Italian Dinner Recipes?

***Flat-Iron Steaks with Red Wine Sauce***

2 (1-pound) flat iron steaks or tri-tip steaks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 1/2 cups dry red wine

Prepare the grill or barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper and drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add the garlic and oregano and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the wine. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Strain the sauce into a small bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer and return the sauce to the saucepan and bring back to a slow simmer. Cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into small 1/2-inch chunks and whisk in the sauce a little at a time. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the steaks across the grain. Divide the steak slices among 6 plates. Drizzle the sauce over the steak, drizzle a little more extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

**Grilled Tomato Risotto with Portobella Mushrooms**

1 pound fresh tomatoes, halved and seeded

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 medium portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

6 cups water

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 pound Arborio rice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3 tablespoons chopped green onions (scallions), green parts only

Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the portobello mushroom on a parchment - lined baking sheet, cavity up. Drizzle both sides of the mushrooms with the olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Fan a quarter of the cheese over each cavity of the mushroom. Place in the oven and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the water and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the rice and simmer, stirring constantly until the mixture is creamy and bubbly, about 18 minutes. Stir in the butter, cream, cheese, and green onions. Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the tomatoes. To serve, slice each portobello into quarters. Spoon the risotto into each serving dish. Lay 2 slices of the portobello on top of the risotto. Garnish with parsley.

How about Chicken Marsala? This is a classic Italian dish, and definately more refined than basic dishes!

Ingredients:

Chicken breast (large)

Mushrooms (about one or two cups sliced depending on how much you like mushrooms)

Angel Hair spaghetti (or other pasta)

Spices: Garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, Paprika, Italian Seasoning

Flour to bread chicken (I use Bisquick). About two heaping spoonfuls or so.

Sweet Marsala wine (one cup) [Note: Marsala comes in sweet and dry varieties; I use the sweet variety.]

Directions:

Preheat water for the angel hair spaghetti if that's what you will be having with this meal. You want the water ready for the angel hair at a certain point in the chicken preparation. Timing will be important to have everything come together correctly.

Prepare the chicken breast(s). What you want are chicken pieces that are about a quarter inch thick. You can pound a breast down to that thickness if you wish. I prefer to use a partically thawed breast from the freezer and slice it to the proper thickness. This produces two or three slices from a typical large breast. It's easier to slice the breast if it's still partially frozen; it doesn't slide around as much.

Mix the dry ingredients and coat the chicken pieces. Coat them well and completely. I find the natural juice in the chicken as it further defrosts is sufficient but you can use an egg wash if you need to or want to but be aware it will change the taste. Reserve some of the coating mix to later thicken the sauce. (You might want to reserve the mix before coating to avoid contamination by raw chicken juices even though you will be cooking the thickened sauce.)

When the water is heated, mushrooms sliced, and chicken coated you can start.

Using medium high heat in a large skillet fry the chicken pieces for two minutes until the first side is browned. You should not need more than two minutes for this.

Turn the chicken pieces over. Directly add the mushroom slices around the sides of the chicken. Cook another two minutes.

After the two minutes stir the mushrooms and then add the Marsala wine. Cover and turn the heat down. Simmer for ten minutes. When you've got the cover on put the angel hair in the spaghetti water to cook for eight to ten minutes depending on how "done" you like your pasta.

After the ten minutes your pasta is done and the Chicken Marsala is ready to finish. Drain the pasta and set aside. Uncover the chicken and stack the chicken pieces up in one side of the skillet. Slowly add the reserved coating mix, stirring constantly. This is to thicken the sauce. Add the amount you need to thicken the sauce to the degree you want. Stir constantly to minimize clumping. (Note: if you want to minimize clumping put the coating mix into a jar, add a bit of water, close and shake until a thick mixture results. Add this slowly to thicken the sauce.)

Dish and serve.

Chicken Marsala

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 tsps. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 cup dry Marsala wine

3/4 cup chicken stock, low-fat, low-sodium

1 Tbsp. cornstarch, or arrowroot powder

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook on each side for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook for about 4 minutes until the wine looks syrupy. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch or arrowroot powder in the stock. Add to the chicken and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I would suggest going to www.foodnetwork.com and click on Giada DeLaurtenis, she has amazing recipes ... great italian food... I have 2 of her books, very good stuff !