Sausage and Peppers Pizza

 Ingredients

1 lb pizza dough

Ingredients

1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped

3 links mild Italian sausage (about 1 lb)

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

3/4 cup pizza sauce

2 cups shredded (or fresh) mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 

Direct

Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand one hour (do not remove from bag until stand time is completed).

Preheat oven to 405°F.

Chop peppers and onions.

Remove sausage casing: cut almost in half lengthwise (butterfly); turn sausage over and peel casing away.

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, then add the sausage; brown 5–6 minutes, stirring to crumble the sausage, or until no pink remains. Let stand 2–3 minutes to cool.

Prepare crust. For a thick crust: flour hands lightly and pat dough evenly into a lightly greased or nonstick 16" pizza pan. For a thin crust: turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to the desired thickness. Place on a lightly greased or nonstick 16" pizza pan.

Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, peppers, onions, and sausage. Brush the outer edge of the crust with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 18–25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pizza) or until crust is golden, cheese is melted, and the toppings are thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. 

Turkey and Barley Stuffed Peppers

 

Ingredients

6-7 medium  red bell      peppers

1- pound ground turkey

1/2 of a small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c cooked barley

1 t salt

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

15-ounce canned tomato sauce 

3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions 

Cut off top of the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Reset the tops.

Cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic in olive oil.

Stir in barley, seasoning, and tomato sauce.  Heat through. Suit on mozzarella.

Stuff each pepper with stuffing mixture and stand upright in an ungreased baking dish. Place tops on prppets.

Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with a salad or your favorite vegetable.

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups

 Ingredients 

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese 

4 slices capacola-hot Italian  ham

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets

1/2 cup Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F

Pound the cutlets between pieces of plastic wrap to ¼ inch.

Place 1 tablespoon of grated mozzarella cheese on each slice of ham. Fold the ham in half and lay it on top of the cutlets. Starting at the narrow end of the cutlets roll the cutlets up and divide with toothpicks.

Brush each with mustard and coat in the breadcrumbs.

Heat the butter and oil in an oven-proof skillet. Add the chicken rolls and brown them on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with your favorite vegetable or salad,

Mediterranean Baked Red Snapper Fillet

 

Ingredients

12 oz red snapper fillet

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup sliced roasted red peppers

12 pitted olives (I used a combination of kalamata olives and green olives)

¼ sliced red onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Brush a baking dish with a little extra virgin olive oil and put the fish in it. Squeeze the lemon juice all over the top of the fish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, olives, onions, garlic, and spices. Add a very small pinch of salt and ground pepper. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, toss to combine.

Pour the mixture over the fish.

Bake 20 minutes (this will depend on the thickness of your fish).

Remove from the heat and serve.

I served the fish with roasted asparagus.

Pork Chops With Creamy Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes

 Ingredients

2 bone-in thick pork chops, about 12 oz each

4 teaspoons honey mustard

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1 cup bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Directions

Season the chops with salt and pepper. Add the Italian seasoningto the breadcrumbs.

Brush the chops with the mustard and press on the crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the cabbage.

Add just enough oil to a medium skillet and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork chops and cook until crispy brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve over the cabbage.

Add baked sweet potatoes to complete the meal.

Cabbage

Ingredients

Half a head of cabbage, shredded

1 cup chopped onion

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cabbage and cook over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, cream, and cheese. Heat until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Italian American Seafood Stew (Cioppino)

 

Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread for dipping in the delicious sauce. You can use any seafood that you like.

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup olive oil

1  large onion, chopped

2  carrots, chopped

1  celery rib, chopped 

5  cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups chopped Italian tomatoes in juice, crushed

1cup dry white wine

4 large leaves of basil

2 pounds firm, skinless fish fillets (such as red snapper, grouper, cod, mahi-mahi, or halibut), cut into 2-inch pieces

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. scallops

2 meat lobster tails, removed from the shell and cut into 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Sauté 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, basil, tomatoes, and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer the and cook for 30 minutes.

Next, add the fish pieces and shrimp to the sauce, pushing them down into the liquid a little. Cover the pot and simmer for 4 minutes. Add the lobster and scallops and simmer for 2 minutes. 

Immediately scoop the stew into large bowls, garnish with chopped parsley.. Serve

Pork Saltimbocca

 4 servings

8 Pork Cutlets (about 2 ounces each)

8 Fresh Sage Leaves

8 slices Prosciutto di Parma

Salt

Using a meat mallet, pound each pork cutlet slice to about 1/8-inch thick. Salt the meat lightly.  Place 1 sage leaf and 1 slice of prosciutto on each pork cutlet. Press lightly with the meat mallet.

Cook the pork:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Flour for dusting

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Juice of half a lemon.

In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until it foams and subsides. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and dredge the cutlets lightly in the flour. Add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Add lemon juice.  Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

Finishing sauce:

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to dislodge the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

1/4 Cup Chives (freshly chopped)

Lemon Wedges

Return the cutlets to the pan just to reheat. Sprinkle with lemon and chives

Roasted Onions and Potatoes

4 SERVINGS

NGREDIENTS

2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound small (2-inch-diameter) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place onions in a medium bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat without breaking up slices. Transfer onions to the prepared baking sheet, spreading out in an even layer. Combine remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, potatoes, and sage in the same bowl; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place potatoes on the sheet, tucking in among the onions.

Roast the onion-potato mixture until potatoes are beginning to brown around the edges, about 40 minutes, until tender and light brown.