My favorite italian chefs

Between all the food related televisions shows I watch and my obsession with Pinterest, I'm on recipe overload!  So, rather than share awesome recipes, I thought I would share my favorite italian chefs with you instead.

My #1 favorite italian chef is David Ruggerio.  His PBS cooking show from back in the day, Little Italy, remains my favorite cooking show ever.  He briefly went on to the Food Network, however, he ran into some personal problems that kept him in the headlines, but not in a positive light.  He disappeared from the Food Network and I haven't been able to find old episodes of Little Italy on PBS.  His recipes most closely resembled those of my nana, which is probably the reason he is my favorite.  I'm hoping he can overcome the obstacles and make a triumphant comeback.  Until then, he has a page on Facebook . . . and I found a video on You Tube . . .






Nick Stelleno spent the first 17 years of his life in Palermo, Sicily.  He enjoyed a successful Wall Street career after immigrating to the United States, but a culinary career kept calling him.  With no formal culinary education, he went from a dishwasher to one of the most popular chefs in the United States.

Click here for one of my favorite recipes from Nick Stelleno, which includes a video.  Check it out if you have never experienced Nick Stelleno, he is very entertaining!

Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business.  I've enjoyed her television series for as long as I can remember.  What I love most about Lidia is the way she weaves stories of the old days in Italy, her travels, and her recent series features Italian-Americans and how they have brought the Italian culture to their communities . . . along with her delicious recipes and cooking tips.





What a busy lady!  Her zest for life and a passion for everything Italian is delightful and makes me so very proud to be an Italian-American.

There you have it, my top 3 favorite italian chefs . . . each of them has influenced my italian kitchen!

Meatball Casserole

This is one of those recipes that you can vary in so many different ways.

It is quick and easy . . . and could even be used as a meal to use up leftovers!

Yield: 8 servings
Serving Size: 1/8 of 9X11 baking pan
Calories per serving: 368
Fat per serving: 8 grams

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Italian Blend cheese
• 1 (24 or 32 oz) spaghetti sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the onions, bread crumbs and 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese and egg.
2. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
3. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan.
4. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink.
5. Meanwhile, arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish (all of the bread might not be used).
6. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and 2 tbsp Parmesan
7. Spread over the bread.
8. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.
9. Scatter meatballs over the cheese, pour sauce over the meatballs and top with remaining cheese
10. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Variations:

Use ricotta cheese instead of mayo and cream cheese.

Use italian sausage instead of meatballs.

Add strips of green pepper if italian sausage is used.

Use leftover spaghetti sauce

Creamy Cavatelli

I'm always looking for new pasta recipes

that are quick, easy and relatively inexpensive.

This one is perfect with combinations that

are new to me.

Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen cavatelli pasta
• 2 (10-3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup
• ¹/2 cup milk
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (3-ounce) package sliced pepperoni, each slice cut in half
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¹/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 
  

Instructions

1. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside in a colander.
    
2. In the same pot, combine remaining ingredients and heat over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bubbling.
    
3. Return pasta to pot and toss to coat. Heat 2 to 3 more minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Source:  Mr. Food

Broccoli and Cheese Manicotti

Manicotti is one of my favorite meals.  

This recipe is my basic way of making this dish 

. . . what I like about this recipe is the addition

 of broccoli to the cheese mixture.  Check out

the tips at the end of the recipe!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces manicotti shells
• 1 (32-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 ¹/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella chesse, divided
• ¹/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ¹/4 teaspoon salt
• ¹/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain, rinse, and drain again.
    
3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Add broccoli; mix well.
    
4. Fill each manicotti shell with about 1/3 cup cheese mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over stuffed shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
    
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbling.

Notes

• For an easy way to fill the manicotti shells, place the cheese mixture in a resealable plastic storage bag. Snip off a corner of the bag and squeeze the cheese mixture into the shells.
   
• For an extra burst of flavor, add 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the cheese mixture.

Source:  Mr. Food

Italian Cheese Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesean cheese

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the water and butter in a medium-size
saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, bread crumbs, salt, and
pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture
to a medium-size bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after
each addition. Beat in the mozzarella cheese.

Drop the mixture by teaspoons full on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle
with the parmesean cheese. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15
minutes.


This recipe comes from my personal recipe files I have collected through the years.