Italian Recipes

Fivenations

No,an expensive Italian restaurant dishes but meatballs and meatloaf! Sounds so elegant in Italian so next time you dish up your humble offerings to an ungrateful crowd call them by their Italian/french or spanish names! And dont forget to garnish - no excuse now the summer is at hand!

Anyone got any other "posh" sounding frugal food?

Also. would anyone be interested in my starting a thread on Frugal Italian recipes? I cant find one to add to.

Pink.

Hi Fivenations,

As far as I can see there isn't a thread on Italian recipes, frugal or otherwise, so I'd love you to start one. I've only been to Italy once but the food was fabulous!

Pink

Churchmouse

I'd just like to echo Pink, I'd love a thread on Italian recipes:D

MoneyQueen

Me Too... Thanks

teedy23

Yip I,m for that. In fact I posted one somewhere on this site that a freind from Italy made, must ask him what it,s called. All it was was loads of broccoli and cauli with pasta. You heat some olive oil fry up some garlic in it add water your chopped up veg and reduce it almost to a paste, remember the ALMOST bit, throw in the pasta (dry) and let it all cook together, sounds, and I thought while he was making it, a bit naff. When it was cooked though mmmmm yum

Quasar

Well here is an Italian through and through who will be delighted to contribute.

nikibella

Hi
I'm also Italian, so now we are a small crowd.

Fivenations

I was hoping you'd say that Quasar and Nikibella! And I bet there are other Paesan lurking out there too.

Now, this may come as a shock to a lot of you but the truth is THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ITALIAN COOKING! Italy didn't exist until around 1870 when the various duchies, princedoms, kingdoms, and states were finally unifiied. Many of the States, even cities, had been at war for centuries, some say they still are, or were very hostile to each other. Many were also ruled by the Spanish, Germans, French or Austrians, who together with the original people, the Etruscans and Greeks, left influences still felt today. This is also the reason that Italywhile Italy has only one unifying Italian language, it has hundreds of different spoken dialects. Add to that the varied geography and a strong peasant heritage and you end up with a cuisine that has more regional varieities than you can shake a stick at.

Enough history - now the recipes!

Fivenations

All over Italy families will start their main meal of the day, usually lunch, with either soup, pasta or risotto and follow this with a small amount of meat or fish then finish of with some fruit. Desserts are often reserved for special occasions or the weekend.

Minestrone literally means Big Soup and there are probably as many versions as there are cooks in Italy. Basic minestrone contains onions, celery, carrot, garlic, tomatoes, some dried beans, a little pasta or rice, and an assortment of seasonal vegetables. It is delicious made with inexpensive vegetables available all winter, such as carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes and canned tomatoes. It is equally good in summer with even less expensive green beans, peas, fresh tomatoes, spinach, and courgettes from your garden. It is heavenly when made with homemade stock but is also good when made with good quality stock cubes. Feel free to add whatever you have. Tinned soup will never taste the same again!

INGREDIENTS
• ½ cup dried cannelloni or borlotti beans, soaked overnight or 1 can of ready cooked beans. (I find that many brands of tinned beans are undercooked. Try to buy an Italian brand where the beans melt in your mouth)
• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon each dried oregano, and basil
• 1 can (1 6 ounce) of tomatoes with juice, chopped
• 2 ½ litres (4 pints) boiling water
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery with extra leaves, sliced.
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup small pasta (stars, shells, orzo, etc.) or rice
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD
Heat the oil in a soup pot and gently cook the onion, carrots and celery until they are soft and beginning to turn brown.

Add the garlic, herbs, and tomatoes and let them bubble up; add the uncooked beans and the boiling water, bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer the soup, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are cooked. If using fresh beans simmer for just 30 minutes.
Add the potato, salt, pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes. Also add any other vegetable at this point.

Add the pasta or rice and simmer briskly until done – about 10-15 minutes.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4 in our house!

Minestrone makes a great main course. Serve it with lots of crusty rolls or garlic bread, a big salad, and a fruity dessert.

If you want to make this in advance leave out the pasta/rice and add it when you reheat.

Turn this into a Provencal type soup by adding a dollop of pesto to each serving.

daysieblue

This minestrone looks delicious - is it possible to do it in the slow cooker?

Fivenations

This very frugal dish is from Trentino Alto Adige region, once part of the Austro HUngarian Empire. It can also be made without meat.

Canederli (Bread Dumplings)
INGREDIENTS
• 450 g (1lb) loaf of stale white bread
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan - well, it's cheaper in Italy! You could try a strong cheddar or get a friend to take you to Costco where they sell Grana for £8 a kilo.
• 110 g (4 oz) cooked meat, minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

METHOD
Cut the bread up into cubes and soak in a bowl of warm milk until it has been almost all absorbed.
Pulp the bread and mix with the eggs (slightly beaten), meat, parsley, cheese.
Blend ingredients well. Make dumplings the size of large eggs.
Roll them in flour and lower them into boiling stock. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve in bowls with grated cheese on top or with broth. Can also be served with goulash.