Nonna Pina's Egg Sandwich

This is a simple (and quick!) recipe to add flavor to a boring ham and cheese sandwich. It was passed on to me by my best friend's grandmother, a woman whose generosity and class have been an inspiration to many. Year after year, Nonna Pina and her husband Mario welcomed me with open arms into their beach house in Sicily. They gifted me with some of my best teenage memories, allowing me to spend my summers eating fresh seafood and rolling around in the sand from dusk till down (all of my Sicilian adventures and misadventures have been well documented through travel journals and nostalgic pictures, always available to my best friend Federica and I every time we are in need of a good laugh). A big GRAZIE goes to Nonna Pina and her entire family for making me feel part of the clan, and for feeding me food that was beyond delicious.

The original recipe is a simple "egg bread" (as pictured). To make the sandwich just add a slice of cheese and a few slices of ham (because of the rich texture and flavor of the bread, that is all you need).

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

• 2 thick slices of rustic bread 
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 slice cheese of your choice (I like Swiss)
• 2 slices ham

Steps:

1. Beat eggs and grated cheese together. Add salt and pepper and whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl.
2. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Grill on a large skillet on medium high heat (you can use some butter or olive oil). Cook until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.
3. Add slice of cheese and ham. Cook until cheese is melted.

Tortellini in Brodo

This past summer I spent 2 amazing weeks in my homeland, and my taste buds must have readjusted to the deliciously fresh and organic flavors of Italia, because several months later even thinking about eating something from a can makes me shiver. So here I am, watching football (yes, you read it correctly, football, not soccer) and making homemade beef broth, which takes only one thing: TIME (now you know why I waited for football season to start to make this yummy recipe). You literally throw everything in the pot, cook for three hours, add the tortellini and serve. It is that simple.

Ingredients

Broth:

• 2 lb short ribs (I used Hereford short ribs)
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• 3 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Tortellini:

• 2 packages of tortellini

Steps

1.       In a large pot, add water, vegetables, salt and meat.

2.       Cook for 3-3 ½ hours

3.       Add tortellini and cook for 8-10 minutes (follow package instructions)

4.       Transfer to serving bowls. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Voila! A perfect yummy cold-weather meal is ready to be enjoyed!

Ravioli with Butter-Sage Sauce

Be My Valentine... in 8 minutes!  

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach...

...but I promise that if this Valentine's Day you surprised a woman with a homemade dinner like this, she will melt just like the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the ravioli. This is your chance to be a romantic uomo italiano for a night; all you need is a quick trip to the grocery store (just 6 easy-to-find ingredients) and 8 minutes!

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

• 1 (4.5 ounce) package fresh ravioli (available at any grocery store)
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 6 sage leaves
• pinch of salt 
• 1/3 cup tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions (it takes about 5 minutes).
2. While the ravioli are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter, add the sage leaves, a pinch of salt, and cook over a medium high heat.
3. Grate the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
4. Drain the ravioli. Transfer to a large bowl or a plate, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pour the butter-sage sauce over ravioli. 
5. Season with ground black pepper and serve hot. Now go get lucky ;)

Tip #1: If you are a bit of a health freak like my husband and I, try whole wheat ravioli (available at Whole Foods). 
 
Tip #2: This butter-sage sauce is also great on gnocchi! 

I can’t believe it’s not GELATO!

This is my quick fix to Summer homesickness. It brings back memories of sunny days spent with my cousins Stefano and Valeria diving into 40" blow up swimming pools and eating “gelato alla banana” that their grandma Giuseppina would make for us. The result of this recipe is not quite nonna Giuseppina’s gelato, but it does the trick (and probably cuts the calories down to at least 1/2).

P.S. The Smurfs glass is also part of my nostalgic trip down memory lane... :)

Ingredients (2-4 people):

• 2 bananas
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon almond butter

Equipment:

• Measuring cups/spoons
• Blender

Steps:

1. Slice two bananas and place in the freezer.
2. Once banana slices are frozen put all ingredients into a blender.
3. Blend until smooth and creamy. Buona Estate!

Riso Freddo

Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 10-15 minutes (depending on the type of rice); Cooling time: 30 minutes.





This is THE Italian Rice Salad. Italian (Summer) Cooking at its best. Easy, fresh, colorful... and full of flavor. Pair with a chilly glass of white wine. 

Tip: buy Swiss cheese and ham at a good Deli. Ask for a 1/2 inch thick slice of each, then cut into cubes.

 Ingredients (4 people):

• 2 cups cooked rice (prefer whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can tuna in extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup canned corn
• 1/2 cup swiss cheese cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup good quality ham cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup olives (optional)

Steps:

1. Cook rice as directed, adding salt in the water.
2. Transfer rice in a large serving bowl and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
3. Add tuna, corn, cheese, ham and olives and stir.
4. Place bowl in the fridge and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Meatballs in Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes  Cook time: 18 minutes

Thanks to my mom for inspiring this delicious recipe. The aroma from the balsamic vinegar sauce will get your mouth watering as you wait in anticipation for that first bite... just ask my husband, who stalks the kitchen looking like he hasn't eaten in days every time I make it. Last but not least, a BIG thanks to aunt Liz (my husband’s aunt) for trying my recipe and sending me pictures!

Extra Yummy Tip: This meatball recipe has plenty of flavor. However, I could not resist from sharing an extra yummy tip: add a small piece of cheese (the size of a pea) in the center of each meatball. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Healthy Tip: substitute ground sirloin for ground turkey.

Ingredients (4 people):

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 teaspoons chopped up fresh rosemary
• 2 1/2 ounces grated parmesan cheese
• 3 slices fresh bread (left out for a couple of days then grated in a blender)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup chicken broth

Steps:

1. In a large mixing bowl mix ground sirloin, egg, salt, pepper, rosemary, parmesan cheese, and fresh bread crumbs.
2. Scatter flour on a large plate.
3. Make meatballs taking a small piece of meat and rolling it between your hands. Each meatball should be slightly bigger than a golfball.
4. Roll each meatball in flour and brown in olive oil.  Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar, then add chicken broth.  Cover the pan and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Quick & Tasty Tomato Sauce

This is the perfect on-the-go pasta sauce. Just place all the ingredients in a container and refrigerate overnight (up to 3-4 days). 
 I try to avoid cream based pasta sauces such as Alfredo Sauce (speaking of which, I hate to break it to you but there is no Alfredo Sauce in Italy... who is Alfredo anyway?) because cream has very high levels of fat. And I might be Italian, but I like my skinny jeans. I love this recipe because it is tomato based but still very creamy. If you are keeping an eye on your calorie intake try The Laughing Cow Wedges (for this recipe use one or two wedges). You can also use Bel Paese (which I personally love), fresh goat cheese, or even ricotta. Cheese has calcium, which neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes, it also makes the sauce thicker and creamier. Not bad for a low calorie recipe!

Tip: You can make a few changes to this recipe and have a whole different sauce. Substitute the organic crushed tomatoes for canned cherry tomatoes, crush the garlic cloves instead of removing them before cooking, and keep the basil leaves. Buon Appetito!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients (4 people):

• 4 fresh (possibly organic) basil leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can (14 oz) organic crushed tomatoes
• pinch of salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup creamy cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly graded pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Equipment:

• measuring cups
• container
• pan

Steps:

1. In a container mix basil, olive oil, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic and refrigerate overnight.
2. The following day remove garlic clove and basil, add creamy cheese, and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes
3. Pour over pasta. Add pecorino or Parmesan cheese and serve!