special italian recipes?!
Answers:
Baked Ziti
1 T Olive Oil
? lb. lean ground beef
1 Cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
26-30 ounces jarred marinara sauce (prefer home made)
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
16 ounces Ziti – cooked 8 minutes and drained
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
? cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat, add beef, onion and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
Combine 1 cup sauce mixture with the ziti. Spoon half of the ziti mixture into a sprayed 9 x 13 x 2 casserole dish; top with all the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup sauce, remaining ziti mixture and remaining sauce.
Cover and bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the Parmesan. Bake uncovered 20 minutes longer or until heated through.
Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce
12 ounces dried spaghetti
3 tablespoons pressed or minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice
2 cans (10 oz. each) baby clams, drained (reserve liquid)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes
Salt
1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring about 4 quarts water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until barely tender to bite, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, stir garlic in olive oil often until fragrant (do not brown), 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, clam juice, and reserved liquid from clams and boil until reduced to about 1 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Add clams and stir occasionally until hot, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Drain spaghetti. Add to clam sauce along with parsley and chili flakes; mix, and add salt to taste. Divide equally among four wide bowls.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ladle over cooked Angel hair pasta
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Shrimp Scampi
4 tsp olive oil
1 1/4 pounds med shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 lemon slices
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, 2-3 min. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter, keep hot.
In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half; spoon over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon slices and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley.