Simple Italian Recipes: Part 2

Directions:

1. Spaghetti with Zucchini & Olive Oil
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cool the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and set aside while you make the sauce.
4. In a large sauté pan heat the oil heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and sliced zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini until tender, approximately 10-12 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the pan of cooked zucchini and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.
6. Tilapia with Caper-Olive Relish
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tilapia filets in a parchment-lined baking dish and season each with filet with a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped capers, olives, parsley, and lemon zest with a spoon. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix well.
9. Top each seasoned filet with some of the caper-olive relish and drizzle each filet with a bit more olive oil. Pour the white wine around the fish in the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is flaky when touched with a fork.
11. Chocolate Caprese
12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Finely grind the toasted almonds in a food processor.
13. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
14. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar (dropping and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed) until the mixture is pale yellow and the sugar is incorporated. Add the egg yolks into the butter-sugar mixture one at a time and continue mixing until the eggs are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Fold the vanilla extract, the pinch of cinnamon, and the orange zest into the butter-sugar-egg mixture with a rubber spatula.
15. Next, fold the egg whites into butter-egg mixture, along with the ground almonds, and finally, the melted chocolate.
16. Pour the cake batter in prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. To test if the cake is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it is done cooking.
17. Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the cake pan. Top the cake with powdered sugar, slice into wedges and serve.
18. (Alternatively, this cake can be baked into smaller individual round cake pans. If you prefer this shape, reduce the cooking time 15-20 minutes from the 45-50 minutes recommended for the larger cake. *)

Published on April 23, 2013by Personalchef07