Bertolli Ribollita con Crostini di Pane (Italian Soup with Bread)

My Mom started making this soup back in the nineties. I remember the first time she made it I was very hesitant to try it. I mean look at all the vegetables that are in the recipe. Shudder. But, I have to admit that the vegetables are nice and tender and you really can't tell they're in the soup. Plus, this recipe has a ton of flavor and it's just a nice warming dish to have on a cold and snowy day. The other great thing about this soup is you can add or subtract whatever ingredient you might like or not. If you don't like beans substitute pasta instead. Or, have both! Plus, it goes great with the bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/4 c Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for serving
1/4 c each chopped and trimmed fennel, celery, onions, and carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
6 c chicken broth
1 can (28oz) Italian Plum Tomatoes, cut up
2 c. peeled & diced russet potatoes
1 can rinsed and drained cannellini beans
1 c. finely shredded Savoy cabbage or Swiss chard
1 c. diced trimmed zucchini
2 tbsp. each chopped fresh parsley and basil
2 cups Pasta (optional
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
8 slices (one per bowl) Italian bread

Combine the olive oil, fennel, celery, onions, carrot, and garlic and thyme in a large heavy saucepan. Cover & cook over medium low heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes. Do not brown.
Then, stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, potato, beans, & cabbage or Swiss chard. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the zucchini, parsley, and basil. If using add in the pasta. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into a bowl and serve with a piece of bread.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

OMG! Finally! I finally found a tomato soup recipe that is incredibly, deliciously, scrumptiously good!! Barefoot Contessa really knows how to put a recipe together. There's layers of flavor in this soup from the garlic to the hint of spice to the tomato flavor, of course. Heaven! That's what this soup is! It's also really simple to make and it's oh so good! Please do yourself a favor and make this soup ASAP! Forget the tomato soup I made a couple years ago. Make THIS one!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (I used 7 tomatoes on a vine and didn't cut them)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, take your tomatoes and smother them with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the salt, and the pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. 

Take a large stock pot, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the butter, onions, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Sautee for 10 minutes until the onions turn a slight brown color. Then, add in the canned tomatoes and the basil. Next, pour in the roasted tomatoes along with the juice from the pan. Bring this to a boil and then simmer uncovered for an additional 40 minutes. Next, use an Immersion Blender or carefully transfer a little at a time into a blender and puree the soup. Serve warm and garnish with additional basil leaves if desired. Enjoy!

World's Best Lasagna

Growing up I wasn’t the biggest fan of lasagna. I thought it was just okay, but it wasn’t something I craved. I think the ricotta cheese was something I didn’t enjoy. For me; it was a bit too tangy. Maybe if it had more cheese in it than ricotta I would have enjoyed it more. Fast-forward 20 years later; and I have become a big fan of lasagna. I think the reason for this is now I can look for my own recipes and try them myself. Plus, I can add a ton of cheese if I so desire. Well, a while back I came across this recipe.

It had great reviews, and though the recipe seemed a bit daunting with all the ingredients;I was eager to give it a whirl. I’m really glad I did. It’s probably the best lasagna I’ve ever had. You make your own meat sauce, it has a ton of cheese (and, yes, even ricotta), and it makes a ton of it. I made this the other night; and my Dad raved that it’s one of the best things he’s ever had even in restaurants. So, go make it and you will not regret it one bit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian Sausage (or just regular Italian sausage)

3/4 lb. lean ground beef

½ cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

2 (6 oz) cans tomato sauce

½ cup water

2 tbsp white sugar

1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

½ tsp salt

¾ lb. mozzarella cheese

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

First, get out your Dutch oven or large pot; and sauté the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Next, stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Then, season with the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the parsley. Simmer, covered, for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally.

About an hour and fifteen minutes into the sauce simmering; take out a large pot and pour water and a little salt to cook the noodles in. Bring to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl; combine the ricotta cheese, egg, ½ tsp salt, and remaining parsley. Stir well.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Get out a 9x13 baking dish and pour 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spread the meat sauce. Next, arrange 6 of the noodles lengthwise across the meat sauce and spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, evenly. Top with a third of the mozzarella slices and then spoon 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce over the mozzarella and sprinkle ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Take some foil out to cover the baking dish; but first spray the foil with cooking spray so the cheese does not stick. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The New Best Recipe's Quick Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite dishes to make is pasta. I should probably just make that trip to Italy one of these days to see how it should really be done, but in the mean time I’m going to stick to some of my favorite recipes. Now, I posted this recipe a while back and while it was delicious it was a bit cumbersome to make. Boiling tomatoes, dumping them in ice, and peeling the skin does take some time. Fortunately, The New Best Recipe offered a quicker version of that recipe, and this is the one I make ALL the time! I simply love it. It’s so flavorful, so easy, and so good. I made it for my family when visiting Florida last summer and they all loved it too. Seriously, if you haven’t purchased The New Best Recipe you are doing yourself a disservice. Get it. Now! I promise you will love it!

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can diced (or petite diced) tomatoes (preferably San Marazano)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 c. pasta water, reserved
Pasta such as spaghetti or angel hair

Take a large sauté pan and heat the olive oil. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, but be sure it doesn’t turn brown. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the diced tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 minutes or so until slightly thickened. Since I don't like a real chunky sauce, I take my potato masher and mash up the tomatoes. This is optional, of course.

While the tomatoes are simmering, get out your pot to cook your pasta in. Throw in some salt to season the pasta, and cook the pasta till al dente. Be sure to remove about a ¼ cup of the pasta water before dumping it in your colander. I have found that it is necessary to add some of the water to help make it a bit juicier. Next, stir in the basil, sugar, and if needed salt. I usually keep adding salt until I feel that it’s seasoned just right. I’ve found that it depends on the can of diced tomatoes you buy how much salt you add. Kroger canned diced tomatoes do not require as much salt as the San Marazano. Go figure. At this point; you may or may not need to add in some of the reserved pasta water. It just depends on how thick or runny you like your tomato sauce. Take the pasta from the colander and it into the tomato mixture. Serve and enjoy!

Really Good Salsa

One of my favorite things to eat at Mexican restaurants are chips and salsa. Actually, I could totally eat chips and salsa as my main course and forgo your typical burrito or taco. Sometimes salsa made at restaurants can taste pretty bland; almost as if they serve it out of a jar. So, I definitely judge a Mexican restaurant based on how fresh their salsa tastes. I can't go to Mexican restaurants every time I crave chips and salsa, however, I can make my salsa at home. I've been trying for years to perfect salsa. I've tried many recipes, and I feel like I've finally perfected it. I hope you enjoy it. I know I do. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-5 tomatoes on a vine, quartered
1 to 2 jalapenos, loosely chopped
1/2 onion, loosely chopped
juice of one lime
couple dashes of cayenne
couple dashes of cumin
couple dashes of Chipotle Adobo Chili Pepper (optional)
Salt to taste
small fistful of cilantro

Take out your food processor, and throw in the tomatoes, jalapenos, and onion. Pulse for several seconds. Remove the lid and add in the lime juice, salt, and spices. Pulse a second or two. Remove lid and add in the cilantro. Pulse for several seconds so the cilantro is incorporated. Remove the lid and try the salsa. If necessary; add more salt. If the seasoning tastes fine; pour the salsa into an air tight container and refridgerate for an hour. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips.

(Click here for printable recipe)