Recipes

Prosciutto-Wrapped Grilled Fig Salad

Prosciutto-Wrapped Grilled Fig Salad

Grilling adds a delicious charred flavor to prosciutto-wrapped fresh figs stuffed with tangy goat cheese. Serving them atop a bed of lightly dressed greens cuts the richness of the dish.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.
  • Chop thyme and fennel together; combine, in bowl, with cheese, pinch salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  • Scoop 1 level teaspoon goat cheese mixture onto cut side of 1 fig half.
  • Repeat with remaining cheese and figs.
  • Wrap 1 strip prosciutto around each fig, enclosing cheese.
  • If prosciutto doesn’t stick to itself, secure with toothpicks.
  • Grill figs 2 to 3 minutes or until prosciutto is lightly charred and cheese is soft, turning over once.
  • Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk vinegar, honey, oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
  • Add greens; toss to coat.
  • Remove toothpicks, if used.
  • Divide greens and figs among serving plates.
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Course; Salad
Cuisine; European / Italian

Veal And Mushroom Stew

Veal And Mushroom Stew

In this recipe, the veal is slowly simmered with mushrooms and a touch of sweet Marsala wine until tender. Peas contribute subtle sweetness and color.
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Equipment

  • Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 6 Main-Dish Servings
  • 1½ pounds boneless veal shoulder cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound medium mushrooms trimmed and cut in half
  • ¼ pound shiitake mushrooms stems removed
  • ½ cup water
  • ⅓ cup sweet marsala wine
  • 1 package 10 ounces frozen peas, thawed

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Pat veal dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • In nonreactive 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot.
  • Add half of veal and cook until browned, using slotted spoon to transfer meat to bowl as it is browned.
  • Add remaining veal to pot and brown in same way.
  • In Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.
  • Add all mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
  • Return veal to Dutch oven; pour in water and Marsala, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan.
  • Heat to boiling.
  • Cover Dutch oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until veal is tender, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
  • Stir in peas and heat through.
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Course; Stew / Veal
Cuisine; European / Italian

Chicken And Escarole Soup

Chicken And Escarole Soup

Here’s a comforting Italian take on chicken noodle soup. It pairs leftover cooked chicken with tiny orzo pasta and escarole, a mild-flavored green in the endive family that’s beloved by Italians. The greens require only brief cooking in the broth.
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Equipment

  • Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 10 cups or 5 main-dish servings
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups shredded or matchstick carrots about two-thirds 10-ounce bag
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cans 14 to 14½ ounces each chicken broth (5¼ cups)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 heads escarole 1½ pounds, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • ½ cup orzo pasta see tip
  • 2 cups chopped leftover cooked chicken 10 ounces
  • ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • In 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.
  • Add carrots, onion, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until onion softens, stirring frequently.
  • Stir in broth and water; heat to boiling.
  • Stir in escarole and orzo; heat to boiling.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes or until escarole and orzo are tender.
  • Stir in chicken and pepper.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is heated through.
  • Serve with Parmesan.

Notes & Wine Advice

in Italian, orzo means “barley,” but it’s actually a tiny, rice-shaped pasta. It’s ideal for soups or can be used as a substitute for rice.
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Course; Chicken / Soup
Cuisine; European / Italian

Zuppa De Pesce

Zuppa De Pesce

This classic Italian fish soup features fresh mussels and chunks of cod in a tomato and white wine broth spiked with fennel seeds and crushed red pepper.
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Equipment

  • Dutch oven

Ingredients

4 main-dish servings

Instructions

  • In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium, heat oil.
  • Add onion and chopped red pepper; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until tender.
  • Add garlic, fennel, and crushed red pepper; cook 1 minute longer, stirring.
  • Add wine; heat to boiling.
  • Stir in tomatoes with their juice, water, and salt; heat to boiling.
  • Add cod, mussels, and shrimp; heat to boiling.
  • Reduce heat to low; cover.
  • Simmer 8 to 9 minutes or until cod and shrimp turn opaque and mussels open.
  • Discard any unopened mussels.
  • To serve, sprinkle with basil leaves.

Notes & Wine Advice

To clean mussels, scrub them well under cold running water. Cultivated mussels usually do not have beards, but if you need to debeard the mussels, grasp the hairlike beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it away from the shell, or scrape it off with a knife.
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Course; Fish / Soup
Cuisine; European / Italian

Lentil Stew With Butternut Squash

Lentil Stew With Butternut Squash

Here’s a hearty vegetarian slow-cooker meal that’s packed with fiber and low in sodium.
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Ingredients

11½ Cups Or 8 Main-Dish Servings

  • 3 large stalks celery cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
  • 1 large onion 12 ounces, chopped
  • 1 large butternut squash 2½ pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 bag 1 pound brown lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 can 14½ ounces vegetable broth
  • ½ teaspoon rosemary
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 ounce parmesan or romano cheese shaved with vegetable peeler
  • ¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves chopped

Instructions

  • In 4½- to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl, combine celery, onion, squash, lentils, water, broth, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
  • Cover slow cooker with lid, and cook as manufacturer directs on Low for 8 hours.
  • To serve, spoon lentil stew into serving bowls; top with Parmesan shavings, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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Course; Crockpot / Slowcooker
Cuisine; European / Italian
Diets; Vegetarian

Pasta E Fagioli

Pasta E Fagioli

Here’s a fast-lane version of everyone’s favorite Italian bean soup.
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Equipment

  • Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 8 cups or 4 main-dish servings
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 large stalk celery sliced
  • 1 can 14½ ounces chicken broth 2 cups water
  • 1 can 15 to 19 ounces white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained (see tip)
  • 1 can 14½ ounces diced tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed with garlic press
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup tubettini or ditalini pasta
  • 1 package 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach

Instructions

  • In 5- to 6- quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until hot.
  • Add onion and celery and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat broth and water to boiling over high heat.
  • Add beans, tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to Dutch oven; heat to boiling over high heat.
  • Add broth mixture and pasta; heat to boiling.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.
  • Add frozen spinach; cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
  • TIP Whether you choose pink beans, garbanzos, pintos, or that classic Italian option, cannellini, beans are packed with protein and insoluble and soluble fiber.
  • Insoluble fiber helps promote regularity and may stave off such digestive disorders as diverticulosis.
  • Soluble fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol levels and help control blood-sugar levels in people with diabetes.
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Course; Pasta / Soup
Cuisine; European / Italian

Barley Minestrone With Pesto

Barley Minestrone With Pesto

Top this soup with a dollop of our homemade pesto, which you can make in a mini food processor or blender. In a hurry? Store-bought pesto makes an excellent stand-in—although it’s not as light as our version.
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Ingredients

6 Main-Dish Servings

minestrone

  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage about ¼ small head
  • 2 large carrots peeled, each cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 2 large stalks celery cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1 onion cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cans 14½ ounces each vegetable broth
  • 1 can 14½ ounces diced tomatoes
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium zucchini 8 ounces, cut into ½-inch dice
  • 4 ounces green beans trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (1 cup)

light pesto

Instructions

  • Heat 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot.
  • Add barley and cook until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Transfer barley to small bowl; set aside.
  • Add oil to same Dutch oven.
  • When hot, add cabbage, carrots, celery, and onion; cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
  • Stir in barley, water, broth, tomatoes with their juice, and salt.
  • Cover and heat to boiling over high heat.
  • Turn heat to low and simmer 25 minutes.
  • Stir zucchini and beans into pot; increase heat to medium, cover, and cook until vegetables are barely tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
  • Meanwhile, prepare pesto: In blender container with narrow base or in mini food processor, combine basil, oil, water, and salt; cover and blend until mixture is pureed.
  • Transfer pesto to small bowl; stir in Romano and garlic.
  • Makes about ½ cup pesto.
  • Ladle minestrone into large soup bowls.
  • Top each serving with a dollop of Light Pesto.
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Course; Soup
Cuisine; European / Italian

Spinach Strata

Spinach Strata

Fresh basil and mozzarella lend Italian flair to this breakfast casserole. You can assemble this a day ahead, then pop it in the oven—right from the refrigerator—just an hour before serving.
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Ingredients

6 Main-Dish Servings

Instructions

  • Grease 8-inch square glass baking dish.
  • Place 4 slices bread in dish; top with ½ cup cheese, all spinach, then remaining cheese.
  • Spread butter or margarine on 1 side of remaining bread slices; place in dish, buttered side up.
  • In medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat milk, eggs, basil, salt, and pepper until blended.
  • Slowly pour egg mixture over bread slices.
  • Prick bread with fork and press slices down to absorb egg mixture.
  • Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  • To bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Uncover baking dish and bake strata 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
  • Remove strata from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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Course; Breakfast / Casserole / Vegetables
Cuisine; European / Italian

Florentine Frittata

Florentine Frittata

This frittata is a cheesy wonder, combining the smooth creaminess of mozzarella and the salty tang of feta.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat broiler.
  • In large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat whole eggs, egg whites, spinach, green onions, feta, ½ cup mozzarella, and salt until blended.
  • In broiler-safe nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot.
  • Pour egg mixture into skillet; arrange tomatoes on top, pushing some down.
  • Cover skillet and cook frittata until egg mixture just sets around edge, 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Place skillet in broiler 5 to 6 inches from source of heat and broil until frittata just sets in center, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup mozzarella; broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute longer.
  • To serve, gently slide frittata out of skillet and onto serving plate; cut into wedges.
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Course; Cheese / Side Dish
Cuisine; European / Italian

Asparagus-Romano Frittata

Asparagus-Romano Frittata

Consider this frittata a rite of spring. Asparagus plays the starring role, of course, but you could substitute sautéed potatoes, peppers, and onions; spinach and fresh basil; or even rice and a chopped plum tomato or two.
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Equipment

  • oven
  • skillet 12-inch

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • In medium bowl, whisk eggs, Romano, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
  • In nonstick 12-inch skillet with oven-safe handle, melt butter over medium heat.
  • Stir in asparagus and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; cook 5 minutes.
  • Add onions; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
  • Spread vegetable mixture evenly in skillet.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Pour egg mixture into skillet; cook 4 to 5 minutes, without stirring, until egg mixture sets around edge.
  • Place skillet in oven; bake 9 to 10 minutes or until set.
  • Invert frittata onto serving plate; cut into wedges.
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Course; Cheese / Side Dish
Cuisine; European / Italian