Italian recipes with the zesty flavors of the New World. Here you'll find unexpected delight with our Italian recipes. With the added flavor of spices these dishes are an easy treat. We begin these Italian recipes with our unusual spaghetti.
Spaghetti with Chile and Basil
Ingredients:
• 2 dry Ancho Chilies (stemmed)
• 1/2 cup wine vinegar
• 250g spaghetti
• 4 to 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (chopped) or 1 tsp dry basil
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup Queso Fresco or Feta Cheese (crumbled)
How to:
• Break the stemmed chiles in 1/2 then discard the seeds
• Wash chiles under water then pat dry with paper towel
• Soak the chiles in vinegar till soft (10 mins)
• Drain, discard vinegar then slice chiles into thin strips
• Cook the spaghetti till al dente or according to package direction
• Drain then set aside
• Heat olive oil in pan and saute the garlic and chile strips for a few mins
• Careful not to burn the garlic
• Toss in warm spaghetti into olive oil mixture
• Add in the basil and season with salt and pepper
• Serve pasta at once, topped with cheese
Caesar Salad
Ingredients:
• 2 large heads romaine lettuce
• 5 cloves garlic
• 56g can anchovy fillets
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Slices of bolillo (hard bread roll) or baguette
How to:
• Remove outer leaves from lettuce, use only the tender centers
• Rinse, drain and set aside
• Using a mortar, mash the garlic well
• Place the anchovies in a large wooden bowl and finely shred with a fork
• Add garlic and mix together
• Wish in egg yolks, then pepper then Worcestershire sauce
• Stir well
• Add in lime juice
• Mixture should become pale yellow in color
• Add 1 cup of olive oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly
• Add grated parmesan cheese
• In a skillet, heat the remaining oil and fry the bread slices briefly
• Drain and set aside
• To serve: gently toss lettuce in dressing and arrange on each plate with slices of fried bread on top
• Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and serve at once
