Mangia Monday: Shrimp and Pasta!

My first thought for a quick and easy Weeknight night dinner. Everyone is just getting through the school night, homework, after school activities routine, & I bet we all can use something quick, easy and most of all delish! We also could probably use something “stick to the ribs” as the temps are still amazing low in so many areas of the country.

So here you have it: Quick, Easy, Stick to your Ribs & Delish.  Enjoy!

Weeknight Shrimp & Pasta

_____________________________Recipe

Chicken Cacciatore Quesadillas for Leftover Wednesday

Do you love Leftover Recipes? I certainly do. It's like a Mini Chopped Challenge! You have a bunch of ingredients and you need to figure out how to meld them together for a Flavorful cohesive meal.
Well this recipe works on so many levels and in so many different ways. It's a good basic recipe that can be used for lots of different ingredients! Start with a good Tortilla and some really flavorful cheese and you are on your way!
Leftover Quesadillas 

2 Leftover Chicken Thighs
 (or 1 cup cooked chicken)

½ Green Pepper sliced in strips

½ cup Onion chopped

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

4 Medium Tortillas

(The mixture of peppers and onions leftover from the Cacciatore would be great here)

If you are starting from scratch saute the onions and peppers in 1 tbsp of olive oil, until onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Add chicken and saute until cooked through.

Set mixture aside.

Warm a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Lay Tortilla in skillet, flat.

Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese on one side of tortilla.

Lower the heat to Medium-Low.

Add Chicken mixture on top of cheese.

Add additional ¼ cup cheese on top of mixture.

Fold tortilla over to cover meat and cheese.

Turn tortilla to ensure it's brown on both sides.

Keep on heat until cheese appears to ooze out of seams.

Remove from heat

Place on cutting board.

Let rest 1 minute.

Cut tortilla with a “V” to retrieve 3 triangles.

Serve alone or with Sour Cream and Green Onion.

This is a Must Share! Be sure to  Pin it for your Friends!

Stuffed Eggplant Caponata

This is a beautiful Vegetarian Dish. It is quintessential company food, but you know me...I love serving special food for everyday meals!  I love the sweet and sour flavor of Caponata. The texture of the Eggplant when it's sauteed to perfection is just that perfection. From the first bite to the last the wonder of this meal is that you never look for protein. you never miss the meat. It is that special.
Enjoy my version of Stuffed Eggplant Caponata

Ingredients:
2 Medium Eggplants
(serves 4)
1 cup diced Yellow Onion
1/2 cup sliced Bell Pepper
1/2 cup sliced Roasted Red Pepper
2 cloves Garlic diced
2 cups cubed Bread
(I used day old french bread)
2-4 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 stalk Celery (diced small)
1./4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
4 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Red Crushed Pepper
2 tbsp Oregano (dry)
2 tbsp Basil (fresh, chopped finely)

Instructions:
Split Eggplant in half lengthwise.
Slice into eggplants as you would an avocado, making cubes within the eggplant.
Remove eggplant from skin, leaving skin shell intact. (leave a little bit of the white, just enough so that the eggplant can retain it's shape).

In a large saute pan at high heat, warm 1/8 cup Olive Oil. Add onions, celery and green pepper. Saute until onions translucent.
Lower heat to medium. Add Red Peppers and Garlic saute until well combined. Add remaining olive oil. Saute until cohesive. Add spices. Saute until well blended.
Add Vinegar and Sugar. Blend until sugar melts through. Add tomato paste. Saute until tomato paste melts into mixture. Add Bread Combine and cover. Simmer on medium low for 5-7 minutes or until bread is softened and heated through.

Preheat oven to 375°
On a baking sheet, place Eggplant shells.
Fill Eggplant shells with Sauteed mixture.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 20-25 mins, until softened and slightly browned.
Remove from oven.
May serve at this point.
or
Top with Mozzarella cheese

Bake 10-12 minutes until Hot melted and bubbly.

Serve.
Yummy!! I loved it! Give it a try and let me know what You think!
If you love this recipe Give it a Pin and share it with your Friends!

Baked Ravioli alla Bolognese

I ask my readers everyday "whatcha cookin today?". I get a minimum of 8-10 responses. This warms my heart. I actually have readers who sit down to dinner at their table most nights. I love to hear the answer "I'm making your..........! This is the sweetest sound to my ears. That I have inspired someone to cook something that I have made my family is nothing short of heartwarming. To know I have inspired someone else to cook is a "fait accompli". It is the mission I set out on everyday!
The recipe I am passing along today is a recipe inspired by my late husband. He loved a great Bolognese (meat sauce). It had to be warm, and hearty. It had to have body, and herbs. It had to have a "cooked all day" flavor. He was a man after my own heart. He knew how to cook, and he knew how to inspire me to cook. I hope this recipe inspires you to show someone else how to cook. It's simple in ingredients, but complex in flavor. Just what I look for in a recipe I want to pass on.
I give you my Baked Ravioli alla Bolognese.

Ingredients:

Bolognese:
1 lb Italian Sausage meat (no casing)
1 lb Ground Beef
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 minced Onion (yellow onion)
1 Roasted Red Pepper diced
2 Large Tomatoes (diced small)
1 Large Can (Tomato Sauce)
4 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Basil (dried)
2 tbsp Oregano (dried)
2 tbsp Garlic (dried)
1 tbsp Red Crushed Pepper (dried)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Orange Juice
2 cups Red Wine (opt) may sub stock or water But the wine really is a flavor enhancer.

1 Bag Frozen Cheese Ravioli (that have been defrosted in the fridge)
3 Cups Mozzarella
1 cup Parmesan

Instructions:

In a Dutch Oven, warm Olive Oil on medium-high heat. Add Sausage and Ground Beef, saute at medium heat until starts to brown. Once you have a color starting to change, add Onion and Garlic and Roasted Red Pepper. Finishing sauteeing the meat until cooked. Add Tomatoes. Saute and scrape bottom of pan. Stir in Tomato Sauce and Paste. Combine well. Cook through about 5 minutes.Add remaining ingredients. Taste. Salt & Pepper if need be. Cover and simmer on Low Heat 1 hour. If mixture becomes dry..add enough Water to make it a thick but not overly meaty consistency. (see photo above).
Taste periodically to adjust seasoning. May add 1 tbsp honey or tbsp sugar if tomatoes are too acidic. May add more salt and pepper as needed.

Once Bolognese is complete, Pre-Heat oven to 375°.

Into the bottom of a Baking Dish, pour 2 ladles of Sauce.
Lay (refrigerated) Ravioli atop the sauce in one (or so) layer. (may be a few stuck together this is fine)
Pour remaining sauce over Ravioli. (If too much sauce, save some for next time)
Sprinkle top with Cheeses.
Bake @ 375° for 30 minutes or until Cheeses are thoroughly melted.

Serve with Garlic Bread and Salad!
Enjoy!

**Quick Note: This dish can be varied so much. you can use Tortelloni, Cavatelli etc...Try a Pasta in your grocers refrigerator aisle. The refrigerated stuffed pastas are fabulous here! Preparing them this way makes it much more of a "Sunday Dinner" than just Pasta and meat sauce on a Wednesday night.... Give it a try! You'll love it!

Pastachetti

Have you seen the commercials for the *New* Pasta dish @ that franchise Italian Restaurant? Every time I see the commercial, I say to myself.."I can do that!"... Sometimes that works out and sometimes it goes horribly wrong.  Well this time I was right! Pastachetti was a breeze! It was as easy as I knew it would be!
We can do this one!
When I was growing up, "going out" to eat was a special treat...not an everyday occasion. So my Mom use to make sure that what we ordered wasn't something we could get at home. If my brother were to try to order Spaghetti...or something pasta related...ooohhh he got "that look" from across the table...or the cute lil tap at the back of the head...hehehehe. I knew better. Pasta was for home, period.
Now it can be so, for you too! This one's easy, easy, easy...

Pastachetti

Ingredients:

8 oz Ricotta Cheese

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tbsp Oregano (dry)

1 tbsp Basil (dry)

1 tbsp Garlic (minced or crushed)

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 tbsp Olive Oil (preferably garlic olive oil)

16 oz Mozzarella Cheese (portioned in 8 oz portions)

8 oz Parmesan Cheese

6 Lasagna Noodles

White sauce of your choice. (my recipe is at bottom)

Instructions:

Boil Lasagna noodles per package directions. Drain and lay flat on damp paper towels.

Cover with damp paper towels.

In medium Mixing bowl, combine Ricotta and beaten eggs. Mix until fluffy.

Add Garlic & Spices. Combine.

Fold in 8 oz of the Mozzarella and 4 oz of the Parmesan, combine well.

**Note: if Ricotta is "watery" strain ricotta through a cheesecloth or paper towel to remove excess water.

Set mixture aside

In a separate bowl combine remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Set aside.

Preheat Oven to 375°

When ready to fill pasta with filling. Spoon 3-4 tblsp of filling into center of pasta sheet. Be careful when handling, pasta easily tears. Small tears can be dealt with pretty easily. :)

Fold Pasta over the Filling

If you have a split, fold that side first as seen here...

Fold remaining side over to complete the Pasta Roll.

Pour 3 tbslp Olive Oil into bottom of shallow baking pan.

Place each pasta roll into the baking pan seam side down.

Sometimes they split the other way too...

Just try to get them as close to the bottom of the pan as possible.

They'll crisp and close up :)

Sprinkle remaining Cheese Mixture at top of each roll

as seen here...

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until top of each roll is golden and cheese in the center is firm.

(edges will brown a little also)

**Notes:

This dish can be served solo with a nice creamy sauce, salad and breadsticks...or you can do as I did here:

I added Sauteed Italian Sausage and Peppers. Yummyyyyyy...

You are able to use any sauce you like. A Jarred Alfredo or White sauce is perfectly fine.

I used a white sauce because I wanted to go as close to what I saw in the commercial as possible.

Here's my White sauce:

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Flour

4 tbsp Butter

2 cups Cream or Half and Half

1 tbsp Basil (fresh)

2 tsp Lemon

1 tbsp Lemon Zest

Instructions:

In small sauce pan melt butter. Stir in Flour. Continue stirring until flour reaches a golden color.

Reduce heat to medium. Add Cream. Bring to boil, once sauce thickens remove from heat. Add Basil and lemon. Serve.

This sauce can be modified by changing the herb...or substituting white wine for the lemon...can add Parmesan, Gruyere...it's a basic white sauce that can be made into anything you want really...

**The other thing I found when eating the dish was that, a great Bolognese would be fantastic with this!

This would also be Fantastic with shrimp or lobster added to the cheese filling..WOW!

Once you make it the first time and eat it..It will inspire you in all directions!

Enjoy!

Hint of Spring...Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana

When I start to see the Beautiful Bright Purple Eggplant in the Grocery, I get all mushy inside.
I Love Eggplant can you tell? I know it's only February.. but the thought of a soft, sweet bit of Eggplant just warms my tummy. This weekend I visited my favorite farm stand and I found some beautiful Eggplant.
I had to add it to my week's Menu. I do a big shopping every two weeks. I plan each meal and include it on my list to shop for, but this week I had a side step. EGGPLANT.
An easy hearty, meatless meal that satisfies every little Italian hankering you could possibly have.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients

2 lbs Eggplant (sliced)
2 Cups Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
2 Tblsp Basil (chopped)
2 Tblsp Oregano (chopped)
2 Tblsp Garlic (powder)
Salt and Pepper
3 Eggs (beaten)
1/4 C Water
4 C Marinara Sauce
3 Cups Mozarella shredded
2 Cups Vegetable Oil

Marinara
In Medium Sauce pan, Warm 1 Tbslp Olive Oil , Tblsp Onion chopped, Tblsp Garlic chopped.
Saute until Onion translucent.
Add 1 10 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
Add 1 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
Bring to boil.
Lower to medium Heat.
Add 1 Tblsp Basil (chopped)
Add 1 Tbslp Oregano (chopped)
Add 1 tsp Red crushed pepper
Add 1 Tblsp Sugar
Simmer 30 mins.
Taste, add salt and pepper to desired flavor.

Directions:

Slice Eggplant in rounds

Set up 2 bowls for Dredging.

In Bowl 1: Place Bread Crumbs, 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese, Basil Oregano Garlic Powder and Salt  Pepper. Combine all ingredients until spices well incorporated.
In Bowl 2: Beat 3 eggs and 1/4 c Water.

Dip Eggplant Slices into Egg wash, then into Bread Crumb Mixture.
Set aside.

In Large Saute Pan warm 1 1/2 C Vegetable Oil.
When Oil is warm enough for frying, (slight smoke),
place Dredged Eggplant in pan.
Fry until golden Brown.

When Eggplant is Golden Brown, remove from pan, drain on paper towel.

Layering

In a Baking Dish place, 1/2 C Marinara.

Add a Single layer of Eggplant.

Cover Eggplant with Marinara

Cover Marinara with Mozarella and Parmigiana.

Repeat Layers until end of eggplant.

For Top Layer cover contents of dish with Mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake @ 375 for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and Marinara bubbling.

The result is a wonderful Meatless Italian Entree.

Enjoy!