Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Pasta
I love making pasta using different sauce. I wanted to try pasta using roasted red bell pepper for a long time. The addition of tomato Paste gives some tangy flavor to it which I love. Here is a simple and tasty Pasta recipe.. Ingredients: Pasta – 2 cups (I have used Penne Pasta) Oil – 2 1/2 tbsp (I have used olive oil) Onions – 1/2 cup (chopped) Roasted Bell pepper – 3/4 cup (I have used bottled bell peppers) Garlic – 2 cloves (chopped) Tomato paste – 3 tbsp (Ihave used canned tomato paste) Heavy Cream – 1/4 cup (optional) Dried herbs – 1/2 tsp (I have used parsley and basil) Freshly ground black pepper – 1/4 tsp Red chilli flakes – 1/4 tsp (adjust according to taste) Salt – to taste Cheese – add according to taste...
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Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Oil and Vinegar dip, the most simple yet flavorful combination for dipping bread or crackers. I recently went to Arkansas to meet my friend Arthi (One of ST’s author) and she took me to a beautiful place called Eureka Springs.There we went to the popular Thorncrown Church, a beautiful and peaceful place. On the way to Christ of the Ozarks, we stopped somewhere where I found this wonderful place called Fresh Harvest with a wide selection of Olive Oil and aged Balsamic Vinegar. I have always wanted to buy a good bottle of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar for dipping bread. And my dream came true. My friends and I were so excited to taste all kinds of oil and vinegar. I couldn’t believe Balsamic Vinegar would taste so good by itself. I fell in love and bought myself a...
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BBQ Chicken Pizza
Karthik & I are great fans of pizza and love various kinds of pizza. Chicago style, new york style, deep dish, hand tossed, greek gyro pizza, etc. One of our favorites has to be Barbeque chicken pizza. I have made a few varieties of pizza but this is the first time I made barbeque chicken pizza and it came out delicious. If you are a fan of barbeque flavor, this is a must try. Preparation Time : 45 minutes No Of servings : 3-4 Ingredients: Chicken breast : 1/2 pound (washed and cut into cubes) Barbecue sauce : 1/4 cup Flour : for dusting Pizza dough Pizza sauce : 1/2 cup Mozeralla shredded : 11/2 cup Parmesan shredded : 1 cup Onions : 1/2 cup (thinly sliced) Olives: 1/4 cup Jalapenos : 1/4 cup Olive oil : 2 tbsp...
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How to Make Pizza Dough
The crust of the pizza is the most important piece and the crust depends on the pizza dough you make. You could buy ready made pizza crust in stores but they don’t taste as good or fresh if you created it yourself with your own pizza dough. Making pizza dough is definitely an art. I am far from an expert in making pizza dough but as practice makes perfect everytime I make it it comes out better. This time around has to be my best of the lot. So if you are just starting out making pizza be prepared to give yourself a few tries. Who knows you may find yourself good at this at first try too! Preparation Time : 2hours (including the dough to rise) No Of Pizza : Three 12″ medium pizza or two large pizza...
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Half and Half Pizza
This is called Half and Half Pizza because of the two different sauce in it. I have used Alfredo sauce and marinara sauce. Alfredo sauce is a creamy, cheesy white sauce which usually accompanies pasta. Marinara is an Italian tomato sauce with onion, garlic and herbs. You can just use marinara sauce or Alfredo sauce or both just like how I have used. I like my pizza loaded with toppings. You can add any of your favorite vegetables or meat in the pizza. I feel less guilty because of adding all these vegetables. I like them sauted as well. Cheese is another important ingredient that makes pizza interesting. I have used fresh mozzarella and fontina cheese. I like to explore with different types of cheese. You can use your favorite cheese. Just mix and match or go with one type....
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Fusilli with Spinach and Arugula Pesto
Fusilli is spiral shaped pasta and is widely used . I have made a Spinach Arugula Pesto inspired by Giada’s Spicy Pesto. I have tweaked it according to my taste and it was creamy and delicious. If you like it more spicy add more jalapenos. I blanched spinach and arugula since I thought I may not like the raw taste of it and I was right. You can also add some basil leaves if you have. You can avoid cheese and use brown rice pasta to make it healthy. I hope you all like this dish. Preparation time: 40 minutes No. of servings: 5 to 6 Spice level: 2 out of 5 Ingredients: Arugula – 1 and 1/2 cups Spinach – 2 cups Avocado – 1 One and half jalapeno pepper with seeds (adjust to taste) Sun dried tomatoes –...
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Classic Three Cheese and Vegetable Lasagna
Lasagna is a wide and flat type of pasta. This Lasagna is filled with various vegetables, pasta sauce and three types of cheese. If you are looking for a simple and delicious recipe for lasagna, you are at the right place. Specially for the vegetarians and veggie lovers. Try this recipe for a special occasion or a weekend dinner and enjoy. Preparation time: 60 minutes No of servings: 10 Spice level: 2.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Lasagna noodles – 9 Chopped onion – 1/2 cup Chopped vegetables – 1/4 cup each (mushroom, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, broccoli) Chopped oregano – 1 tbsp Chopped basil – 1 tbsp Frozen spinach – 1 cup (thawed) Ricotta cheese – 8 oz Parmesan cheese – 1/2 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese – 2 cups All purpose flour – 3 tbsp Butter- 2 tbsp...
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Spinach Mushroom Manicotti
Manicotti also known as Cannelloni is stuffed pasta rolls. Manicotti shells are readily available at stores or you can make them at home. I made this dish with store bought manicotti shells. Cooked the shells, stuffed it with delicious stuffs like spinach, ricotta cheese, mushroom along with spices and then baked with a creamy sauce with mozzarella shavings on top. I hope you can imaging the taste of it. Yummy…. If you are craving for Italian, this is one of the perfect dishes to make. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion to cook this dish. You just need some time and the ingredients. It is not that difficult too. So try this dish and let me know. Here you go… Preparation time: 60 minutes No. of servings: 4 Spice level: 2.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Manicotti shells...
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Tiramisu
I am a big fan of Tiramisu. And I’ve always wanted to try this recipe. I received this recipe from one of my good friends – Chef Subash. I love the creamy smooth texture of this dessert. Tiramisu is a popular Itlaian dessert. In Italian, Tiramisu means “Pick me up”. That describes the flavor of this dessert . If you are a coffee lover you will love this dessert. It has become popular and a huge favorite in most of the European and American restaurants. According to this 2007 article in Washington Post by Jane Black, the origins of Tiramisu is said to have been created in a restaurant in a small town named Treviso located northwest of Venice. “Born recently, less than two decades ago, in the city of Treviso is a dessert called Tiramesu which was made for the...
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Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo
Fettuccine Alfredo is one of my favorite Italian dished. Whenever we go to Olive Garden or any other Italian restaurant this is one of the dishes I order often – sometimes with shrimp and other times with chicken. I love the rich & creamy flavor of the Alfredo sauce . I’ve always wanted to make this at home. Recently I was watching Food network and I saw this recipe. I didn’t expect it to be this simple. So I decided to give it a try and make it for dinner. Voila, it came out really yummy and it is very easy to make. Preparation Time : 40 minutes No of Servings : 3-4 Spice Level : 0 out of 5 Ingredients: Fettuccine : 1 pound Shallot : 1 (minced) Heavy Cream : 2 cups (also sold as whipping cream in...
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Veggie Pizza
We all know Pizza is an oven baked, flat, round bread topped with tomato sauce,cheese and various other toppings like vegetables, chicken, fruits, pepperoni, etc. If you have a party at home Pizza is the easiest and best thing to make and is loved by kids to adults. You can make pizza dough at home or you can also buy it. It is available in most of the grocery shop in the United States. For those who want to make it from the base, I have given you the recipe. Here you go… Preparation time: 20 minutes No. of servings: 3 Spice level: 3.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Wheat flour or All purpose flour – 2 cups Yeast – 1/2 pack Oil – 1/4 cup (preferably olive oil) Salt – 1/4 tsp (adjust to taste) Plastic wrap Pizza sauce –...
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Eggplant Parmigiana
From Wikipedia: Parmigiana or eggplant parmigiana (Italian: melanzane alla parmigiana or parmigiana di melanzane) is a Southern Italian dish made with shallow fried eggplant (aubergine) slices layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. In some versions, the eggplant slices are first dipped in beaten eggs and dredged in flour or breadcrumbs before frying. Some recipes use hard grated cheeses such as Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, while others use softer melting cheeses like Mozzarella or Caciocavallo, or a combination of these. Ingredients: Big eggplant – 1 Italian seasoned bread crumbs – 2 cups [Substitute: 2 cups bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried marjoram] All purpose flour or Maida – 1 cup Eggs – 3 Spaghetti sauce – 1 large can Mozzarella cheese – 8 oz Parmesan cheese – 1/4 cup Fresh basil...
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Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese also called Mac and Cheese is a well known dish and also a favorite dish among kids. Who doesn’t love cheese, specially kids? But if you are health conscious you can substitute some of the high calorie ingredients with low fat or non fat ones such as milk with skim milk and cheese with low fat cheese. It is always good to eat home made dishes, especially when it comes to high calorie food as we are aware of what we throw in and alter them if we need. I am not against outside food but I would prefer home food. Again I adapted this dish from Food Network and altered it a bit here and there to my style. Here you go… Preparation time: 60 minutes Spice level: 2 out of 5 No. of servings:...
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Mushroom Ravioli
Mushroom Ravioli is one of my all time favorite dish. I first had it in Romano’s Macaroni Grill. That was the first time I have ever had an Italian dish and I just loved it. Ravioli toped with the Marsala Cream sauce is just wonderful. Here I have used pasta sauce and heavy cream. You can also substitute it with ready made Marsala cream sauce or home made Marsala sauce which I will post later. Here you go… Preparation time: 20 minutes No. of servings: 2 to 3 Spice level: 2.5 out of 5 Ingredients: Fresh Wild mushroom ravioli – 1 package Chopped garlic – 2 tsp Basil – 1 tbsp Olive oil – 2 tbsp Pasta sauce – 1 cup Heavy Cream – 1 cup Parmesan cheese – 1/4 cup Method of Preparation: Cook the ravioli in a...
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Rigatoni Spinach Pasta
I adapted this recipe from food channel. My husband and myself recently become very addicted to Italian food. We’ve had a party at our home and I planned to prepare totally different kind of dishes on that day. I used to watch Food TV whenever I get time. I found this recipe and most likely the combination of spinach and pasta is very interesting, so I made this spinach rigatoni pasta for the party and it was a sooper dooper hit. Everyone loved it. It is easy to make too. Ingredients: Rigatoni Pasta : 1 lb Olive oil : 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter : 1/2 stick Shallot : 1 (large) minced Mozarella cheese : 1/2 lb Garlic : 2 cloves (Pressed) All purpose flour : 1/4 cup Milk : 1 1/2 cups Ground Nutmeg powder : 1/4 tsp Ricotto...
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Garlic Bread
Italian Cuisine is one of my favourite cuisine. Specially those refreshing garlic bread that is served in the Italian restaurants are simply inviting. I always have a craving for those breads. I happened to see the ready made frozen garlic bread in one of the grocery shop here. So I bought and tried it. The taste was awesome but it was filled with butter. So we thought of trying it at home and gave it a shot. It came out so good and yummy and also with less butter on it. Now it has become a regular snack for us with tea. Here you go… Ingredients: Frech or Italian bread – 1 large loaf Butter – 1/2 stick Garlic powder – 1 tbsp (or garlic cloves – 3) Chopped Parsley – 3 tbsp (or dried parsley flakes – 1...
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Pasta Con Broccoli
Pasta Con Broccoli is one of my favourite Italian food. I first had it in one of the best Italian restaurant in Edwards ville, Illinois. From then, I desperately wanted to try this at home. From the taste of the pasta, I could guess the ingredients to an extent. It was rich and creamy with cheese, sauce, butter, garlic, mushroom, lots of broccoli in cooked shells and seasoned with pepper. It is simple to make and delicious to have. You will definitely like it. My version of pasta is with less cheese and no cream. So it may not look creamy. But believe me the taste will be really good. Ingredients: Pasta shells – 1lb (I used Rotini) Pasta sauce – 1/4 cup Butter – 2 tbsp Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup (optional) Parmesan cheese – 1/4 cup...
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