The Tuscan Influence

The Tuscan Influence

Tuscan cooking is simple food, not covered in thick, heavy sauces. Cooking is done with olive oil—used as a salad dressing, poured over bread, and in soups and stews. Beans are a staple. Sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram are popular herbs. The farmland produces vibrant olive oil and delicious wine, wheat, and fruits. Chickens, cows, ducks, rabbits, and pigs are raised on small estates. The vegetables grown in Tuscany include artichokes, beans, asparagus, spinach, peas, and a wide variety of wild mushrooms.

There are MANY easy recipes that have Tuscan Influence. I've included two to start and will revisit this cuisine in later postings.

Tortellini with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

1 (9 oz.) package fresh three-cheese tortellini

2 tsp. Extra-Light Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp. minced garlic - mined or dry

1/2 to 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved

1 tbsp. fresh basil - chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (6 oz) pkg. fresh baby spinach

Cook tortellini according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, salt, and baby spinach to the skillet. Cook until the spinach wilts. Stir in tortellini - cook 1 minute. Makes 4 - 1 1/2 cup servings.

Note: You can substitute the fresh basil with dried basil. Read the dried basil bottle to find out the equivalent measure of fresh to dried.

Zucchini and Basil Lasagna

2 cups cottage cheese

1 cup fresh basil - chopped

1 large egg

PAM

4 cups zucchini - chopped

1/2 cup onion - chopped

2 cups pasta sauce - any flavor you prefer - jarred or bottled

9 oven-ready lasagna noodles

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) mozzarella cheese - shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cottage cheese, basil, and the egg in a food processor. You could also hand-beat the mixture or use an electric mixture, whichever is easier or you have available. Beat or process until smooth. Heat a large nonstick skillet coasted with PAM over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onion and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sauce; remove from heat.

Spread 1/2 cup zucchini mixture in bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with PAM. Arrange 3 noodles over zucchini mixture; top with 1/3 cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 zucchini mixture, and 1/3 mozzarella. Repeat with remaining noodles and so on. Cover with foil or a baking dish lid at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lasagna is thoroughly heated. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: Cottage cheese is a good substitute for ricotta cheese if you don't have it on hand. The oven-ready noddles and bottled or jarred sauce make it a quick dinner to make.

Do you have a favorite recipe with a Tuscan influence? Please share it - I'd love to try it.

Until next time....

Mangia Tutto!!

Another year in my Kitchen

Greetings From My Kitchen!!

I have loved reading and collecting recipes since I was a little girl. Now as an adult, I have the means – and end, which includes my family and friends – to try out these recipes in my own kitchen. In lieu of annual Holiday cards, I decided that sharing something from my heart – and kitchen – with family and friends each holiday season would keep my enthusiasm and passion for creating delicious, easy-to-make food, as well as help me to keep in touch with loved ones. My first edition of "A Year in My Kitchen" was sent to family and friends this 2009 holiday season. It was great fun to publish this little cookbook and the feedback I've gotten has been wonderful!!!

After much encouragement from friends and family, I decided to venture into the world of "blogging." I am very new at this and will no doubt make many mistakes, but I am hopeful that I can create interesting, informative, and amusing commentary about cooking and recipes for my family and friends, as well as for anyone else who has a similar interest in cooking.

There are many avenues down which I can explore and share the world of cooking with readers. My wish is to keep things simple and fun, and provide encouragement for others to enter their kitchens with one focus: preparing great food. How one chooses to meet that end is an individual choice. I merely intend to share my own experiences to guide the way.

I am a 5th grade school teacher in a suburb of Michigan and mother to three great kids - Drake, 17, Dane, 12, and Parker 6. I am not sure how much time I will have to devote to this new endeavor, but since I really enjoyed making my little cookbook, I think I will find updating and reading comments in a blog is something for which I will make time.

I decided to start this new blog with an excerpt from the 2009 "A Year in my Kitchen." Again, since I am new at this, I have to play around with the template, font, and size of the font in order to get my blog to look like how I envision it to look. If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks and Happy Cooking!!

Tomato Parmesan Soup
I first became interested in making a Tomato Parmesan Soup after tasting a wonderful version at Tim Horton’s@ one day at lunch. My friend, David Clifford, raved about it and he was absolutely correct! After some experimentation, I came up with this version, which is delicious and very filling.

2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes in juice 2 tbsp. Extra Light Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup butter
½ cup chopped onions – or minced onion – to taste ½ tsp. garlic salt
1 ½ cup celery - chopped 1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cans condensed tomato soup

Strain diced tomatoes, reserving juice. Combine diced tomatoes, olive oil, salt and black pepper in bowl; gently toss to blend. Place on baking sheet lined with foil and roast uncovered in preheated oven at 450°F for 20 minutes; reserve.

Melt butter in heavy soup pot, add onion and celery and cook over medium-low heat until onions are golden and tender. Add flour and stir to blend; cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, reserved tomatoes and juice, basil and sugar, stir until fully blended. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Add Parmesan cheese and stir to blend. Serve garnished with additional Parmesan, if desired. I like to sprinkle extra on the soup in my bowl before I dig in.