Cuisine: Italian

Stuffed Gnocchi Bolognese

With origins dating back to ancient times, gnocchi hold a prominent place in Italian culinary history, where it has been passed down through generations as a cherished comfort food. Today, it continues to be an essential part of Italian cuisine, adopting different names depending on the origin.

Gnocchi (pronounced no-kee) are soft dumplings that may be made from wheat flour, rice, semolina, ricotta cheese, potatoes, or breadcrumbs.  Gnocchi are made throughout Italy, but the stuffed version is made mainly in the Piedmont region. The key to making delicate potato gnocchi is to add as little flour as possible but enough to keep the dough together. The filling should have a robust flavor so that it stands out from the potato dough. 

For our stuffed gnocchi today, I’m making an Asiago/ricotta filling served in a meaty Bolognese sauce. Yum!

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 Stuffed Gnocchi Bolognese
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword stuffed gnocchi Bolognese
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Ingredients
Stuffed Gnocchi
Bolognese Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword stuffed gnocchi Bolognese
Servings
Ingredients
Stuffed Gnocchi
Bolognese Sauce
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Instructions
Stuffed Gnocchi
  1. Boil the whole potatoes with their skins until you can easily pierce them all the way through (about 20-25 minutes, depending on the dimension of the potatoes), then wash them with cold water & remove the skin when they are still warm.
  2. Mash the potatoes while they are still warm & make sure there are no chunks; add a pinch of salt and ¾ of the flour. Mix well with your hands until a nice soft dough forms (but not sticky); if necessary, add some more flour. When the dough is ready, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest & cool for about 10-15 minutes. In a small dish, combine finely grated Asiago with ricotta cheese.
  3. Cut the dough into 3 or 4 parts, take 1 part and cover the rest with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry. Dust the cutting board with flour & roll the dough with your palm to make a long thick cord about 2 cm in diameter, then cut chunks 2 cm long.
  4. Roll each cube between your palms to make balls then press them on your palm to make a disc. With a teaspoon, place a small amount of cheese in the center of the disc and close it on itself (make sure to cover the cheese well and close all the holes), roll it again between your palm to make the ball smooth & set it aside on a clean cloth.
  5. Bring to boil a large pot of salted water then slowly drop the gnocchi in & cook until they float on the surface. Drain, reserving 1 cup of starchy water. In a pan melt the butter and carefully add the drained gnocchi to sauté a little bit. Remove from pan, place in a dish until Bolognese sauce is ready.
Bolognese
  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add diced celery, carrot & onion. Cook until veggies are soft tender. Add ground beef & let cook, breaking it apart until fully browned. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in garlic & cook until fragrant.
  2. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water or stock, bay leaves & crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer & cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves.
  3. Add cooked gnocchi to Bolognese sauce & stream in reserved gnocchi water as needed if the mixture is too thick. Cook for an additional minute or so, taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
  4. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Smoked Turkey w/ Guacamole & Monterey Jack Cheese Panini

In the fall of 2005, Brion & I spent a month in Rome where we rented a furnished apartment in a lovely hilltop neighborhood. This was our first trip to Italy so every morning we would choose a different destination for the day. It was relatively easy to get around the city by using the public transit system (Rome Termini is the city’s main transport hub). We paid 18 Euros for a 7-day pass, and you could use it as many times as you wished. To rent a car to see the sights of Rome would be an exercise in frustration or to say the least, taking your life in your hands. So many of its legendary sites are the original article that to see them is to fulfil a lifelong dream. In no other city can you see so much in such a short space of time and merely scratch the surface.

It was at that huge ‘Rome Termini’ station that we experienced our first panini sandwiches. Very often when we returned to the station after our day’s adventure, Brion & I would stop into one of the eating places and have something to eat. One day the person making our lunch asked if we wanted our sandwiches ‘grilled’. We were familiar with the basic grilled cheese sandwich but had never had them made as a grilled panini before. The taste was so incredibly good. Strange, how something as minor as a sandwich can be so memorable.

Paninis and their presses arrived in North America around 1956 but didn’t become mainstream until the 1970s and 1980s. Elevating the standard grilled cheese sandwich, paninis have become vessels for culinary creativity. It would be easy to assume a panini and a sandwich are the same—a panini is a sandwich—but not all sandwiches are paninis. So, what makes the panini stand out from the sandwich? Bread and pressing them in a hot grill give paninis their signature presentation and amazing taste. You can serve paninis for breakfast or lunch with limitless combinations for the perfect filling.  

One that really works for Brion & I, is this smoked turkey with guacamole & Monterey Jack cheese. I guess its because it combines contrasting textures and savory flavors … smoky, creamy and crunchy into a warm, satisfying meal.

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 Smoked Turkey w/ Guacamole & Monterey Jack CheesePanini
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Course Lunch
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Keyword smoked turkey & guacamole & Monterey Jack cheese paninis
Servings
PANINIS
Ingredients
Guacamole
Other Ingredients
Course Lunch
Cuisine Italian
Keyword smoked turkey & guacamole & Monterey Jack cheese paninis
Servings
PANINIS
Ingredients
Guacamole
Other Ingredients
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Instructions
Guacamole
  1. In a bowl, mash avocados & lime juice. Stir in garlic, onion & cilantro: blend well. Ser aside.
Paninis
  1. Slice red onion thinly. In a saucepan, add butter & heat to melt. Add onion & sprinkle with salt. Cook until onion has softened. Remove from heat & set aside.
  2. Slice cheese & butter one side of each slice of bread.
  3. With buttered sides down, Generously spread guacamole over the 4 slices of bread. Divide the turkey slices between 2 of the slices. Next, divide the cheese & place it on the turkey along with the red onion. Place the 2 remaining slices on top with the buttered side on the outside.
  4. Grill on panini maker until heated through & crispy on the outside. Serve.
Recipe Notes

If a panini grill is not available just use an ordinary skillet to get the job done!

Pork, Apple & Cheddar Baked Frittata

There’s nothing earth shattering or insanely unique about a frittata. It’s not trendy or cool but if you master the art of this versatile throw together dish it can help make your life a whole lot easier. That’s because there is virtually no time of day that this eggy filled, no-advance-planning-necessary, favorite doesn’t work.

Frittatas are great because they’re a little less fussy than omelets – no delicate folding required. Unlike its cousin, the strata (which typically includes layers of bread and gets all puffed up like a soufflé), a frittata is rustic, hearty and simple to prepare. A good comparison would be a crustless quiche, with the inclusion of potatoes to make it extra satisfying.

When we eat it for breakfast, we call it a baked omelet, when we eat it for dinner, we call it frittata. But either way, it’s perfect in the way that you can vary the vegetables and meat in this dish to use up whatever you have on hand.

The sweetness of the apples and onions nicely complements the ground pork and bacon in this frittata.

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 Pork, Apple & Cheddar Baked Frittata
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Keyword pork, apple & cheddar baked frittata
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Course Brunch
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pork, apple & cheddar baked frittata
Servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Cook potatoes & dice; set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, fry bacon until slightly crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels & set aside, reserving one Tbsp. of the bacon drippings.
  3. Add onion to skillet with bacon drippings. Sauté until tender then add ground pork & Italian seasoning. Cook until pork is no longer pink & most of the moisture has evaporated. Add grated apple, bacon and salt & pepper to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  5. Spray a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the bottom of the dish with the cooked, diced potatoes.
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs & add sautéed mixture along with half of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the baking dish & sprinkle evenly with the rest of the cheese.
  7. Place the baking dish in the oven & bake until the eggs are golden & puffy & a fork comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 25-30 minutes.
  8. Let frittata cool for 5-10 minutes & then cut into squares. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Scalloped Potato & Beef Lasagna

There are countless variations of lasagna across Italy and beyond. Entire cookbooks have been dedicated to this beloved dish, showcasing its multifarious nature.

 Potato slices absorb sauce and moisture so using them in place of lasagna noodles is a creative twist that can yield a delicious and hearty dish.  Along with potato slices there are a variety of alternatives to traditional lasagna noodles that you can use in your recipes. From zucchini strips and eggplant slices to portobello mushrooms and butternut squash, these alternatives offer flavorful and healthy ways to enjoy the classic Italian staple.

This beef potato lasagna combines layers of tender potato slices with creamy cheese and ground beef. Nothing but pure comfort food!

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 Scalloped Potato & Beef Lasagna
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Keyword beef potato lasagna
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
  2. Microwave washed potatoes (with skins) for a few minutes to partially cook. Slice in 1/8 -inch slices & place half of them in a layer on bottom of baking dish.
  3. In a saucepan, sauté onions & garlic in oil until soft then add beef, salt, pepper & Italian seasoning. Add a layer of the meat mixture over the layer of potatoes.
  4. In a small saucepan, melt butter then add flour. Cook for a few minutes until bubbly then add 2/3 cup milk & 23 gm parmesan cheese. With a wire whisk combine into a smooth sauce.
  5. Spoon half of the butter/cheese mixture over the ground beef. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
  6. Repeat with remaining ingredients, layering in the same sequence. If using the cream, pour over all.
  7. Bake for 1 hour, covered with aluminum foil. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes. Test to be sure the potatoes are soft.
  8. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes then sprinkle with chives.

Chicken Broccoli Orecchiette

As far as vegetables are concerned, broccoli is a bit divisive, people either love it or hate it.  Broccoli is native to the Mediterranean and has been considered a very valuable food by the Italians since the Roman Empire, but when first introduced in England in the mid-18th century, broccoli was referred to as ‘Italian asparagus’. There’s a misconception that Italians only eat pasta. While they do eat a lot of pasta, they also eat a ton of vegetables.

Orecchiette with broccoli is a wonderfully simple Italian comfort food. Stretched between the Adriatic and Ionian seas, Puglia’s sun-soaked landscape in southern Italy is where orecchiette pasta hails from. Meaning ‘little ears’ in Italian, the dish is made by flattening out dough and simply rolling your thumb like a fingerprint onto the dough. This creates an ear-shaped disc that resemble small bowls that have grooves from the fingerprint that are perfect at holding all types of sauces.

A classic combination for orecchiette is broccoli with sausage. Creamy sauces also go well with orecchiette, as do fresh tomato and pesto sauces. Orecchiette is also often served with tomato-based sauces such as marinara.

To make this a bit more of a hearty meal, I’m adding some chicken breast today. I think it should be really good!

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 Chicken Broccoli Orecchiette
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Keyword baked broccoli orecchiette w/ chicken
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked broccoli orecchiette w/ chicken
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Instructions
  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Pour the dry orecchiette pasta into the water, stir with a wooden spoon & bring the water back to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is just barely tender, between 10 -15 minutes. Pull one piece of orecchiette out of the water with the wooden spoon after 10 minutes to check for doneness. Orecchiette should be cooked al dente, tender but firm.
  2. When the pasta is done, carefully scoop 2 cups cooking water out of the pot with a measuring cup & set aside. Set a strainer over the sink & pour the orecchiette into the strainer to drain the remaining water. Do not rinse. Return to pasta pot.
  3. Place fresh broccoli in a microwave steamer dish & cook for a couple of minutes until tender crisp. Drain & add to pasta pot with orecchiette.
  4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until sizzling. Pat the chicken breasts very dry with paper towels & season the tops generously with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the pan, seasoned side down (season the sides facing up once you place them in the pan); do not disturb the chicken once it is in the skillet. Once you can see a bit of golden color forming around the sides, after about 2 minutes or so, take a peek — the goal is to achieve a deep golden brown shade.
  5. Once you flip the chicken, take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Pull it from the pan when the temperature is between 155°F & 160°F. If the chicken is very thin, it may be almost done. If it's on the thicker side, it may need a few more minutes. Checking early allows you to gauge the remaining cooking time. Once the chicken is done, slice into thin strips & add to pasta pot.
  6. Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt & cook, stirring occasionally, until tender & golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic & cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese & stir until melted & smooth. Whisk in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, a little at time, until smooth, followed by the parmesan. Pour the sauce over the noodles, broccoli & chicken, toss to coat. If it's not quite creamy enough, add a little of the remaining pasta water. Taste & adjust seasoning.
  7. Garnish with additional Parmesan.

Turkey w/ Bacon & Stuffing Focaccia Pockets

It always amazes me how some simple foods can taste so incredible. Focaccia is one of those foods, it has few ingredients, yet it’s almost magical how great it tastes! Focaccia is not pizza and is about 2000 years older, a sort of missing link between traditional flat bread and pizza. Above all it is distinctly Italian. Focaccia has undergone many upgrades and evolutions; however, the basic recipe has remained unchanged.

Today, focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza. The interesting part, however, is that Focaccia started out as a side dish but over time it became part of the main dish as sandwich bread. If we go further back in time, focaccia was the only star of the show and was originally the prototype of early pizza.

A few years ago, Brion & I got ‘hooked’ on focaccia bread. I experimented with various recipes until I landed on the sweet potato focaccia. Experiment no more! For our liking this was the ultimate focaccia. Of course, I couldn’t just leave it at bread. My next thought was to make it into handheld stuffed focaccia pockets for picnics or lunch on the go.

Today, I’d like to share my newly ‘developed’ focaccia pocket. It consists of sweet potato focaccia filled with roast turkey, bacon & stuffing served with cranberry sauce on the side. We just loved this ‘next level’ of focaccia bread.

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 Turkey w/ Bacon & Stuffing Focaccia Pockets
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Course Lunch
Cuisine Italian
Keyword bacon & chicken w/ Boursin focaccia pockets
Servings
POCKETS
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Focaccia
Topping
Filling
Boursin Sauce
Stuffing
Course Lunch
Cuisine Italian
Keyword bacon & chicken w/ Boursin focaccia pockets
Servings
POCKETS
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Focaccia
Topping
Filling
Boursin Sauce
Stuffing
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Instructions
Filling
  1. In a skillet, cook bacon until just crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain; chop when cooled. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon drippings from skillet.
  2. Add butter to the skillet, sauté onions, garlic & mushrooms with herbs & spices, scraping up any brown bits, until the onions have softened & mushrooms have lost most of their size & moisture. Stir in the bacon & shredded cooked turkey, taste for seasoning. Cook for another minute or two, then remove from heat & set aside.
Dough
  1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup flour & 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes until frothy.
  2. Cook & mash sweet potato; add it along with the remaining 3/4 cup lukewarm water, 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp salt & 4 cups flour. When dough forms, knead for about 7-8 minutes until the dough is soft & satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise in a draft fee place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Boursin Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the spices. Add the milk and adjust heat to steaming -- do not simmer or boil. Add Boursin to the milk mixture, break it up into pieces with the side of a large spoon and stir until Boursin has melted into the mixture. Remove from heat. Add to turkey/veg mixture.
Assembly/Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Spread work surface with olive oil. Place risen dough on it & cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Roll out each ball into a 6-inch circle. Divide the filling between the 12 circles of dough. Top each one with about a 1/4 cup stuffing. Fold to form a turnover & pinch edges to seal in filling.
  3. On 2 parchment lined baking sheets, place filled focaccia. Sprinkle with dried rosemary & coarse sea salt if using.
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from oven & cool on wire racks. Serve with cranberry sauce on the side if desired.

Four Cheese Ravioli w/ Seafood & Veggies in Garlic Cream Sauce

Pasta-who doesn’t love it? When many of us think of pasta, we typically think of the more popular styles such as spaghetti, penne or linguine, but there are actually dozens of different types of pasta shapes, each with their own special flavor profile, culinary application and even regional origin.

If you think ravioli is only the stuff from Chef Boyardee, think again.

Ravioli, those little pillows of dough served in upscale restaurants filled with ingredients as diverse as butternut squash (with a burned sage butter) and artisan cheeses (with a wild mushroom ragout), while others feature duck liver ravioli with a brown butter and balsamic sauce.

The origin of this popular pasta shape is somewhat obscure, but legend has it that the Lombardy region in Italy, played a big role in spreading its popularity. Ravioli, a dish of stuffed pasta, is a humble but important dish in Italian cooking traditions. Humble in its ingredients of cheese and meat or vegetables found in a particular region, and special in that it is often prepared with loved ones for the feast table at Christmastime or for a family celebration.

Fresh seafood and pasta are a match made in heaven! A simple bowl of pasta with garlic cream sauce is homey and rustic. Top the same bowl with some shrimp and scallops, add a mix of zucchini, mushrooms and garlic, and you instantly elevate it to something special. 

Although this delectable Italian food is widely considered to be the main course, it can be also served as an appetizer or a side dish as well.

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 Four Cheese Ravioli w/ Seafood & Veggies in Garlic Cream Sauce
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Keyword four cheese ravioli w/ seafood & veggies in garlic cream sauce
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Garlic Cream Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword four cheese ravioli w/ seafood & veggies in garlic cream sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Garlic Cream Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Cook ravioli according to package directions & set aside.
  2. In a large saucepan, heat oil & add zucchini & mushrooms. Sauté 1-2 minutes, add garlic & a bit of salt & pepper. Sauté until garlic is fragrant.
  3. Add broth, stir well. Add cream, Worcestershire sauce, pressed garlic, salt & pepper; stir well.
  4. Add shrimp & scallops; cook until shrimp starts to turn pink then flip shrimp & scallops. Add ravioli, carefully stir in & cook until shrimp is done.
  5. Stir in parmesan & cheddar & cook for another minute. Serve immediately.

Baked Chicken Gnocchi w/ Garlic Asiago Cream Sauce

There are many regions that lay claim to the origins of gnocchi. While they are generally associated with northern Italy, the truth is that these dumplings are found all over the peninsula and in many diverse forms, made with a variety of base ingredients depending on where they come from: flour, corn meal, semolina, bread, chestnut flour, ricotta, or vegetables—from pumpkin to spinach to the classic potato.

The word gnocchi is thought to come from nocca, which means knuckles, or from the Lombard word knohha, which means knot (such as wood knot) or walnut—all words that imply the small, tight, rounded shape of gnocchi that we know today.

The most famous potato gnocchi that are known and loved world-wide date back to the sixteenth or, more likely, seventeenth century—well after Spanish explorers brought potatoes from South America and introduced them to Italian kitchens.

Some iterations of gnocchi such as gnocchi à la parisienne or gnocchi alla romana are always baked, even the classic potato iteration can be improved by a bit of oven time. This isn’t necessarily the most traditional way to make and serve gnocchi, but it’s certainly a twist on the classic and, above all, a nice way to dress up a package of prepared gnocchi, which might otherwise be a bit tough.

Another idea would be to use gnocchi as the base for a vegetarian sheet-pan dinner with roasted vegetables, baking them until they get crispy and golden brown; in another, similar recipe, the roasted gnocchi could be served on a bed of arugula for even more nutrients and flavor. 

Of course, you can bake gnocchi in a casserole with lasagna-like influences, simmering in a bubbling mass of sausage, ricotta, marinara, and mozzarella; this gnocchi bake, meanwhile, marries the dumplings with chicken, broccoli, and a rich, creamy Asiago cheese sauce.

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 Baked Chicken Gnocchi w/ Garlic Asiago Cream Sauce
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Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked chicken gnocchi w/ garlic asiago cream sauce
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Chicken
Broccoli
Gnocchi
Garlic Asiago Cream Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked chicken gnocchi w/ garlic asiago cream sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Broccoli
Gnocchi
Garlic Asiago Cream Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Gnocchi
  1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain in a colander & set aside.
Broccoli
  1. Cut broccoli into florets & place in a 'steamer' microwave dish. Cook in the microwave about 1 minute; drain dish & set aside.
Chicken
  1. Season chicken quarters with Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken on both sides, starting skin side down, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; drain & set aside.
Asiago Sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter a rimmed baking dish & set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic & cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth & Italian seasoning. Cook, whisking constantly, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half & half cream & grated asiago cheese until slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper to taste.
Baking
  1. Arrange chicken quarters in prepared baking pan. Top with cooked gnocchi, broccoli florets & asiago cheese sauce. Roast until completely cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Italian Sausage Cannelloni

Although it might seem that cannelloni have been eaten since ancient times, this is a recent custom. You could not find it in any Catalan cookbook until the start of the 20th century. Cannelloni originally came from Italy, brought to Catalonia at the end of the 18th century by foreign chefs working in hotels.

There is a basic difference between Catalan and Italian cannelloni. With Catalan, the meat is cooked first, then ground, whereas the Italians put the ground meat straight into the cannelloni tubes.

Manicotti is the Italian American version of cannelloni. Both are pasta tubes, but the difference between the two is fairly minimal: Manicotti tubes are ridged, larger and slightly thicker. Cannelloni tubes are smooth, a touch smaller and slightly thinner.

Over the years, no-boil (also called oven-ready) cannelloni tubes have become a permanent fixture on supermarket shelves. Much like ‘instant rice’, no-boil pasta is precooked at the factory. The pasta tubes are run through a water bath and then dehydrated mechanically. During baking, the moisture from the sauce softens, or rehydrates, the pasta, especially when the pan is covered as the cannelloni bakes.

This baked pasta can be stuffed with a myriad of fillings that suit any taste, from chicken with asparagus to shrimp and lentils. Whether you make a meat sauce, a mixture of herbs and ricotta cheese, or fish accompanied by a tomato sauce, the filling can be made the day before. In fact, this will make it even tastier. 

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 Italian Sausage Cannelloni
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian sausage cannelloni
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Instructions
Filling
  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil, onion & mushrooms. Cook for 5-10 minutes allowing the onion to soften & mushrooms to release their liquid.
  2. Once most of the liquid has dissipated, add sausage crumbling it with a wooden spoon into small pieces as it cooks. Stir & cook all ingredients until the onion is softened & the sausage is no longer pink & is starting to brown. Set aside.
Béchamel Sauce
  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, paprika & Italian seasoning & stir until well incorporated. Slowly, add milk & whisk together until smooth. Continue whisking until sauce comes to a slow boil & starts to thicken. Stir 1/3 of the sauce into the sausage mixture. (Reserve the other two thirds to pour under & over the cannelloni.) Add 340 gm shredded mozzarella to the sausage & sauce mixture & mix to combine.
Assembly/Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Spread a bit of sauce over the bottom of (2) 13 X 9-inch baking pans. Using a large pastry tube with a star tip, fill (oven ready) cannelloni shells. Nestle the cannelloni in the sauce & cover with remaining sauce.
  3. Top with a combo of 50 gm shredded mozzarella & 25 gm shredded Parmesan. Cover with foil.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes, remove foil & bake another 5 minutes or until cheese starts to turn golden. Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes then serve.
Recipe Notes
  • As far as the cheese goes in this recipe, use whatever kind you prefer or have on hand. You know it will always be great because 'cheese makes it better' right!
  • This meal freezes well so if it is to big for your family in one setting just freeze the rest for another time.

Asiago Potato Stacks

Asiago Cheese is one of my personal favorite kinds of cheese. Coupled with a rich history and unique flavor profile, asiago cheese is a deliciously versatile and ranges from smooth and silky to crumbly and brittle.

Asiago cheese has a characteristically sweet and mildly nutty taste. However, the flavors develop as it ages, getting sharper, more intense, and piquant.  As it matures, the cheese develops a slightly acidic and tangy undertone and a fruity appeal. The scent of the cheese is aromatic, with a floral smell that gets deeper with maturity.

A semi-hard cow’s milk cheese, asiago originated in Italy and takes its name from the famous plateau located in the north-eastern part of the peninsula.

Because this cheese features so much variety the everyday cheese lover might know they like asiago but not really be able to describe exactly what it tastes like. Asiago is actually considered one of the best cheeses to use for cooking due to its mild but noticeable flavor.

These ‘asiago potato stacks’ are a nice change from your typical roasted potatoes. Sure, you can dump any kind of cheese on top of potatoes, and they’ll turn out tasty. But elevate those cheesy ‘taters with freshly grated asiago and a fresh burst of rosemary and they’re amazing!

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 Asiago Potato Stacks
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword asiago potato stacks
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Using a mandolin, thinly slice potatoes & place in a large bowl.
  2. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to skillet & mix to combine. Add shallots & garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add thyme, salt & pepper & sauté for for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
  3. Pour butter mixture over potatoes & toss until each side is coated. Add cheese to potatoes & continue tossing until well combined.
  4. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Stack potato slices in muffin cups & top with additional cheese.
  5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until stacks are golden brown & crispy. Serve immediately.