This is a collection of recipes from Teresa Lapetina Greco (Big Mamma), her daughter Elizabeth Greco Noviello (Mamaw), her granddaughter Marie Noviello Casazza and her great-granddaughter-in-law...Lee Casazza. My cookbook is now available in a hard cover and in Kindle on Amazon. If you live in the USA, you can order it now from my website. I will personally inscribe and sign the book for you, just leave instructions. www.leecasazzacooking.com...Buon appetito!
Sunday, December 20, 2020
ITALIAN SNOWBALL COOKIES
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA WITH PROVOLONE & SWISS CHARD
The eggplants are so crispy and are baked in the oven. I made a marinara sauce with canned cherry tomatoes and sautéed some Swiss chard and that was spooned under the marinara sauce. I peel the eggplant leaving stripes; otherwise, the peel can be quite chewy.
Lee's Kitchen Tips:
I saved the larger slices for the dishes and just had a few smaller ones for my husband to enjoy, plain, right out of the oven.
Baked Eggplants
2 large eggplants, partially peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 T water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Cherry Tomato Marina Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 14-oz cans cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Swiss Chard
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed of middle stems and chopped
In a shallow bowl, add the flour and season generously with salt and pepper.
In a second shallow bowl, whisk the egg with the water.
In a third shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, panko, and grated Parmigiano.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle some oil on a large baking sheet pan and set aside.
Dip eggplant slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture and finally in bread crumb mixture.
Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and drizzle a little more oil on top.
Bake for 20 minutes, flip each one over, and bake another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more Parmigiano and add a piece of provolone cheese on top.
Place back in oven for cheese to melt, about 3 to 4 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat the oil over low heat and sauté
the garlic red pepper flakes for a minute or two.
Add the cherry tomatoes and mash lightly with a fork or potato masher. Leave the tomatoes mostly whole. Simmer for 20 minutes, add basil and season with salt and pepper
Set aside and keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, add the olive oil and sauté
the Swiss chard until soft, about 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Set aside and keep warm.
To Assemble
Spoon half of the chard in the middle of a plate.
Ladle on some cherry tomato sauce.
Add 4 slices of the eggplant and garnish with basil, if desired.
Serves 2
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA
This is one of the simplest and most delicious pasta sauces. In Rome this tomato sauce is served with bucatini, which is a hollow version of spaghetti; it's like a straw with a tiny hole. The sauce originated in the small town of Amatrice, about 2 hours northeast of Rome. In Amatrice, they prefer spaghetti. Sadly, an earthquake destroyed almost the entire historic town.
6 oz guanciale or pancetta, diced
1 T extra-light olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled Italian tomatoes
¼ cup Pino Grigio or other dry white wine
Sunday, November 8, 2020
FARFALLE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGES, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, & FENNEL
This is one of my Go-To meals on a weeknight. It is so delicious, you may want to serve it for company. . .after this pandemic is over. This recipe includes Italian sausages (pork or turkey), sun-dried tomatoes, and fennel. Farfalle (pronounced fa-FAR-lay) translates to "butterflies". Get the onion, fennel, peppers, and garlic chopped up on a cutting board ready to toss into the skillet. Dinner in under 40 minutes!
2 T extra-light olive oil, divided
1 lb mild or hot Italian sausages
1 T sea or kosher salt, for the pasta water
1 lb farfalle (butterfly) pasta
Boil the farfalle pasta for 10 minutes, until al dente.
Drain pasta and set aside.
Add the wine and cook another minute.
Add 1 cup of the pasta water and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.
Saturday, October 31, 2020
SHREDDED BEEF SANDWICHES WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS & PEPERONCINI
This sandwich makes a delicious dinner accompanied with a salad or soup. There is enough left over for another couple of dinners or lunches. The entire house had the amazing aroma of that chuck roast slowly cooking in my oven for hours. You can use a slow-cooker, but brown the meat first.
Saturday, October 10, 2020
PEAR TART - Crostata di Pere
Mascarpone is a creamy Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. The cows are fed special grasses filled with herbs and flowers so they produce milk that is perfect for making this cheese. Mascarpone cheese can be found in grocery stores in 8-ounce (250-ml) containers.
Cut each slice with a half pear on top.
Monday, September 21, 2020
PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SANDWICHES
There has always been the debate over the type of cheese used on a Philly Cheese Steak. The three popular cheeses are Provolone, Swiss, White American, and the one I would never use - Cheez Whiz. Cheez Whiz was introduced because of convenience. I would say that the Provolone is my favorite cheese to use, but love all three.
Serves 2