Prepare delizioso

Impress your friends by hosting a dinner party with a to-die-for Italian menu, or just grab some wine and have the girls get together and cook. These recipes are quick, tasty, and most importantly...easy!

Share your favorite Italian recipes! Send your specialties and sure fire hits to museum@artsbma.org. Be sure to include your name and hometown.

Antipasto Platter
Gather your favorite meats, cheeses and condiments for a pre-dinner bite. Proscuitto, Salami and Pancetta mix perfectly with Fontina Val D'Aosta, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Pecorino Romano. Add a blend of marinated artichokes, olives and eggplant and it's ready to serve.

Crostinis

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350. Use a biscuit cutter to make perfect circles (or any cookie cutter to make any shape) into your everyday sliced bread. Slide into oven until golden and firm. Drop a bulb of leeks into boiling water to soften.(You'll use them a little later.) In a saucepan, mix two cans of cannellini beans, 1/2 shallot (finely minced), 1 garlic clove (finely minced), 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Back to the leeks, cut them lengthwise to make strings of 1/4 inch width. Now you're ready to put it all together.

Tie it together:

Spread a high-quality or homemade mayo over the toasted bread. Next, spoon on a generous amount of cannellini beans. Top with a thin slice of proscuitto. Tie the leek aournd your crostini. Eat!

Cream of Mushroom in an Artichoke Bowl

The Bowl:
Preheat oven to 350. Begin by chopping off the tops of four artichokes. Carve out the yellow inside and flower. Place the artichokes stem up in a baking dish. Fill the baking dish up to 1/2 the height of the artichoke with water. Slice 1/2 stick a butter and drop in the water. Bake for 45 minutes or until the artichoke softens.
The Soup:
Slice 1/2 lb of crimini mushrooms. Chop 1/4 cup of shallot. In a medium saucepan, saute 1 clove chopped garlic in olive oil. When starts to brown, add mushrooms and shallot. Stir until the shallots begin to brown. Pour in 6 oz heavy cream. Let heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
The Finished Product:
Cut the stem from the artichoke, leaving a level surface that will be the bottom of the bowl. Place the artichoke back in the baking dish, this time stem side down. Pour the soup into the cavity in the artichoke. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes, letting the substances blend. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and serve. For an added bonus, shave some parmesan over the top!

Linguini

Sauce: In a medium saucepan, saute 2 chopped shallots and 1 chopped garlic clove in 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup cubed eggplant, saute 2 minutes, or until eggplant begins to soften. Add 3 cups of chopped tomatoes, lowering heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup olive, 2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 20 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan reggianno.  Remove from heat, pour sauce on top of pasta.  Cover with 1/2 cup freshly grated paremesan reggiano.
Noodles: Drop 1/2 package of linguini noodles into salted boiling water. (We chose whole wheat linguini.) .

To serve: Pour the sauce over the noodles and top with shaved parmigiano reggiano.

Pears burro
Halve 6 pears. Scoop out the area with seeds with a melon baller. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 stick melted butter with 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Using a brush, coat the pears with the mixture. (At this point, you can decide if you'd like to serve the pears raw or cooked. If cooked, place in oven on 400 for 20 minutes.) Use the mellon baller to scoop perfect balls of fresh mozarella. Wrap the mozarella with thin slices of proscuitto. Place the balls into the already scooped area of the pear.