Italian

Pepper & Sopressata Bruschetta

Sarah Hoff — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:45:52 +0000

We love the taste of these zesty Italian-style one-bite appetizers—topped with sopressata, red pepper spread and fresh mozzarella—on thin-sliced toasted focaccia bread. If you can’t find focaccia, toasted slices of baguette are a good substitute.

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:56:45 +0000

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Sure, the slow cooker’s great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.

Mozzarella en Carrozza

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:11:02 +0000

Mozzarella en Carrozza

Loosely translated as “mozzarella in a carriage,” Mozzarella en Carrozza is a fried mozzarella sandwich with a pungent anchovy-butter sauce. For this healthier rendition, we brown one side on the stovetop and finish the sandwich in a hot oven. The result: a crisp “carriage” and creamy, savory mozzarella filling. Enjoy with a glass of dry Italian white wine.

Turkey Lasagna

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:44:43 +0000

Turkey Lasagna

Finely chopped mushrooms, carrot, celery and onion practically melt into the turkey filling in this healthy makeover of classic meat lasagna. The picky eaters in your family will never guess that this lasagna is loaded with healthy vegetables.

Pesto & Spinach Pizza

Sarah Hoff — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:44:01 +0000

Pesto & Spinach Pizza

This green pizza is an exercise in simplicity—just a bit of full-flavored pesto and plenty of spinach yield a satisfying and healthy pie. No time to make homemade dough? Look for whole-wheat pizza-dough balls at your supermarket. Check the ingredient list to make sure the dough doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oils. Serve it with a tomato-and-onion salad dressed with olive oil and red-wine vinegar.

Baked Stuffed Eggplant

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:48:11 +0000

Baked Stuffed Eggplant

These stuffed eggplants are filled with peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Serve along with olives, hummus, warm pita and tabbouleh for a fantastic vegetarian feast.

Sicilian Caponata

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:00:10 +0000

Sicilian Caponata

This caponata is a vibrant mixture of fresh vegetables, including eggplant, onion, celery and tomatoes. Olives, capers, basil and pine nuts make it special. Serve it as a side with fish or as a spread on rustic bread. Prepare caponata the night before serving if you can; it always tastes better the next day.

Sicilian Olive Chicken

Sarah Hoff — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:55:39 +0000

Sicilian Olive Chicken

This saucy one-skillet chicken dish is full of tomatoes, spinach, olives and capers. Try Kalamata olives in place of the green Sicilians or a combination of both. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles with a mixed green salad on the side.

Fresh Tomato & Black Olive Pizza

Sarah Hoff — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:59:51 +0000

Fresh Tomato & Black Olive Pizza

Fresh tomato slices and chopped olives make a simple topping for this easy homemade pizza. If you want something more hearty, add slices of precooked chicken sausage before topping it with cheese. No time to make homemade dough? Look for whole-wheat pizza-dough balls at your supermarket. Check the ingredient list to make sure the dough doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oils. Serve with a mixed green salad tossed with a creamy herb dressing.

Pepperoni & Pepper Pizza

Sarah Hoff — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:11:55 +0000

Pepperoni & Pepper Pizza

Using mini pepperoni slices (or chopping regular-sized slices) allows you to use less pepperoni, but still get plenty of flavor on this pepperoni and pepper pizza. Use green or yellow pepper instead of red, or swap out the pepper for your favorite veggie instead. No time to make homemade dough? Look for whole-wheat pizza-dough balls at your supermarket. Check the ingredient list to make sure the dough doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oils.

Scallop Scampi with Peppers

Sarah Hoff — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:50:57 +0000

Scallop Scampi with Peppers

Use a mixture of bell peppers for a colorful (and vitamin C-packed) scallop stir-fry. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel—if they are wet they will spatter when added to the wok and make the stir-fry too wet. This stir-fry is excellent served over linguine or fettuccine.

Pork Spedini with Mushrooms & Bruschetta

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:07:15 +0000

Pork Spedini with Mushrooms & Bruschetta

Throughout Italy you will find kebabs called spedini: skewers of various meats often combined with bread cubes. In this recipe, you cook the meat separately and pile it on thick slices of toast brushed with a garlic-mushroom and olive oil mixture (that’s the bruschetta). Brine the lean cubes of pork loin first for juicy pork with great flavor.

Italian Mussels & Pasta

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:10:09 +0000

Italian Mussels & Pasta

This combination of mussels with plenty of garlic, parsley, saffron and white wine was inspired by the Venetian soup zuppa de peoci, which is usually ladled over sliced crusty bread. Here we serve it over pasta. For a more elegant presentation you can remove the mussels from their shells before serving…but then again, who wants to be elegant? Enjoy!

Penne alla Primavera

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:43:19 +0000

Penne alla Primavera

Penne tossed with spring vegetables, such as carrots, morel mushrooms, asparagus, peas and fava beans, along with loads of fresh herbs is a perfect example of Mario Batali’s rustic approach to great-tasting Italian food. When both fava beans and morel mushrooms are in season, by all means use them in this recipe. But if you can’t find either of those, substitute what looks best. Basic cremini mushrooms will work and frozen lima beans are a good option. Recipe adapted from Molto Gusto by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner (Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers, 2010).

Grilled Mussels with Salsa Verde

Erin McCormick-Interactive Producer — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:50:45 +0000

Grilled Mussels with Salsa Verde

This is a fun little appetizer of mussels roasted with salsa verde, a bold-flavored Italian sauce made with lots of fresh herbs, garlic and anchovies. We blanch the garlic in this version to give it a more subtle flavor that doesn’t overpower the mussels. The bonus in this recipe is that you get leftover mussel broth, which is a delicious base for seafood soups and sauces.