photo credit: JOE M500

I had this Italian Easy 5-layer Dip at a party a few years ago and now I serve it at my own dinner parties.  Everyone loves it.  What’s not to love about cheese and pesto, right?  It doesn’t get much more Italian than that.  Plus it has roasted red bell peppers, so we have all the colors of the Italian flag represented.  You can serve this with crackers, but it is absolute heaven with gourmet Italian rosemary bread, which is extremely easy to make if you have a bread machine.  Just be sure to use a good quality rustic bread.

Put an 8 ounce block of softened cream cheese in a bowl and beat in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  Spread this in the bottom of a pretty quiche dish or pie plate.  Over this, spread about 1/3 cup of Classico Pesto sauce.  This comes in a fat little jar and is usually towards the top shelf on the pasta sauce aisle.  Try not to get the oil that is floating at the top of the jar.  Over the pesto, put 4 ounces of diced roasted red bell pepper.  If you prefer, you can substitute the roasted bell pepper with a 4 ounce jar of chopped pimientos or snipped sun-dried tomatoes.  They are all delicious. Top this with 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  The fifth layer is another 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Optionally, you could sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the top.  My personal favorite is a little bit of oregano, but use what you like.

Now it’s time to bake your Italian easy dip.  Just 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven and it is ready to serve.  I have found that people seem to like the sliced baguettes this best with this dip, so be sure to place some spreading knives next to the plate.  Be prepared to be asked for the recipe.

Now see?  I told you this was easy!  Mangia Bene!

Authentic Italian food

It was in the area of Naples that the tomatoes became valued by cooks at sea.  The name Marinara actually comes from the word marinaro – meaning “of the sea“.  Marinara is known as the “sauce of the sailors”. It is easy to understand why this fruit became so popular when out at sea.  Remember, there was no refrigeration on ships back then.  The tomatoes had a high acid content that would act as a sort of preservative in the sauce and it was easy for the cook to prepare.  It was a way to have a satisfying meal for the sailors without having to worry about meat that would spoil rapidly.

Marinara remains a popular sauce because it is quick to put together and has a lot of that good antioxidant lycopene in the tomatoes!  And the nice thing is that the lycopene is still present after cooking!  Good Healthy Italian food!

Marinara is actually a base sauce – from which many other authentic Italian food recipes are created.  Puttanesca, Arrabiatta, and many more.  You imagination is your only limitation as to what can be done with Marinara.

My favorite Marinara recipe actually comes from Disney World.  I don’t remember where I originally go this recipe, but it says “Marinara – Disney World” on the card.  It is so simple and so fabulous, I just have to share it with you.  I have tweaked it a little for our taste, so here it is.  My additions are just a bit of sugar and a little red pepper.

Dice up a large sweet onion and saute’ it in a tablespoon or two of good olive oil along with 2 cloves of crushed garlic until tender.  Add 2 16-oz. cans of diced plum tomatoes and 2 16-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes.  Stir in a cup of decent red wine.  Now just add 2 teaspoons each of basil, oregano, parsley, white pepper, and kosher salt.  Now add 1 tespoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and a decent pinch of red papper flakes.

Cook lightly covered at a light simmer for 2 hours!  Serve over your favorite pasta and you have some wonderful authentic Italian food!

Chef Umberto makes his favorite Marinara for you right here!

Mangia Bene!

Since the flesh of the Western eggplant has more water and is a bit more bitter than Asian eggplants, it is advisable to draw out some of this bitterness by salting and draining a bit before cooking. This process is not necessary when using any of the Asian varieties.

One authentic Italian food dish that I love for it’s earthy, cheesy flavor is Eggplant au Gratin.  I sometimes make this in an 8 inch pie plate and it looks so fabulous when it comes out of the oven!

This really doesn’t take long to prepare.  Peel a 1 pound eggplant and cut it into cubes – about 1 inch.  Toss into boiling salted water for about 5 minutes and drain well.  Now heat one tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add 8 ounces of nice fresh sliced mushrooms.  Sprinkle with some salt and about one teaspoon of lemon juice.  You want to cook these until they are soft and they are releasing their juices.  Just cook a little longer until the liquid evaporates and set the mushrooms aside.

In a saucepan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and add1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, stirring with a whisk.  Then add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of cream – or just use 3/4 cup of half and half.  Blend until smooth and add salt and pepper to your liking , about 2 or 3 more teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and a few dashes of Tabasco.  Now stir in your eggplant and mushrooms.  Then stir in a lightly beaten egg.  Spoon all of this in a baking dish and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs mixed with an equal amount of Parmesan cheese.

Bake this dish at 425 degrees for about 30 or 40 minutes and brown the top under the broiler.  I hope you will try this wonderful Italian easy comfort food dish!

Would you like to see Pasta-Free Italian Eggplant rolls being made?  Click here!

Mangia Bene!

Thousands of years ago, the curing of pork became an art in the glorious region of Tuscany and today it is used in all sorts of gourmet Italian food.   To this day, pork remains the favorite meat to cure for traditional Italian salumi - cured meat. Imagine sitting in a trattoria with your friends. The waiter comes over and says, “Affettati misti?” He is asking if you would like him to bring an assortment of cured meats to share between you . Of course, you all respond “YES!”. Served with some fabulous, probably unsalted bread, this is a wonderful start to an informal meal. Some may come to your table sliced and plain, while others may arrive in a marinade of olive oil, maybe some pepper or a little touch of lemon.

Traditional Italian Salumerias are the best places to explore the world of cured meats of the region. The Salumeria is Italy’s version of a delicatessen. You will surely find prosciutto crudo – cured ham. Prosciutto is usually cut so thin that you can almost see through it! The proscuitto tuscano is darker than most, less moist and a bit saltier – perfect for the Tuscan bread which usually contains no salt. Of course there will be many different types of salami. The toscano version will be one that is rich, firm and seasoned with peppercorns, garlic and a bit of wine. To make the proscuitto, fresh hams are refrigerated until the meat hardens. After that, they are cleaned and shaped. The final step is the salt curing – then off to the againg rooms.

Of course you will find coppa and pancetta and soppressata, the latter being made from the not so desireable parts of the pig, but the 24 hours of cooking and the seasonings of salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, etc., makes it popular around the world. There will be finocchiona and its cousin sbriciolona, made from the pork belly and jowl.

This list goes on and on, but traditional Italian cured meats abound everywhere and will surely be found on every picnic blanket in Italy. So watch for the local Salumeria and enjoy the bounty of  Tuscan cured meats when searching for authentic gourmet Italian food!

Mangia Bene!