Bowties with Shrimp in Creamy Tomato Sauce

After three servings each and stuffed bellies, both my dad and Carmine exclaimed this was the best pasta they have ever had. Ok so maybe they are being a little dramatic, but from a family who eats pasta at least twice a week, that has got to hold some merit. A spin on the classic alla vodka sauce, this creamy sauce is livened up with some white wine and loaded with fresh herbs. Try the recipe below and see if Carmine and my dad were right.

Recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients
1 lb Bowtie pasta (or any other shape of your choice)
2 lbs large shrimp, cleaned with the tails off
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
28 oz Tuttorosso tomato sauce
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

Put a large stock pot of lightly salted water up and bring it to a boil. (We will use this to cook the pasta). Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside. (Coat with about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together).

In a large skillet, melt the butter and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until opaque. Remove shrimp to a bowl and reserve. Add the remaining olive oil to the same skillet along with the onion and garlic. Turn heat to medium high and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the white wine and turn up the heat. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until the wine reduces by at least half.

Pour in the tomato sauce and give everything a good stir and bring the sauce up to a slow boil. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the heavy cream as the sauce is simmering. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. With about 3 minutes left on the clock, toss in the herbs and seasoning and give it a good stir. Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss to coat with the sauce.

Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and cover with sauce. Stir it all together so the sauce is evenly distributed. Serve with extra sauce on the side and lots of grated cheese for topping. Enjoy!

Pasta alla Ratatouille

A quick disclosure - this is MY version of a ratatouille. It does not follow classic French cooking standards, but I think it tastes just as good. I had a surplus of great vegetables on hand from my crop share and this was one great way to use them up. This is great as a side dish, but you can also throw it over pasta or rice to serve it as a meal.

Recipe yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic
3 large zucchini
1 large eggplant
1 medium yellow onion
5 lbs. tomatoes
1/2 lb. green beans
1-2 tbsp salt (this is based on a taste test and preference)
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 lbs whole wheat pasta

Start off by preparing your vegetables. You are going to want to mince the garlic, slice the onion and dice the zucchini and eggplant. If your green beans are extra long, you can cut them in half to make them more manageable when it comes time to eat.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add your garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant and add in the onion, zucchini and eggplant. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, start to dice the tomatoes. You want to cut them into about 1/2" cubes. Add the tomatoes and all the juices to the pot and stir it all together. Using the back of your spoon, 'smoosh and squish' the tomatoes to extract more juices. Remember, this is a very rustic dish, so nothing has to be perfect. After all the tomatoes are added, bring the mixture to a boil. Add your salt, pepper and chopped basil and continue to boil. You can lower the heat to medium, but you still want to see some bubbles. Cook for about 15 minutes before adding the green beans.

Cooking time will vary depending on the sizes of the vegetables and how small/large you cut them. Continue to check the vegetables until they are tender. The zucchini is likely to take the longest to cook. Overall, my pot sat at a slow boil for about 15 minutes. Once your comfortable with the flavors and textures (remember, you can always add more salt and pepper depending on your tastes), shut off the heat and mix in the chopped parsley.

Now you can pour this delicious mixture over your pasta and serve alongside a crispy French baguette. Delicieux! Bon Appetit!

Baked Zucchini Rounds

I love simple baked eggplant rounds sprinkled with a little grated Parmesan cheese or dipped in tomato sauce. With that in mind, and plenty of zucchini flowing from my crop share, I decided to slice up the zucchini and prep it like I would an eggplant. These are similar to fried zucchini sticks but have two key differences. First, they are much healthier since we are going to bake them and not fry them. Secondly, it is much easier to cut these rounds than it is to slice the zucchini into sticks. A healthy and easy treat, let's get started!

Recipe yields 3-4 servings (as an appetizer)

Ingredients

1 large zucchini

1 large egg

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Peel and slice the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Prepare your breading station with the usuals - egg and water in one bowl for your egg wash, flour in a second bowl and bread crumbs in the third bowl.

For each piece, first coat in flour, then dip into the egg wash and finally cover in the bread crumbs. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the prepared zucchini rounds.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip each piece and bake for an additional 8 minutes. You want the zucchini to be golden brown and crispy on the edges. Remove to a serving dish alongside tomato sauce for dipping.

Serve as an appetizer or alongside a bowl of pasta. Enjoy!

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Burgers

I like to think of these burgers as an inside out version of Chicken Parmesan. You have your chicken burgers, stuffed with mozzarella cheese and covered in a spicy tomato sauce. If that doesn't sound absolutely delicious, I don't know what does. These burgers are such a treat that everyone enjoys each time I make them.

Recipe yields about 8 burgers

Ingredients
2 lbs chopped chicken
8 balls of marinated mozzarella cheese (plus more for snacking!)
1 large scallion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp Worcester sauce

Burger rolls (I used onion rolls I picked up from the bakery - they were delicious!)

For the sauce:
1 large can Tuttorosso tomato sauce
3 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Finely mince the garlic and shallot.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of your ingredients.

Mix them all together to evenly incorporate all ingredients throughout the meat.

Grab a handful of the mixture and create a burger with a hollow center. Add in a ball of mozzarella and cover it up with another pinch of meat. Your goal here is to bury the mozzarella into the middle of the burgers.

Arrange your burgers on a platter until you are ready to cook them.

Add a teaspoon of oil to a hot skillet. Add your burgers and cook on medium heat about 4 minutes per side.

You want the outsides to have a golden crust and the insides to be white - no sign of pink here, please!

While your burgers are cooking, add your sauce to a pot with your spices. Give it a good stir and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower it to a simmer until you are ready to use it.

Slice your buns and place a chicken burger on the bottom half. Top with a heaping spoonful of tomato sauce.

Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping and enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan and Tuttorosso Giveaway!!

I have a big announcement today - I am having my first GIVEAWAY!! One lucky reader is going to win a gift pack filled with items from Tuttorosso Tomatoes. If you are a regular, I am sure you know I am always bragging about Tuttorosso and how delicious their tomatoes are. Now one lucky winner will be able to receive a Tuttorosso gift pack at home filled with Tuttorosso goodies such as recipe cards and cans of tomatoes! Be sure to check out Tuttorosso on Facebook and on their website for great recipes, videos and more!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here or email me at theonebehindtheapron@gmail.com and tell me what your all time favorite Italian meal is. That's it! I will be randomly selecting a winner on Friday, December 14th by 5PM. So make sure you get your entry in! Please be sure to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim their prize. Good luck!

**This contest is now closed!**

As I ask you for your favorite Italian dishes, it is only right that I share one of mine. It is a tried and true classic - Chicken Parmesan. And let me tell you a little secret, a key ingredient is none other than Tuttorosso tomato sauce.

Recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients
2  lbs chicken cutlet
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
29 oz can tomato sauce (obviously Tuttorosso!)
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1 lb spaghetti or linguine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set up your prep station by putting the flour in one bowl, breadcrumbs in another, and mixing the egg and water in a third bowl to make your egg wash.

With each chicken cutlet, first dredge in the flour and shake off any excess. Next coat with the egg wash. Finally cover generously with the breadcrumbs. As each one is prepared place on a well greased baking sheet (use about 1 tbsp of olive oil on the bottom). Note: I am showing this recipe with baked chicken cutlets at a high heat so they become crispy without frying them. However, I also sometimes fry the chicken cutlets. It is up to you! If you want to fry them, just put that oil in a skillet instead of on the baking sheet.

Once all chicken cutlets are prepared and lined up on your baking sheet, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of them. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, flip the chicken over and cook for 8-10 more minutes so that it becomes crispy and golden on both sides.

While the chicken is in the oven, start to boil your water for the pasta. Once the pot comes to a rolling boil, add a generous amount of sea salt to the water. This is a little trick that helps to flavor the pasta. Add your pasta and cook about 8 minutes or until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, add your sauce to a sauce pot to heat it up!

Once chicken is finished, remove from the oven and either keep them on the baking sheet or move to a baking dish - the choice is yours. (I am going to keep mine on the sheet because the fewer dirty dishes, the better!) For each piece of chicken, put a heaping spoonful of warm sauce on top and then a slice of mozzarella cheese. Repeat for all the chicken and then return to the oven on max broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has fully melted.

While your cheese is melting, toss together your pasta and sauce in a serving bowl.

Serve your chicken over the pasta with a spoonful of extra sauce. Even better, put the extra sauce on the table - I can guarantee everyone will be going in for more sauce! Enjoy your meal and savor the deliciousness that is Tuttorosso!

Supreme Sloppy Joes

There is nothing like chowing down on a delicious sloppy joe sandwich, licking your fingers clean and scooping up every last piece of meat that managed to escape your bun. This recipe is packed with flavor but quick and easy to put together. It is a great meal for a week night when you are tired or working late and cooking just about anything seems too difficult. Try this recipe and you will not be disappointed, nor will the people you are feeding!

Disclaimer: All photos in this post are courtesy of Carmine DeVito.

Recipe yields 8-10 sandwiches

Ingredients
2.5 lbs lean chopped meat (I used beef)
1 large yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp beef seasoning (I used McCormick's but you can easily make your own)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Worcester sauce
29 oz can of tomato sauce (By now you all know I love Tuttorosso)
6 oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sandwich Rolls

Add olive oil to a deep skillet and heat on medium-high heat. Add chopped meat. Mix in brown sugar and seasoning until it is well incorporated with the meat. 

While meat is cooking, chop the onion and bell pepper.

When meat begins to brown, add onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcester sauce to skillet. Mix well. Lower heat to medium.

Cook until vegetables become tender. The onions should become translucent. At this stage, add half the can of tomato sauce and combine with meat mixture. Then add the can of tomato paste and mix into sauce until sauce begins to thicken up. Slowly add the second half of tomato sauce until you reach your desired thickness. (Reminder: As the sauce cooks and then settles, it will become thicker; so at this stage you are still looking for your sauce to be a little on the thinner side.)

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should become significantly thicker. Remove from heat and place in a serving dish. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes prior to serving to allow the sauce to settle. Take advantage of these 5 minutes to lightly toast the buns for your sandwiches. Spoon the mixture onto each bun, serve and enjoy!

Spanish Rice

Hope you enjoy this simple rice recipe that adds a nice twist to plain rice.

Recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup long grain white rice

1 onion (I had a red onion on hand that I used, but I think yellow would work best)

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Heat olive oil in large skillet and brown rice. Finely chop onion and garlic and add to rice. Cook for about 4-6 minutes, until onions are soft.

In the meantime, add chicken stock to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add tomato paste, oregano and salt. Mix well until paste is well combined. Add rice mixture to broth and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. (You want the rice to be moist, do not wait until all liquid is removed or the rice will become very dry.) Let rice sit for 5 minutes to settle. Serve & enjoy!