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Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Parmesan Cheese

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fettuccine_alfredo_with_chicken
For a meal with a taste of Italian try Fettuccine Alfredo (read here other news). This is a dish to which one can add a variety of meats or seafood such as chicken and shrimp.

The recipe requires 12 ounces dried fettuccine,3 tablespoons butter, 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, 2 large red or yellowbell peppers, cut into bit-size strips, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream,1/2 teaspoon salt,1/8 teaspoon black pepper 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and Fresh basil.

To prepare, first cook the fettuccine in a large pot and according to directions on the package, then drain and return to the pot and cover to keep warm. You can add a few teaspoons of vegetable or olive oil t the salted water to prevent pasta from sticking together.

Next melt butter over medium flame in a large skillet and add chicken. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through and no pink remains. Remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon.

Add bell peppers to pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Then add whipping cream, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil.

Boil gently, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat; add the 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese and cooked chicken. Add the cooked fettuccine to the pan, stir gently and serve with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

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Ravioli, magnific italian food

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ravioli
To make the pasta use 6 cups all-purpose flour, 6 eggs, 3/4 cup water, and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

For the sauce use 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup tomato puree, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup tomato paste, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons minced basil, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, 1 tablespoon minced oregano, 1 garlic clove, minced, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

For the filling use 1 carton of ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons minced basil, 1 teaspoon minced parsley, 1 teaspoon minced oregano, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center and add beaten eggs, water and oil. Stir to form a ball. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

In a pot combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine the filling ingredients and refrigerate until ready for use.

Divide pasta dough into fourths, place teaspoonfuls of filling 1 inch apart over half of pasta sheet. Brush around filling with water, ffold sheet and press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel.

Boil salted water and add ravioli. Simmer and cook until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain. Cover with sauce and serve.

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Paella, Spanish delight

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Paella is the dish associated with Spain. This combination of rice and seafood or meat and vegetables such as green peas is seen outside of Spain as the country’s national dish but is really a regional speciality from Valencia.

To make a paella gather 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of paprika, 2 tablespoons of oregano, salt and black pepper, 2 pounds of skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 2 cups uncooked short-grain rice, 1 pinch saffron, 1 bay leaf, 1 quart of chicken stock, 1 Spanish onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 pound chorizo sausage, and 1 pound deveined shrimp.

First: season chicken with olive oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Then heat olive oil in a large skillet, add garlic, red pepper, and rice and stir for 3 minutes. Add the saffron, bay leaf, chicken stock and lemon. Lower heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 20 minutes.

In another, skillet heat oil then add chicken and onion and cook for a few minutes; add bell pepper, sausage, and shrimp, turning the shrimp until both sides are pink. Decorate paella with shrimp. Paella is best enjoyed served warm.

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Vegetarian Pizza, a way to eat healthy

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The great thing about a good pizza is that you can choose your own toppings. If you’re not a fan of meat then you can also pile on the vegetables. The basic pizza dough 2 x 7g sachets dry yeast, 2 teaspoons caster sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 cups plain flour, and 1/2 cup olive oil.

To make the dough combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl. Cover and let it stand for 20 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Then add flour and oil in a bowl and stir. Make a well in the centre and add yeast mixture. Knead onto a lightly-floured surface.

When the dough has risen, use fist to flatten and knead until smooth. Divide into quarters; roll to form four, 30cm round pizza bases and place on greased baking trays.

For the toppings use 1 small onion, finely chopped, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 small zucchini, grated, 200g of diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon shredded basil, 1/2 medium red capsicum, thinly sliced, 1/2 medium green capsicum, thinly sliced, 4 (120g) bocconcini cheese, sliced, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

In a saucepan heat oil and add onion, garlic and zucchini. Stir until onion has softened then add tomatoes. Bring to the boil; reduce heat until sauce has thickened. Add basil. Then spread pizza base with tomato mixture and add capsicum, bocconcini and mozzarella. Bake until cheese has melted and base is crisp.

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Tiella, Italian pie

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tiella
Italian cuisine is more than just pasta and pizza. There are many recipes you can try. Tiella is a layered vegetable dish which often contains tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini, baked in an earthenware dish. It is most popular in the Italian south.

Eggplant, onions, red peppers, mushroom slices, sauteed greens, and sliced winter squash can be added. For the dough use 2 teaspoons dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups semolina flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ cup cool water, and 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

For the filling use 2 pounds escarole, 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic, ⅓ cup capers, drained, ⅓ cup Gaeta olives, pitted, ½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, and salt. To prepare trim the base of the escarole rinse, drain the leaves and chop into shreds.

Pour ¼ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add garlic. Cook for a minute then add the escarole, capers and olives, add salt and peperoncino. Steam for 5 minutes.

To make the dough, dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water and leave for several minutes to and start to bubble. Put flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and run for a few seconds to blend the dry ingredients. Stir the yeast with the cool water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the liquid into the flour and continue processing for 30 seconds.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead to form a smooth round. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. When filling is prepared, heat the oven to 375°. Place a rack in the centre of the oven. Brush the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil.

Knead the dough to form a round and cut off 1/3 for the top crust of the tiella. The larger piece from the bottom. Put the round in the baking pan then scrape add escarole filling in the bottom crust and spread evenly. Fold the rest of the dough over the crust making indentations with the fingertips to seal. With a knife, pierce the top crust all over, brush extra-virgin olive oil and bake for about 45 minutes. 

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Beef Pot Roast, taste in a pot

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When we think “roast” we often think “oven” but one of the tastiest roast meals is pot roast beef which can be done simply and easily on the stove top.

Pot Roast is an excellent meal to serve for an evening entertaining friends for a dinner party. It can be served with baked potatoes and gravy and a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes.

The ingredients required are 2 teaspoons olive oil, 4 pounds boneless chuck roast,1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Meat should be seasoned and left to marinade prior to cooking.

First preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a Dutch oven on top of the stove over a medium high heat. Then add meat and sear for around 4 minutes, searing all sides for 3 to 4 minutes each. Remove from the pan and sprinkle salt and pepper, add garlic, and 1 bay leaf. Replace meat in the pan and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for a further 1 ½ hours. Garnish with onions and gravy.

A variation on this dish involves searing the meat. Once browned, add water, and boil until tender over a low flame. 

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Greek-style Roast Chicken

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Roast Chicken is always a favourite for a simple yet stylish dish to serve when entertaining.

There are many different ways the roast chicken can be prepared but it can be given a twist by adding Greek Yogurt to the marinade. The yogurt helps the chicken retain its moisture while in the oven.

This recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts with the skin still on, salt, ground black pepper, to taste, 1 cup plain Greek non-fat yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ cup orange juice, 2 cloves garlic, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

After seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, place them in a gallon sized re-sealable bag. Mix together the yogurt, cumin, smoked paprika, orange juice and garlic and pour into the bag with the chicken. Marinate chicken for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Over a medium flame, heat olive oil. Add chicken with the skin side down and cook for 2 minutes until chicken is golden brown. Place pan in oven and roast for 25-30 minutes until cooked.

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Chicken Curry, a taste of India at home

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Nothing says exotic like curry and one of the simplest curry dishes to make is chicken curry. The dish is traditionally Indian and is like bringing a little taste of the sub-Continent home.

The curry can be spiced according to your own taste – fiery hot or just mild enough to leave you wanting more.

Chicken curry is best served with either Jasmine or Basmati Rice or Nan, or both.

Gather together 2 cups of Basmati or Jasmine rice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 medium onion chopped, 1 clove of garlic minced, 3 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of grated ginger root, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite sized strips, 1 cup plain yogurt, ¾ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt to taste.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over a medium flame and sauté onion until lightly browned. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika, bay leaf, ginger root, and salt. Stir. Add chicken, tomato paste, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and yogurt. Bring to boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. In a separate pot, cook rice according to directions on package.

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Thai shrimp, spicy exotic

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Spicy, tasty, exotic. Thai style shrimp is ideal for a quick dinner with spunk. It can be made in half an hour as shrimp is easy to prepare. Just add steamed broccoli and white basmati rice.

To prepare you need 1 cup basmati rice, 1/2 broccoli, 4 cloves of peeled garlic, 1 piece of fresh ginger, chili peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, vegetable oil, 1 medium onion finely chopped, 1 stalk scallion, 1 pound medium shrimp – peeled and de-veined, 2 tomatoes, diced, 1 cup coconut milk, and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves.

To prepare rice, place in a small pot and cook according to directions on the package. In a separate pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add broccoli. Steam for five minutes. For shrimp: In a blender, mix garlic, ginger, chili, salt, and turmeric to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and scallion and cook, stirring frequently. Add paste and stir. Add shrimp, and cook for a few minutes until they turn pink. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Cover, and simmer for a few minutes.

Stir in the basil in the last minute of cooking. Serve rice and top with shrimp.

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Chicken Lasagna, Healthy Twist on an old favourite

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Lasagna made with chicken instead of the traditional beef is a tasty choice which provides a twist on an old favourite and is a great option for vegetarians who want to add a bit of animal protein to their pasta.

This lasagna requires 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked ground chicken, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste, 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped, thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons honey, 8 ounces lasagna noodles, pepper,4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. In a saucepan combine chicken, chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, garlic, thyme, honey, and olive oil and cook for a few minutes. Cook lasagna noodles until tender. Drain and cool in cold water.

In a casserole dish place a thin layer of chicken mixture, add a layer of lasagna noodles, slightly crossing each other. Pour more chicken mixture, sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese and add a second layer of noodles, add a third layer of chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Finally add more noodles chicken mixture, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bake lasagna for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

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