Ingredients:

8 sun dried tomato halves, soaked in water
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic peeled
sea salt
6 leaves of basil washed and patted dry
2 small dried or fresh chilies

Method:

Soak dry tomatoes in water for and hour to soften them. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on medium speed until thoroughly pureed.
Spoon into a serving bowl and serve as a relish.

sundried tomato pesto, pesto sauce recipe

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Makes 4 Servings Excellent complement for roasted meats or grilled fish. You can prepare ahead of time and reheat.

Cover casserole dish with glass lid or aluminum foil. Make sure foil does not touch food.
Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove foil or glass lid and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Place under broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.
Just before serving, drizzle balsamico over the potatoes.
balsamic potatoes, balsamic recipe, aceto balsamico recipe, potatoes casserole recipe

Technorati Tags: balsamic potatoes, balsamic recipe, aceto balsamico recipe, potatoes casserole recipe

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.

Technorati Tags: pesto sauce, pesto recipe, Italian pesto

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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Roasted tomatoes in this flavorful warm salsa makes a Chicken Scallopini special. You will need deli thin-sliced chicken for the scallopini, or slice boneless, skinless chicken breast halves. This recipe would also work well with turkey cutlets.

- 2 pints stemmed cherry or grape tomatoes, large ones cut into quarters, smaller ones cut in half
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
-Sea Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (eight ¼-inch slices)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, onion and oil; add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a shallow baking dish or roasting pan. Bake until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
About 15 minutes before the tomatoes are finished, start cooking the chicken. Sprinkle the scallopine with salt and pepper to taste. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and butter. When hot, add enough chicken cutlets to fit in the pan without crowding. Cook until lightly browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside and keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Divide the scallopine among individual plates. Spoon ¼ of the roasted tomato mixture down the center of each portion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

oil and vinegar recipe, chicken pasta recipe

Technorati Tags: oil and vinegar recipe, chicken pasta recipe