Tag Archives: Italian

Chicken Parmigiana (Chicken Parma)

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Chicken Parmigiana , one of my favorite dinner ideas ……..

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha’s Kitchen

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken schnitzels
  • 2 eggs + ½ cup milk+ some salt + some black pepper and some parmesan
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup flour + a pinch of oregano and thyme + some chicken salt
  • Some oil for shallow frying

FOR TOPPING

  • 4 tbspns Napoli sauce
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan

Procedure:

-Take a 2 feet long piece of cling film wrap and put your schnitzels on its one side. Fold the cling film wrap and with a meat tenderizing hammer, pound it.

-Whisk eggs and everything given for the egg mixture.

-And separately, make flour mix with everything given for the flour mixture.

-Then in another plate get some breadcrumbs.

-Heat oil in a frying pan.

-Now take one schnitzel, dip it in egg mixture, roll in flour mixture, then again in egg mixture, then in crumbs and fry on medium heat until its golden brown.

-Do the same with the other schnitzel.

-Put some Napoli sauce on them and then sprinkle some parmesan cheese.

-Bake in preheated oven (180 degrees) for 15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

-Serve hot with salad or wedges.

Chicken Meatball Spaghetti

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One of my favourite dishes ……

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR MEATBALLS

  • ½ kg chicken mincemeat
  • 1 tspn fresh parsley
  • 1 tspn chopped garlic
  • 2 tbspns bread crumbs
  • ½ tspn salt/ chicken salt/ chicken stock powder

FOR SAUCE

  • 1 jar Napolitano sauce OR Homemade Napolitano sauce

For Home made Sauce:

  • 1 tbspn extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
  • 800g to 1 kg tinned tomatoes
  • 2 fresh tomatoes chopped
  • ½ capsicum chopped
  • 1 can champignons (sliced)
  • Some salt and pepper
  • ¼ tspn parsley
  • ¼ tspn oregano
  • 1 green chilli chopped
  • Some cayenne pepper

FOR PASTA

  • 1 pack No. 5 spaghetti
  • Water for boiling
  • Some freshly grated sharp parmesan cheese (for garnishing)
  • Some fresh/ dried parsley chopped (for garnishing)

Procedure:

-To make the Napoli sauce: Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then add thyme and tomatoes and bring to the simmer.

-Simmer very gently uncovered over medium-low heat stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened. Add a little water during the cooking process if the sauce thickens too much.

-Remove and discard the thyme stems and season to taste with salt and pepper and add other herbs, spices and vegetables.

-While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Now it’s time to make the meatballs. Combine the chicken, breadcrumbs, parsley, Dijon mustard and other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.

-Using your hands, gently mix until just blended. Be careful not to over mix the meat as it will toughen it up.

-Form the mixture into 12 – 18  meatballs, dipping your hands in a bowl of cold water to stop the chicken from sticking.

-Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat.

-Cook the meatballs until golden brown all over, about 2 minutes.

-Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to the tomato sauce and simmer gently until the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

-Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to the packet directions until al denté, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

-With a slotted spoon take out the meatballs from the sauce.

-Drain the spaghetti and toss the pasta with some of the Napoli sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper, and divide the pasta between four serving bowls. Divide the meatballs and remaining tomato sauce evenly between the four bowls of pasta.

-Serving suggestion: Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Beef Lasagna

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Simple Beef Lasagne is a lovely recipe, do try this if you are Italian food lover …

Ingredients:

BEEF SAUCE/BOLOGNA SAUCE:

  • 2 cans of diced tomatoes
  • ½ tspn oregano, thyme, rosemary and crushed black pepper
  • Some salt
  • 1 tspn paprika
  • 4 tbspns olive oil
  • 2 tbspns chopped onions
  • 4 tbspns chopped capsicum
  • 1 tbspn chopped zucchini
  • 250 gms beef mince

BECHAMEL SAUCE:

  • 1 ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 scoop of butter
  • 1 tbspn plain flour
  • Some salt and pepper

FOR LASAGNE

  • 10 lasagne sheets
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 2 Tomato Slices

Procedure:

-Heat oil and add mincemeat. Stir fry for 15 minutes on low heat.

-Meanwhile in a  sauce add diced tomatoes and all other ingredients and let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until its like a chunky tomato sauce.

-Add the sauce in fried mincemeat and mix. Remove from heat.

-Boil milk and Heat some butter in a saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Now add boiling hot milk with constant whisking. Stir until it become thick. Remove from heat.

-Boil lasagne sheets and drain access water.

-Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

-In a Pyrex baking tray scoop some béchamel sauce on its base and spread.

-Now spread a layer of boiled lasagne pasta and then some béchamel and mincemeat sauce. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and then cover it with the other boiled pasta and repeat the process again until the ingredients are finished.

-At the end top it with some cheese and tomatoes and bake on 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

-Serve.

Outcome:

Tasty and easy beef lasagne is ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Add boiling hot milk in butter and flour when making béchamel sauce.

-Boil lasagne sheets 2 at a time so that they don’t stick to each other.

Servings:

This will serve 3 – 4 persons easily.

Easy Mincemeat Pasta

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The easiest way to cook tasty and juicy, aromatic pasta …

Ingredients:

  • ½ kg beef/ chicken/ lamb mincemeat
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 1 spring onion chopped
  • 1 white onion chopped
  • ½ bell pepper chopped
  • 2 cups traditional tomato pasta sauce
  • 1 pkt. Macaroni or spirals boiled
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • Some salt and pepper
  • 4 tbspns olive oil
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese (grated)

Procedure:

-Boil pasta according to the instruction given of the backside of the packet.

-In a skillet, heat oil and stir fry garlic. After sometime add mincemeat and let it cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper and all other ingredients.

-Cook well for 10 minutes.

-Stir in boiled pasta.

-Grease a pyrex tray and place all the mixture in it.

-Top it with some grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese and bake in a preheated oven (200 degrees Celsius) for 10 – 20 minutes or until he cheese melts and turns into golden red.

-Take it out from oven and serve.

Outcome:

Tasty and tangy mincemeat pasta is ready to serve.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Use fresh vegetables and chop them well.

Servings:

This will serve 4 persons easily.

Rigate Bolognese

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Spaghetti Bolognese is a Bolognese sauce based dish, which is very tangy and very tasty, its easy-to-make, do try this and let me know your remarks …

Ingredients:

  • 1 jar or 575g Bolognese sauce
  • ½ kg beef mince
  • 1 pkt hollow pasta noodles or any pasta of your choice (rigate)
  • ½ capsicum chopped
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1 tbspn soy sauce
  • ½ tspn black pepper
  • 4 tspns dry parmesan
  • 4 tbspns olive oil
  • 4 sprigs of coriander chopped

Procedure:

-Heat olive oil in a wok and stir Fry beef mince in it. After 5 – 10 minutes add Bolognese sauce and mix. Now add chopped onion and capsicum along with all the other ingredients.

-Boil pasta as prescribed on the back side of its packet. Drain thoroughly.

-Now in a serving plate place some boiled pasta and then scoop some Bolognese mixture on it, top with some coriander leaves and serve hot with some dry parmesan.

Outcome:

Tasty and easy Spaghetti Bolognese is ready to be served.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-See noodles/ spaghettis tips of tips page.

-See Bolognese sauce recipe by clicking it in ingredients’ list.

Servings:

This will serve 4 persons easily.

Old Fashioned Corn Pizza

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This is a very retro style pizza. Now the pizzas are very innovative and customised but this was the 1st generation of pizzas, have alook and enjoy the lovely bits …

Ingredients:

  • 1 thin crust pizza base / Dough maker’s* Pizza base
  • 4 tbspns pizza sauce
  • ½ tspn garlic paste
  • 2 tbspns olive oil
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 button mushrooms chopped
  • 4 tbspns corn
  • A pinch of dried rosemary*
  • 1 pinch of dried oregano*

Procedure:

-Prepare a pizza base and apply some olive oil, garlic paste and pizza sauce. Now sprinkle some cheddar cheese and then some mozzarella cheese.

-Place some chopped muhrooms and Fresh maize or corn and top it withsome herbs, like oregano and rosemary.

-Bake in a preheated oven For 20 minutes on 190 degrees Celsius.

-When it is golden red, take it out and serve hot.

Outcome:

Tasty old Fashioned mushroom and corn pizza is ready to be served.

Ayesha's Kitchen

Ayesha's Kitchen

Tips:

-Serve it in retro style, in some old Fashioned crockery and cutlery and some old Fashioned presentation styles.

-Thickness of dough totally depends on your desire, i prefer thin crust and it is ready in 20 minutes, if you are making thick crust of puffy crust or stuffed crust then refer to “Tips” page.

Servings:

This will serve 2 persons easily.

 

*Refer to Glossary