La Cucina Packer

Panna Cotta

2011-04-27T12:57:00.003-04:00

This is a simple, tasty, perfect for summer and warm weather type of a dessert. It is quick and easy to make, it just takes a little planning as it needs to be refrigerated for several hours between the making and the consumption.

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1&1/2 tablespoon sugar
dash of salt
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/3 cup of honey

In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk and the gelatin and let sit until the gelatin has softened, about four minutes. Put the pan on medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until the gelatin dissolves, about another four minutes. Do not boil the milk. When the gelatin has dissolved, add the cream, sugar, salt, vanilla and honey and continue cook and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it sit and cool. Poor the mixture into your desired serving bowls, cover and refrigerate for six to 24 hours. We like to top ours with fresh fruit, such as blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, but go ahead and be creative in topping your panna cotta. Buon Appetito.

Pasta all'Amatriciana

2011-04-24T00:01:00.003-04:00

This is yummy. I hope that you like it as much as I do. This makes enough sauce for about 1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of pasta. You can make this sauce a day in advance and reheat in a sauce pan over medium heat.

8 oz of pancetta, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of red pepper flakes
28 oz of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pecorino romano

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until browned, around 7-8 minutes. Add the onion and saute an additional 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and saute briefly, only 30 - 60 seconds. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium low and cook uncovered to reduce the liquid, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. When the sauce has thickened, stir in the 1/2 cup of pecorino romano. This sauce is great with many different types of pasta, but I prefer just a simple spaghetti. Buon Appetito.

Fried Goat Cheese

2011-04-23T23:42:00.004-04:00

I think that the name speaks for itself. We love to add the fried goat cheese to a salad, but I'll leave that up to you.

1 lb goat cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts (you can substitute walnuts if needed)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the salt, pepper and flour in a bowl. Beat the eggs and set aside in a bowl. Process the nuts and combine with the bread crumbs in a third bowl. Slice the goat cheese into 8 or 9 patties that are about 2 0z each. Dredge the cheese through the flour and coat thoroughly. Next coat the cheese in the eggs and then place in bread/pine nut mixture and make sure that the cheese is coated completely. Place on a plate, cover and refrigerate until chilled. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and add the cheese when the oil is hot. Cook until lightly browned on each side, or about 3-4 minutes a side (depending on how hot you get the oil). Spoon the cheese onto a paper towel to remove excess oil and enjoy. Buon Appetito.

As I said earlier, we enjoy the fried goat cheese in a simple salad of iceberg lettuce with a little arugula thrown in as well. Throw in some toasted pine nuts, some pomegranate, and top with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and enjoy.

Orecchiette with leeks, peas, and Pecorino Romano

2011-04-23T23:27:00.003-04:00

Lisa found the basis for this recipe in a magazine several years ago. We've made a few changes and really like the fresh taste. Hope you enjoy it.

1 lb. of orecchiette or similar pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 leeks (I just use the white and light green parts) sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10 oz package frozen peas or about 2 cups fresh peas
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup pecorino romano
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped fine

Cook the pasta according to the directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the leaks, salt & pepper and cooking, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes, or until the leeks get fairly soft. Add the garlic and the peas and cook for about two more minutes. Then stir in the cream and 3/4 cup of the pecorino romano. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes until it thickens. When the pasta is done, drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. Add the lemon zest and mint and toss. Serve the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino romano and pepper. Buon Appetito.

Prosciutto e Melone

2010-08-31T22:35:00.003-04:00

This one is good and simple. What you need -

Cantaloupe
1/4 to 1/2 lb. thin sliced Prosciutto

Yes, it is from those ingredients that you get the catchy title. Cut the cantaloupe into bite size pieces and wrap the paper thin prosciutto around the cantaloupe. Eat. Told you it was simple. Buon Appetito.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2010-02-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

This is a Faerber family favorite, especially combined with bread bowls on Christmas Eve.

4 Quarts water
12 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
3 Cubes of Margarine
1 ½ cups flour
16 oz. Cheese Whiz
3 Broccoli Heads, chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
1 medium onion, chopped

Bring the water and bouillon cubes to a boil, add the broccoli and carrots. Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp of butter to a pan on medium heat and add the onion. Sauté until transparent and then add to the water. In the same pan, melt the rest of the butter and slowly add the flour, stirring it in well to reduce lumps. Once the mixture is smooth, stir it into the water, stirring constantly. Finally add, the cheese whiz and stir until the soup boils. Take off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Stuffed Green Peppers

2010-02-27T20:15:00.001-05:00

2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 ½ lb Italian Sausage
6 Bell Peppers
3 cups of rice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare rice according to instructions. Remove the tops and seeds from the peppers and blanch them in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes. Remove them from the water and drain them. In a large skillet, cook sausage until browned and crumbled. Drain the grease and stir in the rice, the two cans of Rotel and add the cheese. Heat until the cheese is melted and then remove from the heat and divide the mixture into the prepared peppers.

Place the peppers in a baking dish and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Meatballs

2010-02-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage
1 ½ cup bread crumbs
2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
2-3 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasonings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine and make into meatballs about the size of a quarter, will make about 60 meatballs.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. The meatballs freeze well.

BLT Sandwiches

2010-02-27T20:12:00.000-05:00

A slight twist on a favorite.

Sliced bread – we like good thick whole wheat bread
4 slices thick bacon per sandwich
2-3 tomato slices per sandwich
1-2 Romaine lettuce leaves
2-3 pieces of sliced avocado per sandwich
1-2 slices mild provolone cheese per sandwich
Mayonnaise or Miracle whip

Cook the bacon until crispy, we do it in the oven, but the microwave and stove top work just fine as well. Toast the bread, slice the tomatoes and avocado. Spread the Miracle Whip/Mayonnaise on the bread, and stack everything on as you like it. Enjoy.

Becky’s Rice Crispy Treats

2010-02-27T20:11:00.000-05:00

1 cup sugar
1 cup Caro Syrup
1 cup Peanut Butter
At least 6 cups rice crispies
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips

Combine the sugar, Caro Syrup and Peanut butter on the stove at medium heat. Cook until dissolved. Add the rice crispies and put the rice crispy mixture into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, mix the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and microwave in 30 second bursts, mixing after each time. When the mixture is melted and mixed completely, pour onto the rice crispies and smooth out. Let cool and enjoy.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2010-02-27T20:09:00.001-05:00

This is a great, simple, and tasty salad. We like it with spinach, but you could really use any lettuce you want.

1 cup chopped strawberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
4 cups fresh spinach
Strawberry Vinaigrette

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and toast the walnuts for three to four minutes. Combine the spinach, cheese, strawberries and walnuts and top with the vinaigrette. We like Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette, but you could just go with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or make your own. Here’s a quick and easy recipe.

½ cup olive oil
½ pint fresh strawberries, chopped (you can also use frozen strawberries)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp tarragon
¼ tsp white sugar
Add everything to a blend or food processor and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Apple Brittle Dip

2010-02-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

This is a great alternative to the traditional caramel dip for apples.

1 package of cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
10 oz toffee bits, or ground up Heath Bars

Beat first 4 ingredients until creamy, add heath bars and beat until blended. Serve with apple slices.

Tiramisu

2010-02-27T20:06:00.000-05:00

16 oz mascarpone cheese
4 packets of dried hot chocolate mix
4 egg yolks
8 tablespoons sugar
1 Symphony/Hershey bar (use whatever chocolate you like)
14 oz (2 packages) Lady Finger Biscuits

Mix the mascarpone cheese, egg yolks and sugar. Beat until smooth and set aside.
Mix two cups hot chocolate (it doesn’t need to be hot) in a bowl big enough to dip the lady finger biscuits. Dip the lady finger biscuits into the hot chocolate and line the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Pour half of the mascarpone cream sauce over the lady finger biscuits and spread evenly. Take one of the extra dried hot chocolate packets and sprinkle the dried hot chocolate over the mascarpone cream. Grate half of the chocolate bar over this layer. Put another layer of dipped lady finger biscuits over the first, and cover the top layer with the rest of the mascarpone cream. Sprinkle the last packet of hot chocolate over the top and grate the last of the chocolate bar over the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, although it is best if refrigerated over-night.

7-Layer Dip

2010-02-27T20:01:00.001-05:00

8 oz. cream
12-16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refried beans
1 can chili beans
1-2 cups salsa
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can diced green chilies
Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soften the cream cheese and then use it to cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Next spread the refried beans on top of the cream cheese. Then spread the chili beans, black olives, chilies and salsa to the dishing, spreading evenly. Finally top with cheese and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Cover with tinfoil for the first 15 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and leave in the oven until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes and enjoy.

Strawberry Special

2010-02-27T20:00:00.001-05:00

4 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup lemon juice
8 oz cool whip
8 Oreo cookies – well chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Tinfoil

Mix the lemon juice, milk, 2 cups strawberries, 2 cups cool whip and pour into a bread loaf pan. Melt the butter and mix with the cookies. Spoon the Oreo/butter mixture over the contents of the loaf pan, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Remove from freezer, frost with the last of the cool whip, and top with the last of the strawberries.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-27T19:59:00.001-05:00

1 ¾ cups of flour (may need 2)
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp ginger
¾ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 small package chocolate chips

Soften the butter, and then cream in the sugar. Add the egg and pumpkin. Mix in all the dry ingredients. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes in 375 degree oven.

Artichoke Dip

2010-02-27T19:57:00.001-05:00

1 can Artichoke Hearts
1 cup Mayonnaise
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup asiago cheese
1 Tablespoon dried onion
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Optional: crab meat, diced green chilies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and mix with the mayo and cheeses. Add in the onion, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce (and any additional ingredients). Cover with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and let cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy. The dip goes great with bread and crackers.

Turkey Brine

2009-12-02T22:11:00.002-05:00

This is a great way to add some flavor and moisture to your bird.

1.5 gallons chicken stock
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup salt
1 large onion
2 granny smith apples
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 tsp rosemary
1 package (sorry, don't remember how big the package was) frozen cranberries
3-4 bay leaves
1 five gallon bucket

Combine the chicken stock, sugar and salt in a pot and cook to dissolve. Once everything is dissolved, cool the mixture to at least room temperature (I added a bunch of ice, don't worry about diluting it, your going to add more water anyway). Chop the onion and apples and set aside. Hopefully the turkey is defrosted at this point. Remove the neck and other turkey pieces and place the turkey in the 5 gallon bucket, breast side down. Pour in the chicken stock/sugar/salt brine and add all of the other ingredients. Make sure to add water so that the turkey is completely covered. Put in the fridge and let the brine do it's work. It's best to let the turkey sit in the brine for 24 hours, but 12-18 is sufficient. When you pull the turkey out, make sure and wash it down well before doing whatever it is you do to the turkey before cooking it. I rub it down with olive oil and raspberry chipotle sauce, and cook it breast down, covered with foil at 350 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165. Sorry, that turned into turkey as well. Enjoy. Buon Appetito!

Stuffing

2009-12-02T21:35:00.004-05:00

We had some really good dishes in our Thanksgiving feast this past week, with the stuffing being the best, according to my cultured tastes. It was pretty simple, but took a little bit of prep time. Here it is, in all it's glory.

6 cups bread cubes (we bought some good Italian bread and some cranberry bread, cut it up a couple of days before and let it sit out and stale up good and proper)
1 to 1.5 pounds of sausage
1 large leek
1 cup chopped celery
2 granny smith apples
2-3 cups vegetable/chicken stock
1 tsp poultry seasoning
salt
pepper
1/4 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the sausage in a pan, once the sausage is crumbled and browned, spoon out and set aside, leaving the sausage grease in the pan. Chop the leeks, apples and celery and add to the sausage grease, add the butter and saute for about 6-8 minutes, or until the leeks are transparent. Combine with the sausage and bread, add the seasoning, and the stock, making sure not to drench the stuffing and make it mushy. Mix well and put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes (I covered it with foil for the first 15 minutes), serve promptly after sfornandolo. Buon Appetito!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2009-10-24T21:55:00.003-04:00

Who doesn't like combining cheese and fungus. Like most things that I put together, it's kind of made up, but it tastes good. I usually just eyeball the proportions, test the mixture as you go along. That's part of the fun of cooking.

Mushrooms - I generally use one of three types of mushrooms, white button, crimini, or portobello. Wash well and pull out the stems. If you want, you can keep the stems for something else or process them and add them to the stuffing mixture.

Stuffing: combine equal parts of the following cheeses

Cream cheese (or mascarpone)
Asiago
Parmesan
Mozzarella

To spice it up, you can add in some chopped spinach, crab meat or ham.

Mix the cheese well and stuff it into the mushroom caps. I like to cover it well, because the more cheese, the better.

Set the oven to bake at 500 degrees and put in the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown on top. For an additional party in your mouth, after you've taken the mushrooms out of the oven, top the mushrooms with marinated roasted red pepper slices and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Buon Appetito!

Sugo di Pomodoro

2009-09-27T23:51:00.006-04:00

Before spending any time in Italy, I thought that Italian food consisted of some type of pasta and a tomato sauce. While this does happen quite frequently, there are just as many recipes without tomatoes as with. That being said, I love a simple tomato sauce. The basic version is quite simple, requiring only a few ingredients and a few minutes.

1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic (or about a tablespoon of minced garlic)
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can of tomatoes (either diced, crushed, pureed...however you want them)
a pinch of sugar
a couple pinches of basil (about 1 tablespoon)

chop up the onion fine and saute it with the garlic, red pepper flakes (if you want a sauce with more kick, add more red pepper flakes) and olive oil on medium heat until the garlic is lightly browned and the onion is transparent. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil and stir, turning the heat to medium low and simmering until the excess liquid of the tomatoes cook off. Combine with pasta and enjoy. To really make it work, a good Parmesan or Pecorino is essential to topping off the finished product, but that is only my humble opinion.

There are many variations that can be done with this. I really enjoy mushrooms, zucchini, sausage and wine cooked in as well. Once you get a good base sauce down, you can experiment with lots of different options. High five Bain. Buon Appetito!

Caprese Salad

2009-09-10T12:35:00.005-04:00

This is one of my favorites. Quick, easy, yummy.

sliced tomatoes (the quantity depends on how many are eating and if it's the main course or not. for a meal, I eat one tomato all by myself)

sliced fresh mozzarella (the best is mozzarella di bufala, but that is pricey and hard to find. most places nowadays have bocconcini, which are sufficient) one for each tomato slice

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

basil (fresh is best, but if you don't have any, dried will do)

a dash of salt and pepper

Layer the tomatoes, cheese and mozzarella then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top off with salt and pepper. Every now and then I'll throw in some olives if we have any. They are a nice compliment to the tomatoes and mozzarella, plus I just really like olives. Buon Appetito!

Asparagus and Prosciutto

2009-05-24T00:29:00.004-04:00

This is a tasty, easy dish that is perfect either as a side dish or as a main dish. Yummy.

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
6-7 shoots of asparagus (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)
6-7 slices of prosciutto (I like 1 slice per asparagus shoot)
Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and wrap each shoot of asparagus in a thin slice of prosciutto. Place in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Buon Appetito!

Orecchiette with sausage and rappi

2009-05-13T14:27:00.002-04:00

This dish came about kind of as a mixture of several different dishes. I love the combination of the sausage, rappi, cheese and pasta. It's great. I've never tried making less than one pound of pasta for this dish, so if that is too much for you to stomach, this makes great leftovers.

1 lb. Orecchiette (any tubular pasta would work just fine)
10-12 oz sausage (I like hot Gianelli sausage for this, but you can experiment and find what works for you)
1 lb. rappi (broccoli rabe)
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese (I prefer parmigiano reggiano)
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes and the sausage and cook until the sausage is browned and broken up into little pieces. Remove from heat. Put at pot of about 4-6 quarts of water on the stove to boil. While the water is cooking, wash the rappi and cut about two inches off of the stems and discard. Chop up the rest of the rappi and set aside. Prepare a large bowl (big enough for the rappi) with ice water and set aside. When the water on the stove is boiling, add the rappi and blanch for no longer than two minutes. After two minutes, strain the water from the rappi (saving the water) and immediately put the rappi into the prepared ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the rappi is cooled, remove from the ice water, pat dry and set to the side. Take the water used to cook the rappi and put it back into the pot and use to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta until not quite al dente and remove from the stove, strain - saving one cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta, rappi, and cup of pasta/rappi cooking water to the pan with the sausage and cook for several minutes on medium high, stirring frequently until the water has mostly cooked off. Top with salt, pepper and cheese and enjoy. Buon Appetito!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2009-04-25T21:29:00.003-04:00

This stuffed pork tenderloin is simple and full of taste. Like most of the food that I love, some good cheese is an essential part of the mix. In this case, it's gorgonzola, although if that is too strong for you, you can substitute brie, that has a much milder, more buttery taste.

Marinade - this is enough for about 3-4 lbs. of meat.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine (for those of you a little squeamish to use wine, sorry, don't know what to tell you to substitute for it, you can always use cooking wine that you can get in any grocery store)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon white pepper

This part is really simple. Combine all of the ingredients, add the meat and let sit overnight. Done.

Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup gorgonzola
1/4 cup white wine (again, if you don't want to use wine, try the cooking wine or just use water for this part)
1 cube chicken broth

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Crush the broth cube and add it with the cream, stirring constantly. Mix in the wine and continue stirring until the sauce boils. When the sauce reaches a boil, add the cheese and turn the heat to low, stirring until the cheese melts. When the cheese is melted, remove from heat and let sit for several minutes until the sauce thickens.

The Pork Loin
3-4 lbs Pork Tenderloin
1 apple or pear
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
baking twine

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peal and core the apple, then slice it into thin pieces. Place a small pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and apple slices, and saute until tender, 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and slit the pork lengthwise to at least the center of the tenderloin and stretch out. Place the gorgonzola and sauteed apple slices along the center of the tenderloin, wrap and tie with the twine to secure. Put the stuffed tenderloin in a pan over medium heat, and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Finally put the tenderloin in a pan, cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin). When the tenderloin is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for several minutes before cutting it in medallions. Cover the medallions with the sauce and serve.
Buon Appetito!

Pasta Belligerence*

2009-04-22T14:51:00.005-04:00

This dish that owes it's name to the excessive amounts of pasta eaten by missionaries in the Italy Milan Mission, and was named by Kimball Hobby. It also goes by Pasta Primavera, but is markedly different than another dish with the same name. This is a pasta salad, eaten cold and is comprised mainly of fresh vegetables. It is a perfect dish for either a light lunch or dinner, especially in the spring or summer.

2-3 tomatoes
1-2 bell peppers
1 cup olives - kalamata or large green
8 oz of fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 lb penne pasta
salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

The above are the basic ingredients, but for those willing to go the extra mile, your taste buds will be rewarded. The extra mile also includes:

8 0z pancetta (if you can't find any pancetta, cubed bacon will do)
8 0z Italian sausage (I prefer hot)
1 can artichoke hearts

This dish is extremely simple. Boil enough water (I couldn't tell you how much water to boil, I always eyeball it, better too much that too little) for the pasta, adding about a tablespoon of salt and olive oil to the water. Dump in the pasta and cook until al dente. When the pasta is done, empty it into a colander and briefly (2-3 minutes) run it under cold water and then place in the fridge. Chop up all of the veggies and cheese and then combine them in a salad bowl. If you are going the extra mile, cook the pancetta and the sausage (I prefer them slightly overcooked and somewhat crunchy, adding a different texture to the salad) strain off the grease, and add the meat to the salad bowl as well. Once the pasta is cold, add the pasta to the rest of the ingredients.

When we serve the pasta, I prefer to let each individual dress it according to taste, with the chopped basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. The pasta keeps well in the fridge for a few days, except for the cheese. So if you are planning on keeping it around as left-overs like we often do, plan on keeping the cheese separate from the rest of the dish, so that it doesn't become too mushy. Buon Appetito.

*At it's most belligerent, I made this with roughly 6.5 lbs of pasta, 15 tomatoes, 15 bell peppers, 7.5 lbs of fresh mozzarella, and four pounds each of pancetta and sausage. All for four elders. It was all eaten. Forza Grifoni!

Lasagne al Pesto

2009-04-21T13:15:00.009-04:00

Early in our married life, Lisa made a lasagna and hasn't been allowed to make one since (I'm going to take a lot of flak for that comment). This is not to say that Lisa isn't a good cook, she makes many a mouth watering dish, it's just that I'm somewhat of a past-snob. A bottled Ragu sauce with grated mozzarella, cottage cheese and the wavy lasagna noodles does not a lasagna make. I was just spoiled by my time in Italy. All of that being said, this recipe is nothing like a typical lasagna either. There is no tomato sauce. No cottage cheese (please don't ever put cottage cheese in your lasagna, that borders on the sacrilegious). No wavy noodles. I hope that you enjoy it.

2 boxes or 2 lbs. of lasagna noodles (I prefer the flat Barilla lasagne)
at least 8 0z. fresh mozzarella - you can always put in more if you like more.
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
at least 1/4 lb. ham (I find it easiest to get the ham at the deli, and I like smoked ham, again more is always optional)
Pesto - double or triple this recipe (I triple the recipe, but you could probably get away with just doubling it)
Four Cheese Sauce - double or triple this recipe (I'm sure that if you don't use all of the sauce, you'll be able to find some use for it later on)
Tinfoil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the sliced ham into little pieces (you can do it however you want, I go for about 1in by 1in) and set aside. Shred the mozzarella and set aside. In a 9in by 13in baking dish, spread a layer of the cheese sauce on the bottom of the pan and stir in a few small spoonfuls of pesto. Put down a layer of lasagna noodles (you do not need to boil them before hand) covering the entire dish bottom. You'll probably have to break the noodles to get complete coverage of the dish, that's OK. Next put a layer of cheese sauce over the noodles, and again stir in a couple of spoonfuls of pesto so that the pesto gets a good distribution. Put down a layer of mozzarella cheese and ham, and then cover with another layer of lasagna noodles. Then it is just a simple matter of repeating the process until you either run out of room, pasta, sauce or pesto. The final layer should be done just like all of the others. Put down a layer of lasagna noodles and then cover the lasagne with cheese sauce, stir in the pesto, and finish it all off by sprinkling the top with the 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano. The most difficult thing for me is to judge how much sauce, pesto, mozzarella, ham to use in each layer, yet still have enough left at the top to adequately cover the last layer. I've yet to come up with an answer. I use guess work. Good luck. Cover the lasagna with tinfoil and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minuets, uncover the lasagna and cook it an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered (I like the top just slightly crunchy, so don't leave it in too long after you take off the foil if your desired end is not crunchy). Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it sit about 5-10 minutes before you cut into it. If you cut into it too soon, it tends to be a little runny. The taste is fine, it just looks messy.

To add a little more flavor or variety to the lasagna, you can add sliced mushrooms, zucchini or other veggies to the layers of mozzarella and ham. Use your imagination. Go wild. Buon Appetito.

Lasagne Al Pesto

il Sugo di Quattro Formaggi

2009-04-15T20:47:00.008-04:00

This is a heavy cheese sauce that is good on many things from bread, veggies, as a substitute for tomato sauce on pizza, to of course, pasta.

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Mascarpone (cream cheese can be substituted - Mascarpone can get pricey, especially when combined with all of the other cheeses)
1/4 cup Fontina
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1-2 Tablespoons Gorgonzola - according to taste

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, mix in the flour and then the heavy cream. Once the butter, flour, and cream are mixed, add the Mascarpone and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. After the sauce has reached a boil, turn it down to low and add the rest of the cheeses, again making sure to stir constantly. If you let the sauce to sit too long without stirring, the bottom will burn and you'll be eatinig burned cheese sauce. When all of the cheese is melted, remove the sauce from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. I don't add salt or pepper to the recipe, so if you want some, add some. Buon Appetito.

Pesto alla Genovese

2009-04-04T20:50:00.004-04:00

Pesto is a real simple dish. Perfect for a quick, light, and tasty meal.

1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed.
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon pine nuts
salt
1/4 cup shredded pecorino romano
1/4 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place the basil in a food processor (if you don't have a food processor, a blender will do, or you can even cut it by hand with a half-moon knife). In a saucepan, saute the garlic and pine nuts in the olive oil for about 1 minute. Combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil in the food processor and process. Add the pecorino romano and the parmigiano reggiano and salt to taste and continue to process. The finished product should be a finely chopped paste.

Pesto is great with several different kinds of pasta, such as angel hair, or as preferred in Liguria, with trofiette. It is also great with gnocchi, as a garnish on panini or even on pizza.

When eating with pasta, drain the pasta and then simply stir in the pesto. If it seems a little dry, add a little more olive oil.

Buon Appetito.

Cibo

2009-04-02T22:02:00.002-04:00

I love food.

That is what this blog is about. Especially food that comes from Italy. Growing up, I never thought to much about food, but living in Italy for a few years really opened my eyes, mouth and taste buds (no offense mom, you're a great cook). A whole new world opened up for me. I would just like to share some of my favorite recipes and things that I love to eat. Please feel free to comment or send me your own favorites and I will post them.