BOURBON CRUSTED SALMON
4 Salmon filets
1/3 bottle ELENA'S Basil Garlic Olive Oil Pasta Sauce
1/3 bottle ELENA'S Bourbon Chicken Glaze
1/2 cup Scallions, finely sliced
Preheat oven to 350. Shake oil, pour into sided plate. Coat Salmon with herbed oil. Place into baking dish and bake for 10 - 12 minutes until flaky. Pour Bourbon Glaze on top of filets, place under broiler for 2 mins until crispy. Watch carefully. Serve with pasta or rice.
Also, can be sliced and placed onto spinach salad!
Buon Appetito, Elena
HARVEST ROASTED POTATOES
1/3 bottle ELENA'S Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Pasta Sauce
1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut in wedges
1 large Sweet Potato, cut in wedges
1 small Onion, diced
Preheat oven to 350. Place potatoes and onions in bowl and toss with oil until fully coated. Place in baking pan using single layer. Bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are crispy.
Buon Appetito, Elena
Pasta e Fagioli (pasta & bean soup) Quick and Easy!
1 jar ELENA'S Bread Dipping Sauce
2 jars Water
1 can Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
1 cup Ditalini Pasta, short tube pasta, cooked al dente
Romano Cheese, fresh grated
In a saucepan, add first 3 ingredients. Heat on medium until slowly bubbling. Add cooked pasta, stir and cook for a few more minutes. Serve in bowl, garnish with romano cheese and fresh Italian bread.
Buon Appetito, Elena
SPINACH SALAD WITH CRANBERRIES & GOAT CHEESE
Serve this beautiful salad for the holiday. The combination of flavors are light and delicious.
1 lb. Fresh Spinach
8oz. Dried Cranberries
1/2 Vidalia Onion, large, finely sliced
8 oz. Goat Cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
1/3 cup Elena's White Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 cup Elena's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper
For dressing, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper. In large bowl, combine spinach, cranberries, onion & Goat cheese. Toss with dressing. Serve immediately.
Buon Appetito, Elena
LINGUINI WITH PEAPODS & SHRIMP
Are you looking for simple & quick? This pasta dinner is like Italian stir fry that's full of flavor. Using fresh frozen shrimp & peas makes this is an on-hand staple.
1 pkg Elena's Egg Linguini
1/3 cup Elena's Roasted Garlic Olive Oil
1 lb Shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lb peapods
1/2 cup Romano Cheese, shredded
Cook pasta according to directions, drain, set aside. Steam peapods for 5-7 mins. until tender but crisp. In large skillet, on medium heat, saute olive oil & shrimp for 5 mins or until shrimp is cooked. Add cooked egg linguini & peapods, toss until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with Romano cheese & serve.
Buon Appetito, Elena
ITALIAN POACHED EGGS
When I was a little girls, my mother & grandmother would make this great Italian dish. It was not only a wonderful breakfast but served on Friday nights for dinner.
1 jar Elena's Sicilian Red Pasta Sauce
6 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup Peas, frozen
Italian bakery bread, large slices toasted
On medium heat, in 10" skillet, add Sicilian Red sauce, water and peas. Heat until sauce is hot. Individually drop each egg, evenly spaced so edges don't touch. Put lid on skillet to steam eggs until done. *The longer the steaming the more cooked the eggs. Serve in bowl with great Italian toast!
Buon Appetito, Elena
TUSCAN CHICKEN
Our Tuscan chicken is easy to create and great for a crowd. Our marinara is full fo Italian herbs & plum tomatoes that makes this meal perfect.
2 chicken breasts, boneless, cut in strips
4 Tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper.
1 jar Tuscany Red Marinara
5 white button mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet, brown chicken in olive oil. Salt & pepper to taste. When strips are light brown, place in baking dish. Cover chicken with mushrooms and Tuscany Red Marinara. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese & bake for 10 more mins, or until melted. Serve.
Buon Appetito, Elena
GORGONZOLA APPLE SALAD
This crispy fresh salad is a perfect lunch and a wonderful start to any family harvest dinner. Our White Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes a sweet dressing for other salads & marinades.
Lettuce medley containing different greens, cut up 2 apples, sliced, not peeled
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup Walnuts
1/3 cup White Balsamic Vinegar,
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
salt & pepper
Fresh parsley & basil
In small bowl, toss lemon juice & apple slices.. Drain excess lemon juice and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk white balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh parsley & basil. In a large bowl, place lettuce, apples, cheese & walnuts and toss with dressing. Serves 6 - 8.
Buon Appetito, Elena
ARROSTITO PEPE ANTIPASTA
I love the color of food and this is beautiful and absolutely delicious. Prep time is about 45 minutes but make it a day or two ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Leave it on your counter for a couple of hours bringing it to room temperature before serving.
Buon Appetito, Elena
Elena's® Basilico e Pepe Olive Oil Basil Garlic Hot Red Pepper (EVOO)
Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Peppers; Rub with Elena's® Olive Oil, roast 10 minutes on each side, place in a brown grocery bag to steam until you an handle the peppers. Remove skin, slice in strips and place in bowl.
Elephant Garlic; Cut bulb in half crossways through each clove, sprinkle with Elena's® Olive oil, put halves together, wrap in foil, place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until soft. Remove roasted garlic from the skin, place in bowl with peppers.
Oil Cured Black Pitted Olives; Room temperature. Place in bowl with peppers and garlic.
Shake Elena's® Basilico e Pepe and drizzle over pepper mixture. Mix gently. Always taste for yourself adding more Olive Oil if needed. Serve with sliced rustic bread.
THREE OLIVE TAPENADE WITH ROSEMARY
Tapenades are chic and can be made in about 10 minutes. Olives and capers last along time in your refrigerator so they are good staples to have around ready for unexpected company. Serve with a bottle from your wine cellar.
Elena's® Aglio e Rosemarina Olive & Rosemary (EVOO)
Elena's® Crostini
1/2 lb oil cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 lb green olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 lb Kalamata, pitted and chipped
4 tbsp capers, drained
Place ingredients in a bowl. Shake Elena's® Aglio e Rosemarina well. Pour 1/2 cup over tapenade. Mix well. Serve on Elena's® Crostini.
ASPARAGO FRITTATA (EVOO)
Traditionally, my family serves this frittata for Easter Sunday brunch. Taking advantage of the harvest of the season, asparagus spears add nutrition as well as color and taste. The asparagus and the Italian sausage may be cooked the day before. The frittata is made just before serving.
Elena's® Bread Dipping Olive Oil
1 lb of asparagus; Trimmed, cut in 1" pieces, steamed until soft. Drained
1 lb of Italian sweet or hot link sausage; Remove the casing from each link and brown until crispy. Remove from pan draining on a paper towel.
8 large fresh eggs; Place in a bow and beat.
Fresh navel orange; Sliced thin, cut through one side of skin, twist for garnish
Sliced cinnamon bread or toast is served with the frittata.
Shake Elena's® Olive Oil to disperse the rich spices. Pour enough Olive Oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. Saute steamed asparagus for about 2 minutes. Add, cooked sausage evenly around the skillet. Pour in eggs. Cook until eggs are done. Serve.
HERBED CHICKEN FOCACCIA SANDWICHES
These are an elegant yet easy favorite around our house. Marinate the chicken overnight. Buy fresh focaccia, fresh mozzarella and ripe plum tomatoes. Be choosey, begin with the very best ingredients.
Elena's® Insalata della Casa House Salad Dressing
2 pieces of boneless chicken breasts; Shake Elena's® Insalata della Casa to mix the red wine vinegar and oil well. Pour 1/2 of the bottle or more to cover chicken, marinate overnight. Grill chicken to well done. Then, slice length ways.
1 Oblong Focaccia Bread; Cut in even squares, enough for a bottom and a top.
1 lb fresh Buffalo Mozzarella; Sliced thin.
4 ripe Plum Tomatoes; Always store at room temperature for best taste, sliced thin.
Fresh basil; Large leaf if possible, rinsed and drained on a paper towel.
Focaccia bottoms and tops are placed on your working area. Now assemble sliced chicken, mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil leaves. Shake Elena's® Insalata della Casa to mix. Pour over each. Cover with top piece of focaccia. Insert two tooth picks to hold bread in place. Slice diagonally. Serve.
MEDITERRANEAN RISOTTO STEW
Serve this soup in stark white rimmed soup bowls placed on dinner plates. Chopped flat leaf parsley sprinkled on the rim adds elegance. For a great look, serve rustic unsliced bread on a wooden board on your table, wrap the handle of your bread knife with a white napkin. Store the knife blade under your bread.
Enjoy! Elena
Risotto; Cook according to directions on box. Use chicken broth or vegetable broth for flavor.
Elena's® Il Primo Trattenimento Mediterranean Stew; heat in a sauce pan until hot to serve. Add a little water to the stew if you think that it is too thick. One bottle would serve about four people.
Asiago Cheese; About 1/4 lb more or less for the garnish.
Place hot stew in serving bowls, add about 1/2 cup of risotto in center. Garnish with Asiago cheese and serve.
NEW YORK CHICKEN OR PORK SPIEDIES
Growing up in Upstate New York certainly had its advantages. The incredible beauty of the small towns surrounded by luscious green hills graciously anointed with winding rivers, streams and lakes. New York has always been noted for great food, such as spiedies, otherwise known as shish kebobs to the rest of the world. Enjoy one of my favorite foods of New York.
Elena's® Insalata della Casa
3 lbs of chicken or pork butt cut into large cubes. Shake Elena's® Insalata della Casa. Pour over cubed meat. Marinate overnight.
8 hoagie rolls.
8 skewers for grilling
Divide meat on 8 skewers. Cook on a hot grill until well done. Serve each spiedie on a roll.