Sick of Cafe’ food or having to order out for a decent meal? Here is a gourmet Italian dinner that you can make in one hour. In the time it take for the pizza guy to deliver your soggy mozzarella sticks, you can have a delicious three-course meal made with enough left over for a few friends.

Appetizer
Caprese Salad
3-4 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 onion
1-2 lumps fresh mozzarella cheese
olive oil
red wine or balsamic vinegar
fresh basil

With a sharp knife, slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and lay flat on a dish.

Slice the fresh mozzarella in the same way and lay the slice on top of corresponding tomatoes.

Cut up the onion into small curls and sprinkle them among the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Drizzle the tomatoes, mozzarella, and onions with olive oil and vinegar to taste.

Finally, place fresh basil leaves on top of the dish as a garnish.

Prep/Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2-4 Servings

Main Course

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with one teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the three tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking for one to two minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate and set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding one to two teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture. Toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors blend together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt to taste, and serve.

Prep/Cook Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Dessert

Tartuffo

1 cup chocolate ice cream
8 hazelnuts
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups chocolate shavings

With a small ice cream scoop, make walnut-sized balls of the chocolate ice cream. Shove a hazelnut into the center of each ball. Freeze. With a larger ice cream scoop, dig out flat globs of vanilla ice cream and pack it around the chocolate ice cream ball, covering completely. Freeze for 30 minutes. Roll in chocolate shavings and keep frozen.

Prep/Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2-4 Servings