Buca Di Beppo Copycat Recipes!

Man oh man was last night an excellent night of cooking.

I was stumped as to what to cook this week (I do all my planning on saturdays)

and was aimlessly searching instagram and some of my fav. food blogs

for inspiration when POOF! Inspiration.

Buca Di Beppo copycat recipes.

I did lots of research comparing recipes to get the end results of last night's yummy feast.

Buca's apple gorgonzola is my all-time favorite salad, it's the best.

So, I decided to pair it with Buca's Penne San Remo, and both were spot on!

Just a little warning, these are not the quickest recipes, they ARE however, easy, but

maybe not the best recipes for people in a rush!

Let's start with Apple Gorgonzola Salad, I am telling you you HAVE to make this recipe with the candied pecans, the extra spice makes them even more special than just your store bought ones, or just candying them with plain old sugar.  Also, the homemade dressing is a MUST, its adds the kick that makes this salad so special.

Salad Ingredients:

Romain lettuce

1 Large Granny Smith Apple sliced

Dried Cranberries 

Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese (I used feta because my husband doesn't like "blue like" cheeses)

Spiced Pecans (or walnuts, recipe below)

Mustard Dressing (recipe below)

Mustard Dressing Ingredients:

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1/4 Red Onion

2 TBSP. Dijon Mustard

1 TSP. Italian Seasoning

1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Cup EVOO

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Put all of the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and BLEND! 

And it's done, that makes  A LOT of dressing so feel free to half that, and you'll be fine. 

Spiced/Candied Pecans Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 TSP. Salt

1/2 TSP. Pepper

1/2 TSP. Ground Ginger

1/4 TSP. Cinnamon  

Pinch of Red Pepper

2 TBSP. Butter

1.5 Cups of Pecans 

Add all ingredients to a fry pan and cook/stir until sugar is melted and well incorporated, transfer to parchment paper or tin foil to cool.

Serving:

To assemble your salad simply toss together the desired amount of all of your salad ingredients (except the apple) with your dressing and pecans.  Then place on a plate and arrange your sliced apples around the plate to make for a gorgeous presentation.

Now for the Penne San Remo, this made a TON of pasta, like enough for 4 so I adjusted this recipe
for the blog the best I could that would serve 2-3 generously.

Ingredients:
8 Ounces Penne Pasta (I do whole wheat, but I think white is prettier)
1/2 LB. Chicken Cutlets (or chicken breasts pounded thin)
1/2 Cup Flour (for chicken)
2 TSP. Italian Seasoning
1/2 TSP. Salt
1/2 TSP. Pepper
2 TBSP. EVOO
1 TBSP. Butter
1 TBSP. Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts, quartered, (you can find marinated artichoke hearts in a jar at the grocery store for very cheap, mine were $2) make sure to cut off the stems
1 Small Can of Peas (drained)
1/2 Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, thinly sliced (I left them out because Logan doesn't like them, but they are great in this recipe!)
1/4 Cup White Wine (I always tend to add a little bit more so I probably did about a half a cup)
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup of Parm. Cheese

Directions:
1. Cook penne pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside
2. Combine flour, italian seasoning, salt and pepper on a plate and dredge your chicken in the mixture
3. Heat EVOO and butter over medium-high heat in a large saute pan that has large enough sides to fit all your pasta!
4. Add chicken to EVOO/butter and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until golden) and flip, when chicken is cooked through remove from pan, slice and set aside, remove excess oil and add new EVOO to the pan
5. Add artichokes, tomatoes, and garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes (stirring)
6. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the flour mixture you used for the chicken over the artichoke/tomato/garlic mixture (you are setting up your sauce) and stir until well incorporated
7. Add white wine to the pan, when it starts boiling reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for 2 minutes
8. Add cream and stir
9. Add parm. cheese and stir until cheese is melted
10. Add peas and cook for 2-3 minutes
11. Add pasta and chicken and stir well! Hope you have a big pan cause my pasta overtook the pan making for
a fun mess
**Remember, always salt and pepper to taste