Italian food help!

I am stuck in a rut, and I need some ideas to make some Italian food. I'm craving a putanesca or marinara sauce, but the hard part is that I don't eat wheat (well, not very often anyway!) and I want to stay low-carb.

I've done a meatsauce with polenta and that was good, but I need new ideas!

I have garden sauce canned, I have chicken and beef, and all pantry ingredients (except wheat items like flour).

I make chicken piccata often enough that I don't want to make that but otherwise I'd love some new ideas!

I won't be much help, but I did find that Spaghetti Squash actually taste a lot like spaghetti when you put some sauce on it.

You might look for italian venison recipes and bag an extra buck this season...

eggplant thinly sliced and rolled around a cheesy filling baked with sauce?
I'm with Homercidal regarding the squash. we make carbornara with it and it's yummy.

why not make a nice piece of grilled chicken and top it with a fresh putanesca, then serve it on a pillow of soft polenta or risotto. Why no wheat? gluten?

Dreamfields pasta claims to have lower digestible carbs than listed on the box, but scientifically it's hard to back up their claim; it sounds like bullsh*t

the BigHair is diabetic, but Dreamfields doesn't spike her blood sugar like other carbs

not sure if this is any help for you, Yoop, because it's definitely not gluten-free.

Have you tried making your own pasta with a non wheat base?

Melana said:

Have you tried making your own pasta with a non wheat base?

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I regularly make my own pasta but I don't have a problem with wheat. Epicurious has at least one recipe for gluten free pasta, if it's the gluten that you're trying to avoid.

Bob's Mill has gluten free flour as well.

As a side note, I'll be rolling and hanging a pancetta today. In a few weeks its bacon time!

Mangia!

Homercidal said:

I won't be much help, but I did find that Spaghetti Squash actually taste a lot like spaghetti when you put some sauce on it.

You might look for italian venison recipes and bag an extra buck this season...

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i'm not a veggie lover by any means, but this is actually pretty good. my wife baked a squash with sauce and cheese on top. pretty tastey and i'd imagine much healthier then pasta!!

Glynn said:

why not make a nice piece of grilled chicken and top it with a fresh putanesca, then serve it on a pillow of soft polenta or risotto. Why no wheat? gluten?

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I just don't eat many carbs at all- out of choice. I rarely (very rarely) eat rice or polenta, and even more rarely eat wheat. It's sort of a paleo/primal way to eat, that keeps my blood sugar low, my cholesterol low, and my weight low!

Melana said:

Have you tried making your own pasta with a non wheat base?

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No, because I also don't eat things like quinoa, spelt, rice, etc. At least, not very often. I don't have any gluten issues, I just am healthier and slimmer without refined carbs of any type.

So pasta (especially Dreamfields!) is out for me, unless I really want to have it. Sometimes I do, but it isn't very often at all- maybe a couple of times a year as a splurge. I honestly don't miss it all that much except for times like these!

I have been thinking about chicken florentine, and pounding the chicken breasts and filling them with cheese and spinach, like a manicotti filling and pouring some spicy marinara sauce over it. I also think that might be really good with fish.

I made a braciole last week, and it was really good!

what about pasta made from chick pea flour?

Melana said:

what about pasta made from chick pea flour?

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I'm going to sound like a nut now, but I really don't eat legumes!

I do "cheat" and eat whatever I want, but I really feel great with tons of energy on this paleo/primal thing so I don't really cheat very often.

It's not that I'm one of those people who is picky and hippie-like- I really do feel like I"m 25 instead of almost 50, so I don't have a tendency to eat things like grains unless I really really want them. I don't eat legumes much at all, though.

Hey, not faulting you... If I looked half as good as you do I'd have a leg to stand on.

What about dehydrating kale, grinding it, and making pasta out of that? Kale's on paleo, right?

+1 on the spaghetti squash. It blew me away! I need to try it again...

Yooper said:

I have been thinking about chicken florentine, and pounding the chicken breasts and filling them with cheese and spinach, like a manicotti filling and pouring some spicy marinara sauce over it. I also think that might be really good with fish.

I made a braciole last week, and it was really good!

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I was going to say braciole. It was a standard recipe in my Italian grandmother's (and my mom's and now my) kitchen arsenal.

Eggplant is my favorite veggie, and there's plenty you could do there. I like to halve them lengthwise, roast them, carve them out and make a stuffing (sausage, eggplant, cheese, breadcrumbs, etc).

Speaking of roasted/stuffed - do the same with peppers.

Spent grain pasta?

seafood fra diavolo?

Yooper said:

No, because I also don't eat things like quinoa, spelt, rice, etc. At least, not very often. I don't have any gluten issues, I just am healthier and slimmer without refined carbs of any type.

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Are potatoes out? Gnocchi?

Yooper said:

I am stuck in a rut, and I need some ideas to make some Italian food. I'm craving a putanesca or marinara sauce, but the hard part is that I don't eat wheat (well, not very often anyway!) and I want to stay low-carb.

I've done a meatsauce with polenta and that was good, but I need new ideas!

I have garden sauce canned, I have chicken and beef, and all pantry ingredients (except wheat items like flour).

I make chicken piccata often enough that I don't want to make that but otherwise I'd love some new ideas!

Click to expand...

Yooper:

My wife and I saw this recipe on The Chew...it was created by Mario Batali

It is a healthier version of chicken parm and it is absolutely delicious. We usually don't put them on rolls just eat them as is with some fresh veggies that we saute with garlic. Hope this helps!

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/chicken-parm-burger-debi-tschinkel

Melana said:

Hey, not faulting you... If I looked half as good as you do I'd have a leg to stand on.

What about dehydrating kale, grinding it, and making pasta out of that? Kale's on paleo, right?

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Now that's just crazy talk!

Kidding, kidding. I don't eat much kale, but Bob eats it every single day for breakfast with his eggs. I think that I"d rather go without pasta than making kale pasta, but I sure do appreciate your creativity and will still consider this.

Sammy86 said:

Yooper:

My wife and I saw this recipe on The Chew...it was created by Mario Batali

It is a healthier version of chicken parm and it is absolutely delicious. We usually don't put them on rolls just eat them as is with some fresh veggies that we saute with garlic. Hope this helps!

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/chicken-parm-burger-debi-tschinkel

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Looks good! I"d skip the panko and rolls, but I like the basic idea. Thanks!

Melana said:

seafood fra diavolo?

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Now you're talking!!!!!!! I'm taking notes and can't wait to dig into some of these ideas- thanks!

Grilled eggplant parm:

Super low carb, all you do is size eggplant and brush with olive oil and grill both sides until tender. Once grilled take eggplant slices and layer with slices of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Optional to add a layer of bread crum or some sort of gluten free bread crum mixture with garlic salt pepper parmigiana cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese. Do two or 3 layers and top with a slice of mozzarella. Continue to grill until cheese melts.

Top with fresh tomato sauce and Romano cheese.

For tomato sauce sauté 2 cloves of sliced garlic, then add 1 can crushed tomatoes, sliced basil, teaspoon of sugar, garlic powder, dash of red pepper flakes, pepper and dash of salt.

Guaranteed to satisfy an Italian craving and it's healthy!

Yooper said:

I'm going to sound like a nut now, but I really don't eat legumes!

I do "cheat" and eat whatever I want, but I really feel great with tons of energy on this paleo/primal thing so I don't really cheat very often.

It's not that I'm one of those people who is picky and hippie-like- I really do feel like I"m 25 instead of almost 50, so I don't have a tendency to eat things like grains unless I really really want them. I don't eat legumes much at all, though.

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You don't sound like a nut to me. I follow the same diet as you, and have for over 4 years now (I'm 47). My health has vastly improved. I have far more stamina now than I did when I was 18 years old, in every way. It was just a few months ago when I actually attempted to ride my mountain bike up a ski slope!

Chickpeas are complex carbs, so they won't spike your blood sugar - they have a low glycemic index compared to i.e. rice. I eat them or lentils maybe once a month when it's not summertime - love my indian curries.

There are lots of great italian low-carb recipes. I've got some awesome ones, I'll post later.

Great- thanks!

We are having a chicken parmesan dish tomorrow night, with a spicy marinara sauce I made. It still seems weird to not have pasta with Italian food to me sometimes, even after being primal/paleo for 3+ years!

Nice try, but you all missed the point! (j/k) Hey Yoop, have you ever been down the "Organic" aisle, and looked in the cooler? The name of this unbelievable gift from the heavens is called Shiritake noodles. They have no carbs, no fat, no garbage at all, and they are a dynamite solution to all the things pasta, and they are guilt free!
A while back, a woman of Asian persuasion asked me if I was making Sukiyaki
with those noodles, and I said no, but thanks for the idea.

Chicken Marsala is easy, and has no pasta. I use only 4 ingredients: chicken (pounded flat), mushrooms (always use twice as many as you think you'll need), a bottle of marsala wine, and some heavy cream. I serve with a side of pasta, but you could skip that and go with some fried zucchini or something similar.

This is a great way to make it, here: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/59/Chicken-Mushroom-Marsala

MindenMan said:

Nice try, but you all missed the point! (j/k) Hey Yoop, have you ever been down the "Organic" aisle, and looked in the cooler? The name of this unbelievable gift from the heavens is called Shiritake noodles. They have no carbs, no fat, no garbage at all, and they are a dynamite solution to all the things pasta, and they are guilt free!
A while back, a woman of Asian persuasion asked me if I was making Sukiyaki
with those noodles, and I said no, but thanks for the idea.

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I have tried them, and I found them pretty yucky unfortunately.

passedpawn said:

Chicken Marsala is easy, and has no pasta. I use only 4 ingredients: chicken (pounded flat), mushrooms (always use twice as many as you think you'll need), a bottle of marsala wine, and some heavy cream. I serve with a side of pasta, but you could skip that and go with some fried zucchini or something similar.

This is a great way to make it, here: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/59/Chicken-Mushroom-Marsala

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That's great. I make it sometimes, but not as often as I should. I'm pretty obsessed with chicken piccata (Giada deLaurentis' version) and it's similar but not the same. Thanks for the reminder on making the marsala- with our fresh (now dried) oyster mushrooms, chicken marsala would be perfect!

I love piccatta too. so yummy.

the BigHair makes an awesome chicken marsala, but sometimes switches it up and uses madeira

either way, it's fookin' tasty

This is one recipe my wife and I love - we make it about once a week, but normally subsitute and put 4 small capers on top of each slice. I discovered it one day while browsing www.prosciutto.it website.

http://blog.prosciutto.it/it/2012/10/24/rotolini-di-frittata-con-jamon-de-huelva-e-mozzarella/

The site is in italian, so use google translate to figure out the recipe just like we did ;-)

Yooper said:

I'm pretty obsessed with chicken piccata (Giada deLaurentis' version) and it's similar but not the same. Thanks for the reminder on making the marsala- with our fresh (now dried) oyster mushrooms, chicken marsala would be perfect!

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That sounded so good I made it tonight. My kids pulled a couple dozen lemons off my lemon tree this weekend, so it was perfect timing.

There is "Italian food" by the North American definition, and then there is the food what Italian people who live in Italy actually eat. For example, not too many people who live in Italy are going to be eating a 4000 kcal bowl of Fettucine Alfredo like you see on offer in North American "Italian" restaurants. Same goes for the lasagne, pizza, spaghetti with meatballs, etc. They just don't eat that kind of thing as a rule. Italian people are very concerned about their weight and their appearance in stylish, fashionable clothing.

A woman named Viana la Place has done a lot to bring cookbooks of real Italian food to the english speaking world. Of course, her books are not "low-carb", per se, and do contain pasta and bread sections, but they are also full of many other recipes that are low-carb in nature. I highly recommend her cookbooks. Cucina Rustica is a very good first starter:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0688077641/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That's not an affiliate link, either, just my opinion that this is a really good Italian cookbook written in English. I've owned it for 20 years, and I still refer to it now and then.

passedpawn said:

That sounded so good I made it tonight. My kids pulled a couple dozen lemons off my lemon tree this weekend, so it was perfect timing.

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Up here lemons don't grow on trees.

Yooper said:

I have tried them, and I found them pretty yucky unfortunately.

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The trick with those tofu "pastas" is that you have to rinse the crap out of them and cook them in a huge pot of water to get rid of that fishy smell. The texture is a little gooey but I actually don't mind it.