlic, bay leaf and salt.
Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, discard garlic and bay leaf, and allow to cool. In a medium bowl, combine the prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pour
2 teaspoons of the olive oil over, and toss to coat.
Stir 3 egg whites and the Parmesan cheese into the rice until well blended. Stir the resulting rice mixture into the mozzarella and basil mixture until ingredients are evenly distributed.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bread crumbs in one shallow bowl, and whisk together 2 remaining egg whites and
1 teaspoon of olive oil in another shallow bowl.
Wet hands, and shape the rice mixture into 24 balls. Dip each ball in the egg whites, then coat with bread crumbs. Deep fry the rice balls a few at a time until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.
4: American-Italian Pasta Salad
¤ American-Italian Pasta Salad
1 (16 ounce) package fusilli pasta
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
2 (2 ounce) cans sliced black olives
1 cup cubed Genoa salami
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh
parsley
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and Italian dressing mix. Whisk together until smooth, set aside.
In a large salad bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta, peas, olives, salami, green onions, celery and parsley. Mix in dressing last, reserving 1/2 cup. Let sit over night in fridge. Stir before serving. Add extra dressing if pasta appears dry.
# 5: Ameilias Italian Stuffed Olives
¤ Ameilia's Italian Stuffed Olives
1/4 cup olive oil
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 thick cut bone-in pork chops
1 whole skinless, bone-in chicken breast
1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato puree
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup water
3 (8 ounce) jars colossal green olives, with pits
3 eggs, divided and beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 lemon, zested flour for dredging bread crumbs vegetable oil for deep frying
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir celery, onion, and garlic in hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add pork and chicken and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Combine tomato puree and tomato paste with 1 cup water, and add to meat mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, stir- ring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until pork and chicken are falling off the bone. Re- move meat from the pot to cool, and set sauce aside.
Meanwhile, remove olive pits using a special olive pitting tool. Make a slit in one side of each olive large enough to insert stuffing.
Once cooled, remove pork and chicken meat from the bones, and mince. Mix together with 2 beaten eggs, Parmesan cheese, ground nutmeg, lemon zest, and
1/4 cup of reserved sauce. Use more or less sauce as needed so that meat mixture is moist, but not too wet.
Fill each olive with enough stuffing so that a small amount is pushing out of the slit. Dip each stuffed olive in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Stuffed olives may be frozen in an air-tight container at this point until ready to use.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Fry olives in hot oil for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.
Serve warm.
# 6: Alligator Animal Italian Bread
¤ Alligator Animal Italian Bread
For the dough:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
For decorating:
2 raisins
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Combine the water, flour, gluten (if using), salt, and yeast in your bread ma- chine and mix using the machine's dough cycle. The dough should pull away from the sides nicely; add more flour or water if necessary during the mixing cycle so the dough doesn't end up too sticky or dry. When the first rising cycle ends, punch the dough down and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a square about 3/4-inch thick and divide it into four pieces. Roll up three of the pieces jelly-roll style, and line them up seam-side down on the baking sheet to form the head, body, and tail. The ends of the connected pieces should just slightly touch. (Remember that everything will get bigger as the dough rises, so try to keep proportions in mind.)
Lightly grease your hands and shape the dough like you're working with clay: elongate the tail to a slender curved tip, and then slightly elongate the nose end.
Slice into the nose horizontally at the tip to form the alligator's mouth; hold the mouth open with a wedge of greased aluminum foil.
From the remaining quarter of dough, trim off a tiny piece to use for the eyes.
Slice the remainder into four "logs" for legs, flattening one end of each leg and in- serting it under the alligator's body. Shape the legs into slight bends when posi- tioning them on the baking sheet. Cut short slices into the other end of the leg to make claws. Use scissors to snip shallow cuts over the surface of the dough (this will form the alligator's spiky skin). Roll the reserved dough into little balls for the eyes, stuffing each with a raisin.
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Beat the egg with 1 table- spoon of warm water in a small bowl.
Let the alligator rise in a warm place until fully proofed, about thirty minutes
(poke your index and middle fingers into the sides of the dough; the indentation should remain. If the dough springs back, it needs to rise longer). Gently brush the dough with the egg wash and bake it in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the alligator from the baking sheet with a spatula and transfer it to a wire rack. Remove the aluminum foil when cool.
# 7: Alicias Italian Nachos
¤ Alicia's Italian Nachos
4 pita bread rounds
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (3.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Use scissors or kitchen shears to cut the pita breads in half, then into triangles.
Peel apart the bread halves to make as many triangles as possible. Spread the trian- gles out on a large baking sheet, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Toast triangles for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and crispy. While toasting, combine the marinara sauce and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until hot.
Transfer pita chips to a serving platter, sprinkle with olives, and pour sauce over them. Quickly cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and whole basil leaves.
Serve immediately.
¤ Aunt Rita's Italian Stew
1 pound mild Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced (optional)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the sausage with onion and garlic in a large, deep skillet or pot over medi- um heat, until the meat is browned, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in the summer squash, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, and stewed tomatoes, reduce heat to medium-low, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, …show more content…
about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.
# 2: A-plus Italian Olive Oil Balsamic Bread Dip
¤ A-Plus Italian Olive Oil Balsamic Bread Dip
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 pinch salt and black pepper
Place the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and salt and pepper into a shallow bowl in that order. To serve, spoon small amount onto bread.
3: Arangini Italian Rice Balls
¤ Arangini (Italian Rice Balls)
3 3/4 cups water
1 1/3 cups uncooked brown rice
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 egg whites, divided
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the rice, and add the garlic, bay leaf and salt.
Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, discard garlic and bay leaf, and allow to cool. In a medium bowl, combine the prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pour
2 teaspoons of the olive oil over, and toss to coat.
Stir 3 egg whites and the Parmesan cheese into the rice until well blended. Stir the resulting rice mixture into the mozzarella and basil mixture until ingredients are evenly distributed.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bread crumbs in one shallow bowl, and whisk together 2 remaining egg whites and
1 teaspoon of olive oil in another shallow bowl.
Wet hands, and shape the rice mixture into 24 balls. Dip each ball in the egg whites, then coat with bread crumbs. Deep fry the rice balls a few at a time until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.
4: American-Italian Pasta Salad
¤ American-Italian Pasta Salad
1 (16 ounce) package fusilli pasta
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
2 (2 ounce) cans sliced black olives
1 cup cubed Genoa salami
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh
parsley
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and Italian dressing mix. Whisk together until smooth, set aside.
In a large salad bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta, peas, olives, salami, green onions, celery and parsley. Mix in dressing last, reserving 1/2 cup. Let sit over night in fridge. Stir before serving. Add extra dressing if pasta appears dry.
# 5: Ameilias Italian Stuffed Olives
¤ Ameilia's Italian Stuffed Olives
1/4 cup olive oil
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 thick cut bone-in pork chops
1 whole skinless, bone-in chicken breast
1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato puree
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup water
3 (8 ounce) jars colossal green olives, with pits
3 eggs, divided and beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 lemon, zested flour for dredging bread crumbs vegetable oil for deep frying
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir celery, onion, and garlic in hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add pork and chicken and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Combine tomato puree and tomato paste with 1 cup water, and add to meat mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, stir- ring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until pork and chicken are falling off the bone. Re- move meat from the pot to cool, and set sauce aside.
Meanwhile, remove olive pits using a special olive pitting tool. Make a slit in one side of each olive large enough to insert stuffing.
Once cooled, remove pork and chicken meat from the bones, and mince. Mix together with 2 beaten eggs, Parmesan cheese, ground nutmeg, lemon zest, and
1/4 cup of reserved sauce. Use more or less sauce as needed so that meat mixture is moist, but not too wet.
Fill each olive with enough stuffing so that a small amount is pushing out of the slit. Dip each stuffed olive in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Stuffed olives may be frozen in an air-tight container at this point until ready to use.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Fry olives in hot oil for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.
Serve warm.
# 6: Alligator Animal Italian Bread
¤ Alligator Animal Italian Bread
For the dough:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
For decorating:
2 raisins
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Combine the water, flour, gluten (if using), salt, and yeast in your bread ma- chine and mix using the machine's dough cycle. The dough should pull away from the sides nicely; add more flour or water if necessary during the mixing cycle so the dough doesn't end up too sticky or dry. When the first rising cycle ends, punch the dough down and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a square about 3/4-inch thick and divide it into four pieces. Roll up three of the pieces jelly-roll style, and line them up seam-side down on the baking sheet to form the head, body, and tail. The ends of the connected pieces should just slightly touch. (Remember that everything will get bigger as the dough rises, so try to keep proportions in mind.)
Lightly grease your hands and shape the dough like you're working with clay: elongate the tail to a slender curved tip, and then slightly elongate the nose end.
Slice into the nose horizontally at the tip to form the alligator's mouth; hold the mouth open with a wedge of greased aluminum foil.
From the remaining quarter of dough, trim off a tiny piece to use for the eyes.
Slice the remainder into four "logs" for legs, flattening one end of each leg and in- serting it under the alligator's body. Shape the legs into slight bends when posi- tioning them on the baking sheet. Cut short slices into the other end of the leg to make claws. Use scissors to snip shallow cuts over the surface of the dough (this will form the alligator's spiky skin). Roll the reserved dough into little balls for the eyes, stuffing each with a raisin.
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Beat the egg with 1 table- spoon of warm water in a small bowl.
Let the alligator rise in a warm place until fully proofed, about thirty minutes
(poke your index and middle fingers into the sides of the dough; the indentation should remain. If the dough springs back, it needs to rise longer). Gently brush the dough with the egg wash and bake it in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the alligator from the baking sheet with a spatula and transfer it to a wire rack. Remove the aluminum foil when cool.
# 7: Alicias Italian Nachos
¤ Alicia's Italian Nachos
4 pita bread rounds
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (3.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Use scissors or kitchen shears to cut the pita breads in half, then into triangles.
Peel apart the bread halves to make as many triangles as possible. Spread the trian- gles out on a large baking sheet, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Toast triangles for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and crispy. While toasting, combine the marinara sauce and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until hot.
Transfer pita chips to a serving platter, sprinkle with olives, and pour sauce over them. Quickly cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and whole basil leaves.
Serve immediately.