I have both northern and southern Italian blood in me. My maiden name is Mazzaferro. Although I enjoy all types of Italian food, I tend to favor northern Italian cuisine. Italy, consisting of many provinces, did not become a completely unified country until the annexation of Papal Rome in 1870.
This page is dedicated to the memory of my parents, Alfred and Nancy (Panasci) Mazzaferro
~Chicken Italiano~
3/4lb Thin strips chicken breast
3/4 cup Italian dressing (may use low fat)
1 pk Italian style frozen vegetables (16 oz)
Hot cooked pasta
Grated parmesan cheese to taste
In large skillet, combine chicken and 1/3 of the Italian dressing.
Saute until chicken begins to brown.
Add vegetables and remaining dressing.
Cover; simmer 7-9 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
Serve over pasta; sprinkle with cheese.
~Veal Cutlets~
1 lb. veal cutlets, sliced thin
Olive oil for cooking
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp.salt
1/2 clove garlic,minced fine
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
pepper to taste
Combine all dry ingredients with garlic.
Dip cutlets in beaten eggs, then in mixture of seasoned bread crumbs.
Fry in olive oil until browned; drain on paper towel.
~Whitefish Pescara~
1 1/3 pounds whitefish
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste.
Place fish in a skillet and cover with water; bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until fish is cooked throughout, about 8 minutes.
Remove fish, place in platter.
Top fish with onion, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.
Season to taste.
Cool to room temperature and serve.
~Stuffed Shells Primavera~
1 package (12 ounces) jumbo pasta shells for stuffing, cooked and drained
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
2 medium zucchini, shredded
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch nutmeg
1 lb. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
28oz. tomato sauce of choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet, sauté broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, onion and carrots in butter until vegetables are tender; season with nutmeg.
In large bowl, thoroughly combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese and basil.
Add sautéed vegetables; stir to mix well.
Spoon 1 cup sauce evenly in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Fill shells with vegetable-cheese mixture. Arrange in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells.
Bake covered, 45 minutes. Bake uncovered, 10 minutes or until bubbly.
~Pizza Rustica~
This is also known as "Pizza Gane" in many Italian dialects. This is a dish that is traditionally served at Easter.
Dough
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Filling
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 ounces spicy salami, cut into 1/3-inch dice
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glazing
Make the dough: Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks and oil to the well and blend together with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour into the well until a dough forms. Gently knead the dough until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Roll out two-thirds of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper to a 14-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a 9-inch springform pan; it should reach about two-thirds of the way up the side of the pan. Roll out the remaining third of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment to a 9-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate the dough until chilled.
Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salami and egg yolks. Stir in the basil and salt. Spread the filling evenly in the pastry-lined pan. Brush the rim of the dough with some of the egg glaze and set the dough round on top; press the edge down firmly to seal and brush the top evenly with more egg glaze.
Set the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour, or until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
Remove the side of the pan and let the pizza cool completely. Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the pizza to a plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
~Easter Pizza Pie~ This is a variation of the Pizza Rustica/Pizza Gane
1 ½ cup of flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
10 eggs
¾ cup milk
6oz. Mozzarella cheese
6oz. Farmer’s cheese
1 stick pepperoni
2 thick slices prosciutto
salt and pepper to taste
Dice all ingredients (cheese, pepperoni and prosciutto) into cubes. Blend together flour, eggs, milk and baking powder. Blend all ingredients together and pour into a greased 13 ½ x 9 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour. To serve, cut into small squares. Tastes best when served cold.
~Pasta e Fagioli~
This dish is also called "Pasta Fazool" in many southern Italian dialects
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
One 14½ ounce can chicken broth
One 14½ ounce can Italian style chopped tomatoes
One 15 ounce can white beans, drained
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed fennel seed
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup small pasta (shells or macaroni)
In large heavy saucepan, brown and crumble ground pork.
Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
Stir in all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until pasta is tender.
~Italian Wedding Soup~
Ingredients for meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey
¾ lb. lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup dry bread crumbs
4 tablespoons Parmesan grated cheese
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
Ingredients for the soup
10 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 cup broken spaghetti, uncooked
1 pound fresh spinach, chopped
Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and form 60 small meatballs; place them out on an oven pan.
Bake in a 350ºF oven about 15 minutes, turning once.
In a soup pot, combine the broth, carrots, celery, onion and basil.
Bring to a boil and lower the heat.
Simmer until the carrots are fork tender, then add the dry spaghetti, spinach and meatballs and simmer another 10 minutes.
Best served hot with Italian bread.
~POLENTA~
1 cup corn meal
1 cup cold water
3 cups hot water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups tomato sauce, or to taste
grated cheese-parmesan or romano
In pan, mix corn meal, 1 cup cold water.
Add 3 cups hot water and salt.
Cook over medium heat 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
Place in large dish, cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Mix together ricotta, eggs, baking powder and sugar; let stand 1 hour.
Add flour and salt to ricotta mixture until well blended.
When cooking oil is hot, drop dough by tablespoons in saucepan.
Puffs will turn themselves, and when brown all around, remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
When cool, puffs may be sprinkled with confectioners sugar.
I am very happy to say the above recipe won the Joanne Magliocco's recipe contest!
