Tuscan-Style Ribollita
6 slices (1/2-inch thick) day-old crusty French bread
3 cloves garlic
Black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chicken broth
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups torn escarole or dark cabbage
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can plum tomatoes, drained, juices reserved
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Oregano leaves (garnish)
Grease a baking sheet. Put the bread on the sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cut 1 garlic clove in half and rub on each side of the toast slices. Sprinkle with black pepper and set aside.
Heat the oil and broth mixture in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Mince the remaining garlic. Add the garlic, carrots and celery to the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, sweet peppers and oregano; cook for 5 minutes. Add the escarole, beans and tomatoes; cook until the escarole wilts, about 2 minutes. Add black pepper. Pour the vegetable mixture into a 3-quart casserole and top with the toast.
In a large measuring cup, combine the reserved tomato juice and the broth; pour over the toast. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees F until the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and garnish with oregano.
Serves 6.
Lemon Ice (Granita di Limone)
Use only the colored portion of the lemon peel to avoid the bitter white pith.
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 cup lemon juice
Heat water and sugar to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon peel and juice. Cool to room temperature. Pour into 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. freeze 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
Serve in chilled dessert dishes. If ice is not to be served immediately, cut into 1/2-inch chunks; place in bowl. Cover and freeze until serving time.
Yields 8 to 10 servings.
Italian Sweet Bread with Raisins (Schiacciata con Zibibbo)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 cup Muscat raisins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
Milk
Sugar
Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in raisins, sugar, oil, orange peel, egg and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto generously floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.
Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Shape into round, slightly flat loaf, about 9 inches in diameter. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover; let rise 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush loaf with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until bread is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack.
Italian Stuffed Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup oats
1 (15 1/2 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
Filling
1/3 cup of any one or all of the following:
sliced mushrooms, sliced ripe olives, shredded
mozzarella cheese, shredded zucchini
Topping
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Ripe olives, sliced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
For meat loaf, combine ground beef, oats, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, onion, Parmesan cheese, egg, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; mix well. Separate mixture into two equal parts. Shape each into a patty about 7 inches in diameter. Place filling on one patty to within 1/2 inch of edge. Place in prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until meat is done. Top loaf with remaining spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Garnish with olives.
Italian Sausage and Peppers
8 Italian sausages
4 green peppers, quartered (or a combination
of yellow, green and red bell peppers)
1 onion, sliced
Put sausages with 1 cup of water in a frying pan over medium heat. Turn as they brown and water evaporates. Add onions and peppers. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the sausages and onions are brown.
Serve in small French bread buns.
Italian Red Sauce
1 (5 pound) pork or beef neck bones
1 1/2 cups olive oil
3 pounds or 5 large onions, chopped
1 small whole bunch celery with leaves, chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans tomatoes
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
20 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (8 ounce) cans water
3 tablespoons oregano leaves
4 tablespoons basil
5 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 (4 ounce) bottle Kitchen Bouquet
In large pot brown neck bones in olive oil. Add onions, celery and garlic. Mash tomatoes with hands and add to the bones. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5 to 6 hours. Remove bones. Serve over spaghetti or use as a sauce in any Italian dish such as pizza or lasagna. May be prepared ahead. Freezes well.
Yields 12 pints.
Italian Pork Roast
1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) rolled boneless pork loin roast
4 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper
Place roast in a shallow roasting pan. Cut 8 small slits in roast at 2-inch intervals; insert garlic clove halves deep into slits. Brush olive oil evenly over roast, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and pepper. Insert meat thermometer, making sure it does not touch fat. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours (30 minutes per pound) or until meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees F.
Remove from oven, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 15 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F.
Italian Meat Sauce
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (3 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG, if desired
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
Saute onion in hot oil until almost tender. Add meat and garlic; brown lightly. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until sauce is nice and thick, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.
Serve over hot spaghetti.
Makes 6 servings.
NOTE: You can omit the ground beef. Brown and cook Italian sausage and meatballs. Add to the sauce about the last 30 minutes of cooking until they are well heated through.