Mangia Con Elena

Italian Beef Stew/Spezzatino @mangia.con.elena    Beef  spezzatino  is one of the most traditional dishes in Italy. There are endless varieties and every family has its own recipes. It can be enjoyed over polenta or mashed potatoes or served with some nice, crusty bread. It is both filling, satisfying and so delicious.  Spezzatino is made with cheaper cuts of beef, pork, lamb or veal.  It  braises in the oven for a minimum of 3 hours at a lower temperature which allows the meat to tenderize and the sauce to become rich and flavourful. Not to mention the smell in your house! Serve it up with some nice crusty bread and a glass of wine and you have a great home cooked meal that is filling and so satisfying!  As always, the ingredients are just suggestions. No recipe is set in stone. Make it your own by adding what you would like and taking out what you don't like!  I use a large 7 quart dutch oven but a dark roasting pan with a lid will work as well. This can also be made in the slow

Baked Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells   @ mangia.con.elena                                           My husband is German. He was raised in an area that was rich in German heritage and culture. When our dating became more serious, I knew it was time to take him home. This was a big deal as I had not brought very many boyfriends to my house to meet my family. As you can very well imagine, there were enough Italian men in my house to intimidate even the most confident of young men. My brothers scared off a few of them early on in my high school days that I decided then that I would only bring home the one I intended to marry.  So my then boyfriend and I made the long trip up North to meet my family. He was quite nervous as he had never met an Italian family before and his image of Italians was based on movies such as the Godfather. His experience with Italian food was fast food pizza. I, of course, had a lot of fun with this and didn't help ease his nervousness any. I did te

  Pesce con Salsa di Pomodoro/Fish in Tomato Sauce @mangia.con.elena Several of my friends and myself have been collaborating together on our Instagram pages to share traditional Italian fish dishes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes celebration that many Italians honour. These dishes are from different regions and this particular dish can be found in several regions of Italy, with different names! It has been a great experience getting to know these women in this group and also getting to learn about the variety of Italian traditions. Christmas Eve in my family was and still is my most favourite holiday. This special night is about the sharing of food, the gathering  of friends, family and togetherness. Growing up, there were few gifts under our Christmas tree. Babo Natale arrived early in the morning to bring us a stocking (an actual sock) with a few chocolates, some nuts and a mandarin. It was tradition in Italy to receive a mandarin and/or nuts in your sock as your gift. My mother w

Risotto with Meat Sauce/Risotto con Sugo di Carne @mangia.con.elena www.mangiaconelena@gmail.com   Risotto is a versatile dish rooted very much in my childhood. We grew up eating the way my mother learned how to cook in Italy. This was a common meal in our house. Made with the Sunday meat sauce that she already had in the fridge. She also made it without meat and a simple marinara sauce loaded with garlic and basil.  I love this dish because the arborio rice soaks up all of the rich sauce and the meat gives it a deeper flavour. If you do not have home made sauce ready to go in the fridge, you can make a  quick version like I did using fresh tomatoes or canned (whole San Marzano tomatoes). This dish takes some time and you need to be constantly stirring so make sure you allot yourself  about half hour of cook time once you are done prepping. You will also need vegetable, beef or chicken broth (really depends on the meat and what kind you have in the sauce). I used chicken stock for this

P ASTA AL FORNO   Instagram @mangia.con.elena December 1st and we just got hit with our first major snowfall!I have shovelled twice already and looks like I may have to go out again. The only thing I truly love about winter is all the comfort food! Just like this pasta al forno. It is also known as baked ziti. In one of my earlier posts I shared my traditional recipe of meat ragu (sugo as we call it) and how it is an important ingredient for so many other Italian dishes. This is one of them! A meaty sauce and pasta dish with three cheeses that bakes in the oven.  This dish looks like it is a great deal of work but trust me it isn't. As long as you have the sauce in freezer or fridge ready to go this can be prepped in half an hour. You can also make a quick marinara version of it if you would like to go meatless. Serve it with a salad and you have a great meal all ready to go on a stormy day like today. This can be  prepped a day ahead and refrigerated unbaked. I usually make a coup

  Chicken Broth and Pastina Soup I nstagram  @mangia.con.elen a When I think of the times I was under the weather as a child, I think of the comforting simple soup that my mom would serve me. In Italian it is called pastina. It soothed not only the physical ailments but also emotional. From colds to broken hearts, it just made eveyrthing a little bit better. Not to mention the known health benefits of bone broth, garlic and turmeric ( my version)! There  was always fresh broth in our house. Bags of it in the freezer and containers in the fridge. My mom would make it once a week and it was either chicken, vegetable or beef stock depending on the meat available to her or what her meal plans were for that week.  On cold winter days, I would run home for lunch and the smell of that amazing pastina soup would envelope me as I opened the door.  It was just what I needed on those very cold days!  Sometimes, if we were lucky, she would shred the chicken from the broth and cut up the carrots an

  Italian Tomato Sauce with Meat( Sugo di carne) Instagram  @mangia.con.elena Sunday sauce. There is a hashtag on instagram right now which is #makesundaysitalianagain. When I see that I smile to myself as it brings back childhood memories of Sunday dinners. Sundays were always large family dinners. Mostly a variation of pasta with lots of sides. I would wake up early to the sound of pots and pans banging in the kitchen (my mother was a terrible sleeper and was up early getting started in the kitchen). I would quickly eat my ciambella and drink my cappucino and I would meet my cousins outside to walk to church. I remember running home from church because I couldn't wait to see what our dinner was going to be. I could smell the sauce all the way  up the street! The smell- oh my! This sauce was used on Sunday but also kept in the fridge for meals during the week. It was an important part of so many dishes- lasagna, gnocchi, polenta, risotto, fettucine, polpettone and so much more! Su