Blog Archives

Pepperoni Parmesan Croutons

Reply

This is the season for salad lovers, and we have been enjoying lots of salads at the convent with the daily fresh picked lettuce, herbs, and cucumbers from our gardens.

To add interest to them I’ve come up with my own croutons. If you like crisp and crunch, and you savor the flavor of Parmesan and pepperoni you’re sure to like these.

They are simple, quick and easy to make, add great taste to your salads, and served as snacks, they disappear in no time.

Print Recipe
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Pepperoni Parmesan Croutons
SERVINGS
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
10minutes
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Tear bread into bite sized pieces to equal about 4 cups.
  2. Toss with seasonings.
  3. Spread out on 9 x 13 pan.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese and torn pepperoni.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until golden all over.
  6. Cool and break into pieces.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Reply

For years I have been making what I called crispy chicken strips, the result of an idea that came to me out of the blue and one that was very successful after simply trying it out on my own without any recipe. I used them a lot as appetizers along with chutney or sweet and sour sauce. Sometimes I top a salad with them for a nice lunch, and often I add Italian spices and grated Parmesan cheese to the crumbs and serve them with a favorite pasta and sauce for a main meal. I liked my original idea and have been quite pleased with myself for having come up with something that tasted so good and was exclusively mine or so I thought . . . until a while ago when flipping through a friend’s recipe book and look what I found: “Baked Chicken Nuggets” – almost identical to what I’d been making, only using bread crumbs instead.

Print Recipe
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Baked Chicken Nuggets
SERVINGS
15chicken nuggets
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
chicken nuggets
COOK TIME
10-15mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cut chicken into 1½ inch pieces.
  2. Season well with onion salt.
  3. Dip chicken in butter, then in crumb mixture, adding in optional Italian spices and Parmesan cheese for a Mediterranean accent if desired.
  4. Place on baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes – just until golden but still plump and juicy – not dry.

Asparagus Risotto

Reply

Risotto is now considered a specialty dish often featured on menus in upscale eating places. It has, however, been a common everyday food in Italian homes for many years. Cooked in different ways to satisfy various tastes, it is almost as popular as pasta in the Mediterranean diet.

It can be prepared as a simple, meatless, light lunch or as an accompaniment to meat or fish for a fuller multi-course meal.

This time of year, spring asparagus especially lends itself to this creamy, cheesy dish to make it an exceptionally flavorful culinary experience.
Asparagus Risotto

Print Recipe
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Asparagus Risotto
SERVINGS
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
50mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Blanch the asparagus
  2. In a 3 or 4-quart saucepan, heat 1 Tablespoon butter on medium heat.
  3. Add the shallots and cook until translucent.
  4. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.
  5. While shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in another saucepan.
  6. Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine.
  7. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of hot stock to the rice. Stir until the liquid is almost sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  8. Continue adding 1/2 cup of hot stock to the rice at a time, and cooking and stirring until liquid is absorbed each time.
  9. You will stop adding stock when the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20-25 minutes.
  10. With the last ladle of stock, add the asparagus. Turn off the heat. Keep the risotto loose. It thickens a lot while it sits.
  11. Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter. Add onion salt and pepper to taste.

Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup

Reply
I went out to the gardens the other morning to see them-after they’d been put to bed a few weeks ago. This is always a  bittersweet moment for me each year. They were nicely raked and  everything all carefully harvested (which is to me the sad part).  That is, almost everything harvested, because I did spy something that suddenly gladdened my heart. …….a vibrant green patch of kale in the farthest corner. This means that one of the healthiest of green vegetables will be available to us all winter long. No need to rush and gather it  before the frost because the frost simply sweetens it and makes it more  flavorful.
I grew up on kale when it was not so widely recognized and used as it is today. Just during this past year kale has rapidly increased in popularity as awareness of its nutritional value has been discovered. One of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is a perfect  winter food.
I love it simply sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil and  simmered till soft and tender the old Mediterranean way, but it also  makes a marvelous hearty Tuscan soup for a cold weather meal when served with good crusty bread.
Print Recipe
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup
SERVINGS
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
40minutes
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Warm oil in a pot over medium heat.
  2. Saute sausage until browned, about 10 minutes; set aside.
  3. Add onion and celery; saute until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and red pepper. Saute 1 minute.
  5. Pour in broth, raise heat to high and bring just to a boil, scraping up brown bits.
  6. Return sausage to pot; stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring back to a boil.
  7. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 15 minutes.
  8. Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in kale, cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
  9. Stir in parsley and top with Parmesan, if desired.

Tuscan Tomato, Bread And Herb Soup

1
I went out to the gardens the other morning to see them-after they’d been put to bed a few weeks ago. This is always a  bittersweet moment for me each year. They were nicely raked and  everything all carefully harvested (which is to me the sad part).  That is, almost everything harvested, because I did spy something that suddenly gladdened my heart. …….a vibrant green patch of kale in the farthest corner. This means that one of the healthiest of green vegetables will be available to us all winter long. No need to rush and gather it  before the frost because the frost simply sweetens it and makes it more  flavorful.
I grew up on kale when it was not so widely recognized and used as it is today. Just during this past year kale has rapidly increased in popularity as awareness of its nutritional value has been discovered. One of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is a perfect  winter food.
I love it simply sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil and  simmered till soft and tender the old Mediterranean way, but it also  makes a marvelous hearty Tuscan soup for a cold weather meal when served with good crusty bread.
Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup
Print Recipe
Votes: 1
Rating: 4
You:
Rate this recipe!
Tuscan Tomato, Bread And Herb Soup
SERVINGS
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
36mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Warm oil in a pot over medium heat.
  2. Saute sausage until browned, about 10 minutes; set aside.
  3. Add onion and celery; saute until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and red pepper.
  5. Saute 1 minute.
  6. Pour in broth, raise heat to high and bring just to a boil, scraping up brown bits.
  7. Return sausage to pot; stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring back to a boil.
  8. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 15 minutes.
  9. Season soup with salt and pepper.
  10. Stir in kale, cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
  11. Stir in parsley and top with Parmesan, if desired.

Zucchini-Stuffed Tomatoes

Reply

The vegetables are really pouring in from the gardens now.  Every year it seems to happen all at once. Last summer I never got around to using one of my most favorite tomato zucchini recipes, and I don’t want that to happen again this year. I used this frequently for guest meals and retreats for many, many years and it was always very popular. It is definitely old fashioned but definitely good!  Plus it is a very attractive and savory compliment to any plate, especially when all the fresh tomatoes and summer squash are at their peak.

Zucchini-Stuffed Tomatoes

Print Recipe
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Zucchini-Stuffed Tomatoes
SERVINGS
4servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
PREP TIME
READY IN
½hour

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cut tops off tomatoes, scoop out pulp, and drain upside down on paper towel or a rack.
  2. Grate squash.
  3. Mix in salt.
  4. Let sit ½ hour; squeeze out liquid.
  5. Add cream, cheeses, and white pepper.
  6. Cook squash mixture in frying pan until liquid is absorbed and mixture is thickened.
  7. Fill tomatoes.
  8. Bake at 375˚F until hot and golden brown on top. Do not overcook.