Author: The Real Italian Food

Categories
Appetizers Seafood

Shrimps Cocktail in Pink Sauce

Prawn Cocktail in a glass with Brown Bread

How to prepare the real  Italian recipe of the “Shrimp Cocktail in pink sauce”

The shrimps cocktail in pink sauce is just wonderful, tasty and delicate at the same time,
elegant and the perfect opening for a nice dinner. The delicate flavor of the shrimps goes perfectly with the flavor of the pink sauce giving rise to a pleasant contrast of flavors and a quite refined finish.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 400 grams of Peeled Shrimps
  • 200 grams of Mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons of Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon of Tabasco
  • 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
  • Salad as you prefer
  • Sprinkle of Tabasco
  • For decoration: slice of lemon and two little Pachino tomatoes

Preparation

1. Add the mayonnaise in a bowl and add the ketchup and Dijon Mustard. Begin to mix well so as to amalgamate the three sauces until the sauce is smooth and rosy. Add the Worcestershire sauce make it blend well into the mixture and then add the Tabasco Stir again and let stand.

2. In the meanwhile, add on the fire a saucepan with cold water and bring to boil just when the water boils, turn off the heat and put into the shrimps but before you have to wash well and peeled. Let them inside for 2 minutes and then making them drain. When they are well cooled and drained pour into the bowl with the pink sauce. Mix well and gently so as to incorporate the shrimps to the sauce . Let stand for 10 minutes .

3. Now you can compose the cocktail, you bring 4 cups, we prefer if transparent, put the salad inside and distribute, as you like, the shrimps with their sauce, a slice of lemon and 2 little Pachino tomatoes for decoration in each cups and a sprinkle of Tabasco and then…

THE SECRET:

The consistency of the sauce should not be liquid, but rather dense and homogeneous. You can add half a glass of Cognac to make the sauce more aromatic. Buy frozen shrimp already shelled and making them thaw before using. You can use any type of salad to line the cups : lettuce, radicchio or mixed salad.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito! 

Closeup of delicious Prawn Cocktail. Fresh jumbo shrimps, cream, lettuce leaves, lemon wedge and zesty sauce. Appetizer served in cocktail glass. Copyspace.

 

Categories
Christmas Dinner Pasta Vegetarian

Lasagna Pesto, Ricotta and Pachino Tomatoes

lasagne pesto

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of “Lasagna Pesto, Ricotta Cheese, and Pachino Tomatoes”

Lasagna is a kind of Pasta which is flat and thin, Ricotta is a fresh typical  Italian cheese and Pachino is a quality of tomatoes from Pachino, Sicily. The best of Italy, fresh, high-quality ingredients needed for this healthy vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 250 grams of Lasagna or 1 Box of Barilla (Italian Brand)
  • 100 grams of grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 300 gr of Pesto
  • 400 grams of Ricotta Cheese
  • 600 grams of Pachino Tomatoes
  • Half Liter of Bechamel
  • Extra Virgin  Olive Oil
  • Salt, Pepper as preferred

Besciamella or Béchamel Sauce

  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • Half liter of Milk
  • Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg as you prefer

Preparation 1° Besciamella or Béchamel Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a pan add the flour and cook for 3 minutes; meanwhile bring the milk to a boil with salt pepper and nutmeg, stir in the butter and flour and simmer for five minutes.

THE SECRET: the bechamel is ready just when you put the spoon into the sauce and when you take out the sauce stays firmly attached to the spoon.

Preparation 2° The Tomato Sauce

2. In a pan, cook the Pachino tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Oil Olive, salt and half glass of hot water for 10 minutes, without restricting too much the sauce.

3. In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese with a bit of milk dissolved (half glass ) and pesto.

Preparation 3° The Lasagna Pasta

4. Cook the lasagna according to the instructions. About 8 minutes in 6 quarts of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse with cold water. Lay the individual lasagna noodles out on kitchen towels, very delicate, not touching between each other, so they do not stick together while you layer the casserole.

5. Start by placing a little bit of béchamel sauce on the bottom of the casserole, then build the 4 layers of lasagna, alternating pasta, béchamel sauce, Ricotta Cheese and Pesto, Pachino Tomatoes Sauce and Grated Parmesan Cheese and then again for 3 layers more. Finish the lasagna with béchamel sauce, Ricotta Cheese and Pesto, Pachino Tomatoes Sauce and Grated Parmesan Cheese.

6. Bake uncovered at 200° degrees until the lasagne is bubbling and the corners are getting brown; about 30 minutes…

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

Lasagna Pesto, Ricotta Cheese e Pachino Tomatos

 

Categories
Christmas Lunch Pasta

Traditional Lasagna Bolognese or Ragu’

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of the authentic  Lasagna Bolognese or “Lasagna alla Bolognese”

A very traditional Italian recipe for the special celebrations or for a Sunday lunch with all the family. An authentic meatier recipe from the North of Italy. Ragu’ Lasagne are great to prepare as you can prepare them in advance and bake last minute.

Ingredients for 4 people

Ragu’ alla Bolognose (Bolognese Sauce)

  • 2 Carrots
  • 1 White Onion
  • 1 Stalk Celery
  • 1 glass of Milk
  • 1 glass of hot Water
  • 400 grams of different minced Meat (300 grams of beef and 100 grams of pork)
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons or more as preferred
  • 1 tube of concentrate Tomato
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

Bechamel

  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 50 grams of Flour
  • Half liter of Milk
  • Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg as you prefer

Ingredients

  • 100 grams of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 300 grams of Mozzarella Cheese
  • 250 grams of Lasagna or 1 box of Lasagna, like “Barilla” Italian brand

Preparation 1° 

Ragu’ alla Bolognese – Bolognese Sauce

Make the “soffritto” tasty fried base for the sauce, mixing finely chopped onion, carrots and celery in a pan with 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Oil Olive cook over medium heat until onion turns pale gold. Add the beef, the pork to the “soffritto” base, sprinkle with salt and pepper, increase the heat to high for 5 minutes after that reduce to medium and cook for 15 minutes until the water of meats is reduced. Add 1 glass of milk until to reduce it and after that add 1 tube of concentrate tomato with 1 glass of hot water, cook for 1 hour and half and reduce the heat to medium.

Preparation 2° 

The Béchamel Sauce

Melt the butter in a pan add the flour and cook for 3 minutes; meanwhile bring the milk to a boil with salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir in the butter and flour and simmer for five minutes.

THE SECRET: the bechamel is ready just when you put the spoon into the sauce and when you take out the sauce stays firmly attached to the spoon.

Preparation 3°

The Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook the lasagna according to instructions. About 8 minutes in 6 quarts of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse with cold water. Lay the individual lasagna noodles out on kitchen towels, not touching, so they do not stick together while you layer the casserole. Start by placing a little bit of béchamel sauce on the bottom of the casserole, then build the 4 layers of lasagna, alternating pasta, béchamel sauce, Bolognese sauce, Mozzarella cheese and Grated Parmesan Cheese and then again for 3 layers more. End the lasagna with meat, béchamel sauce, and the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered at 200°degrees until the lasagne is bubbling and the corners are getting brown; about 40/50 minutes.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

lasagne