Penne with Balognese Sauce

Nothing fancy today, just an ordinary Penne with Balognese but nothing beats the simple home-made one isn't it? I cooked the penne as per directed in the package then prepared the sauce without adding pork, tomato paste, and carrots.

500g ground beef

2-3 large fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 glass red wine

olive oil

parsley

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, Saute onions, garlic, and celery until cook. Add the ground beef, continue sauteing until cook. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and fresh tomatoes, and continue cooking over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. Add the parsley and stir well.

Place the penne on a plate, put the sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Friday Potluck

Saturday Swap Recipe

Chicken Cacciatora (Hunter Style-Chicken)





One of Italians' appetizing treats! I tried for the first time and I like the taste! Well, maybe because of the red wine I added, and the smell of cinnamon. It's really a hunter way of cooking, all I have to do is to add everything! I adapted the recipe from the cookbook - Your Favorite International Cuisine.

2 chicken breast fillet, cubed

salt and pepper to taste

flour

2 tablespoon butter (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

pinch of sugar

pinch of cinnamon

1/4 cup red wine

1 large tomato, chopped

chicken stock (I used water)

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat oil in a pan and saute the chicken until slightly brown. Set aside. Using the same pan, add the onion, celery, and garlic. Saute until the cook. Add the chicken, sugar, cinnamon, and red wine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato and water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chicken becomes tender.

My chicken is good, but my neighbor’s looks better.

~ Romanian Proverb

What's Cooking Wednesday

What's on the Menu Wednesday

Food Quote

Cooking Thursday

Italian Herb and Cheese Wheat Bread

Wheat bread with Italian herb and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's very soft and tasty. Love it!

2 cups wheat flour
3 teaspoon active yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly grated cheese

For toppings
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix yeast in warm water for five minutes, until the it blooms. Add cold water, oil, salt and sugar, mix well. Slowly add wheat flour until the dough comes together into a hook. (If it's too soft, add more 1 -2 tablespoons flour). Place in a oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles its size.

Punch down to remove air, divide into a small ball sizes. Place in a parchment line cookie sheet, let rise for another hour. Mix Italian and olive oil in bowl, brush on top of the dough. Bake for 25- 30 minutes in 190°C (375°F).

This could be serve with hot tomato soup :)

Heart and  Soul

Tasty Tuesdays

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday
Real Food Wednesday

Chicken and Broccoli Conchiglie in Cream Sauce

I'm not into cream sauce but it doesn't mean I don't eat. Once in a while I make them if there's party or potluck. I prepared this for friends plus I still have sauce kept in my pantry. Just prepare the following:

1pack conchiglie (or any pasta)

3 boneless chicken breast, cubed

1 bottle of cheesy cream sauce

1 head broccoli, cut in small pieces

1 large tomato, chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

Heat oil, lightly brown the chicken. Stir in the Cream Sauce and tomato. Cover and simmer stirring occasionally until  the chicken is totally cooked. Add broccoli, adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) continue simmering until the brocolli is cooked.

Cook conchiglie as directed.

Serve the pasta with the sauce on top. If desired, garnish with bacon or chopped fresh basil.

I served it by tossing the sauce. The same with what I did in Tomato and Cheese Spaghetti, I add all the cream sauce and baked it with mozzarella cheese on top. I brought it in our Italian Potluck.

Yummy Sunday

Tomato and Cheese Spaghetti

A very simple to prepare, it has no exact recipe. I bought the tomato and cheese sauce in the Philippines the last time I was there. It's new to me, so I grabbed and try it although I added fresh tomato, onion, and garlic + 250g ground beef, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Heat olive oil in a pan,  saute garlic and onion until soft. Add the ground beef and continue sauteing until cook. Stir in sauce and tomato, add salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta as per direction in the package.

Serve with the sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. I also added cherry tomatoes.

 I mixed all the sauce with pasta. Add some mozzarella cheese on top and baked it for 10 minutes or until the cheese melted. I brought this in our Italian Potluck along with Wheat Bruschetta,Conchiglie in Cream Sauce, and  Peaches and Cream Cheese Cake.

Luscious Saturday
Saturday Swap

Menu Guide: Taste of Italian

Taste of Italian

Here's a simple menu I made for my birthday treat for friends. I thought of bringing Italian Food since it's easy to prepare ahead of time, plus walking 5 - 8  minutes to church will be very convenient since there's nothing to worry if the food will spill or not. Anyways, here they are and just click the links for their recipes.



Peaches and Cream Cheese Cake

I prepared our Peaches and Cream Cheese Cake  the night before Sunday, the easiest no-bake dessert.

Toasted Tomato and Cheese Bruschetta

This is supposedly fresh, as I've said it's not convenient to bring so I decided to toast them so the cheese and tomato will be intact to the bread. The toasted bread I used was made of whole wheat flour from scratch in my Another Wheat Bread post.

Simple Tomato and Cheese Spaghetti

I made this for those who doesn't like creamy sauce.

Chicken and Broccoli Conchiglie in Cream Sauce
I made this for the very first time,
and I also added broccoli from original recipe.

Now I'm ready to bring the food in a convenient way.

cheese cake had gelatin, toasted bruschetta, baked spaghetti and conchiglie

Recipes for the Pasta will be posted soon...

Menu Guide

Foodtrip Friday

Food Friday

Potluck Friday

Saturday's Party - featured

Toasted Tomato and Cheese Bruschetta

I thought of bringing  Tomato Bruschetta in our potluck last Sunday, but it's not convenient for me to bring wet stuff plus the fresh tomato should be chilled. I just added mozarella cheese and toasted them. This is just a simple recipe, but I like to share since I made the Wheat French Bread from scratch.

12 pieces toasted French bread
8 pieces cherry tomatoes, sliced
handful of mozarella cheese
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Place mozarella cheese on the bread, arrange some tomato mixture, then mozarella cheese. Place in an oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

I served this along with pasta.

Happy Birthday Wednesday!

Real Food Wednesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

What's on the Menu Wednesday
Cooking Thursday
Family Food Friday



Cookies Greetings from Salome



Yes, today is my Natal Day and
I would like to thank the Lord
for this Gift of Life :)

Many, many thanks to all the birthday greetings,

here and  my other pages. :)

Spaghetti with Scallops

 It's too obvious that I love Italian Food :), from my posts lately! This is another simple way to prepare pasta from Guliano Gasali's Kitchen 06 Cookbook. I only adapted some ways how to cook it. Originally, the main pasta should be Linguini, and using mussels and crab meat as other ingredients. I also added celery. This is so good, I love it!

300g spaghetti (or linguini), cooked as per direction in the package
300g scallops
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh chili, chopped (optional)
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 celery, chopped
1 cup white wine
some parsley, chopped (dry parsley)
salt and pepper to taste
extra-virgin olive oil

In a large pan, heat the oil and saute garlic until slightly brown. Add scallops, toss with garlic. Add white wine and cook until it has evaporated. Add the chili, celery, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes. Toss spaghetti with the sauce. Add parsley and toss well.

Serve immediately.

Guest Heart Thursday

Friday Potluck

Foodtrip Friday

Food Friday

Foodie Friday

Family Food Fridays

Penne with Salmon and Mushroom

Sometimes when I cooked salmon, I couldn't finish it and I get tired of eating the same food for the following day. This time I added salmon and mushroom in a pasta to make another meal. I only made one serving.

cooked penne ( or any pasta)

1/2 salmon, sliced into bite size

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 pieces mushroom, sliced

1 tablespoon white wine

salt and pepper

few fresh basil

extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oil, saute garlic until slightly brown,add mushroom. Add the cooked salmon and white wine, cook until evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Add fresh basil and saute for a minute. Serve hot.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Chicken and Asparagus Roulade

Involtini Di Aspagrai E Pollo

As mentioned yesterday, here's the recipe for Chicken and Asparagus Roulade adapted from Guiliano Gasali's Kitchen 04. I used the baked chicken I made yesterday instead of ham. I admit I had a hard time making the dough, next time I'll just buy the ready-made in the market. The bread is a bit hard and chewy, the way I like it!

Just prepare asparagus, baked chicken, mozzarella cheese, olive oil (or butter), salt and pepper. For the dough: 300g bread flour, 100g olive oil, salt, and warm water.  Sift the flour onto the working surface. Make a well in the center and put in the olive oil, salt, and warm water. Mix the ingredients and knead using the heels of your hands. Place the dough in a floured bowl. Cover with dampened towel and refrigerate for an hour before using. Bring the salted water to boil. Cook the asparagus until soft. Cool the asparagus under cold water. Cut lengthwise in half. Flatten the dough with the roller until the dough is as thin as paper. Brush oil (butter) over every pasta sheet. Arrange the chicken, asparagus, and mozzarella on the sheet. Roll in roulades. Place the roulades in the baking pan. Bake in an oven for 25-30 minutes to 180°C (350°F). Bake until golden brown.

I like the mozzarella a little bit burnt, and I also sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. Serve hot!

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Friday Potluck

Home-made Gnocchi with Simple Tomato Sauce

My very first time to make this Simple Home-made Gnocchi (Italian Dumplings),I think I could still improved it next time specially the shape. I had difficulty in shaping the fork in each dough. My mashed potato is too soft, that's why I added more flour into it. For the first timer, the taste is simply good!

For the gnocchi:

1 big potato

some all purpose flour

1 egg

salt

olive oil

For the sauce:

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

some fresh basil leaves, chopped

Italian seasoning

salt and peppert

Cook the potatoes until soft, drain, let cool, and mash the potato. Knead the mash potato with egg, flour, salt, and a drop of olive oil until the mixture is well mixed. Take a handful of dough and roll into strips. Cut cross-wise into bite size.

Heat a drop of olive oil, add tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add little hot water, let it boil until cook. Blend the sauce in the blender, then bring back to boil until thicken.

Bring salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi, cook until they rise to the surface. Drain the gnocchi, toss with the sauce for a minute.

Parmesan cheese can be added, if desired. Serve immediately.

My Meatless Monday

Fish with Garlic and Tomatoes

Originally, the name of the recipe is Cod Fish with Garlic and Tomatoes (Merluzzo Fresco Con Aglio E Pomodoro) from my favorite Italian Cookbook by Guiliano Gasali's Kitchen. I used salmon and fresh basil instead of Cod and fresh thyme. Tomatoes should be peeled and seeded, but I added everything.

1 piece fish (cod or salmon)

6 garlic gloves, sliced

1 large tomatoes (2 medium), peeled, seeded, and diced

bunch of fresh thyme (I used basil)

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the tomatoes in a bowl. Add the thyme or basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir gently and allow to marinate for a while. Cut the fish in 4 pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic for few minutes until fragrant or slightly brown. Add the fish and saute for few minutes. Turn the fish carefully. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Add the marinated tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Serve the fish with the tomatoes around and garlic sliced over the fish.

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Canned Tuna Penne

Once in a while, I'm using canned food to make dish especially when I'm busy. I used tuna in water and just added olive oil. Fresh herbs will be better, if available. I've seen in Food Magazine (June Edition) from the Philippines. It's a must that I added vegetables if I'm eating canned food or any instant food.

4-5 black olives, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
parsley (dried)
basil (dried)
1 small tuna, drained
1 small lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1 cup penne
salt and pepper
few broccoli, blanched

In a serving bowl, combine olives, garlic, parsley, basil, brocolli, and tuna. Mix gently, breaking up tuna very slightly. Set aside. Cook the penne according to package, or until al dente. Drain, place it in the bowl with the tuna mixture. Dress with lemon and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well, serve immediately.

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Penne with Crab Paste Flavor

Another summer flavor here, a very simple way to prepare for those in a hurry for a quick lunch.

1 cup of penne
1 large tomato, chopped
5 pieces crab paste, sliced
2 galic cloves, minced
few fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to boil, add the penne and cook until al dente.
In a pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. Add crab paste. Season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally. Drain the penne and toss with the sauce. Ad the basil and saute for a minute. Serve on a dish, sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper.

Tomato and Cheese Pizza

OK, again my oven toaster is very useful! This time I made pizza for a change and I think there will be more pizza coming, I just love it!

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough:
100g bread flour (I used whole wheat)
50g cake flour
100ml water
1/4 tablespoon sugar
1/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry yeast
15g unsalted butter
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce:
10g butter
100g onion, chopped
200g tomato, skinless and chopped
salt
black pepper
sugar
Italian Seasoning
tomato sauce (optional)

For the Toppings:
1big tomato, sliced
200g mozzarella cheese

To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, salt, water and yeast in a bowl. Whisk. Add  butter, and knead until dough becomes elastic. Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm temperature place for first rise for 20 minutes. When the dough double its size, take out and knead out air bubbles. Rest for another 20 minutes for the second fermentation. 

Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce by sauteing the onion in butter until fragrant. Add black pepper and Italian seasoning, stir well. Add tomato dice, sugar and tomato sauce. Simmer mixture until liquid dries out, season with salt to taste.

When the dough is ready to use, place the dough in a pizza pan and roll out. Spread tomato sauce evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over it, place sliced fresh tomato, then sprinkle again with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 185°C.

I like it a little bit burnt.

Here, have some slices of my first pizza ever made!

Tomato Bruschetta

6 pieces slice french bread

100g fresh tomatoes, diced

10g fresh basil, chopped

15g garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon (balsamic vinaigrette)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

Toast the french bread or bake until dried. In a bowl, toss together tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Season with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinate for 10 minutes. Strain extra juice the the marinate. Place a spoonful of tomato mixture on top of French bread and sprinkle with sesame seed (optional).

Actually, I heated the tomato mixture (as seen in the picture) just for few minutes before I place on top of the French bread.