Italian Recipes Remade

Caprese Salad

Antipasto "Before The Meal"

Dish prepared by: Bryce D'Arelli

Caprese salad is very popular among Italians and incorporates some of their key ingredients such as fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, and basil.  This salad is very fresh, healthy, and simple to make.  The ingredients can be found at any grocery store or farmer's market if you wish to make it with farm fresh ingredients.  Caprese salad is something I have had many times in Italian restaurants but had never thought to make myself.  I found large multi-colored heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar of Modena all at my local Trader Joes grocery store.  I simply sliced the tomatoes and cheese, sprinkled with a little salt, and drizzled with the olive oil and vinegar.  It was so simple yet unbelievably delicious and refreshing.  It is commonly eaten as a appetizer before a heavier main course, and is definitely something I will make again.

You can find the recipe here: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/caprese-salad-recipe/index.html

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Primo Piatto "First Course"

Dish prepared by Julia Keller

I decided to make an Italian classic: Spaghetti and Meatballs! Spaghetti originated on the Italian island of Sicily around the 12th century. Whenever I think of Italian food, pasta is one of the first meals that comes to mind. I really enjoyed making this dish because I have never made meatballs before. Making this meal was great because meatballs are super easy and everything tasted delicious! I shared my pasta with my roommates and they all loved it especially my meatballs. I can see why this dish is so popular in Italy! The recipe is simple and I will post my version below.

For Meatballs:

Ingredients needed: 1lb ground beef, 1 egg,1 teaspoon of onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and  shape into balls. Place on cooking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. 

For Pasta:

Ingredients needed: 1 package of spaghetti pasta, 1 can of tomato sauce

Cook pasta in water until al dente. Strain the pasta place back into pot. Add however much sauce needed and mix with pasta. Then add the meatballs and enjoy!

Ameretti Cookies

Dolce "Sweet" (Dessert)

Dish prepared by Gina Marraccini

Ameretti cookies are a traditional Italian dessert made from sugar, flour, egg whites, and Amaretto (almond ingredient). The legend behind the Amaretti goes: a baker and his fiancee made a mandatory special sweet grift for the visiting Cardinal of Milan in 1700s. The Cardinal loved the cookies so much he became a regular at the bakery. The cookies I made were delicious and fluffy, my Italian family enjoyed them very much!

Ingredients: 200 grams almond flour or very finely ground almonds 200 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 large egg whites (about 60 grams) pinch salt 1/2 teaspoon almond extract confectioners' sugar, as needed directions: In a large bowl, sift together almond flour, sugar, and flour. In a bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are foamy and fall into soft mounds (not quite soft peaks). Whisk in almond extract. Add to bowl with dry ingredients and stir until it comes together, kneading with your hands if necessary until it forms a sticky dough. Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar, scoop out pieces of dough (a small cookie scoop works perfectly) and roll into 1-inch balls. Arrange on parchment or silicon-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch of space between cookies. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, letting cookies sit out and dry in the meantime for about 15 to 20 minutes. When oven is preheated, bake cookies for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep, sealed in an 

airtight container, for up to 3 days.