Category: Country of Origin

Origin of Recipe

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice, drained, juice reserved, tomatoes finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, peeled, halved through root end
  • 1/2 teaspoon (or more) salt

Meatballs:

  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French or country-style bread
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 8 ounces ground beef (15% fat)
  • 8 ounces ground pork
  • 1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Preparation

For sauce:
Combine tomatoes with juice, butter, onions, and salt in large wide pot. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard onions. Using immersion blender, process sauce briefly to break up any large pieces of tomato (texture should be even but not completely smooth). Season sauce with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

For meatballs:
Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl; stir until breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place beef and pork in large bowl and break up into small chunks. Add 1 cup ground Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.

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Quick Chicken Paella with Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika*
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 large chicken thighs with skin and bones, excess skin and fat trimmed (about 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 4 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices fully cooked smoked Spanish chorizo**
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
  • 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers from jar
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 ounces)

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix white wine and saffron threads in small measuring cup; set aside. Combine salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper in small bowl; rub spice mixture all over chicken thighs. Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté until fat begins to render and sausage browns, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer chorizo to large plate. Add olive oil to skillet. Add chicken thighs to skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate with chorizo.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add long-grain rice and stir to coat. Add wine-saffron mixture and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add chicken broth, tomatoes with juice, and roasted red peppers. Bring to simmer. Stir in browned chorizo. Place chicken thighs, skin side up, atop mixture in skillet. Cover skillet tightly with foil, then cover skillet with lid. Bake paella until rice is almost tender, about 25 minutes.

Transfer chicken to plate. Stir rice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter snap peas over. Return chicken to skillet, nestling into rice. Cover with foil and lid. Bake until snap peas are crisp-tender, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.

* Sometimes labeled Pimentón Dulce or Pimentón de La Vera Dulce; available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores, and from latienda.com.

** Spanish chorizo, a pork-link sausage flavored with garlic and spices, is milder than Mexican chorizo. It’s available at specialty foods stores and Spanish markets and from latienda.com.

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Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce

  • Cook Time:  5 min
  • Level:   Easy
  • Yield:   6 servings
  • Close Times:
  • Prep 15 min, Inactive Prep
  • Cook 5 min
  • Total:  20 min

 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds spinach ravioli or tortelloni
  • 1 cup purchased marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

 

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil to the water to help prevent pasta from sticking. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Toss the ravioli with the remaining oil to coat.

Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking often. Whisk in the ricotta and enough reserved cooking water to thin the sauce to desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, use less pasta water; for a thinner sauce, add more water. Return the sauce to a simmer. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce over the bottom of each of 6 bowls. Arrange the ravioli over the sauce. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the ravioli. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and the basil, and serve.

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Ravioli with Butter and Parmesan Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 packages (11 oz) ravioli
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves
  • 6 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 1 whole nutmeg or ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water for approximately 5 – 6 minutes. Drain well and transfer it to a platter. Take a medium sized fry pan, heat butter at medium high flame and add basil leaves. Cook until lightly fried, for 2 – 3 minutes. Put pine nuts and pour the ravioli butter sauce over the cooked ravioli. Sprinkle nutmeg and cheese over it and serve hot. Read more on lobster ravioli recipes.

These were easy to prepare ravioli sauce recipes that will surely satiate your taste buds. I hope the aforementioned ravioli sauce ideas and recipes prove to be helpful in preparing a delicious and yummy dinner meal for your party tonight. Enjoy!

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Ravioli Sauce

Ingredients

How to make it

  • Using a medium sized, heavy based pot, fill the base with olive oil to the depth of approximately halfway up your index fingertip. Peel and dice the garlic lengthways. You can add 2 extra cloves if you wish, it only intensifies the flavour (in a good way). Add the diced garlic to the pot with oil and gently fry the garlic at a low heat being careful not to burn them.
  • Fill a separate small pot with water and bring it to the boil. Add the tomatoes and boil for approximately 3 minutes, until you begin to see the skin peeling away from the flesh. Remove from the boiling water, discard water and then peel tomatoes.
  • Add the tomatoes to the pot with oil and garlic and chop them into small pieces with sharp knife. Simmer at a low heat and stir continually as the sauce begins to thicken and reduce. Gradually add a few drops of water, then add the stock cube and the bay leaves. Stir and simmer for a further 10 minutes then add the tomato paste, sugar and salt and pepper. Keep on a low simmer for a further ten minutes for the sauce to reduce and flavours intensify. Remove bay leaves before serving.
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Porchetta-Style Roast Pork

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 5 1/2- to 6-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

 

Preparation

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).

Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).

Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.

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Pork Loin with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Sage

  • 2 1/2 pound New York (top loin) pork roast, boneless
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs, (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1/3 cup Fontina cheese, shredded (about 1 ounce)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
  • To taste salt and pepper
  • 4 thin slices prosciutto

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine panko, fontina, and sage. Stand roast on end and insert thin-bladed knife down center of loin to make 2-inch opening all the way through. Use your fingers to force the slit into a long 1-inch-diameter hole. Pack panko mixture into hole, working from both ends of roast. Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Place roast, fat side up, on work surface. Arrange prosciutto slices across top of roast. Tie with kitchen twine at 1- to 1 1/2-inch intervals. Place in shallow roasting pan, prosciutto side up, and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Remove roast from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Remove twine. Slice roast and arrange on serving platter. Serve drizzled with any pan juices.

 

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

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Noodles With Peanut Sauce

Transform your traditional Ramen noodles into a Thai-inspired dish by pairing the noodles with a spicy peanut sauce. Although you can make the peanut sauce according to your own preferences, most recipes call for soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, garlic and chili powder or red pepper flakes. Once your noodles are cooked and the sauce ingredients are blended together, simply smother the noodles in sauce and mix thoroughly. Feel free to add diced chicken or beef, onions, carrots, cucumbers, scallions or any type of vegetables. The dish can be served hot or cold, depending on your preferences.

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Mexican Fire Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups water
  • 1 1/3 cups uncooked long grain white rice
  • 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce
  • 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
  • 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until evenly brown.
  4. In a medium baking dish, mix the cooked rice, cooked sausage, picante sauce, and sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
  5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 4 cups fresh corn kernels)**
  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. cotija cheese or feta, plus more for garnish
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder, plus more for garnish
  • kosher salt

 

Directions

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add corn kernels, season to taste with salt, toss once or twice, and cook without moving until charred on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss corn, stir, and repeat until charred on second side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue tossing and charring until well charred all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a serving bowl, toss corn with mayo, cotija, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder. Season generously with salt.

Top with more cotija, cilantro, and a sprinkle of chile powder.

**If you use canned corn:

Roast corn is a delicious addition to a salad, chili, chowder or spicy meat dish. The best way to roast corn is on the ear but you can get the same taste by using canned corn. Roast corn is traditionally made in the oven but canned corn will end up burning since it is already cooked. You can create the same roast corn taste by sautéing the corn in a little olive oil on the stove. Canned corn will roast faster so be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

  • Add 2 to 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil to a sauté pan.
  • Pour in the canned corn.
  • Cook over medium heat until the corn turns a light brown color. It will take about five minutes for the corn to brown. Serve on its own or mix it in another dish.

Don’t stir the corn more than once. It can be tempting to stir but roasted corn should sit in the pan to cook. If you must stir the corn, let it sit for three minutes, stir it once, then let it sit until a light brown.