PASTA ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEAS

  • 1 pound Orecchiette

  • 1 pound Italian sausage, out of its casing

  • 1+ cup of peas

  • 1+ cup chicken stock

  • 1 onion diced

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

  • ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano grated

In a large skillet, sauté the sausage in a little olive oil, breaking it apart  with a fork until crumbled and lightly browned.  Remove the sausage only and sauté the onion in the remaining oil (adding a bit more oil if the remaining quantity seems insufficient.)  Cook the onion until it is golden brown and then add back the sausage.  Add 1 cup+ chicken stock and the peas, cooking together for five more minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta until just before al dente.  Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce cooking for additional minute.  Place it into a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.  Sprinkle each bowl with a little cheese.  Sserve immediately.  Sserves 4-6;.

PASTA ORECCHIETTE CON CECI

  • 1lb. orecchiette

  • 6 oz pancetta cubed

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 12 oz spinach

  • 12 oz ceci beans (if canned, rinsed well)

  • Parmigiano, grated

  • Salt and pepper

Start onion and olive oil over medium heat, adding the pancetta soon after and cook together until lightly golden.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Once spinach is cooked down and its liquid mostly evaporated, add the ceci and salt and pepper to taste.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta until one minute before al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.  Add pasta to ceci mixture and cook for one minute, adding the cooking water until mixed through and hot (about 1 minute).  Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmigiano.

PASTA RIGATONI ALLO ZAFFERANO E PISELLI E RADICCHIO

  • 1 lb rigatoni

  • 1.2 cup olive oil

  • 8 oz. green peas defrosted

  • 6 oz. pancetta cubed

  • 1 onion diced

  • 1 small radicchio sliced thickly

  • 1 t. saffron

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, sauté the onion until translucent, then add the pancetta.  Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is cooked through.  Add the peas and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, and then add the radicchio, cooking until wilted.  Add salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Into the reserved cooking water add the saffron and stir until bright yellow.  Add the pasta to the pea and radicchio mixture and then mix in the saffron water.  Stir until hot, and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Serves 4+.

PASTA JIM FULLER STYLE

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • 1 small chopped onion or shallot

  • 4 chopped Roma tomatoes

  • 1 thick slice of prosciutto chopped

  • 1 small jar of marinated sun dried tomatoes chopped

  • ½ cup pine nuts

  • 2 t. dried basil

  • ¼ – 1/3 cup heavy cream

Warm oil.  Sauté onion 5 minutes.  Add tomato and cook 5 minutes.  Add prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.  Add pine nuts and basil.  Then cream.  Serve immediately over favorite pasta.

PASTA FETTUCCINE CON SALSA DI NOCI

  • 1 lb. fettuccine

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 2 oz butter

  • 2 oz olive oil

  • 1 ½ cup walnuts

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • ½ cup grated parmesan

  • 1 t. salt and pepper

In a food processor mix walnuts and olive oil.  Meanwhile, melt butter and lightly brown the garlic in a large sauté pan.  Add the walnut mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the cream and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, adding salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta and drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.  Add the pasta to the nut sauce (and add a bit of the reserved cooking water if it looks too dry).  Remove from the heat and mix in parmesan cheese and serve immediately.  Serves 4+.

PASTA DOMENICA

  • 1 # pasta

  • ¼ # prosciutto

  • 1 package frozen peas

  • 1 pint light cream

  • 6 medium Roma tomatoes

  • ½ stick butter

  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese

  • Salt and pepper

  • Dash of nutmeg

Melt ½ of butter.  Add tomatoes and cook about 6 minutes.  Add salt and white pepper and nutmeg.  Add prosciutto, peas, and 2/3 of cream.  Add cheese and stir on simmer for a few minutes

PEZZE DELLA NONNA (GRANDMOTHER’S KERCHIEFS)

For the Pommarola Sauce

  • 1 medium sized red onion

  • 1 medium sized celery stalk

  • 1 large clove garlic peeled

  • 1 medium sized carrot scraped

  • 10 sprigs Italian parsley leaves

  • 8 large basil leaves

  • 2 # very rip fresh tomatoes or 2 # drained canned tomatoes

  • 2 T. olive oil

  • 2 T. sweet butter

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place tomatoes in a medium sized non-reactive casserole and add the chopped vegetables and oil.  Do not mix.  Cover casserole, set over low heat and cook for 1 ½ hours, shaking (not mixing) the casserole every so often to prevent the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom.  Pass contents of casserole through a good mill, using the disc with the smallest holes, into a second casserole.  Place the new casserole with the sauce over medium heat, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix very well land let reduce for 15 minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon.  When read, transfer sauce to crockery or glass bowl and let stand until needed.

For the Balsamella

  • ½ cup sweet butter
  • 4 T. unbleached all purpose flour
  • 3 ½ cups whole milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy saucepan.  When it starts to froth, add all of the flour, in one addition, and stir with a wooden spoon.  Continue to stir, cook the mixture until the flour is completely incorporated, 1 to 3 minutes.  Remove the mixture from heat and let stand for the time it takes the milk to reach a boil.  Heat milk until it almost comes to a boil.  Place the pan with the butter-flour mix over low heat and, all at once, add the nearly boiling milk and stir until smooth.  Continue to cook the sauce over low heat and when it starts to boil, add salt and cook, stirring genrly for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to glass or crockery bowl and press a piece of buttered wax paper over it to prevent a skin from forming.

For the Stuffing

  • 2 ½  # spinach, cleaned, large stems removed

  • Coarse grained salt

  • 1 # ricotta, drained very well

  • 1 extra large egg

  • 3 extra large egg yolks

  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmgiano

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • Freshly ground nutmeg

Place spinach ricotta, egg, egg yolks, and cheese in a crockery or glass bowl and mix very well.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Mix again, cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the Pasta

  • 2 ¼ cups flour4 extra large egg yolks

  • ¼ cup cold water

  • 2 T. olive oil

  • Pinch of salt

Prepare pasta to a thickness of a little less than 1/16 of an inch.  Cut sheet into 6” squares.  Precook squares in salted water for a few seconds, then transfer to a bowl of cold water to which 2 T. olive oil has been added.  Remove from water and let rest on dampened cotton dish towel until needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Use 2 T. butter to grease an ovenproof 15 “ round baking dish or 13” x 8 ¾” glass pan.  Place 2 heaping T. of stuffing in center of square.  Fold into triangle, then take the two side ends and fold them to meet the lower end.  Without pressing on them, gently transfer the stuffed pezze into the  prepared dish, with stuffed part touching the side of the dish and the unstuffed part pointing towards the middle.  Arrange the remaining pezze in the same way, forming two circles one inside the other.  Pour balslamella over pezze and bake for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, reheat tomato sauce.  Place 1 or 2 pezze on each plate and pour tomato sauce over the un-stuffed part.  Add a basil leaf.

PASTA CARBONARA

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 8 oz. pancetta or guanciale trimmed and cut into strips or cubes – not too small or shrinkage

  • 4 eggs beaten

  • ¾ cup parmigiano/pecorino mixed

  • Salt and pepper

Heat oil and brown the pancetta, careful not to over cook.  Remove from heat.  Beat together the eggs, adding the cheese, salt and pepper.  When the pasta is al dente (3 minutes less than the package suggests), drain and add to the pancetta over low heat.  When the spaghetti and pancetta are mixed thoroughly, turn off the heat and add the egg mixture.  Serve immediately, adding salt and pepper to taste.                  NEVER EVER ADD MILK OR CREAM!

BAKED SPAHGHETTI FROM BETTY DESMOND

  • 2 # fresh roma tomatoes sliced ¼” thick

  • 1 large yellow onion sliced

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1/8 t. red pepper flakes

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 10 sprigs parsley

  • Basil to taste

Arrange tomatoes in two layers on bottom of 9 x 12 Pyrex baking dish.  Cover with onions and garlic.  Salt and pepper.  Pour olive oil over.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Place cooked drained spaghetti over baked sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley and basil.  Toss.