Ricotta Spinach Pistacchio Pesto

Ricotta Spinach Pistachio Pesto

    Here is one of those dishes you sort of come up with impulsively. I went into my fridge one evening and noticed I had left over ricotta and some spinach in a bag. I also typically have pistachios lying around. "Here's a good idea, why not combine them into a delicious new pesto sauce for fresh pasta?" This turned out to be one of those flavor combinations that saved the day. Ricotta Spinach Pistachio Pesto.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1-cup fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• Parmesan cheese
• Garlic
• Pasta of choice

1. In a blender combine ricotta, spinach, pistachios, Parmesan cheese, and garlic and blend until creamy. Add oil if needed to thin out a bit.

2. Cook pasta as normal and then stir with the pesto sauce.

3. Top some crushed pistachios and Parmesan cheese.

As weird and interesting that this pasta dish is, the flavor combination was amazing....

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2+

Spinach Artichoke "Dip" Ravioli



 

So I came up with this recipe the other weekend. I was trying to think of an interesting way to turn one dish into another. Something I like to do and have been successful at in the past. I decided to take a delicious typical party appetizer and turn it into a ravioli dish. Who doesn't like a good hearty spinach artichoke dip? So here goes! The outcome was extremely delicious and full of flavor. I must warn you though, this small recipe actually makes quite a bit of filling and ravioli so you could half the recipe and still have plenty. Spinach Artichoke Ravioli. 



 

Dough recipe:http://recipesiliveby.blogspot.com/2013/04/Fresh-Pasta.html

 

Filing Ingredients:

• 1/2 10oz jar artichoke hearts diced
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic diced
• Salt/pepper

 

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic
• 3 oz fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt/pepper 

 

1. In a large saute pan, drizzle some olive oil and saute the artichoke hearts, garlic, and green onion just until tender and fragrant. 
2. Combine in a bowl with the ricotta and softened cream cheese.
3. Mix in the Italian seasoning and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, roll out the dough using a pasta maker.
5. Cut into about 2-3 inch squares across.
6. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of each square. Fold over and seal with a fork.

7. Place in freezer until ready to cook to harden up.
8. Meanwhile, take the spinach, cream, and garlic and blend in a food processor or blender until creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Pour into a sauce pan and bring to a low simmer.
10. When ready to cook the ravioli, toss into a pot of boiling water and let come to a roll for roughly 5-7 minutes.
11. Serve with the warm spinach sauce over top and some fresh parmesan cheese.

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes with homemade dough.
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: Makes roughly 30+ ravioli based on filling.

 

 

 

Lemon Herb Ricotta Bruschetta with Salted Tomatoes

Lemon Herb Ricotta Bruschetta

      Who isn't a fan of a great bruschetta? I mean what couldn't you like about it. Grilled bread topped with fresh ingredients, the perfect bite size appetizer to any meal.  This one is a winner in my book. I made it for our family reunion and within minutes the platter was empty. Light, refreshing, and a little on the healthy side, perfect for a summertime cookout. Lemon Herb Ricotta Bruschetta with Salted Tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• French loaf
• Cherry tomatoes
• Ricotta
• 1 lemon
• Small handful of fresh oregano
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

1. Slice the French loaf into little crostini size bites. Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Bake in 350 oven till brown and crisp for about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile take a small handful of oregano and chop up. Zest 1 lemon and combine with the oregano. Mix into a bowl of the ricotta.

3. Juice the lemon into the ricotta mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Slice the little cherry tomatoes and toss with some fresh sea salt.

5. Remove bread from oven and spread an even mixture of the ricotta on each one.

6. Top with sliced tomatoes. Place back in oven for about 5 minutes just until cheese starts to warm.

7. Drizzle with some balsamic vinegar and serve.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Serves: 10+

      Just another great bruschetta recipe that everyone will love.

Fresh Herb Ricotta, Bacon, Spinach Pizza

Herb Ricotta, Bacon, Spinach Pizza

 

     Was craving pizza again. It has been quite a while since I last posted and created a pizza. I used my same old simple recipe for the dough and decided to create a great herb mixture with some good bacon and spinach. Enjoy! Herb Ricotta, Bacon, and Spinach Pizza.

Ingredients:

• Dough: (see recipe here http://recipesiliveby.blogspot.com/2013/03/Pizza-Dough.html)
• Ricotta
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Bacon
• Spinach

1. Make dough according to recipe above or you can purchase your own.

2. Preheat oven to it's highest level and place pizza stone in bottom and let heat up for about an hour.

3. Spread dough out on flowered cornmeal surface.

4. Spread ricotta over the top and sprinkle with some diced garlic and fresh thyme.

5. Cook a handful of bacon and chop up and place on top of ricotta mixture.

6. Take a handful of diced baby spinach and sprinkle on top of bacon and ricotta.

7. Bake for roughly 10 minutes or until crust is browned and pizza is complete.

     Quick, easy, and full of flavor, this pizza will definitely become one of my go to pizza recipes.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: 2

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Flatbread

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Flatbread

     This recipe was inspired by a friend of mine on Google+ Brittany M who had created some wonderful looking flatbread recipes. I wanted something that I had sort of had out in California on my last trip out there in February to visit some family and friends and to just get away from the blistering cold that is West Virginia in the winter. I had had this wonderful simple caramelized onion and ham recipe at my friend Andrea’s mother’s house. We had gone over there to visit her as it was the first time I was meeting her mother. She had some wine for us and this delicious little baked flatbread as we sat in the living room and chatted and got to know each other. Upon arriving back in West Virginia I had been craving this simple dish but kept putting it off until I could find the time to create it and find a good flatbread recipe that wouldn’t be difficult. Low and behold my friend on one of my food communities had posted one and was very generous enough to give me her recipe.

     This simple and easy flatbread is so good either right out of the oven or the next day as a simple snack out of the fridge. The creaminess from the ricotta, the sweetness from the honey and caramelized onions and the saltiness from the bacon add the perfect combination of flavors in one bite. The most time consuming part of this recipe is standing there and caramelizing the onions but it is so worth it. Please enjoy my take on Bacon and Caramelized Onion Flatbread.

Ingredients:

Flatbread recipe:

 Serves: Makes 2 flatbreads

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. granulated-sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

 

Directions:

1. Combine yeast and water in mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let stand a minute or two.

2. Add in flour (start with 2 ½ cups and add in more if needed), salt, sugar and oil. And start mixing.

3. Mix to combine, about 2-3 minutes. If dough is sticky add in remaining flour, and continue mixing for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

4. Place in an oil bowl and cover with plastic and let sit 30 minutes.

( I cut the recipe in half to make only one flatbread)

(Brittany M’s link to her website below)

Topping:

 

• roughly 8oz ricotta
• thyme
• rosemary
• salt/pepper
• honey
• olive oil
• 7 slices bacon
• 1/2 white onion diced

1.       In a large skillet brown and cook bacon until crispy and remove and drain on paper towel lined plate.

2.       In same skillet sauté diced onions on low heat until nice and brown and the caramelized has finished. (Hint: I add a little sprinkle of sugar to help out the process)

3.       Take ricotta cheese and mix in a bowl with a little salt, pepper, pinch of thyme powder, pinch of rosemary, and drizzle of honey.

4.       Now I rolled out the dough for the flatbread, drizzled a bit of olive oil over. Dimpled with my finger tips and spread the ricotta mixture over top.

5.       Placed the onions and crumbled bacon evenly over the top of the ricotta mixture.

6.       Placed in a 400 degree oven and baked for about 25 minutes until the flatbread was crisp and brown. Drizzle with some honey and serve once cooled.

     This flatbread was so good and had to share it with my friends down at the river the next day. I would possibly recommend cooking the flatbread a bit before placing the toppings on just to make sure the crispiness was even. Fantastic dish and very appreciative to Brittany for giving me the recipe and to Andrea and her mother for serving it to me the first time.

 Prep Time Total: 1 hour ½

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 2-4

 

Brittany M’s blog: http://cookingwithbrittany.com/

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

 



 

     The sun has begun to set over the Mediterranean Sea. It is slowly sinking under the cover that is the blue green ocean of a blanket. The sky is a beautiful collage of reds and oranges. You are perched just comfortably at a little table overlooking the scene on a little white balcony. You can hear the sound of the waves gently hitting the rocks and cliffs below. A few boats are still out in the bay drifting by and you can faintly hear them buzzing. A soft accordion music is playing from inside the cobble stoned restaurant. There  is a sweet smell of fresh flowers and lemons in the air. No it is not coming from an arrangement on your table but rather the natural smell of the tiny village you have decided to claim. A lemon tree sits beside your table along with the fresh flowers growing on the side of the cliff that tickle your nose. The air is warm and a bit humid but with the breeze coming in off the water it is fresh and calming. You take a small sip from the wine glass that has been given to you by the lovely dark haired waitress that greeted you. What could be  more perfect? And then it happens…. The lovely dark haired lady is returning to your table and bringing you a small plate with what looks like some fried little sticks. She lays them in front of you and gently says, “Boun Appetito”. You respond with a nervous, “Grazie” as she saunters away smiling. You take a bite and the most wonderful thing happens. Your mouth is met with a fantastic combination of the cheese and herbs stuffed inside and the crispiness from the coating. You savor the taste of this simple appetizer  that you cannot wait to eat more of it. You sit back, smile, and know that you are in heaven.

     Stuffed Zucchini Flowers; this is what I think of  when I eat, Stuffed Zucchini Flowers. I had them on one of my trips to Italy. Specifically the Amalfi coast which is the description above. Now as it turns out, my mother and grandmother used to make this a lot, but low and behold they never did for me and my siblings. (A nice little piece of information I would have liked to have known as  a child). My mother says that grandma just stopped making them and she did too. Just one of the things I guess they decided to not continue down the tradition line. Oh well, I digress. Either way, they are now being brought back to the family. Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Ingredients:

• 24 zucchini flowers
• 1/2 block of cream cheese
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 tbs Italian herb seasoning, (I just used a combo bottle of basil, oregano, garlic, parsley, etc)
• lemon juice
• salt/pepper
• 1 cup flower
• 1 cup water

1. Rinse and remove the outer green around the base of the flowers and remove the inner stamen. (Be care not to break through the blossoms.

 

2. Paper dry the blossoms until all the water is gone

3. Combine the softened cream cheese, ricotta, and herb mixture together. Taste and add salt and pepper for your flavor and a little lemon juice.

4. Now carefully stuff a bit of the mixture into each blossom. You can use a pastry bag so as to make it easier.

5. Combine the flour and water mixture and add a little salt. Carefully take each zucchini blossom and twist the ends of the petals together to seal the inside mixture and dredge each one in the flour water mixture. Let excess drain off.

6. Now in a deep fryer or in a skillet with about 2 inches of oil heated over medium high heat drop a blossom into the oil one at a time. Careful not to overcrowd the oil. I usually only fry about 3 at a time.

7. Fry for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.

      That's it. Simple, delicious, flavorful, and so easy to make. These brought me back to my time on the Amalfi coast. A fantastic little appetizer that everyone will love. Hope you enjoy!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4-5

 

Paulie's Cannelloni



Paulie's Cannelloni

     My grandmother made ravioli and gnocchi. My mother, the former and stuffed shells.  Myself, I decided to add Cannelloni to the family practice.  The art of making homemade pasta into something besides a long noodle is a skill that takes practice.  I remember the first time I attempted to make ravioli from scratch.  My sizes differed completely.  No one ravioli was the same size, shape, or composition as the next one.  It takes practice and patience to get it perfect each time.  Hell, it took me a while to perfect the noodle practice and I can now do that in a matter of minutes.

    So I decided to give a shot at making another type of stuffed pasta; Cannelloni.  I was literally just sitting on my couch and came up with this great idea of an Italian sausage, ricotta, and spinach stuffed cannelloni with some sort of creamy but briny sauce. Since my mom's ravioli are famous enough to be called Betty's ravioli, and yes people request them, and since this cannelloni cannot be called something traditional with my family, I have named them Paulie's Cannelloni. I have cousins who call me that. So here they are: Paulie's Cannelloni. 

Ingredients:

Homemade Pasta found here (http://www.recipesiliveby.blogspot.com/2013/04/Fresh-Pasta.html)
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 bunch fresh baby spinach
16 oz ricotta
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup red wine
1 clove garlic
1 quart homemade marinara
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup diced green olive
Parmesan cheese
Salt/pepper

     First make your homemade pasta. I used the exact same recipe from this blog for making homemade noodles.  Instead of cutting them I rolled them into sheets using the same pasta machine.  I then cut each sheet into about a 4-5 inch width square of pasta.  Cook pasta just for about 5 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, and lay flat on a baking sheet.  I placed them in the freezer for about 15 minutes just so they cooled off and didn't curl up.

     Meanwhile in a large skillet brown the Italian sausage.  Add in diced garlic, oregano, and red wine.  Cook until the wine has reduced.  Toss in the spinach, a bunch at a time, and cook until it has wilted down.  Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.  Once cooled mix in the ricotta until you have a nice cheesy mixture for the cannelloni. 

     In a separate sauce pan or sauté pan pour in your choice of marinara.  Dice up some green olives and toss in and stir in the cup of heavy cream. Simmer over low to medium heat. 

     Now for the fun part, take one individual square of pasta and lay it down on your counter.  Next take a spoon and scoop some of the sausage/ricotta mixture into the center. Fold over one side and then the other on top until you have a little tube of stuffed pasta.

 

    Next take a ladle and spread some of the tomato olive sauce in a baking dish.  Take the stuffed pasta and gently lay it in the baking dish seam side down.  Continue until you have filled up the dish.  The recipe made 15 individual pasta squares for me.



     Top with a little more sauce and some fresh parmesan cheese.  Cover with tinfoil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. These were sooooo good I was shocked at how well they turned out.  The spicy sausage/ricotta/spinach center. The tangy but creamy sauce and of course the bite from the fresh pasta.  These were delicious. You can do them anyway you like.  Stuff them with something else.  The possibilities are infinite.  Please enjoy Paulie's Cannelloni.

Antipasti Bread

  

     Here is another quick appetizer snack for the big game. When someone here in the states says "antipasti" I automatically think of anything not pasta that can be served prior to the meal.  A nice platter sat out of fresh olives, peppers, artichokes, cheeses, pepperoni, capicola, etc. The measurements below are solely based on handfuls.  Use what you like or try your own ingredients. Antipasti Bread

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough
• Ricotta
• Black olives
• Green olives
• Artichoke hearts
• Roasted red peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Pepperoni
• Thyme
• Rosemary

     I used quick store bought pizza dough that can be rolled out.  Took a couple spoonfuls of Ricotta and spread it out over top of the dough.  Sprinkled some dried rosemary and thyme powder.  Sprinkled on the olives, peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, and pepperoni.  Folded up one side then the other over top of that one.  Tucked in the ends and flipped the loaf over onto its seems.  Baked in a 375 F degree oven for roughly 20-30 minutes until golden brown.  Sliced and served.  A delicious appetizer to serve to your guests for the big game or any get together.

 

Chicken Club Pizza




Chicken Club Pizza

     It's that time again, when my craving for pizza comes about.  As posted before I have a dough starter that I keep feeding at least once a month, and can use for the rest of my life. So..... getting the inkling to make pizzas is as easy as opening my fridge and quickly making the dough.  For this time around I was inspired by a commercial on television one late night evening.  I saw an ad for Wendy's Chicken Club Sandwich, and thought, that would be great as a pizza.  Little did I know but once I did a Google search people have already been making this type of pizza.  Anyways, I decided to make it my own.

     So here goes.... I thought about what makes the great flavors of a good chicken club sandwich.  The chicken, the bacon, the lettuce, tomato, the tart cheese, and a hint of ranch flavoring in that sauce some place on it.  Whatever it is, it's just an all around good bite to eat.  Why not make it into a pizza.  So here goes.  My take on a Chicken Club Pizza my way.

Chicken Club Pizza

Ingredients:

• **Standard pizza dough recipe
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 strips bacon
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded Romano
• 1/2 cup Ricotta
• 1 tbs Ranch seasoning
• Handful of fresh Arugula

** See Pizza Dough recipe this blog

     Place your pizza stone in the bottom of the oven and turn on high at 500 degrees.  Let heat up for about half an hour. Meanwhile in a sauté pan cook the chicken over medium heat in a little olive oil.  Brown on both sides until the chicken is cooked.  Remove and cut up into little bites.  Next cook the bacon in the same pan until browned. Remove and cut up into small bits.  Slice the tomatoes into thin slices.  Roll out your already prepared pizza dough recipe. Mix your ricotta and ranch seasoning in a bowl and spread out on the pizza dough.  Lay out the diced tomatoes.  Cover with the chicken and bacon and finally sprinkle the shredded Romano over top of the pizza.  Place in the oven and bake for about 7-10 minutes until nice and golden brown.  About a minute before you remove the pizza from the oven toss a handful of Arugula on top of the pizza.  Remove from the oven and drizzle some olive oil over the pizza. Serve.  Makes about 8 slices.  This pizza was very fresh and delicious.  Give it a try.