True Taste of Italy » basil

Pizza Margherita

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:31:25 +0000

There is a famous legend that goes along with Pizza Margherita and my personal favorite pizza dish. As the story goes, the French could not prepare a pizza fit for a queen so the famous Italian, “Pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito,” was invited to the Queen’s court to prepare a proper pizza. He created a pizza with the colors of the Italian flag and this pizza was fit for royalty.

Ingredients for Pizza Margherita:

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, rolled out
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled or crushed tomatoes with juice
1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese or freshly sliced mozzarella cheese
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Directions for Pizza Margherita:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on pizza dough and place in oven to bake for approximately 5 minutes, then remove.
Spread tomatoes evenly over top of pizza, then distribute cheese evenly to cover. Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle remaining olive oil.
Bake about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle chopped basil over pizza and serve. Enjoy!

Serves 4.

White Pizza with Herbs

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:06:55 +0000

White Pizza with Herbs (Pizza Bianca con Erbe) is a great pizza that adorns any dish or is simply outstanding when served alone. The aromatic flavors of the bread will make this pizza a family favorite.

Basic Ingredients for White Pizza with Herbs:

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, rolled out
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, parsley, sage, or thyme)

Directions for White Pizza with Herbs:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush 2 tablespoons olive oil on pizza dough and sprinkle some salt evenly over dough. Distribute herb mixture evenly over dough.
Drizzle remaining olive oil and some pepper to taste and place in oven. Bake about 30 minutes. Crust should be nice and golden brown.

Serves 4.

Tip: Use fresh herbs, if possible, because fresh herbs are so much more flavorful.

Pesto Sauce

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:05:57 +0000

Pesto Sauce is a uniquely flavored sauce that enhances any pasta meal. The fresh aroma of the basil appeals to the senses and entices the appetite. Compared to some of the other sauce recipes, pesto is extremely easy and quick to make. Try pesto over pasta for you next family meal.

Ingredients for Pesto Sauce:

1 cup olive oil
1 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
salt to taste
1 package fresh basil
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese

Directions for Pesto Sauce:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until you have a creamy, smooth texture.
Serve over pasta of choice such as spaghetti or other long pasta.

This Pesto Sauce recipe serves 4 to 6.

Bruschetta with Tomatoes

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:57:32 +0000

Bruschetta con Pomodoro (Bruschetta with Tomatoes) is a simple yet delicious way to get any dinner gathering started. This dish will be a true hit among all your family and friends. Bruschetta con Pomodoro’s secret is garlic. Garlic was considered a sacred herb of the Ancient Egyptians. Greek Olympian athletes used to chew garlic. Even today it is considered good for healthy hearts. We love how garlic brings out the flavors of a dish. It’s bold yet sweet flavor is essential to many of our recipes. We always recommend using fresh garlic, but if that’s not possible, a jar of minced garlic will also do the trick. When shopping for garlic make sure you select only bulbs that are firm and do not have sprouts.

However, unlike the garlic, only fresh basil will do here. There is just no comparison between the aroma and flavor found in fresh basil. Dried basil may work for soups or other dishes, but it just doesn’t do this recipe justice. The fresh basil will really enhance the fresh tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil mixture.

Ingredients for Bruschetta con Pomodoro:

8-10 slices of crusty Italian bread
2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
8-10 fresh basil leaves

Directions for Bruschetta con Pomodoro:

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut bread into 1/2 inch slices and put on baking sheet. Place in oven to toast.
Rub garlic cloves on toasted bread slices.
In a small bowl, add chopped tomatoes, olive oil, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well.
Place about 1 tablespoon of the tomato mixture on each bread slice.

This recipe for Bruschetta con Pomodoro will serve approximately 4 to 6 people.