ITALIAN PASTA RECIPES

Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

SAUCE
3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs,
parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder
and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store,
covered, in refrigerator until needed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and
garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in
tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low,
and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2
teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more.
Makes 6 servings.

Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes.
Cook Time: approx. 2 Hours.
Ready in: approx. 2 Hours 20 Minutes.

Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed of damaged leaves
1 pound orecchiette or other pasta noodle
2 tablespoons water
4 to 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cut into quarter-inch slices
Salt
1 cup coarse, seasoned bread crumbs, toasted, optional garnish
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, optional garnish

Cut the broccoli rabe into 3 to 4 inch pieces, discarding the stems.
In a large pot of rapidly boiling water, blanch the broccoli rabe
until tender and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Before you
drain broccoli rabe, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drain and
rinse the broccoli rabe with cold water until it has cooled off.
Spread it out on a towel to finish draining.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according
to package directions until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, place 2 tablespoons of water into a cold
skillet with garlic and sausage and then turn heat to medium-low.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and sausage is
cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour reserved broccoli water
into pan with sausage.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and place back in pot you cooked
it in and season with salt. Pour sausage sauce over pasta and stir in
cooked broccoli rabe. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
If the Queen's coming to dinner: Garnish with fresh bread crumbs
and/or freshly grated pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Capellini

Fettuccine Alfredo

To make pasta dough:
Combine the flour & salt; shape into a mound on your work
surface and make a well in the center. Add whole eggs, yolks, and 1
tablespoon olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually
draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion.
Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue
to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Knead and fold the
dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. Brush
the surface with remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap;
let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. Divide the
ball of dough in small sections, cover and reserve the dough you are not
immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Form the dough into a
rectangle and roll it through the pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest
setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as
it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank dough through
again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening and rolling until the sheet is
about 1/4-inch thick. Keep in mind, overly thick pasta tastes gummy. Cut
the long sheet into workable 18-inch pieces. Now, using the fettuccine
cutting attachment, run the sheets through the cutting slot. Dust the
noodles and a baking sheet with cornmeal. Coil the strands into a nest.
Allow to dry for about 10 minutes before cooking.

Alfredo Sauce:
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

To prepare alfredo sauce:
Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter
and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate.
Season with freshly cracked black pepper. In a large stockpot, cook pasta
in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Quickly drain the pasta &
add it to the saute pan, gently toss the noodles to coat in the alfredo.
Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Top with more grated cheese and
chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

Cannoli

Filling:
1 pound whole milk ricotta, drained
6 tablespoons super fine sugar
2 tablespoons candied orange rind, chopped
1/4 lemon, juiced
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios, optional

Shells:
Place the flour on a work surface and make a well.
Place eggs, yolks, butter, Marsala in the well and combine
them with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour, little
by little. Knead the dough until smooth, about 10 minutes.
Let rest, covered with a damp cloth, about 30 minutes in
the refrigerator. Roll the dough very thin and cut into
4-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Grease 3/4-inch cannoli
tubes and roll the dough around them, sealing the overlap
with beaten egg white. Deep-fry them at 335 degrees F until
golden brown. Cool and carefully slide them off the tubes.

Filling:
Drain the ricotta overnight in a cheesecloth-lined
colander in the refrigerator. The next day, place ricotta,
sugar, orange rind, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla
scrapings in the food processor and blend until very smooth.
Just before serving, pipe the filling into each shell with
a pastry bag and large plain tip. Dip the ends in chopped
pistachios if you like.

Yield: 32 shells, 16 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

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