Okay, here’s the article about Johnny Carino’s copycat recipes, written in plain English like a country woman would talk, and with some simple HTML tags for formatting:
Alright, so you’re itchin’ to make some of that Johnny Carino’s food at home, huh? Well, I ain’t no fancy chef, but I can tell you how to make some good eats that taste just like it, or maybe even better, you never know! I call it “copycat” cookin’ – you know, makin’ somethin’ taste like somethin’ else. It ain’t rocket science, just good home cookin’.
First off, you gotta know what you’re makin’. Johnny Carino’s, that’s Italian, right? So we’re talkin’ pasta, and sauce, and cheese. Lots of cheese! I love cheese, don’t you? My old man, he used to say, “More cheese, more please!” He was a smart fella, that one.
Let’s start with somethin’ easy, like their spicy sausage and peppers pasta. You go to the store, get yourself some good Italian sausage, the kind with the fennel in it. And some peppers, red and green, maybe a yellow one too if you’re feelin’ fancy. Onions, gotta have onions, and garlic, lots of garlic, keeps the vampires away, you know. And don’t forget the pasta, somethin’ sturdy, like penne or rigatoni. That’s what the fella at the store told me to get when I asked him.
- First, you brown up that sausage in a big pan.
- Then you throw in the peppers and onions, let ‘em cook till they’re soft.
- Add in the garlic, don’t burn it though, that’s the worst!
- Then you dump in a can of crushed tomatoes, some tomato paste, and a little bit of water. Let it simmer for a while, till it gets thick and bubbly.
- Boil your pasta, then toss it in the sauce with some cheese, mozzarella mostly, and a sprinkle of parmesan if you got it.
See? Easy peasy. Now, if you want to make it real spicy, you can throw in some red pepper flakes, or a little bit of chili powder. But don’t overdo it, unless you want your mouth to be on fire! My grandbaby, she likes it hot. Always askin’ for more spice. Kids these days!
Next up, let’s try their chicken scaloppini. That’s just a fancy word for thin chicken, you know. You get some chicken breasts, pound ‘em flat with a meat mallet – or a rolling pin if you ain’t got one of them fancy mallets. I use a good ol’ bottle sometimes, works just as good. Then you dredge ‘em in flour, dip ‘em in egg, and fry ‘em up in a pan with some butter and oil. It’s not hard, even I can do it and I ain’t the brightest bulb in the box.
For the sauce, you can do a lemon butter sauce, or a creamy mushroom sauce, whatever you like. Lemon butter is easy – just melt some butter in a pan, add some lemon juice, a little bit of white wine if you got it – I usually just use water, works just fine – and some capers, if you like ‘em. Creamy mushroom, you cook up some mushrooms, add some cream, a little bit of parmesan cheese, and there you go! Serve it over pasta or with some roasted potatoes. Ain’t nothin’ better than that!
Now, I ain’t gonna lie, I don’t know all the secret ingredients Johnny Carino uses. But I can tell you this: good food is made with love. And if you put your heart into it, it’ll taste good, no matter what. So don’t be afraid to experiment, try new things, and make it your own. That’s what cooking is all about. And if you mess up, don’t worry, it ain’t the end of the world. Just order a pizza and try again tomorrow!
And listen, don’t be skimpin’ on the ingredients. Use good quality stuff, it makes a difference, you know. And don’t be afraid to use plenty of garlic. Garlic makes everything better, that’s what my mama always said. And she was right, bless her heart. I miss her cookin’ somethin’ terrible.
One more thing: don’t forget the bread! Gotta have some good bread to soak up all that sauce. You can buy it, or you can make it yourself, if you’re feelin’ ambitious. I ain’t got time for that, I’d rather just buy a loaf from the bakery. It’s fresh and warm and the smell takes me back to my younger years when my husband and I would go on dates.
So there you have it, some copycat recipes for Johnny Carino’s. They ain’t perfect, but they’re good, and they’ll fill your belly and make you happy. And that’s all that matters, right? Now go on and get cookin’!
P.S. If you want somethin’ sweet after all that pasta and chicken, try makin’ some tiramisu. It’s that coffee and ladyfinger dessert. It’s a little bit fancy, but it ain’t too hard to make. Just look up a recipe online, there’s a million of ‘em. And don’t forget the cocoa powder on top! It makes it look pretty.
Tags: [Johnny Carino’s, Copycat Recipes, Italian Food, Pasta, Chicken Scaloppini, Cooking, Home Cooking, Easy Recipes, Food]
