Italian – KinFolk Recipes

Brushetta with Tomato and Basil

Bruschetta refers to the bread. Just the bread. Whatever goes on top is just extra.
The word bruschetta is Italian, and it s derived from the verb bruscare. That means to char or toast. Bruschetta is a word that the Italians invented to describe stale sliced bread which had been toasted and doused in olive oil, garlic, and salt. The tomato topping commonly associated with bruschetta isn’t a part of its traditional meaning, but in modern times it has. It includes diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, and sometimes mozzarella cheese.

Grandma’s Spaghetti

Grandma’s Spaghetti is one of the dishes my mother in law used to make. My kids always loved her Spaghetti. The instructions were always add a little of this and of that. This is the closest I’ve ever came to her recipe. There are two things that I know I have different than hers. I use lean ground beef instead of the greasy ground beef, and I add butter; that replaces the grease from the beef. Her secret ingredient was tomato ketchup :). When I do make it, its enough so the kids can take some to their home.

Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan Copycat

Chicken Bryan is one of Carrabba’s Italian Grill’s most ordered dish. It consists of an 8 oz grilled chicken breast, topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a basil lemon butter sauce. This dish is named after the city of Bryan, Texas, where the Carrabba family settled in the United States. The first time I went to Carrabba’s that’s what I ordered and I knew I just had to find a copycat recipe of this. I must say this one came pretty close. Find out for yourself.

Ingredients

½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup cold butter, sliced
1½ cups chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil (I didn’t have it at this time used dried basil)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces caprino goat cheese or 8 ounces other goat cheese, room temperature

Instructions

Saute garlic and onion in 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, increase heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce by half. Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.
Stir in tomatoes, basil, kosher salt, and white pepper; remove from heat; set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and black pepper. Grill the chicken on your barbeque or in a grill skillet. When the chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast and put the prepared sun-dried tomato sauce over the chicken breast.

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti another easy casserole dish perfect for through the week. This is a very basic one, feel free to add some vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Ziti also tends to keep very well, making it possible to prepare the dish the day before, store in a refrigerator, then heat up the following day if necessary.

Italian Wedding Soup

The first time I heard the name Italian wedding soup, I thought it was the kind of soup that is served at weddings. Come to find out that’s not the case. The original name for this soup is Minestra Maritata. Maritata is the Italian word for married. And this particular marriage is between the vegetables and the meat in the soup.

Tag: Italian