Easy Italian Cooking Recipes

“Cooking is an art form that takes years to master” -ever heard those words spoken before? It was probably a chef who didn’t want you to know the secrets they hide from us all, the secrets to making delicious Italian styled meals quickly and easily and having them taste delicious. Today we at The Cooks Hangout bring you 3 quick and easy Italian meal addition to make your Italian meals all the more delicious while not wasting your time or money.

1. Oven Roasted Garlic

If there’s any ingredient that is both cheap quick and easy yet adds enormous amounts of flavor to your food, its garlic, and roasting it in the oven makes it irresistibly tasty. Preparing Oven Roasted Garlic is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Slice off the top of the garlic.

2. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the garlic, wrap it loosely in aluminum foil, and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes.

3. Remove the pulp from the garlic by squeezing it once it cools. You can spread oven-roasted garlic on bread or blend it in a food processor and add it to fish, steak, hamburgers, soups, or even throw it in a risotto.

The oven-roasted garlic can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Bechamel Sauce

A Delicious sauce to use in cooking lasagnas and the like. Bechamel sauce is an incredible addition to many pastas yet it seemingly overlooked by many.

Ingredients:

- 2T Unsalted Butter

- 3T Flour

- 1 1/2 Cups Milk

- 1/8t Nutmeg

- Salt and White Pepper (Freshly Grounded)

Instructions:

- Heat the milk in a saucepan to a warm temperature.

- Melt the butter in the saucepan until bubbling.

- Add the flour slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

- Return to medium heat and add 1/4 of a cup of milk at a time, when the milk gets absorbed add a little more until all the milk is used.

- Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring the sauce at a slow bubble until it has the consistency of heavy cream.

3. Memphis Rub

This zesty rub will bring out the best in ribs and other meats.

- 1/4 cup paprika

- 1 Tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon white sugar

- 2 Tablespoons Salt

- 2 Teaspoons monosodium glutamate.

- 1 teaspoon celery salt

- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

- 1 teaspoon dry mustard

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1 teaspoon onion powder

Simply mix the ingredients together in a small container and use on your meat to add the delicious flavor of Memphis to your food.

Spaghetti recipe is a well known dish from Italy. There are tons of easy ways to eat your spaghetti. Here are below the 2 most common ways to have your home made spaghetti. These also can be found in great restaurants around the world. Here are these secrets of favorites Spaghetti recipe.

Adriatic Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Bay leaf

1 Green chili pepper chopped

1 lb Spaghetti

1 small Octopus (about 3 1/4 pounds)

1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds

1/2 cup of Olive oil

1/2 lb Of Tomatoes, peeled and cut into strips

3 Cloves garlic, (inner buds removed), chopped

Chopped parsley

Oregano

Rosemary

Salt and pepper

Adriatic Spaghetti Instructions:

Wash and dried the octopus cautiously and do not forget to remove the mouth. Coat the saucepan with oil and then add the bay leaf, rosemary, cumin seeds, oregano, chili pepper, parsley, chopped garlic and tomatoes. On top of the mixture, put the octopus and flavor with pepper and salt.

For 45 to 60 minutes, let it boil and please do not forget to cover the pot tightly. Let the spaghetti boil in water then add salt. Let it boil till it is firm to bite. Remove water and then let it drain, then place it into a serving dish. Mix the sauce that you have just prepare above into the spaghetti

Serve 4-6 people.

Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of Plain flour

1 cup of Celery, finely chopped

1 cup of dried parsley

1 Tablespoon of Garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of Red cayenne pepper

1/2 cup of Bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup of Olive oil

1/4 tablespoon Dried mint

2 cup of Onions, finely chopped

2 lb of Italian sausage

3 cups Tomato sauce

3 Tablespoon of Lea & Perrins

2 cup of Water

2 cups of Dry white wine

Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce Instructions:

Slice into 2 in lengths the Italian sausages. Half cook the sausage in olive oil till it gets a brownish color. Take the sausages from the pan. Make Roux by adding flour to oil that was used. Add celery, bell pepper and onions. By adding up water, mix until it becomes smooth. After that adds wine garlic and parsley.

Pour the lea & Perrins sauce, tomato sauce, dried mint and red pepper. Continue the mixing. Carry to boiling water and add salt to your taste. Add sausage and take it to boil again. Cook it for about 3 4 hours.

Tips: here is my way of eating it is to topped spaghetti with cheese. I used to do while I am revising since it takes a little time to be cooked.

Servings: 8

Way to man’s heart is his stomach. Cooking good food is an art. However, not all are blessed with the talent but one can always perfect it by watching cookery shows and reading cook books.

Gino D’Acampo’s Fantastico is a great book to learn different delicacies in simple ways. This book consists of some amazing recipes, straight from Gino D’Acampo’s kitchen. The best feature of this book is not only it has finger licking recipes but also a touch of Gino’s buffoonery that makes it a must read for all food lovers.

What makes this book an entertaining way of learning great cooking tips is apart from healthy food, Gino has guts to use cheese and cream that he is extremely fond of. The ingredients used by him are all easily available in local market.

Gino’s vegetarian section is wonderful. The recipes not only taste good but are also easy to prepare. He has included his specialties like the Italian-style Shepherd’s Pie and Cornish Pasties, Moroccan-style pasta and a Chinese-influenced Italian Broccoli Stir-fry. His chicken recipes are high on taste and are ready in just half-an-hour’s time.

Gino was born to a poor Neapolitan family. He inherited his cooking skills from his father, a head chef. At the age of fifteen he went to Luigi de Medici Catering College and further enhanced skills in various restaurants in Europe. A young D’Acampo has also cooked in Perignon in Nice and a spell as Head Chef at Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King in Marbell.

From a pizza oven cleaner to food manager at a Pavarotti reception, Gino has achieved a lot at a very tender age. He currently owns an import and distribution company in Bonta Italia and has been continuing as the development consultant chef for ready-meal manufacturing companies. Gino’s cooker shows are very popular on TV. The book Fantastico!: Modern Italian Food is sure to get popular with its release.

Seafood risotto is usually made with the seafood cooked right into the risotto. Although this makes a wonderful dish, I find that the seafood can easily become overcooked and get lost in the risotto, or that some diners can get lots of seafood while others get cheated. I find that flavoring the risotto with a seafood broth and then topping it with sautéed seafood is an unbeatable combination.

Servings: 4-6

• 1 pound risotto, made from Arborio rice prepared according to package directions and kept warm (see note)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 2 dozen small clams, rinsed
• 2 dozen small mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
• 12 large sea scallops
• 12 medium to large shrimp, shelled, cleaned, and de-veined
• 1/2 medium clove garlic, minced
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems removed and chopped
• 1 cup white wine sauce (see below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 to 6 lemon wedges, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Prepare the risotto according to package directions. Either keep the finished risotto warm in a 200ºF. oven or cook it while you prepare the rest of this recipe.
2. Put the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large sauté pan over high heat for about 30 seconds, or until the oil is hot but not smoking.
3. Cook the clams, mussels, and scallops (on both sides) for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the clams begin to open and the scallops begin to turn opaque.
4. Add the shrimp and cook everything for 1 minute more, until the shrimp turn pink on one side.
5. Turn the shrimp, add the garlic, and cook for a few seconds, until the garlic begins to turn golden.
6. Add the tomatoes followed by the sauce and cook for a moment or two until all the juices in the pan blend together.
7. Finish with a pat of butter or two and a splash of cream if desired.

The Sauce:

1. Add ¼ cup olive oil to the bottom of a saucepan, followed by 3-4 tablespoons of flour and stir over medium heat.
2. Slowly add 1 cup of white wine and continue stirring. (sauce will thicken).
3. Now slowly add about 1cup of clam broth and ½ cup of water. Stir until all the liquid is incorporated.
4. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the sauce reduces to the consistency of a smooth gravy.

Serving Seafood Risotto:

Stir some of the liquid part of the sauce into the risotto, then spoon the risotto onto individual serving plates. Top each serving with the remainder of the sauce and the seafood. If desired, arrange the mussels all along the rim of the platter or plate, then add the seafood in the center. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt and pepper, and garnish each serving plate with a lemon wedge.

Note about Arborio Rice:

Arborio rice, for making risotto, is sold in 1-kilogram boxes (2.2 pounds) and comes in two packages. The cooking time is about 15 minutes, but it’s best prepared slightly underdone because it will continue cooking after it’s removed from the heat.

Enjoy!

If you know anything about Italian cooking then you would know that there are literally thousands of delicious recipes to choose from. There are a few in particular that are the real authentic Italian cooking recipes however, and which should definitely be included on any Italian food lover’s menu.

Spaghetti With Meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is obviously an Italian cooking staple. This is a dish that originated in the heart of Italy but which is now widely loved around the world.

You can vary the recipe according to your own personal tastes, but the standard recipe calls for 500g lean minced beef, 2 tablespoons parsley, 60g salami finely chopped, 60g parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 egg beaten, 15g butter, 1 onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 440g can of tomatoes chopped, 125ml beef stock, 125ml white wine, 1 teaspoon caster sugar, and 250g spaghetti.

To prepare you want to combine the beef, parsley, salami, parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of the tomato puree in a bowl. Then you need to mix in enough of the egg to bind the mixture, and form this into small balls. Cook these for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and set aside.

The next step is to melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, basil and oregano, and cook this for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, beef stock, white wine and vinegar, and simmer this mixture for about a half hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become thicker as it heats, and then you want to cook the spaghetti in a separate pot until tender, drain, and stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce and serve on a bed of spaghetti.

Risotto

Another popular Italian cooking recipe is risotto. This Italian cooking recipe calls for 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup minced onion, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 2 cups rice, ½ cup dry white wine, 6 cups chicken or beef stock, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare you start by sautéing the onions and shallots in olive oil until golden, add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Then you want to add the wine, ½ cup of the chicken stock heated and salt. Stir this well and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. You want to continue to add the chicken stock in ¾ cup increments until it has all been used and then remove this from the heat, whip in butter and half of the grated cheese. Finally you want to season it with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Italians insist upon fresh ingredients in their food, and their herbs are no exception. There are a variety of fresh herbs common in Italian cooking. Most people are familiar with the little bottles of dried herbs from the grocery store, but if you haven’t prepared food with fresh herbs, you really need to give it a try.

What’s the distinction between an herb and a spice?

Spices are made from the seeds, root, fruit or barks of aromatic plants, while the herbs primarily consist of the leaves and stems. Herb plants contain oils which are very fragrant and add the distinctive aroma and flavor that Italian food is known for.

A few of the most common herbs are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Basil is a member of the mint family, and like all mint herbs, it is extremely fragrant when picked fresh. Basil leaves blacken when exposed to metal, therefore it is common in Italy to tear the leaves by hand before throwing the basil into a sauce or onto a dish. Basil is the primary herb for the famous pesto sauce.

Oregano is another popular herb in both Italian and Greek food. Most people are familiar with this herb in tomato based pasta sauces and with meats.

Italian Parsley, also known as flat-leaf parsley, is readily available in most grocery stores and is easy to distinguish it from the curly variety frequently used as a garnish. Italians favor this parsley for cooking because it has a much better flavor, while the curlier variety is best saved for garnishing your dish.

Rosemary is another widely available herb and resembles a little branch from an evergreen tree. This is one of the most fragrant of all the fresh herbs and it will retain its flavor and aroma when dried. It’s excellent with vegetables and is often cooked into the dough of breads like focaccia.

Sage has long, broad leaves and is the herb which flavors the traditional Italian Saltimbocca dish. Sage is also very fragrant so be sure you don’t use too much and overwhelm your meal.

Thyme is another herb of the mint family, but in contrast to the other mints, it has tiny leaves that can easily be thrown whole into your sauce or dish. I use this herb frequently because its mild flavor goes well with everything and won’t overshadow the rest of your dish.

There are some basic rules for cooking with fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are more delicate than dried and can lose some of their flavor when cooked too long. For slow cooked sauces and meats, you can add the fresh herbs at the last minute keeping their flavors and aromas intact. On the other hand, the oils in dried herbs are concentrated requiring a smaller amount of than fresh herbs in your recipes. A good general rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs needed in a dish. But remember, cooking is an art and you can use as much or as little as you like.

The next time you want to spruce up an everyday meal, throw in some fresh Italian herbs.

Italian cooking is incredibly popular, and it is definitely among the richest and most varied anywhere. The problem is finding an easy Italian recipe to make, which is especially important if you are just a beginner. There are a few really great Italian cooking recipes that are ideal to try out, even for someone who has never cooked Italian food before in their life.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp is a very popular Italian food and shrimp scampi is definitely one of the most widely loved Italian cooking recipes. For this recipe you will need 1 ½ pounds large shrimp, 1/3 cup butter, 4 tablespoons minced garlic, 6 green onions, ¼ cup dry white wine, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare this dish you start off by rinsing the shrimp and setting it aside. Then you want to heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic for a couple of minutes until softened and then add the shrimp, green onions, wine, and lemon juice. You want to cook the shrimp until they are pink and firm, which should take about one to two minutes on each side.

Keep in mind that the trick to this recipe is to not overcook the shrimp. You can add a lot of extra garlic but make sure not to overdo it because you do not want to overshadow the taste of the shrimp. The dish is often served over pasta but can also be served on its own with some crusty bread.

Spaghetti with Mussels

Another of the most popular Italian cooking recipes is spaghetti with mussels. Not only is this considered as being one of the most delicious Italian cooking recipes but one of the easiest to prepare as well.

For this recipe you will need 3 pounds fresh mussels, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 2 whole cloves, ¼ cup dry white wine, 3 quarts water, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 pound spaghetti, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 cup stewed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper.

To prepare, you begin by scrubbing the mussels under cold water, and removing the beards and draining. Then you want to add the mussels, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and wine together in a large saucepan or kettle. Cover this mixture and bring to a boil, and then cook this over high heat until the mussels open. This typically takes about five minutes but times will vary depending on the cooking element.

Finally you add the garlic and cook briefly, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, broth and spaghetti, and then add the mussels to this. Stir and heat for a moment and serve hot.

These Italian cooking recipes are just examples of what authentic Italian cooking is really all about.