Mangia Con Elena

  Goat Cheese, Parmigiano and Grape Tomato Pasta Mista IG: @mangia.con.elena We like to call this "Italian Mac n' Cheese." This pasta dish is incredibly simple and can be ready and on your table in less than 30 minutes! Definitely a go to dish in my house when I am craving pasta but have little time or energy. In addition, the smell of the garlic and tomatoes simmering definitely perk me up!   Goat cheese and grated parmigiano- reggiano are blended with the flavours of grape tomatoes simmered in garlic and olive oil to release its juices. Add a bit of pasta water to thicken the sauce and you have a creamy, flavourful and delicious bowl of pasta.  When I have as assortment of half full pasta bags in my pantry, it is time to make "pasta mista," which means mixed pasta.  This one is farfalle and tortiligione.  When making this dish, choose a pasta shape with crevices or twists as it is the best vessel for this wonderful sauce. Trust me, you will be glad you did whe

  Summer Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes in a Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce IG: @mangia.con.elena I love everything about summer fresh produce and I get pretty excited when the fresh zucchini and other amazing vegetables make their way to the local markets! BUT  the best for me is when the tomatoes are at their prime!  I can not get enough of this delicious, versatile and amazing fruit and vegetable. Did you know that the tomato is both? Just makes it even more incredible. Memories of growing up eating tomatoes fresh off the vine and enjoying them a multitude of different ways in different dishes.  In the fall we would harvest them and spend a week making and preserving passata and tomatoes infused with fresh basil. The smell in my house was just heavenly.  I continue to make many dishes showcasing the amazing tomato and this is a really simple one that combines roasted tomatoes with creamy goat cheese, garlic, oregano and basil.  This pasta dish comes together in the time it takes to put the w

  Meat filled Cannelloni IG: @mangia.con.elena Pinterest: mangia con elena Cannelloni is one of our family's favourite dishes and a popular feature in my mother's kitchen. We like to call them "Mamma's famous cannelloni" because her reputation for fantastic cannelloni quickly grew in our neighbourhood. She eventually started making them for an Italian restaurant and for the local Italian Club. She also started a small business making trays of them for others. The grandkids and great-grandkids love them and it was always an assumption that we would be served a large tray of meat and cheese cannelloni on every special occasion or celebration. When we would make the trek up North to visit them or they would come here there was always a cooler full of bags of cannelloni. I made sure to make them last until their next visit. They can be a bit time consuming to make so I would recommend that you make a large amount and you can freeze them for later use. You can freeze t

  Lasagna I f you are visiting this  then you must love lasagna as much as I do! It's a great meal that can be made well in advance and frozen. When I make lasagna, I make at least 2 trays and freeze one for another night! It can be labour intensive as there are several steps involved but the end result is well worth the work!  There are many different ways of making lasagna and I truly believe there isn't one "right" way. The best way is the way that works for you! This is the way my mother makes lasagna and I've only recently returned to this version. I have tried it several different ways but I find that for me, this one works best. For this version you will need to make sugo di carne. Please look at my sugo di carne recipe to make the sauce. When making sauce for lasagna I like it super meaty so I add another pound of ground beef and 6 italian pork sausages. I add a layer of ricotta cheese to my lasagna but I am aware that it is not everyone's favourite.