PROPER PASTA

The first thing I learned when I married into this family is that Italians are very specific on how they cook their pasta. Before I met my husband I used to boil the pasta, not salting the water or paying much attention to how long I let it boil, and then I would just throw the sauce back into the same pot I cooked the pasta in, mix it together and serve. No love or technique. How to cook proper pasta is the basis for good Italian cooking and health. If pasta is cooked too long, it will turn into glue in your stomach. If that doesn't get you to make proper pasta I don't know what will.

DIRECTIONS
Bring water to a boil. Add salt when water is boiling (adding the salt before the water boils will eventually erode the bottom of your pot). Add pasta and let water return to a boil. Stir pasta and lower heat to medium, so pasta doesn't cook too fast. Cooking at a lower heat will bring out the best flavor in your pasta. Set timer for one minute less than the suggested cooking time on the bag. You are going to cook the pasta in the sauce for the last minute so you will need to have the sauce ready on the stove. Taste pasta a few minutes before timer goes off, so as to not to over or under cook your pasta. Cooking times will slightly vary with altitude. Pasta should have a bite to it, but not be crunchy. Pasta that is overcooked will not digest properly.

Before your pasta is cooked, set on another burner a saucepan on low heat. Wet the pan with olive oil so the sauce does not stick. Add 1-2 large ladles of sauce per serving of pasta. Bring sauce to a simmer.

When the timer goes off, strain pasta and don't rinse. Pour pasta into a saucepan for the final minute and cook in sauce. Serve with tongs in a wide-mouth bowl. A smaller bowl will continue to cook your pasta. Pour extra sauce over pasta. Add grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

SERVING SIZE
1 serving is 4 ounces.

NOTES
Cook as many portions as you have people eating and always cook pasta with plenty of water.

LA CHECCA

La Checca is just one of those dishes that is so easy and delicious. It's a staple meal in any Italian family and once you make it you will make it at least 2 times a week. Its healthy and leaves a small carbon footprint.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces pasta, 8 tablespoons olive oil, 6-8 plum tomatoes, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 4 large leaves of basil, salt & pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS
Cut tomatoes in half. Clean, de-seed and then cut tomatoes into squares. Chop the basil into fine pieces. Set aside. Mince the garlic. Heat your saucepan. On a low flame, add olive oil & garlic. DO NOT let the garlic brown. Add tomatoes & basil. Salt & pepper. Cook 2 minutes stirring lightly. Follow directions for "Proper Pasta" in the pasta recipe archive. Add pasta to sauce and cook for 1 minute.

SERVING SIZE
2 servings

NOTES
Served with grated parmesan cheese.

CAPRESE fresh from the garden

Fresh caprese is the perfect starter or as a salad on its own. Use fresh tomatoes, basil, buffalo mozzarella in water, fine extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper (fresh ground pepper is great too if you want a more spicy flavor). Using various kinds of tomatoes is a great way to make this dish unique and flavorful. This year, we planted roma, heirloom, green zebras and lemon boys in our garden, so Elio used those. Delicious!

Drain off the water and slice the mozzarella about 1/4 of an inch thick. Lay out the tomatoes in a circular pattern, like a flower. Salt the tomatoes first, then layer on the mozzarella. Chop and add the basil. Pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy with friends and family... and watch the caprese disappear!

PENNE with crab & broccoli

Crab is a delicious meat that goes great with broccoli and cream. This is not a dish for those on a diet, only those that want to indulge in deliciousness. But hey, there's always running an extra mile or skipping desert to keep that diet in check, and Italians keep their serving sizes for pasta small, only 4 ounces (about 2 serving of carbs) per serving, so its really not going to do much damage if you stick to portion control, and definitely not worth missing this delicious dish, diet or no diet!

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces penne pasta, 6 ounces fresh or imitation crab meat, 7.5 ounces fresh cut broccoli, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 crushed garlic clove, 3 tablespoons grated parmesan, dash of salt & pepper, 1 cup heavy cream.

DIRECTIONS
Cook broccoli in salted water about 6 minutes, set aside. Cook pasta al dente, about 11 minutes and set aside. Sautee garlic in butter for about a minute, then add crab meat and cream and stir quickly on low heat. Add spaghetti & broccoli, stir. Add the salt & pepper, then the parmesan cheese. Stir and serve.

SERVING SIZE
4 portions

NOTES
This is the perfect pasta recipe when you need to throw together a quick meal. You will receive many thanks from whomever you serve to.

RECOMMENDED WINE
Pinot Grigio

SEA SHELL PASTA with pecorino & arugula

What a simple dish! But don't let its simplicity scare you, its a powerhouse of flavor. It is the perfect blend of arugula and pecorino cheese mixed together with one of my favorite pastas, sea shells, which perfectly hold the cheese and arugula together in one bite.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces sea shell pasta, 3 cups arugula, 4 teaspoons minced garlic in olive oil, 2-4 tablespoons shaved pecorino cheese, salt & pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons olive oil.

DIRECTIONS
In one bowl mix pasta, arugula, and chopped minced garlic (see recipe in archives). Add the pecorino, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix and serve.

SERVING SIZE
2 servings

NOTES
This is a quick pasta dish that you mix together with no heat. Perfect for those warm summer days or an exhausted night at home when you need to fix something quick.

PENNETTE with mascarpone & radicchio

This is one of those dishes that you will become addicted to, its just really easy and really good. Marscapone cheese is probably one of my favorite flavors of all time and being able to use it in a meal as opposed to a desert is a great thing; and the ingredients can be a staple in your kitchen or refrigerator since they can be used in a variety of dishes.

INGREDIENTS
1 small onion sliced round, 1 cup sliced round radicchio, 4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons white wine, 1 teaspoon salt & pepper, 1 tablespoon butter, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, 8 ounces pennette pasta.

DIRECTIONS
Saute onions in olive oil until soft and glassy. Add white wine and let it evaporate slightly before adding salt & pepper, radicchio & mascarpone. Stir and then add butter & cheese. Add cooked pasta to saucepan. Cook for 1 minute and serve.

SERVING SIZE
2 portions

LINGUINI with saffron & onions

This dish is what in Italy is known as farmers food. A low cost, simple dish that will happily feed a hungry farmer and can be made anytime because its ingredients are an Italian kitchen staple. You should always have an onion, cooking wine, olive oil and saffron in your kitchen and you too will have one of the most economic and delicious meals at your finger tips. Its even a favorite with children.

INGREDIENTS

1 large or 2 medium onions, 4-5 teaspoons olive oil, 2-3 pinches saffron, 1/2 cup white wine, salt & pepper to taste, 8 ounces linguini.

DIRECTIONS

Slice onions into rings. Heat a large saucepan and add olive oil. Sweat onions in oil until they start turning clear. Add saffron and white wine and cook until onions are soft and clear and the wine has evaporated. Remember the longer they cook and reduce, the better the onions are. Add cooked linguini into saucepan and cook for a minute in the sauce. Serve.

SERVING SIZE

2 servings

NOTES

Put the pasta water on when you start preparing your sauce and your linguini will be ready when your sauce is.

LEMON MUFFINS with almonds, cranberries & raisins

These muffins originated from Girasole, Sonia's restaurant, with her very popular lemon cake. The muffins are a twist on her simple cake and are perfect when you want just a bit of sweet.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 3 large room temperature eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3/4 cup milk, combine 1/2 cup lemon juice with 1/2 cup water, golden raisins soaked in brandy, sliced almonds, fresh cranberries.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use oil spray to grease 2 mini muffin baking sheets. Soak 30 golden raisins in brandy. Strain raisins before using.

On the side, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk. In your mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until they combine completely. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. Batter should be smooth. Strain raisins from brandy.

Fill muffin hole only 3/4 with cake batter. Add and press 3-4 raisins & almonds or 2 cranberries & almonds. Bake 12 minutes. Repeat until batter is gone. Garnish with powdered sugar. Can be served with vanilla ice cream.

SERVING SIZE
24 muffins

NOTES
Powdered sugar can be made from grinding cane sugar in a coffee bean grinder.

TORTELLINI SOUP

Tortellini Soup, made with homemade broth, is so Italian and probably the number one reason Sonia and I started sharing recipes. When I would make this soup for my friends I was constantly asked what box of broth I was using? When I explained that it was a homemade broth, was super easy to make, much less in expensive and had way less salt than a box, everyone wanted this recipe. In our house we make a broth, either chicken or vegetable, every Sunday to use for soups and various other dishes throughout the week. Once you get in the habit of making your own broth, you won't go back. Don't get me wrong, having a box of broth is always a good pantry staple, but it will not be your primary source of broth, but a great back-up item in your kitchen arsenal.

INGREDIENTS
Chicken Broth: 1 whole organic chicken, 1-2 large onions, 5 shallots, 3-4 leeks, 4 carrots, 4-5 celery stalks, 2 potatoes, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 2 chicken (or vegetable) bouillon cubes, filtered water, 8 ounces of cheese tortellini per person.

DIRECTIONS
Chicken Broth - Rinse chicken and place in a large stock pot. Peel onions, cut in half and add to pot. Peel shallots and garlic, place whole in pot. Wash leeks, carrots and celery, cut in half or thirds and place in the pot. Wash and cut potatoes in half, add to pot. Add chicken bouillon. Fill pot to top with water and place on stove on medium heat. Broth should cook with lid on low boil for 1 hour. Leave covered on stove top until pot is cool to touch. Then strain out the broth and store in container in refrigerator. You can also make ice cubes with broth and store them in a large freezer bag for use in the future.

Vegetable Broth - Same recipe without the chicken. Substitute vegetable bouillon for chicken bouillon.

Tortellini Soup - In a smaller pot, add 2-3 ladles of broth with 8 ounces (1 cup) of tortellini per person. Boil until pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese to taste.

SERVING SIZE
The broth recipe makes 1 gallon of stock or more. The tortellini soup recipe is for 1 serving.

NOTES
Cooked chicken can be de-boned and made into a delicious chicken salad. Shred the chicken and with a fork, mix in mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and canned Italian vegetables to taste. Great for sandwiches or to serve as a salad on a bed of arugula and shaved parmesan cheese.

POLPETTE - red sauce with meatballs

Traditionally polpette are meatballs made with beef and a mix of either ground pork or shredded salami, breadcrumbs and or various cheeses. In this recipe Sonia uses both bacon & turkey, parmesan cheese and homemade breads crumbs. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup olive oil, 4 tablespoons onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 clove of garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 1-2 slices bacon (optional), 32 ounces canned crushed plum tomatoes, 2 basil leaves. 1 pound of ground beef or turkey (or 1/2 pound of each), 1 egg, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 cup mix of flour & bread crumbs.

DIRECTIONS
Mix together flour & bread crumbs, set aside in a wide bowl or plate. Finely chop the parsley, sage & rosemary. Mix together with ground meat, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg & finely chopped garlic clove. Round mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll into flour & bread crumb mixture. Place on a tray and set aside.

Finely chop onion, celery, garlic & bacon. Heat saucepan on low heat. Add olive oil. Sweat all ingredients at once: onion, celery, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper & bacon. Many Italian dishes start with this method of cooking down the onions, celery and garlic (sometimes carrots) until the onions are clear. Add the crushed tomatoes, whole basil leaves and meatballs. Cook all ingredients together on med-low heat for 1 hour.

Follow the "PROPER PASTA" recipe for instructions on serving the sauce with pasta. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

SERVING SIZE
2 servings (5 meatballs per serving)

NOTES
Meatballs should be prepared a day before you make the sauce and kept in the refrigerator to set overnight.

PENNE POMODORO

What can I say... you can tell if your eating good Italian food with this one dish. Try our recipes and see for yourself how good penne pomodoro can be, or if your not in the mood to cook, run over to Sonia's restaurant www.girasolecucina.com and we can do the cooking for you!

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large finely chopped yellow onion, 2 finely chopped green onions, salt to taste, 1 tablespoon pepper, 1 tablespoon red crushed pepper, 2 quarts canned peeled/crushed tomatoes, 4-6 large basil leaves chopped, 1 pound of pasta.

DIRECTIONS
Sweat yellow onion & green onion in olive oil until clear. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes on low heat or until all water has evaporated.

In boiling water, cook the penne a minute less than the cooking tim on the bag. Strain pasta. Cook the pasta in the sauce for the last minute in a saucepan on the side. Serve.

SERVING SIZE
6-8 servings

NOTES
Garnish with chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese.

SPAGHETTI alla ricotta

This is a really unique dish that consistently gets rave reviews. It has such a nice combination of cheese and almonds. It feels like winter. A great dish for this coming up holiday season.

INGREDIENTS
14 ounces spaghetti, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon roasted pine nuts, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup finely chopped sliced almonds, a dash of nutmeg, a dash of chopped fresh mint, 2/3 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup vegetable broth.

DIRECTIONS
In a non-stick pan, roast the pine nuts until golden brown and set aside. Then on low heat in the same pan with a wooden spoon, quickly stir together the ricotta, nutmeg, pine nuts, almonds, heavy cream, salt & pepper. Stir in the broth. Cook the pasta al dente (follow directions in our archive for "Proper Pasta"), drain and pour into a serving bowl. Stir in the butter, parsley, and then the ricotta sauce. Garnish with almonds, pine nuts, mint & serve.

SERVING SIZE
4 potions

NOTES
You should time the pasta so it's ready just ahead of the sauce since the sauce cooks so fast.

RECOMMENDED WINE
Prosecco

COLD TOMATO SOUP with fresh basil & cucumbers

Not just a summertime meal, but really an all year winner for a light lunch or starter for dinner. Play around with it, add different chopped veggies as a garnish. Make it your own!

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds diced crushed tomatoes (peeled, seedless), 1 small onion, 4 cucumbers, juice from 1 lemon, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth, 10 large basil leaves, 3 cloves of garlic, croutons, salt & pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS
De-seed and chop 3 cucumbers into small squares and leave in a bowl on the side. Finely chop onions & garlic. Warm your saucepan, then add olive oil. Sweat onions until they become glassy. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt & pepper, lemon juice, basil & vegetable broth (see broth recipe in the archives under "tortellini soup"). Stir and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add more broth if soup is too thick. Let the soup cool and then line the bottom of a casserole dish with croutons and pour the soup over the croutons into the casserole dish once cooled. For decoration and flavor, add chopped basil leaves, sliced or diced cucumbers (use 4th cucumber), and a drizzle of olive oil over top of soup.

SERVING SIZE
6 servings

NOTES
This is a great soup for a light meal if you are watching your weight. You can prepare it and keep it in the refrigerator to have for lunch all week.

COLD ROAST BEEF PLATTER with mushrooms & artichokes

Anti-pasta is always served when Italians sit down for a meal. It gives everyone the changes to talk and start eating before the meal comes. This is a simple platter that works well teamed with caprese or grilled vegetables. You can also substitute the roast beef with Italian salami's or ham.

INGREDIENTS
6-8 thin slices roast beef, fresh arugula, fresh baby spinach, 1/3 of cup lemon juice, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, shaved parmesan cheese, 12 whole or sliced marinated mushrooms, 10 sliced marinated artichokes.

DIRECTIONS
On a large plate or medium platter, spread out the arugula & baby spinach. Lay the roast beef on top of the arugula & spinach. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the roast beef, then generously drizzle the entire plate with olive oil. Add the shaved parmesan, mushrooms and artichokes and serve.

SERVING SIZE
4-6 portions

NOTES
This is a great dish for entertaining buffet style or as an appetizer before pasta. We recommend serving it with the cold summer pasta salad, which can be found in our archives.

RECOMMENDED WINE
Pinot Grigio

Basic Ragu

Luca is eating a basic Ragu that I made the night before with the last of the Roma tomatoes from the garden. You can make this sauce at home with canned or fresh tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey, 5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, a bunch of chopped sage, 1 chopped onion, 2-3 stalks of chopped celery, 1 can tomato paste, 4 cups cut whole peeled tomatoes (from a can or you can blanch fresh tomatoes in hot water and then peel), salt & pepper to taste, 1 cup red wine (the alcohol will evaporate, but you can leave out the wine if desired).

DIRECTIONS

Brown the meat in a skillet. Drain out the fat and set aside (you can put a paper towel on a plate to drain the meat). Next, put the onions and celery in the skillet with the olive oil and sweat. Once the onions start to sweat, add the browned meat. Stir. Add the tomato paste. Stir. Then add the wine and cook it down until the wine evaporates. Add the tomatoes, sage, salt & pepper. Stir.

Cook for 1 hour on low heat.

Follow the recipe for "proper pasta" in the archives and add the desired amount of pasta to a sauce pan. Cook the pasta for a minute in the sauce and serve.