Artichoke Risotto

                Risotto is a rice dish from northern Italy, which is traditionally cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. This is the most common style of cooking rice in Italy. The rice variety generally used are the short grain white rice, which can absorb liquids and release starch, hence making nice creamy risottos. The primary variety used is Arborio rice which is high in starch and makes good risottos.
               Risotto can be made in various ways, with different vegetables, wines, broths, cheeses etc. Here is one variation, Artichoke Risotto.

Ingredients;

• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 3 cups Vegetable broth
• 1 cup Artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup Sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Onions
• 2 tbsp Pine nuts
• 2 Garlic cloves sliced
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 2 tsp Olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Dried Parsley (optional)

Instructions:

• Take a medium pan, roast the pine nuts for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and keep it aside.
• Heat some olive oil in the same pan. Add the garlic and stir it till it golden brown.

• Now add the onions and salt. Cook the onions till they are translucent.

• Then add the Arborio rice and stir it properly. Make sure all the rice kernels are coated with oil.

• Cook the rice for 2-3 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the vegetable broth in another pan on medium heat.
• Once the rice is sizzling, start adding the vegetable broth, one cup at a time.
• After the first cup of broth is absorbed, add the next cup.
• Be sure to stir frequently between additions.
• Continue adding the broth in this way, until the rice fully cooked. It should take around 18-20 minutes.

• The risotto should be loose. If it is too dry, you can add a bit more broth.
• Once the risotto is almost done, stir in the pine nuts, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes.

• Finally, add the lime zest and black pepper and give a stir lightly.

• Garnish with little parsley and serve hot.

Eggplant Parmigiana

                     Eggplant Parmigiana is one of my husband's favorite Italian dishes. He always wants to order it, especially at Olive Garden, but since we usually share the entrees and I don't like eggplants, he can't order it most of the time. So I made a plan to make it for him.
                   The Eggplant Parmigiana that you get in restaurants are extremely greasy and cheesy and so I decided to try to instead bake it without oil and minimal cheese. Also, traditional Eggplant Parmigiana recipes use egg yolks to stick the bread crumbs to the eggplants, but since we don't eat eggs, I used rice flour paste instead.
                  So, here is a healthier version of the Olive garden styled Eggplant Parmigiana. Hope you all like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 big Eggplant
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Black Pepper powder
• 1 tsp Basil leaves
• 1 tsp Parsley leaves
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• 1 cup Marinara Sauce
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp Rice flour
• 1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Optional)

Instructions:

• Take the bread crumbs in the bowl. Add salt, pepper, basil leaves, parsley leaves and lemon pepper and mix it well. Keep it aside.

• Slice the eggplant into slices, of about 1/2 inch width.
• Sprinkle some salt and pepper on both sides of eggplant and place them on the baking tray.

• Roast the eggplants in pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes at 400 F. 
• In the mean time, dissolve the rice flour in 1/2 cup water and make it like thin paste.
• Place the rice flour paste and bread crumbs mix next to each other.

• Once the eggplants are well done, remove them from oven.
• Soak the roasted eggplants in the rice flour paste to wet them nicely and then dip them in the bread crumbs mix. 

• Make sure the eggplants are coated properly on both sides.
• Continue the same process for all the eggplants and again place them on the baking tray

• Cover the tray with the foil and bake again for 20 minutes at 400F.
• Once it is done, spread about 1-2 spoons of marinara sauce on each slice. You may use as much sauce as you want, but excess sauce may make it a bit soggy.
• Sprinkle some cheese on top of it.

• And bake uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, till the cheese is nicely melted
• Serve hot and enjoy.

Crispy Spaghetti Balls

                     Tonight, me and my husband were in the mood for some Italian food, but wished for something different than the usual pasta dishes. So, I tried to think of some new Italian dish that would be fun, and not too difficult to make. And I thought of making Spaghetti balls with Tomato sauce. So, here is my recipe for this unorthodox Italian dish. I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Spaghetti
• 1 cup finely chopped Onions
• 1 cup boiled Corn
• 4 cups Hot Milk
• 3/4 cup Refined flour (Maida)
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Semolina 
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Boil the Spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain and keep it aside
• Heat some butter in a pan, and add the onions
• Saute them for a minute or so till they are translucent.
• Now add the refined flour and mix it well.
• Saute the mixture till it is golden brown.
• Then whisk it in the hot milk slowly and mix it well so that no lumps are formed.
• Continue cooking till the mixture thickens.
• Now mix in the corn and spaghetti. Add salt and pepper according to the taste and mix well
• Let the mixture cool down completely.

• In the meanwhile, heat the oil in another pan for deep frying
• Once the mixture has cooled down, add the cheese to it and mix it well
• Then, shape them into small balls. Roll these balls in some semolina properly

• Fry them till they are golden and crisp.
• Serve hot with the pasta sauce of your choice. I tried it with a reduction of this Pasta Sauce.

Spinach Crostini

              As you may have guessed from my previous posts, Spinach is one of my favorite greens. Considering the abundant nutrients in these little green leaves, I try to incorporate in various different dishes and always love experimenting with it

               So here is my yet another spinach dish, Spinach Crostini.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Ciabatta bread
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic clove halved
• 3 Garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 8 cups Spinach leaves
• 1 cup Italian Cheese (I used Mozzarella and Italian Blend mixed)
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Cut the bread into 1/2 inch thick slices
• Preheat the oven at 400^o F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on the baking sheet and drizzle them with Olive Oil.
• Bake them for about 10 minutes or until they are light golden brown.
• When done, let them cool for 2 minutes. 
• Then, with the halved garlic, rub the warm toasts to give them a nice garlicky flavor
• Set the toasts aside. Then, heat a pan over medium heat. 
• Add 3 tbsp Olive oil
• Add the garlic and saute it for a minute or until it is fragrant.
• Now add the spinach and cook it for about 2-3 minutes.
• Then add salt and red pepper flakes and mix it well
• Remove it from heat
• Now, using tongs, arrange this spinach mixture on top of the toasts evenly.
• Sprinkle it with cheese.
• Bake it for another 7-8 minutes at 400^o F until the cheese melts and starts bubbling.
• Serve hot and Enjoy!

Ricotta and Spinach Manicotti

                  As you may have already guessed through previous posts, both me and my husband are big lovers of Italian food. We love to explore different Italian restaurants and try different dishes.

             At one such local family owned restaurant, I got to try Manicotti, a type of stuffed pasta. I had something like this for the first time and loved it. Ever since then, I wanted to try and make it at home. So here is my attempt on this Italian classic.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Manicotti Pasta Shells (around 14 shells)
• 1 container (15 oz) Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian Blend Cheese
• 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 cups chopped Spinach
• 2-3 minced Garlic Cloves
• 2-3 cups Pasta Sauce
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400^o F
• Cook the Manicotti Shells as per the package directions.
• Rinse with cold water and drain
• Chop the spinach and keep it aside
• Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the Ricotta cheese, Italian blend cheese, half of Parmesan cheese, garlic and spinach
• Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and mix it well

• In bottom of an ungreased glass baking dish, spread a cup of pasta sauce

• Now, fill the Manicotti with the cheese mixture and place it over the sauce in the dish
• Repeat it with all the remaining Manicotti shells

• Pour remaining sauce over the Manicotti
• Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on it. 

• Then, cover tightly with the aluminum foil and bake for 28-30 minutes
• Uncover it and serve hot

Tips:

• Italian Blend cheese add a distinctive flavor to the dish, but you can substitute it with Mozzarella Cheese
• You can make this recipe in advance. Cover it with foil and refrigerate it until ready to bake. Bake when you want to serve. You might need to bake it for an additional 10 minutes.

Lemon-Pepper Linguini Pasta

                   Me and my husband are big lovers of Italian food, especially Pasta. While we love having our Pasta with different types of sauces like the one we saw previously, today we decided on trying out pasta with sauteed vegetables and some exciting flavors. The lemon zest adds a nice citric and refreshing flavor to it, and the spice complements it nicely. So let's embark on this flavorful journey

Ingredients:

• 1 pkt Linguini Pasta
• 1 cup sliced Onions
• 1 cup sliced Color Peppers
• 2-3 crushed Garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil/Butter
• 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
• 1 tbsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Red Pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 0.5 tsp Parsley leaves
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Cook the Linguini pasta as per the package instructions
• Drain and keep it aside
• Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds to it.
• Once the cumin seeds start to crackle, add garlic to it and saute it for a minute
• Now add the onions to it. Add some salt to it and saute it till it turns translucent
• Then add peppers and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
• Now add the black pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley leaves and lemon zest  and mix it well
• Now stir in the cooked Linguini and cook it for 2 minutes or until well coated
• Serve hot and enjoy

Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

              There are a number ways to make sauces for pasta. Today, I will give you a tomato based pasta sauce that can go with majority types of pastas like Penne, Fusilli, Bow Tie, Macaroni etc. It is also a healthier alternative with all the fresh ingredients

Ingredients:

• 5-6 diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup diced Onions
• 1 cup diced Green Peppers
• 2-3 cloves crushed Garlic
• 2 tbsp crushed Red Pepper
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 2 tsp dried Basil leaves
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Heat some Olive oil in the pan
• Add garlic and onions and saute them till the onions turn translucent
• Now add the diced green peppers and tomatoes and mix it well
• Add salt, cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.
• Then add the dried spices like red pepper, oregano, basil leaves, black pepper and simmer it for 7-10 mins

• Serve it hot with pasta of your choice. I love with multi-color bow tie pasta.

If you like the recipe, please leave a comment/feedback below.