Tag: Italian food

Family, Food

Spaghetti Squash Italiano

thestlouiscooks

Spaghetti Squash ItalianoSpaghetti squash isn’t that common dish made in most households.  In fact, I never had it growing up.  I came from that meat and potatoes kind of family with all the common vegetable sides.

Plus, let’s admit it, big squash is a bit intimidating.  It’s heavy, and hard to cut.  Can I please have a saw to cut this baby? Not to mention, you don’t ever want to drop it on your foot.  But in all honesty, spaghetti squash is really pretty easy to make.

In my late 20’s, my husband came home with a recipe for spaghetti squash from a coworker.  That’s when we first tried spaghetti squash and loved it.  Since then we’ve been making it, but we’ve tweaked it a bit to our liking and we call it Spaghetti Squash Italiano or Dad’s “famous” Spaghetti Squash Italiano…as he likes to call everything!

It’s light so it can be an awesome side dish, or it can be eaten as a meal. For those non carb folks out there, this is a great dish for you.  Vegetarians will love this too.  We added all the awesome Italian spices and cheeses hence the name Spaghetti Squash Italiano. There are so many other awesome recipes out there for spaghetti squash, but Spaghetti Squash Italiano is a must try. Check it out!

Spaghetti Squash Italiano

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 4 Roma Tomatoes chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
  • 4-5 cloves of fresh Garlic; minced
  • 1/4 cup of Parsley
  • 1/4 cup of Basil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of Rosemary
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup of Fresh Parmesan/Asiago cheese mix

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds.  Place the cavity side down in baking pan filled with a little water. Bake 20-30 minutes checking that the water hasn’t evaporated.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and gather the other ingredients.  Combine the chopped tomatoes, garlic, and other seasonings.  Let stand at room temperature to marry the flavor.
  3. When squash is done, flip over in pan.  Fill each cavity with tomato mixture.  Top with cheese mix. Place back in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Remove and scoop mixture into a large serving dish.  Use a fork to fluff squash into spaghetti strands.  A small amount of olive oil can be added but it is optional.

**Check squash to be sure it is al dente.  Don’t over cook.

Enjoy!

Food, St. Louis Small Businesses, Travel

Giovanni’s on the Hill

thestlouiscooks

 

Giovanni's

A high-end Italian dining experience is not easy to find anymore, not just in St. Louis but everywhere.  I still like to get dressed up and enjoy impeccable food and service for that special occasion.  My husband and I did just that for our sweet sixteen celebration of our wedding anniversary on April 17th, 2014.  We picked Giovanni’s on the Hill in St. Louis, MO.  It wasn’t our first visit to this restaurant, but it had been a while.  Once again, it did not disappoint. We enjoyed everything from the amazing food…to the old Italian charm and decor, and the professionally dressed wait staff.

My husband ordered the Veal Chop in a black truffle sauce and loved every bite.  I like to order veal out (since I don’t cook it at home) so I pondered between the Veal Saltimbocca Alla Giovanni’s and the Veal of the day which was Italian style. Our waiter suggested he would prepare two Veal Saltimbocca style and the other one Italian so I could enjoy both of them.  Now, that’s what I call service!  I must admit that my favorite still remains to be the Veal Saltimbocca Alla Giovanni’s, but the Veal of the day was very good too.

It’s such a treat, in this day and age, to visit a higher end restaurant where you can get dressed up (not in your jeans) and be treated like kings and queens for a few hours.  We enjoyed before dinner drinks, a four course meal (nice size portions), a lovely cabernet, (Stag’s Leap, suggested by the maitre d’) and a surprise desert of Tiramisu.

Giovanni’s recently celebrated 40 years in business.  It’s obvious they are doing something right because they’ve welcomed many celebrities from all over the world and have consistently been rated as one of the finest Italian restaurants since 1975. For all you locals out there, you must pay them a visit if you haven’t already.  For those visiting St. Louis looking for a fine dining experience, look no further than Giovanni’s on the Hill. It’s a gem of a restaurant right here in the Midwest.

Giovanni’s on the Hill