Cuisine: Italian

Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Artichokes

This Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Artichokes is a delicious and easy vegetarian dish that is made all in one pan. I try to always have gnocchi in the pantry for those nights when I am too tired to cook, but I want something comforting. The combination of pillowy gnocchi, earthy mushrooms, and briny artichokes is a fabulous combination. I actually made this in advance and put it in the fridge, then put it in the oven for dinner.

By admin

Penne alla Vodka

This Penne alla Vodka is so easy and delicious. The penne pasta is tossed in a sauce made with vodka, tomatoes, heavy cream, and onions. The alcohol helps intensify and accentuate flavors in the dish. Apparently, after doing a little research, Penne alla Vodka fell out of fashion, though it seems to be back. Here is a bad Google-translated Italian article about the decline and resurgence of this classic dish.

Penne with vodka? Probably, there is no dish more mortified and out of fashion than the creamy pink pennette.

Finished on the shelf of the “good things of bad taste” of the 80s, along with shrimp cocktails, Russian salad and cream tortellini, penne alla vodka lived three decades ago their quarter of an hour of celebrity, and then took the path of an unstoppable decline that relegated them to a B-class dish worthy only of sleepless students or operetta cooks.

Removed for decades from the collective imagination, their infamous name has been deleted from the menus of all the restaurants in the world, condemning them to an inexorable oblivion in the face of a fault that does not seem so clear.

Yes: have we ever asked ourselves why?

Why has pink penne been forgotten, despite the fact that they can be placed, together with pizza, among the dishes 'always good even when bad'?

Anyway, vodka or non-vodka, the time to redeem the soft pink seasoning has come.

By admin

Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli is a classic Italian soup made with pasta, beans, and vegetables. It is a hearty soup that is perfect for a cold winter day. There are many different variations of Pasta e Fagioli, and in fact, I have three other Pasta e Fagioli recipes on this blog! This one has a creamy texture from puréeing a can of white Beans.

By admin

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi

This Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi recipe combines juicy chicken sun-dried tomato laced meatballs, gnocchi, spinach in a Tuscan-inspired sauce, cooked in a slow cooker, which requires minimal prep and cleanup, leaving you with more time to relax and enjoy.

By admin

Tomato & Italian Sausage Risotto

This Tomato and Italian Sausage Risotto is made by cooking the arborio rice in broth, adding half a cup at a time, until it is creamy and al dente. The Italian sausage is cooked separately and then added to the risotto along with the Parmesan cheese. The risotto is then stirred until it is heated through and the flavors are combined. I love it when there are leftovers the next day. I always make arancini, which Italian rice balls that are stuffed with mozzarella, coated with breadcrumbs, and deep fried.

By Leslie Blythe

Sheetpan Layerless Lasagna

Giada De Laurentiis came up with this easy Sheetpan Layerless Lasagna. If you like crispy edges, this is it. By putting it on a sheetpan, it creates more crispiness. I love the fact that you don't have the tedious task of layering. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until it's time to serve - pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking.

By Leslie Blythe

Spaghetti all’Assassina (Assassin’s Spaghetti)

After watching this CNN episode of Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy, I was intrigued by this recipe, which uses an alarming amount of red pepper flakes. I happened to be rather fond of red pepper flakes and always carry some in my purse and my car. This recipe is courtesy of chef Celso Laforgia, chef and owner of Urban Bistrot in Bari, capital of Puglia in southeast Italy.  He says that the two things you need are a powerful fire and a big pan that will fit the spaghetti. The trick to the dish is to burn it enough to make it crunchy, but not burn it so much that it's bitter. When the pasta makes a crackling noise, you know it's ready. If you want to make it, you should watch the episode which explains it all. By the way, we loved it.

By Leslie Blythe

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

Tuscan Sausage Pasta is comfort food at its best, perfect for a chilly autumn night. It's a combination of pasta, Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a rich cream sauce. It's ready in under 30 minutes.

By Leslie Blythe

Apple Tart with Rosemary & Honey Syrup

This Apple Tart with Rosemary & Honey Syrup is easy to make with frozen store-bought puff pastry. The rosemary-infused honey drizzled on at the end really adds complexity to this simple tart.

By Leslie Blythe

One-Pot Pasta With Ricotta and Lemon

This One-Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon from The New York Times is a mixture of ricotta and Parmesan, with the zest and juice of one lemon. It's light and refreshing and goes perfectly while watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy on CNN. I find it absolutely impossible to watch it without eating some Italian food...

By Leslie Blythe