Italian Food Lovers

We run out of recipes from the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Garden Chef Series and the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend, at least for this year - next year we’ll make sure to have one of our bloggers from the Italian Food Lovers editorial team on site, so we can actually video the Chef demos and interview the Chefs (not while they demo, of course).

First of all, we would like to say thank you to Barilla USA’s Chef Lorenzo Boni, Trattoria N. 10’s Chef Doug D’Avico, Francesca Restaurants’ Executive Chef Laura Piper, Pinstripes’ Chef Mark Grimes and Mado’s Chef Rob Levitt for sharing their recipes with us. Thank you again, see you again on Italian Food Lovers!

Just to recap, this year we had the pleasure to publish on Italian Food Lovers recipes for 7 gourmet dishes. Did you try any of them at home? 

• Sautéed Wild Mushrooms Bruschetta
• Grilled Baby Octopus with Watercress Salad and Oranges
• Farfalle Piccolini Pasta Salad
• Linguine Fagottaro Pasta Salad
• Lobster Bread Salad
• Chicken Parmesan with Campanelle Pasta
• Grilled Peach and Prosciutto with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Bulsamic Must

Also, we have to say thank you to Stephanie Sette from the Academia Barilla USA Marketing Team (in the picture above) for getting all the content together for us (she does it all the time with the US events content, by the way) and of course also to Academia Barilla Italian Culinary Specialist Mario Rizzotti, who has been conducing several rounds of educational and tasting demos during the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend.

In these pictures taken during the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend Mario Rizzotti shares his Italian culinary knowledge with the show participants, teaching them how to professionally taste some of the best Italian gourmet products, such Italian extra virgin olive oils and traditional Italian cheese specialties such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and the several varieties of Pecorino, from Sardinian Pecorino Dolce to Pecorino Toscano DOP and Pecorino Sardo Gran Cru. Follow the link to see more pictures of Mario Rizzotti’s tasting demos at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

A final thank you goes of course also to all the guests and visitors and participated to the Chicago’s Chef show. If you liked the Italian cooking and Italian food culture you experienced at the Chicago Botanic Garden, you now you can find it also here on Italian Food Lovers all year round!

Also remember that you can experience the flavor and taste of Academia Barilla’s Italian gourmet food specialties all year round too, they are all available at the Academia Barilla online store, where you can also find Italian cookbooks, Chef tools, Italian gastronomy gift boxes and gift certificates!

Yes, we still have a number of recipes for you from the Garden Chef Series. Today Chef Mark Grimes of Pinstripes Restaurant with a new exciting recipe, Chicken Parmesan with Campanelle Pasta.

Ready to cook? We are already heading to the kitchen… be prepared as the difficulty level of this recipe is medium, and there are several preparation steps.

CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH CAMPANELLE PASTA
A recipe by Chef Mark Grimes
(serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

- 3 lbs chicken breast, 6 oz each pounded out 1/4 inch thick
- 10 oz ricotta filling
- 2.5 oz sun dried tomatoes
- bread crumbs
- white flour, seasoned
- egg wash

PREPARATION

Take 6 oz single lobe breasts and place in between saran wrap and gently pound out to 1/4 inch thick.

In three separate pans place flour, egg wash and bread crumbs in that order.

Dip each breast into flour and shake off excess egg wash and drain, next into the egg wash and drain, then into bread crumb mixture. Repeat this process with each piece.

Divide ricotta mixture into 2 oz balls and sun dried tomatoes into 0.5 oz portions.

Place cheese and tomatoes at the top third of chicken breast and roll to create an oval shape.

Heat a sauté pan with oil and brown on all sides and finish in oven until you get an internal temperature of 165 F degrees, then set aside while preparing the nutless pesto / herb oil.

INGREDIENTS FOR NUTLESS PESTO / HERB OIL

- 2 oz garlic, fresh
- 3 oz parsley
- 1 oz basil, fresh
- 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh
- 1 tablespoon oregano, fresh
- 1.5 cups Academia Barilla Riviera Ligure extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

NUTLESS PESTO PREPARATION 

Place all ingredients in a container and puree until smooth with hand blender.

INGREDIENTS FOR RICOTTA MIXTURE

- 2.5 cups ricotta cheese, drained
- 3 cups Academia Barilla Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 3/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup nutless pesto
- 4 cups Italian unseasoned bread crumbs

RICOTTA MIXTURE PREPARATION

Mix all wet ingredients first and then add dry ingredients and mix well.

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINARA

- 3 large cans plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup Academia Barilla Riviera Ligure extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme
- 1/4 cup white flour
- 2 cups red wine
- Kosher salt, to taste
- cracked black pepper, to taste

 MARINARA PREPARATION

Sauté onions, celery and carrots in olive oil for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add garlic and cook 3-5 minutes, then add flour and cook out 3 minutes.

Deglaze with red wine and reduce by half and add canned tomatoes and let simmer for 60 minutes.

Puree until smooth and add extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs as you puree.

Season with salt and pepper.

FINAL PREPARATION STEP: ASSEMBLE

Take cooked chicken breast and top with mozzarella or provolone cheese slices to cover, place in oven until cheese is melted.

Slice into desired size and arrange on your plate.

Toss with Campanelle pasta or your favorite cooked Barilla pasta with the marinara and place on your plate.

Garnish with pesto oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve.

Thank you Chef Mark Grimes for sharing with us this yummy recipe! Buon Appetito from Academia Barilla!