Italy's Spaghetti with Meatballs

For the Spaghetti Sauce recipe you need:
a small onion and half a carrot very finely minced
a quarter onion pierced with two sweet cloves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 x 28oz cans Italian peeled plum tomatoes
a fresh bay leaf
a small fresh red chili
salt and pepper
3 tbsp. Evo

For special occasions, you can modify this spaghetti recipe by cooking diced lamb and crumbled pork sausage in the sauce for 2 to 3 hours. meatballs – called “Pallotte” – are tiny – no bigger than a hazel nut not cannon balls guys smaller is better it this case



For the Meatballs recipe you need:
7 oz finely ground lamb shoulder (or half lamb and half pork or veal)
5 oz stale bread
milk to soak bread
3 ½ oz grated Pecorino Sardo or Parmigiano-Reggiano (Romano is too salty)
1 egg
fresh grated nutmeg to taste
olive oil for shallow frying
salt and pepper

For Serving:
Use Pecorino Sardo or Romano to grate at table

The Spaghetti Sauce recipe:


Prepare the tomato paste by diluting it in ¼ cup of hot water.
For this recipe especially, put the contents of the cans of tomatoes through a food mill to eliminate seeds, peel and hard bits, discarding anything left behind.
Heat the olive oil in a wide deep skillet where you will later toss the cooked spaghetti.
Add the minced carrot and onion and sauté till the onion is translucent.
Add the diluted tomato paste, the sliced chili and the fresh bay leaf and fry for half a minute to darken the tomato paste as you stir and mix.
Add the sieved tomato passata, stir to combine and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Turn the heat down and leave to simmer gently, uncovered, for at least an hour – 2 or 3 hours is better.
Be sure to add small amounts of water as the sauce reduces and thickens.
When you are ready to serve the sauce, taste and adjust seasoning.

In summer, prepare the spaghetti sauce recipe using fresh vine ripened tomatoes. Sauce recipe can be made ahead and frozen.



The Meatballs recipe:
Cut crusts off the bread and discard. Break the rest up into small pieces and soak in milk.
Beat the egg lightly with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Place meat and grated cheese in a bowl.
For this meatballs recipe especially, make sure there are no hard bits left in the softened bread and add it to the bowl.
Tip the beaten egg in and mix everything well by hand, forcing the meatballs mixture through your knuckles over and over.
Dipping your hand in cold water take a teaspoon full sized amount of the meatballs mix and roll into tiny meatballs. For this meatballs recipe, sizing of meatballs is important.
Heat the olive oil in a wide shallow skillet and fry the meatballs on moderate heat for a few minutes, rolling the meatballs around so they brown evenly.
Season meatballs to your taste.
When the tomato sauce has been cooking for an hour, take about 1/3rd of it and place in a small pot over low heat.
Add the meatballs to the small pot and cook meatballs in the tomato sauce over low heat for 30 minutes.

To Serve the Spaghetti with Meatballs:
Cook the spaghetti and when it is very al dente (critical in this recipe) scoop it up using a pasta fork or tongs and place immediately in the skillet with the plain tomato sauce set over lowest possible heat.
Toss well to mix and if the sauce has reduced too much add a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen it.
Transfer spaghetti to individual plates or a family style serving platter.
Top the sauce-dressed pasta with the little meatballs in their sauce and serve at once, passing round the Pecorino Sardo and the grater so everyone can help themselves.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto

Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
3/4 pound spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced (about 1 cup)
6 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions

Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisptender, about 2 to 3 minutes. With a spider or slotted spoon, remove asparagus from boiling water to a bowl of ice water to cool and stop the cooking. When cool, strain, cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.

Return the water in the pot to a boil, adding additional water, if necessary. Add the pasta and cook untilal dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add asparagus to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta, and if needed, some of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat. Add the prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil, and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Rolled Lasagna

4 lasagna noodles

1 cup filling (see below)

4 1/4 inch slices fresh mozzarella

12 pieces fresh asparagus–blanched, ends cut

1/2 cup roasted red pepper filets (buy prepared or better yet, roast your own)

2 cups pomodoro sauce (see below)

3 large fresh basil leaves–slivered

2 sprigs of whole basil leaves–for garnish

Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes, and drain while the noodles are still firm. Rinse the noodles under cold water to stop further cooking (remember, they will cook more in the oven.) Preheat the oven to 350ºF.



To Assemble

Lay each noodle flat. Divide the filling evenly in the center of each noodle. Top each with a slice of the mozzarella, 3 pieces of asparagus, and a few filets of the peppers.

Fold one end of the noodle over the filling and then roll. Place each piece in a greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until the center is warm. While the lasagna is baking, make the sauce.

Remove the lasagna from the oven and place two pieces on each plate, as in the photo. Top with the sauce. Garnish with slivered basil and sprig.



Ricotta/béchamel Filling



2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons unbleached white flour

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon parmesan cheese (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until it forms a paste. Slowly add the milk, stirring until the mixture forms a paste and all the milk is absorbed. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes–stirring occasionally–until the sauce is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the ricotta, the parmesan, stir and season.



Pomodoro Sauce



1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 fresh clove garlic–medium diced

2 cups grape tomatoes–halved

1/3 cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Add oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium/high heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add the tomatoes and cook for about one minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute more and remove from heat.

Goat Cheese, Gnocchi and Sausage

Ingredients
10 ounces goat cheese, divided
4 egg yolks, divided
Up to 1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
Milk, to thin
6 ounces Italian bulk sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled

Directions

In bowl of an electric mixer combine 8 ounces of goat cheese and 3 egg yolks. Using a paddle, cream mixture, adding enough flour, a bit at a time, to make a tight but workable dough pliable enough to pipe from a pastry bag; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch tip and pipe out long cylinders onto a wax or parchment paper-linedcookie sheet. Chill until firm. Cut each cylinder into 1-inch pieces. Lightly flour work surface and roll pieces, one at a time, over prongs of a fork, or over a gnocchi dowel. Chill again.

Preheat broiler. Lightly oil 2 individual gratin dishes or 1 medium baking dish. Cook sausage until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon. Drain off excess fat and keep warm. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil gnocchi, testing frequently for doneness. In a small bowl mix together remaining cheese and egg yolk. Slowly whisk in milk until thin enough to pour; season with salt and pepper. Drain gnocchi and toss with sausage. Transfer gnocchi to prepared dishes; spoon egg glaze over top. Broiluntil golden brown and bubbly. Serve directly from gratin dishes.

Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken with Vegetables

Ingredients:


One whole free-range chicken, 3 lbs.
1-½ lbs. finger potatoes
About 24 pearl onions
10 or more garlic cloves (Whenever a recipe says “or more” when it calls for garlic, I always go for it—about double the amount in this case. A little extra garlic never hurt anything, right?)
20-24 asparagus spears
6-8 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 lemons, cut into quarters
½ cup olive oil
½ stick butter
½ teaspoon dried oregano
A sprinkling of sea salt
A sprinkling of black pepper

Directions:
Stuff the chicken with as many of the quarter pieces of lemon as possible. Also, place inside the chicken, 4 to 6 of the pearl onions, 2 to 4 of the garlic cloves, and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Place the chicken in a large roasting pan containing 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a half-cup of water.
Melt the butter and stir it into the remaining olive oil. Brush some of the butter and oil mixture on the chicken. Squeeze two of the lemon quarters over the chicken. Sprinkle the oregano, sea salt, and black pepper onto the chicken. Place the two lemon skins (from the squeezed lemons) on top of the chicken; then arrange 4 rosemary springs over the chicken. Around the chicken, arrange any of the remaining lemon quarters (not squeezed).
Bake in a 325ºF oven for 45 minutes. Two or three times during the cooking process, brush more of the butter and olive oil mixture onto the chicken.
After the 45 minutes roasting time has elapsed, add the finger potatoes, the remaining onions and garlic, and the remaining rosemary sprigs to the pan, arranged evenly around the chicken. Bake for an additional 45 minutes to an hour. Again, brush the chicken, and the potatoes, with more of the butter and oil mixture, two or three times during the remainder of the cooking time.
When the chicken is almost done (170ºF as measured on a reliable meat thermometer), coat the asparagus with some of the butter and oil mixture and then arrange the asparagus around the chicken.
Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Do not overcook the asparagus!
Remove the pan from the oven, place the chicken on a cutting board, tent the chicken with foil, and let it rest for about 5 minutes prior to carving.
Serve the chicken with the finger potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and asparagus for a complete meal.

Rosemary & Maple Chicken Waffle Sandwiches

Ingredients
8 slices thick cut bacon or sliced pancetta
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups multi-grain pancake mix (recommended: Highland Sugarworks)
1 large egg
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
A generous handful grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup dark amber maple syrup

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Arrange the bacon on a slotted pan or on a cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet. Bake the bacon or pancetta until crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut each chicken breast horizontally to make 2 small cutlets from each piece. Pound the cutlets very thin and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat the waffle iron.

Melt a couple of tablespoons butter in small dish in the microwave. Combine the pancake mix, egg, milk, vegetable oil, nutmeg, cheese, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Brush the waffle iron with melted butter and fill it with half of the batter, to make 4 square waffles.

While the waffle cooks, heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chicken cutlets. Saute, 4 cutlets at a time, until cooked through, a couple of minutes on each side.

When the cutlets are all cooked, add a couple tablespoons butter to pan. When the butter has melted, stir in the rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, stir for 1 more minute, then whisk in the stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then add the syrup. Reduce heat to low.

Make second set of 4 waffles, while keeping the first set warm in oven with the bacon.

To serve, cut the waffles into 8 squares. Arrange a chicken cutlet on each waffle and top with a couple of slices of bacon or pancetta. Add a second cutlet on the bacon and cover with another waffle. Cut the chicken and bacon wafflewich from corner to corner and serve with gravy poured over the top or in individual ramekins for dipping.

Sexy Silky Chocolate Eclair Cake

Ingredients:

-- CAKE --

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter; (1-stick)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

4 large eggs

-- FILLING --

2 3.4-oz packages French Vanilla Instant Pudding

2 1/2 cups cold milk

8 ounces cream cheese; softened (room temperature)

1 12-oz container Cool Whip

-- TOPPING --

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips; (I use Ghirardelli)

2 tablespoons Butter

3 tablespoons milk; (3 to 4 tbsp as needed for a thin glaze)

1 cup confectioners sugar



Instructions:



To Make Cake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring the water, butter and salt to boil until butter is melted. Add the flour all at once and mix rapidly with a wooden spoon. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of pan and forms a ball. Lower heat and continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes to dry dough. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until completely smooth. Spread in an ungreased 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Crust will puff up the sides of the pan while in the oven. When removed from the oven, prick bubbles with a fork. Let cool.

To Make Filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the pudding mix, milk and softened cream cheese together until thoroughly blended. Spread pudding mixture over the baked and cooled eclair crust. Spread Cool Whip over pudding mixture.

To Make Chocolate Syrup Topping: Melt chocolate chips and butter. Add confectioners sugar and milk alternately until a thin glaze forms. Pour or drizzle over Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.