Let's talk Italian!

Oh man.  My grandmother came from Sora.  Kind of a central italian coastal city on the west.  I don't have any recipes, but she used to make the absolute best meat-and-spinach stuffed ravioli.  No one made it like she did and I still crave it.  She took her skills to her grave.  She used to own a noodle factory in Uniontown Ohio that burned down when my Mom was a young teen.  So growing up, she'd make her own noodles in our kitchen.  Nothing like homemade italian noodles.  I also loved how she made pizza -it was the real italian kind, the flatbread stuff.  So good. 
 
My favorites are gnocchi with a meat sauce or with pesto. I also love rigatoni with vodka sauce.  I've never been real big on the stuff like manicotti or cheese stuffed shells. 

but she used to make the absolute best meat-and-spinach stuffed ravioli. No one made it like she did and I still crave it.

 
My grandparents (on dad's side) were both from Italy too, and my mom and aunts learned how to make ravioli from scratch from them.  The sauce they made was unlike anything I've had since. I remember it all being a ton of work, but man, it was the very best.
 
Cheese of any kind is my weakness, so I love manicotti, lasagna, canneloni...and pretty much anything italian.  Sadly, I don't have any great italian recipes though.

Speaking of lasagna…. I found out a few months ago that my stepson believes my lasagna is the thing “dreams are made of”. Apparently it is his absolute favorite food and is so because of my lasagna. He has told all of his friends, his mom#%92s side of the family and everyone that I make the “worlds best lasagna”. [8|]
 
Ok, so here is the deal.. I made lasagna ONE TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE about 8 years ago and THAT is what he is referring to as the “worlds best lasagna”. He has been begging me for months now to make it and I have NO IDEA WHAT I PUT IN IT! [&o]
 
I normally never follow recipes, but since it is a food I don#%92t normally make I am sure I sorta followed one but I have looked through all my cookbooks and don#%92t see one that looks familiar.
 
Here is what I know about my cooking though:
 
I am sure I used a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage AND I am sure I didn#%92t use canned sauce. I might have bought a can of hunts tomato sauce and added a bunch of seasonings, ect to it so it might not have been completely homemade, but it for sure wasn#%92t jarred sauce.  
 
SO.. if anyone has any good recipes for homemade lasagna that is similar to the above comments, PLEASE pass them on.. I have a LOT to live up to here people and I need your help! Lol….[]

here are a few things that i loved when were visiting florence....

the first is an antipasto. i am not 100% sure this is the correct name because the waiter "just took care of us". so i didnt get names for all the food he brought out, but i think it was crostini di fegatini di pollo. basically it was like a chicken liver spread on little pieces of toast. it was on a plate with other smoked and cured meats. i usually hate liver. i didnt know that it was liver on the toast when i tried it, but man it was good. i asked the waiter at the end of the meal what is was and he said "chicken liver paste".

for the first course, i usually would get gnocchi. it usually had a pesto type of sauce on it.

a couple of times i tried tomato salads. fresh roma tomatoes with mozzarella and olive oil.... delicious! []

it was on a plate with other smoked and cured meats. i usually hate liver. i didnt know that it was liver on the toast when i tried it, but man it was good. i asked the waiter at the end of the meal what is was and he said "chicken liver paste".

 
TRUST me Bradley.. there is a HUGE difference between cooked liver on a plate and what you are describing which is like a pate usually blended with herbs and seasonings.  I hate liver ..I LOVE pate. []
 
and yes, during tomato season I normally have caprese salad a couple times a week.. it is a BEAUTIFUL thing!
 
btw- thanks for the carbonara recipe on that other thread.. I am reposting it here for others. []
 
[linkhttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107810]http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107810[/link]
 
 

My family is from Milan - in fact most of my family is still there.
 
All of the girls in my family make meat ravioli's once a year and freeze them - about 7,000 (yes we are total pigs).  The majority of my family likes the little ones, but when I make them at home I make the big ones (easier and DH likes them better).  This is what we put in them, mind you there is no set recipe, I usually go on the way the meat smells to see if I have everything right...
 
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/3 lb. gound veal
1/3 lb. ground pork
1/2 cupish of celery finely diced
1/4 cupish parlsey finely diced
1/2 cupish fresh finely grated romano cheese
4 - 6 cloves of minced garlic (fresh not the stuff in the jars)
Enough red wine to make it the moist but not swimming, plus more for you to drink []
Salt
(If I have the time, I will let this sit in the frig overnight.  If the whole frig smells like garlic, you did it right)
 
I use a completely different dough recipe than my mom does.  Mine is pure water, flour, olive oil, egg and salt where her's has butter in it (Food Network has good pasta dough recipes).  I use a pasta roller to roll out my dough, plop the meat down in Tbs. blobs on one half length-wise.  Fold over the dough, seal each one and cut.
 
I let them air dry for a couple of hours on cooling racks them put them in gently boiling water for 5 minutes.  If the water is boiling too hard they break open because I make them so big.  At home I serve them with just a butter, olive oil and romano cheese sauce, where my mom makes a bolognese sauce that will make your eyes roll back in your head its so good.  I haven't been able to duplicate that one yet, but I am working on it.[]

where my mom makes a bolognese sauce that will make your eyes roll back in your head its so good. I haven't been able to duplicate that one yet, but I am working on it

 
OMG.. this is my other favorite sauce.. there is one place in town that does it like no other and I have tried to replicate it and can't come close.. if you ever get close with your moms recipe.. PLEASE forward it one to me... []
 
That recipe sounds awesome.. SO far I really haven't been into making my own pasta but I might try and make the meat and stuff it in cannelloni or manicotti shells... so thanks for posting![]

ORIGINAL: mrstjohnson

All of the girls in my family make meat ravioli's once a year and freeze them - about 7,000 (yes we are total pigs).  The majority of my family likes the little ones, but when I make them at home I make the big ones (easier and DH likes them better).  This is what we put in them, mind you there is no set recipe, I usually go on the way the meat smells to see if I have everything right...

I think I'm coming over to your house for dinner some time...!  [sm=proud.gif]

I like cream sauces best as well, but I usually stick with the tomatoe based sauces because of them being a little less fattening.  Lately, I have been stuck on Eggplant Parmagian.  I absolutely love eggplant! 
 
I think I may have to make it over the weekend.

I'm one of those that is also nuts about Cream Sauces, with a good alfredo being my absolute FAVORITE.
 
Alfredo sauces are like litle gasms in my mouth I swear...I started drooling just typing this *ROFL*
I love anything involving cheese, so ravioli, canneloni, tortelini, manicotti...all delicious...especially with alfredo sauce.
 
I can't do vodka sauce...makes me ill, and I can't remember the last time I tried a bolognese...

I like cream sauces best as well, but I usually stick with the tomatoe based sauces because of them being a little less fattening. Lately, I have been stuck on Eggplant Parmagian. I absolutely love eggplant!

I think I may have to make it over the weekend.

Amanda.. do you have a recipe for this you could send me? DH LOVES eggplant parm and would be a happy camper if I made it for him sometime soon.[]

EGGPLANT PARMAGIAN
Ingredients:
2- 28 fl.oz. cans crushed organic tomatoes
3 Tbs. organic dry basil
1 Tbs. dry greek oregano
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 bulb ( 3 to 6 cloves) fresh organic garlic, crushed or minced
3-4 Tbs organic extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fine grey sea salt
1 lb. mozarella cheese
2/3 cup parmagian cheese
2 medium Italian eggplants

Directions:
1. Make the tomato sauce:
Sautee onions in oil until soft and translucent.
Add tomatoes, garlic, herbs and sea salt.
Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes until thick and flavours are well blended. Stir occasionally.
I usually add ½ cup of chopped spinach as well.  For a more spicy variety I will add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
2. Pre-bake the eggplant:
Cut whole eggplant in 1/2 " thick slices. Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil on both sides and place flat on a metal baking tray.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
3. Grate the cheeses in 2 separate bowls.
4. Assemble the dish:
In a stainless steel baking dish, (14" X 10" X 2" deep) layer tomato sauce, eggplant rounds, tomato sauce, cheeses, eggplant rounds, tomato sauce, cheeses.
Leave at least 1/2" of empty space in the baking dish above the top layer.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. The cheese will melt and bubble.

EGGPLANT PARMAGIAN
Ingredients:
2- 28 fl.oz. cans crushed organic tomatoes
3 Tbs. organic dry basil
1 Tbs. dry greek oregano
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 bulb ( 3 to 6 cloves) fresh organic garlic, crushed or minced
3-4 Tbs organic extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fine grey sea salt
1 lb. mozarella cheese
2/3 cup parmagian cheese
2 medium Italian eggplants

Directions:
1. Make the tomato sauce:
Sautee onions in oil until soft and translucent.
Add tomatoes, garlic, herbs and sea salt.
Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes until thick and flavours are well blended. Stir occasionally.
I usually add ½ cup of chopped spinach as well. For a more spicy variety I will add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
2. Pre-bake the eggplant:
Cut whole eggplant in 1/2 " thick slices. Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil on both sides and place flat on a metal baking tray.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
3. Grate the cheeses in 2 separate bowls.
4. Assemble the dish:
In a stainless steel baking dish, (14" X 10" X 2" deep) layer tomato sauce, eggplant rounds, tomato sauce, cheeses, eggplant rounds, tomato sauce, cheeses.
Leave at least 1/2" of empty space in the baking dish above the top layer.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. The cheese will melt and bubble.

THANK YOU AMANDA! []

For me, Italian food means either a trip to Strings or a trip to Olive Garden. []
 
Joyce