Creamy Parmesan Dressing

Creamy Parmesan Dressing

There's a Boston-style pizza place in our area that serves to-die-for Margharita pizza--tomato, basil and mozzarella. It's incredible how good such a simple pizza can be, but it's hands down our favorite local pizza.

But the other menu item that keeps us going back is the house salad dressing. It has a unique and incredible flavor. I've tried many times to replicate it at home and haven't even come close. I used to work in an office where we ordered food in from this place, and I tried more than  once to get the delivery guy to divulge the secrets to the dressing. He told me they sell it by the quart.

Then a few weeks ago, I was looking for a new dressing to try. I started searching on creamy italian dressings, and found one on Allrecipes.com that looked promising. I made up a batch and guess what? It was almost exactly like the stuff at the pizza place. The color wasn't quite right--I've figured out since then that the restaurant probably uses red onions, since the dressing has a pink color. And the Allrecipes version didn't include parmesan, which is essential to the taste. But with a little adaptation, we now have our favorite dressing whenever we want.

A couple of items of warning on the comments from Allrecipes reviewers: sweet onions work better than other onions, and don't overdo the onions or it will taste bitter. And the dressing isn't particularly thick, so watch the liquid-to-mayonnaise proportions, or you'll have consistency problems. I haven't tried it yet with red onions, but it's on my to-do list.

Creamy Parmesan Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 small onion (the original recipe called for 1/2 small onion, but I've cut that back and find it powerful enough)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a blender or food processor, combine mayonnaise, onion, vinegar and sugar. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cheese. Blend until smooth.

This recipe makes enough for an average-size family; if we're feeding a crowd, I double this.

Pasta Carbonara

A disclaimer: This is not the pasta carbonara I learned to make in Italy. That pasta carbonara was basically scrambled eggs and bacon over pasta. Don't get me wrong; it still has a special place in my heart. This version, a recipe I learned from Bob, is a fancier and more indulgent sister. It's a family favorite. It's rich enough to just be an occasional treat, but it's delicious enough that you'll want to make it again and again.

Did I mention that it's also pretty easy to put together?

Pasta Carbonara
8 slices of bacon, diced
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
½ pound of mushrooms (12), quartered
1 package of spaghetti noodles (8 servings)
1 pint of heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Cook the bacon until crisp; drain. Add the green onion slices and mushrooms and sauté into butter (we usually reserve a few green onion slices for a garnish). Add heavy cream, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thick. Toss the drained noodles in the carbonara sauce. Top with a little grated parmesan and sliced green onions.Serves 8.

Clam Spaghetti

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that putting this dish together is easier than opening a bottle of Ragu.

This pasta dish has a very light flavor (except for the somewhat copious amounts of garlic). It's a lighter pasta than either red sauces or cream sauces--just perfect for the end of a busy day.

Clam Spaghetti

2 Tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
2 six-ounce cans minced clams, undrained
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add onion; saute until it's transparent. Add the garlic and saute until it turns brown (but before it turns bitter). Add salt and pepper. Add clams and white wine; simmer for 4-5 minutes. Toss with hot spaghetti and top with parmesand cheese.

Veggie Lasagna

This recipe was a gift from my friend Jen. And I really mean that. I had heard her talk about her love for veggie lasagna for a few years and finally mustered the courage to ask her for the recipe. The result has been true love.

At least it has been for a little more than half of our family. We usually only make this during the summer because that's when all of the required vegetables are growing in our back yard (okay, at least many of them). Several of our children say they perfer this version of lasagna to its more traditional sister. The rest of the kids like it well enough to eat it without complaining.

I've found that you can mix up the combination of vegetables quite a bit. For example, you'll notice that the photo above shows off the spinach I included. If I don't have spinach, I leave it out (although including it is my preferance). It's also prettier with summer squash and zucchini because of the color differences (the same is true for multi-colored peppers). But I've also made it with whatever I happened to have on hand and it's delicious.

Vegetable Lasagna

2 medium bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini sliced (I have sliced them both lengthwise and cross wise. I am still undecided about which method I prefer).
1 medium onion sliced
½ pound mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste
9 lasagna noodles
1-2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce ( Jen always uses Prego Italian sausage; I use whatever is stockpiled in my basement that was on sale for $1, usually Ragu traditional. It is sacreligious, I know, but I also sometimes sneak in about 1/2 pound of cooked sausage).

For the veggies: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cut vegetables in a large bowl. Use olive oil, salt, seasonings, pepper and salt. Mix until the vegetables are lightly and evenly coated. Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray and spread veggies on it evenly. Bake for a total of 20 minutes (I usually take them out at the ten minute mark to toss them for more even roasting.

While veggies are in the oven, cook the noodles according to package directions. Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Spread a bit of the sauce on the bottom of pan then layer noodles, sauce, veggies, cheese. You will end up with three layers. Bake uncovered at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 10 before cutting.

Pasta Cordon Bleu

This recipe came from my friend Amy. I had every intention of taking her a healthy portion to sample, but it was so popular at our house that there was only a little left, and that after I shooed several kids away. This definitely isn't health food, but it's really, really good.

The original recipe called for even more of the good (but not good for you) ingredients. I scaled them back both according to what I had on hand and what seemed reasonable.

Pasta Cordon Bleu

1 pound package penne pasta

6 tablespoons butter

4 crushed garlic cloves

30 ounces chicken broth

3-4 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups heavy cream

1 chicken breast

1 cup chopped ham

1/2 cup crumbled bacon

6 - 8 sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Cook pasta. Drain. Saute and brown garlic and butter. Whisk cornstarch with chicken broth and add to pan. Stir until thickened. Add cream, stirring constantly, and heat through; do not boil. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Place noodles, chicken, ham, bacon, green onions, mushrooms, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan

A couple of years ago, a friend loaned me her personal cook book so that I could copy a recipe for something she had made for me. These are the best kinds of cookbooks--full of recipes that people make, eat and love on an every-day basis. I don't remember which recipe I borrowed the book for, but I do remember that I saw this recipe as well and knew that I must have it. I made it soon thereafter, and it's been a family favorite ever since.

This is another meal that looks fancier than it really is. It's easy to make, and while it won't win any prizes for being healthy, it will fill up even the hungriest of teenage boys. You can use whatever kind of sauce you like; I confess that part of the beauty of this meal for me is that I usually make it with a bottle of store bought sauce, which makes it very, very easy.

Although I don't think instructions to do so were included in the original recipe, I pound the chicken breasts out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Being the frugal souls that we are (and having a few little tiny girls to off set those hungry teenage boys), we've been known to get two or three servings out of a single chicken breast. It also ensures that the chicken gets cooked all the way through without drying out. Also, we like this dish saucy, so I use a 28-ounce jar of sauce and often augment that with an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce rather than the 12 ounces or so called for in the recipe. This gives us ample spaghetti sauce to put over the noodles that we serve with the chicken. Feel free to dress up the sauce; I often add some sliced, fresh mushrooms or fresh herbs like basil or oregano.

Chicken Parmesan

Serves 6

2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
6 chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 ½ cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
¼ cup grated parmesan
2-4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and milk together in shallow pie dish. Place bread crumbs in another dish close by. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add chicken breasts to bag, one at a time. Shake to coat lightly with flour. Dip coated breast in egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Roll breasts in bread crumbs to coat well.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and cook for one minute. Push garlic to edge of skillet and add chicken to pan. Cook 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer breast to 13x9 inch baking dish. Add spaghettis sauce to same skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes until heated through. Pour over chicken breasts and sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with small servings of spaghetti noodles.

Italian Herb Bread

I got this recipe from my friend Steffani and then modified it a bit based on my comparisons with a few other recipes. The end result is a pretty good knock off of the bread served at Macaroni Grill, although that's not necessarily what I was aiming for. My family finished off two loaves of this at dinner the other night, however. It's especially delicious when served with a dipping sauce of olive oil mixed with a little balsamic vineagar.

Italian Herb Bread

2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix together and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon. minced fresh red onion
1 tablespoon dry or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon dry or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon dry or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or thyme

Add:
2 cups flour

Mix well, then add:

4 cups more flour

Mix well. Knead 3 minutes in Bosch/mixer on high or by hand. Let rise till double (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).

Punch down. Divide into three round loaves and place on a greased cookie sheet. Baste with

1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Sprinkle with sea salt

Raise uncovered until double (about 1 hour).

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes till golden brown

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmesan is one of the few Italian dishes I cook that I actually learned to make in Italy. I lived for about nine months with a woman who had worked as a chef's assistant. She loved to cook. I loved to watch her cook (and sometimes even help). She made this for my birthday dinner in 1983, and I used to make it regularly when I returned to the US.

I've been under the impression for the past several years that my kids didn't care for this meal. Truth be told, I've only made it for them once. When I served it last week, several of them actually remembered it from a few years before and were glad to see it was back.

I've ordered eggplant at a variety of Italian restaurants, including Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill. It's very good at both of those places, but is somewhat different from the way I learned to make it. The restaurant variety is usually a breaded piece of eggplant (or more accurately several pieces of breaded eggplant) topped with red sauce and cheese. This recipe is more like an eggplant lasagna.

You'll need about one and a  half eggplants. Slice them about 1/4 inch thinck. Dip the eggplant slices in a pie plate with 2-3 beaten eggs in it, then dip it in a plate with about 2 cups of breadcrumbs on it. Pan fry the eggplant slices in a large skillet until they are golden brown on both sides. Then layer the eggplant in a 9 x 13-inch pan like this:

This is the first of three eggplant layers. Pour 3-4 ladels of sauce over the eggplant (I confess that while I have traditionally made sauce from scratch for use with this recipe, this time I used a bottle of spaghetti sauce from the store. I added a can of tomato sauce and a can of diced tomatoes to it to make sure there was enough to amply cover the eggplant, and also added 1/2 pound of cooked sausage to give it a little more flavor). On top of the layer of sauce, sprinkle grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat this process two more times, ending with the sauce and cheese layer. I usually put a little extra cheese on the top layer for the sake of appearances.

Bake the eggplant at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Then serve it as you would lasagna.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 large eggplants, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced in quarter inch slices

3 eggs, beaten and placed in a pie plate

2 cups breadcrumbs (I use the kind with Italian seasoning in them)

2-3 tablespoons oil

1 large bottle of spaghetti sauce

1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce

1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes

1/2 pound bulk sausage, browned and drained

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Dip the eggplant slices eggs, then dip it in a plate with the breadcrumbs on it. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the eggplant slices until they are golden brown on both sides. Then layer the eggplant in a 9 x 13-inch pan so that the bottom of the pan is completely covered. This is the first of three eggplant layers.

In the meantime, brown and drain the sausage and combine the bottled spaghetti sauce and other tomato products in a large sauce pan. Cook until warmed through.

Pour 3-4 ladels of sauce over the eggplant On top of each layer of sauce, sprinkle grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat this process two more times, ending with the sauce and cheese layer. I usually put a little extra cheese on the top layer for the sake of appearances.


Bake the eggplant at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Then serve it as you would lasagna.

Dipping Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipe acquisition stories ever. A few years ago we invited a few friends over for a potluck dinner. One couple volunteered to bring the bread and they thought it would be a great idea to also bring a Carrabba's-style dipping sauce. The husband set to work trying to replicate the recipe from one of everyone's favorite Italian restaurants. "Why don't you just call them and ask them what they put in it?" the wife asked.

"They'll never tell me that," replied the husband. The wife got on the phone and asked the hostess who answered the phone, "Can you tell me what's in your dipping sauce?"

The hostess put her on hold for a moment and then came back. "I'm only going to say this once," she said, "and I'm going to go fast. Write it down." She then listed off the ingredients, if not the proportions, of their herb mix.

I'm quite sure that we don't have the perfect Carrabba's proportions, either, and we use dry herbs instead of fresh because they store much easier. So I won't go on record as calling it Carrabba's sauce. But it's good. You'll like it.

Italian Dipping Sauce
Granulated garlic (or mince fresh garlic over the final mix as you serve it)
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Rosemary
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
Salt

I usually mix in a teaspoon or so of each (except for the cayenne and maybe the black pepper, which I do to taste) which makes enough for several meals, even with our tribe. Just store it in an airtight container.There are wonderful ways to vary this recipe. Sometimes I minimize the granulated garlic and then add a bit of fresh minced garlic when it's served. I've also added a little bit of grated parmesan at serving time.

Ham Pasta

As you may be able to guess from the plate featured in this photo, this is birthday week at our house. Not one, not two, but three kids have birthdays in a period of five days. It's exhausting but fun and it's also a major food fest.

The tradition in our family is that the birthday person gets to choose a special breakfast, a special dinner and a favorite dessert. Anna was overjoyed to discover this year that her birthday fell on a school holiday, so she was also allowed to choose what we had for lunch. Usually the kids choose family favorites. We know that a meal is getting a figurative big thumbs up when we try something new and the kids say something like, "This is birthday dinner material!" So I'll try to feature a few of our birthday favorites over the next couple of weeks.

I was actually surprised that this dish made the birthday list this year. It's an often-requested dish but it's a little on the simple side to qualify for the usual birthday meal standards. But Anna realized that we hadn't had it for a long time and settled on it as her birthday choice even after I offered her what I thought were more alluring options.

I sort of made this recipe up. I say sort of because it was inspired by a sauce that one of my Italian friends used to make when I lived in Sicily about 30 years ago. It's not especially healthy but it's simple and delicious and, I might add, a great way to use up leftover ham.

Ham Pasta
2 c. diced ham
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. frozen peas
½ c. grated parmesean

Cooked and drain pasta while you are preparing the sauce.

Cook ham, onion and garlic in skillet in a small amount of oil. As ham begins to brown, pour in cream and stir. Add mozzarella and frozen peas. Cook until well-blended, about ten minutes. Simmer on low heat for 10 to fifteen minutes. Add grated parmesean cheese. Stir until smooth. Stir in drained pasta and stir until pasta is coated. Serves about 8.

Pizza!

Homemade pizza is probably our family's favorite meal. Our teenage kids have been known to change plans and stay home (on weekend nights, even) when they hear we are having pizza. We've tried a variety of toppings. In a later post (after we make them again), I'll include the recipes for our Chicken Feta Basil pizza and Bob's barbecue chicken pizza. I'll also try to post the recipe for the somewhat involved pizza sauce that I make from garden produce and bottle every summer.

The first time we made pizza at home was with the help of our friends Blake and Catherine, who are true experts. They introduced us to the magic of the pizza stone (which we had stored in our pantry since our wedding but had never used). We've actually gone through several stones in the meantime, and now have two that are well seasoned and well used--they are also great for baking bread, giving the finished product a lovely crust. See here, for example.

Our crust recipe has evolved somewhat over time as we've experimented with and combined different recipes. This recipe makes three large pizzas, which is usually enough to feed our crew for dinner and a rewarmed snack the next day (warm the pizza on the pizza stone for best results).

Pizza Crust
2 T. + ¼ t. instant yeast (if you aren't using instant yeast, activate the yeast in the warm water. Adding the sugar will make it come to life faster).
2 ½ cups warm water
2 ½ t. sugar
2 ½ t. salt
5 T. olive oil
6 ¼ cups flour

Mix together in stand mixer or large bowl; knead for 7-8 minutes. Let rise until double. Divide into three equal portions and roll out flat (we make them as close as possible to the size of the pizza stone). Add sauce and toppings and bake at 550 degrees for about six minutes.

We have found that order matters when it comes to toppings. Here is the preferred order for our three most frequently made pizzas. Use any basic tomato or pizza sauce for the sauce. We prefer grated mozzarella cheese, which we buy in bulk from Costco and then freeze in smaller portions.

Sausage/Mushroom Pizza: Crust – 1 ½ ladles of sauce – cheese – sausage – mushrooms – onions – cheese

Combination Pizza: Crust – 1 ½ ladles sauce – cheese – sausage - onions – mushrooms – peppers – sliced olives - pepperoni – cheese

Pepperoni Pizza: Crust – 1 ½ ladles sauce – cheese – pepperoni – cheese

Here is a photo of Bob's fine assembly work on a combination pizza just before it goes in the oven (although we do put another layer of cheese on). As you can see from the photo, we use a wooden pizza peel covered with corn meal as the base for the pizza. This allows it to slide easily onto the pizza stone, which we pre-heat for 30 minutes or so in the oven.