Makes 4-6 servings This pasta salad is ideal for picnics because it has no immediate perishable ingredients. It also works well on a salad or buffet table with cold cuts and other salads. As an addition, cold poached salmon, smoked salmon, or tuna can be added1 lb dried pasta, use fusilli or farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon Modena balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup Sicilian-style green olives, pitted and finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped roasted red bell pepper. (*see note)
2 green onions, cut into thin slices about one inch long
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pinch of fresh oregano, marjoram, or thyme
Sea Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh

Technorati Tags: pasta salad, picnic pasta salad, healthy salad recipe

Makes about 2 cups

Pesto, or pesto sauce, is a simple puree of fresh basil, garlic, cheese, and fine olive oil. It is vitally important when making pesto that you use a fine quality olive oil in your recipe. If you must rinse the basil, be sure to dry it thoroughly before beginning. Also if you must store your pesto after making it, drizzle just enough olive oil over the surface to thinly cover and prevent discoloration.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh basil leaves
10 cloves of garlic peeled
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons soft butter
¾ fresh grated gourmet Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons fresh grated Romano cheese
½ cup pine nuts

Method:

Put basil leaves in a blender or food processor.
Add garlic cloves and blend at the medium speed setting.
Slowly pour in ½ cup olive oil while running.
Stop and scrape off basil from sides occasionally.
After basil is finely pureed, spoon the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Fold the softened butter into the basil mixture. Now add the grated cheeses and blend well. Add the remaining olive oil to the blend, and stir in pine nuts. When serving pesto over pasta or fish, you can thin it with one or two tablespoons of hot water. Pesto is not meant to be cooked.

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Makes 4 servings

True Italian bruschetta is grilled over a wood fire. As this may be impractical for many, a stove top grill works fine, and even a ridged cast iron skillet or toaster oven will work as well.

Ingredients:

½ loaf Italian sourdough bread, (you can substitute any crusty bread)
4 large garlic cloves peeled and pressed through a garlic press
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Black pepper fresh ground

Method:

Cut the bread diagonally into ¾ inch slices.
Grill the bread until it is brown on both sides.
Remove the bread from the grill and spread pressed garlic on each of the bread slices.
Place the bread on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with a little coarse Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately, and always offer additional olive oil on the side.
You can also offer olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a dipping bowl on the side.

Bruschetta, Bruschetta recipe, traditional Italian Bruschetta

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Pasta salad takes only about 30 minutes to make, start to finish. It’s always good to use the freshest ingredients. Purchase fresh mozzarella from the deli, and choose the ripest tomatoes you can find.

- 8 oz package of rotini (corkscrew) or any same shaped pasta
- Sea Salt
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, dice to ¼ inch cubes
- ¾ pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced to ¼ inch cubes
- 10 to 12 medium or large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Modena balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is done, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let it drain for a few minutes and transfer to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, scallions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, adding more vinegar if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

mozzarella, tomato salad, recipe

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Preparing sun-warmed tomatoes and basil is a simple accomplishment, by Italian cooking standards. The most difficult decision to make is whether to slice the red tomatoes or cut them into wedges. Many will opt to slice the tomatoes for an arranged plate, and choose wedges to toss in a salad.

The basics for making tomatoes and basil taste their best are fine olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.
Dried oregano gives better flavor to tomatoes than the fresh herb, but you would want to use fresh basil, thyme and mint.
Some chefs offer some words of caution about balsamic vinegar. Although it adds interesting, sweet flavor to red ripe tomatoes, remember that it is strong and dark and will darken them in color.

Here are a few preparation suggestions for combining basil and tomatoes.
- Slice ripe tomatoes, small, peeled cucumbers and mozzarella cheese. Alternate slices of the three in rings or rows on a plate. Drizzle with a dressing made with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Let stand an hour, then top with fresh basil and serve.
- Combine tomato wedges with sliced, peeled cucumbers, sliced red onions, chopped garlic, pitted black olives, and fresh basil torn into small pieces by hand. Add the same dressing, toss and serve.
- Cut round bocconcini cheeses in quarters and slice ripe tomatoes and a ripe avocado. Alternate slices of the three in circles or rows on a plate. Sprinkle with chopped white onions. Make a dressing with extra-virgin olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper; drizzle over the tomato mixture. Let stand an hour, top with torn fresh basil leaves, and serve.

Basil and tomatoes should never be refrigerated unless they have been chopped. Basil should be wrapped in a white plain paper towel and placed in a sealed plastic bag.

Try these tomatoes and basil recommendations as well.

Dice or chop five large tomatoes. Cut two large cucumbers in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and cut into ½-inch pieces; toss with 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes, then toss with tomatoes, ¾ cup chopped sweet onion, 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Slice tomatoes into ½-inch slices and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and chopped oregano. Place the slices on an oiled grill, grate and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and pepper to taste. This also works with red ripe cherry tomatoes, which should be skewered.

Italian Food, tomatoes and basil recipe

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Italian Food, recipes and regional cooking styles. 

Foods and recipes from Italy and other Mediterranean Cuisine are often diverse because of their regional origins. With this in mind there are many different stlyes and nuances that we wish to explore. We will be adding more online Italian Food and Italian Cooking resources to this posting thread.

Please, if you have an excellent Italian Recipe, or resource feel free to post them here.

Italian Food 

Anna Maria’s Open Kitchen of Italian food cooking.Featuring a Tuscan menu and cooking by Anna maria Volpi. Traditional Italian cooking and Italian recipes. Italian food recipes, cooking, cuisine, with traditional illustrated step-by-step help for tiramisu, pasta, lasagna, gnocchi, risotto, pizza, soups and much more.

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Italian food recipe archive and guide to Italian cooking. Innovative Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.

Mangiare Bene offers Italian food resources such as:
Great Chefs Recipes from Italy’s greatest chefs and restaurants.
Included are seasonal menus and regional specialties, etiquette and cooking tips, recipes from restaurants in Italy

Authentic Recipes from Italy. Italian recipes for a really enjoyable meal. Rice and risotto recipes for a genuine Italian meal. Antipasti Recipes. Italian antipasti; delicious, gluttonous, delicate provocations to whet the appetite. Fish Recipes. Seafood and Fish are abundant and varied from the Mediterranean sea.Italian food starter recipes: Italian starters; not just pasta and rice. … Soups from the famous French gastronome Grimod de la Reyniére, who lived at the turn of the 18th century.

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