I love frittata! Being Italian, I was raised that any food can be added to eggs in the morning or made into a frittata.
…
Frittata with Vegetables
Italian
Chicken Spaghetti Baked Casserole Recipe
Last Friday I was in charge of making pasta for my daughter’s soccer game. For all the home games the team asks parents to volunteer and bring a pasta dish that they can sell and the money goes back to the school team. It always puts a lot of pressure on me as everyone knows that I am Italian and that I went to culinary school.
…
Latkes for Hanukkah
I know, “What is an Italian girl like me doing making latkes?” Being raised Italian, I was never exposed to the Hanukkah or the traditions of Judaism until I was married to my ex husband who was Jewish. Being the good wife, I emerged myself in learning every Jewish holiday and tradition, of course that meant learning everything about the food.
For Hanukkah, at our home, I would always stick to the traditional dinner of a roast, latkes, challah and a salad. I will not get into the religious side of the holiday (click here if you would like to learn about the holiday) but will share that the holiday is basically about oil and when it comes to the food it’s about the food being cooked in oil.
I love latkes which are basically shredded potatoes with shredded onions and then the latkes are fried in oil and served with apple sauce and sour cream, who wouldn’t love that? Being Italian, I always had to bring in my element into every dish I could, so for me, I would add rosemary to my latkes; over time I would add sweet potatoes…so in essence I have created my own version of an Italian Latkes.
For me I used a sweet potato for this recipe here is a photo of a sweet potato
If you can not find a sweet potato in your market, use a yam (some markets call yams sweet potatoes but they are completely different in texture, color and taste), here is a photo of a yam
I took my potatoes and sweet potato and peeled them, as you can see the sweet potato is whiter then the regular potato
I then shredded them in my food processor, I also cubed 1/2 of an onion and minced it in my food processor, here is the before
and after
I placed the potatoes and minced onions in a strainer and liquid strain out for about 30 minutes while I minced my rosemary
I put all my ingredients in a bowl and mixed until it was all blended
then I shaped my potatoes into latkes and placed them onto a baking sheet
I prepared my oil over high heat and added 5 latkes to the pan at a time, cooked them until they were lightly browned and flipped them to brown on the other side
I removed my latkes from the skillet and placed them onto a paper bag from the grocery store, my friend Robyn taught me this trick as it removes the oil from the latke
I plated it and added the traditional sour cream and apple sauce
These latkes were amazing and we just loved them. You can omit the sweet potato and rosemary and stick to your traditional recipe but I can assure you that if you put these Italian version out on your table, they will all disappear. For those who have a Trader Joes in your neighborhood, they sell latke’s in the frozen section and that makes for an easy dinner as well. Now there is no excuse as to why you can not have a latkes at your next Hanukkah dinner. Happy Hanukkah
.
Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe.
I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestions. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes or reviews, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”.
*** If you subscribe, you will be emailed by me with a link to confirm the subscription so be sure to click on that link.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
.
Latkes for Hanukkah
Ingredients
- 2 medium Potatoes
- 1 medium Sweet Potato
- 1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Rosemary, Minced
- 1/2-3/4 cup Flour (depends on how wet your potatoes are)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup Oil
Directions
- Peel your potatoes and using a food processor shred your potatoes, if you do not have a food processor, you can grate them by hand. Place your peeled potatoes in a strainer.
- Chop your onions and place in a food processor and mince them, add them to your strainer of potatoes and strain for 30 minutes, press out as much water as you can.
- In a large bowl add your potatoes, onions, egg, flour, rosemary and salt. Mix until well blended.
- In a large skillet, heat your oil, while your oil is heating up, shape your latkas and place them on a baking sheet. Place 4-5 latkas into the hot oil and fry until lightly browned, flip and cook the other side. Remove from the oil and place onto a paper bag or paper towel.
- Serve immediately with apple sauce and sour cream. Enjoy
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Pasta with Tomatoes…in less then 10 minutes
When my ex husband offered to send me to culinary school for my birthday a few years back, it sounded like fun and a great opportunity for me to finally learn how to prepare food for our parties and entertaining so I said yes. Since I had never worked in the food industry and my mother always cooked food to eat right away, I thought maybe I could learn a thing or two about making food in advance. The culinary school I attended did not teach us how to prepare food in advance and the biggest thing they did teach me to always try everything. Over time, I figured out a few things on my own in how to prepare things in advance, so I thought I’d share a simple pasta and tomatoes dish that if you prepare properly, it can be made in less then 10 minutes.
I often make pasta on Monday and leave it in the refrigerator for Kelsi, especially during soccer season and when she gets home from school, she loves to make different meals for herself with it.
To prepare your pasta in advance, cook your 1 pound of pasta based on the instructions on the package, drain it, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Toss it all together, let it cool and place it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to use it all you need to do is uncover it, toss it in the pan with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
Here is my prepared pasta
I chopped my garlic
I removed the flesh from the tomatoes
and chopped my tomatoes, this is very important, when chopping your tomatoes, look at the size of your pasta and try to keep everything in portion, I used mini Farfalla so I chopped everything small
I put my pan on the stove top and added the oil, then i added the tomatoes after a minute or two I added the garlic
I tossed it all together and cooked it for another minute or two
Added my pasta and red pepper flakes
added a little water, covered and warmed the pasta through
I then put some chopped Italian parsley
tossed it all together, platted it, added some grated Parmesan cheese on top…and YUM presto…you are all done!
So, for all those working moms and dads, this is the kind of stuff you can make for your family when you get home in less then 10 minutes. You can also make this easy dish for yourself if you have an evening alone and just want a delicious meal for yourself.
Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestion. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes, I only post twice a week, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”. You will be emailed with a link to confirm you are interested in the subscription so be sure to click on that link too.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
.
Pasta with Tomatoes…in less then 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta, prepared in advance (cooked with 2 tablespoons of oil 1 tablespoon of lemon)
- 2 whole Plum Tomatoes, flesh removed and chopped small
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian Parsley
- pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Directions
- Over medium heat, place your pan over the heat and put some oil in it. Place your chopped tomatoes in the pan and cook for about about a minute. Place your garlic and red pepper flakes in the pan and toss all together for about 2 minutes.
- Add your cooked pasta and water, cover cook until warmed through for about 3-4 minutes. Toss in your Italian parsley, plate it and add grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Spicy Herb (Parsley, Basil, Mint & Serrano) Oil Drizzle Recipe
I bet I know what you are thinking…what would I ever need a spicy herb with parsley, basil, mint and serrano, drizzle for, right???? Well let me tell you what you would use a spicy herb oil drizzle for…EVERYTHING!!!! And the best part about this oil drizzle is…is that you can modify it and create many other options that you will just love…love…love!
…
Apricot Crostata Dessert / Tart Recipe…so easy and Delicious!
Today I wanted to share a great apricot crostata dessert you can serve for company or you can eat this apricot crostata for breakfast or an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.
…
Chocolate Biscotti with Almonds a Healthy Version
It’s “Tasty Tuesday” and I have a great biscotti recipe for you. Being Italian I grew up eating my fair share of biscotti cookies and all different types.
…
Rapini with Garlic
It’s “tasty Tuesday” and I’m gonna tell you all about Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe)…are you familiar with rapini? Rapini is something I grew up with and I just love, love, love love it. It’s definitely has a unique flavor and you may even say it tastes bitter. I will explain how to remove that bitter taste later on so make sure you read the whole post if you are brave enough to make rapini.
I remember when we first moved from Connecticut to California my mother and a cousin would “find” these open fields with rapini growing wild, we’d all get out of the car and quickly cut as much as we could before we would rush off. I would saute some and make a “pizza pocket” type of a snack out of the rapini. What I mean with regards to the pita pocket is is that I would roll out some dough, put some of my rapini (the way I’m demonstrating today) and then fold over the dough, seal it and bake it. It was something my grandmother would make for us growing up and I still make and love today. I made this dish as part of our Easter dinner as I love the way it compliments ham. You can also make some and throw it over pasta…OMG it’s so good that way!!!
Ok for my recipe, I used 2 bunches of rapini from the market (when you are buying rapini, do not buy the bunches that have yellow flowers as that means that the plant is older and more bitter and if the market doesn’t have any without the flowers, I’d pass on buying it). Rapini is like spinach when you cook it, starts off looking like you will have tons and then as it cooks, it withers down to nothing. So if you are trying it out for the first time, you can purchase 1 bunch but be prepared you will not have an abundance.
Anyway, I took my first bunch and cut off the ends from the bottom of the stems, I then cut the rapini into 1 1/12 inch pieces
I wash it in my sink like I would lettuce and remove as much water as possible.
I then put my oil in a pan and add my red pepper flakes
I walked away for like a second and ended up burning my first batch lol so lesson learned…don’t walk away!
I basically cleaned out my pan and started over by putting my oil in my pan and then the red pepper flakes, I then added my chopped garlic
be careful at this next step…I then I added my rapini to my pan…see how high it starts out?
In 5 minutes of cooking it
5 minutes more
and when it’s completely cooked…and remember I did 2 bunches
If you find that the rapini is too bitter for you, you can boil it as boiling it will remove most of the flavors and nutrients. If you boil it, I would recommend putting olive oil, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes on top and serve.
I hope you enjoy!
Rapini with Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 bunches Rapini
- 2 tablespoons Canola oil
- 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 2 teaspoons Garlic, chopped
- salt to taste
Directions
- Cut your rapini into 1 1/2" pieces and wash thoroughly.
- In a fry pan, put your heat to high and add your oil and red pepper flakes (watch it or it will burn), add your garlic. Add your cut rapini and cook uncovered for 4-6 minutes.
- Toss your rapini and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes.
- Toss again, cover and cook until it's tender. Can be served hot or cold.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
No Knead Bread dough…best recipe ever!
We all need a great bread recipe don’t we? Well after making many recipes, I have the one…you “knead” the most…this no knead bread recipe (lol). Actually I’ve been making this bread for many years and we just love it. It’s idiot proof, tastes yummy and it’s a recipe worth blogging about.
I grew up eating homemade bread daily, being Italian and all…my father would make bread every other day, honestly he would. I can’t remember my mother ever buying a loaf of bread ever. It was great to see him start off with the yeast and flour, then he’d knead the dough and he would just know when it was the right time to stop kneading. He’d let the dough rise and he’d wait…here came the fun part, he’d take the risen dough and he’d “punch” the dough to release the gases…he then would shape the dough and let it rise again before baking it. As soon as that bread came out of the oven my sister and I would lather butter and sugar on top…OMG…it was heaven.
If you searched the web for no knead bread recipes, you’d find many recipes as it seems like everyone is making no knead bread lately. I’ve tried a few recipes and different methods but I always come back to this recipe. It’s super easy, you basically throw all your ingredients into a bowl, mix it up, I put mine in a food storage container (I drill a small hole on the top to allow the gases to release)
and let it rise…after 1/2 an hour…
after an hour…
after an hour and a 1/2…
after 2 hours…
for 2 hours (or so) and then after the dough collapses
you put in the fridge until you are ready to use it. You can leave it in your container for up to a week in your refrigerator.
Here is the best part, when you want fresh bread, you take your container out of the refrigerator, tear off some of the dough, shape it…leave it out on the counter for 30 minutes and throw it in the oven for 15-20 minutes…the bread comes out crusty
on the outside and tender in the inside and best of all, your house will smell like an Italian bakery. Whenever I make it, it brings back fond memories from my childhood. I hope you enjoy it.
No Knead Bread dough…best recipe ever!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water (110 degrees)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Yeast, fact acting
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 3 cups Bread flour (if you have it)
- 3 1/2 cups All purpose flour (if you only have all purpose then it will be 6 1/2 cups all purpose)
Directions
- Bring your water to 110 degrees and add your yeast and a pinch of sugar (it helps to feed the yeast). I do this in my Kitchen Aid.
- Add your flour and salt and mix until blended. Your dough will be very wet, place your dough into your container and let it sit at room temperature until your dough collapses (about 2 hours). If you do not have a container, use a large bowl, just make sure to cover it in plastic wrap and puncture a small hole in the top to allow the gases to escape.
- When you are ready to bake your dough, prepare your baking pan with parchment paper and cornmeal if you like that look. Dust your hands with flour, tear off a handful of the dough and shape it, using a knife or razor, cut slits on the top of your bread. I would preheat the oven to 450 degrees at this point.
- Let your bread loaf rise for about 30 minutes, it may not look like it's risen much but no worries as the oven will do it's magic when it bakes.
- To obtain a crusty exterior, place an empty baking pan on your bottom rack and when you place your bread into the oven, place some water in the empty baking pan to create steam...close your oven door quickly as you don't want to lose that steam.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until it's a nice golden color. If you can, allow your bread to cool off prior to cutting into it....now it's time to slather butter and sugar on top!
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use