Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach

Another Giada De Laurentis recipe, selected, of course, by A. She'll eat anything that woman makes. We replaced our regular red sauce and meatballs Sunday with this recipe, which makes enough for our small family for two meals this week! And it's so very, very good....


Serves 4-6

You need:

For the shells -
1 12oz. package of jumbo shells pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. diced pancetta
1 # frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 15oz. container of whole milk ricotta
1 c. grated asiago cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

For the sauce -
1 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. cream
1 c. asiago cheese
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 min. Drain and set aside. Warm the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium head. Add the pancetta and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, asiago, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tbsp. of the mixture. Place in a large, buttered baking dish. In another medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the asiago, parsely, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with, if you have it, some sprinkled, grated parmesan cheese. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Sweet Blueberry Muffins

These are the best muffins in the world. I will make them for the rest of my life, and pass them on to my children for the rest of theirs. The recipe comes from M's Grandmother (Grandma H). The won first prize at county fair once, although I'm not really sure which one. Not only is the recipe unbelievably easy, but you can substitute, as I do, just about anything in them (cranberries, peach and raspberry, nuts and figs, etc.). Because I dream of these muffins often, I get a little carried away all summer long, harvesting and freezing various berries and fruits from all over the area in hopes of using them in this recipe.

We're skipping church this morning, because I'm still pretty sore, A's nose is running, and it's 5 below outside. What better way to spend a Sunday morning than with warm muffins, Jack Johnson, a fire and family.

p.s. A special shout-out to G, who is running another Marathon this morning in Miami. Good luck!

Makes 12 muffins

You need:
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1.5 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffins tins or use liners. Beat eggs slightly. Stir in milk and oil. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to liquids, stirring just until moistened. Carefully blend in blueberries and spoon into muffin times until about 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toasty brown.

Gorgonzola and Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Sausage

This recipe is worth the wait, but definitely for a time when you aren't in a rush.

Serves 4-6

You need:

4 c. chicken stock
1.5 oz. porcini mushrooms, dried
3 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. grated parmesan
3/4 c. crumbled gorgonzola
1/4 c. fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 oz. cooked chicken sausage

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over medium high heat. Add the porcini mushrooms. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and set aside. Reheat the stock to a simmer.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Slice the sausage into rounds and add to the rice. Add the wine and simmer until it has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Continue with remaining stock, adding 1/2 cup at a time until absorbed, until the rice is tender to the bite and creamy, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheeses, chives, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce

Remarkably, this is really fast to prepare. If you start cooking when you get home, the simmer time allows you to do all of the other housekeeping things you need to do before dinner. A loves it!!

Serves 4-6

You need:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 # pancetta, chopped
1 .5 # ground beef or turkey
1 c. white wine
1 c. whole milk
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1tbsp. dried
1/3 c. fresh flat leaf parsely, chopped
2.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. grated parmesan

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and saute for 2 min. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the meat and cook until brown. Add the wine and the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Serve with cooked fettuccini. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Creamy Ravioli and Pesto Gratin

When I buy frozen ravioli, I buy the club pack. Ravioli can be used in so many recipes, frozen easily into smaller portions, and is super quick. Tonight, I had a late meeting, so I needed something that could be made in less than 30 minutes.

Serves 4

1 # ravioli, cooked
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 pesto
1/4 c. grated parmesan

In a large bowl, whisk heavy cream and pesto. Mix in cooked ravioli. Transfer to a shallow baking dish, top with parmesan cheese, and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Spanish Fish Cakes

This is a great recipe to use if you have extra fish in the freezer. I often buy frozen tilapia in bulk, and when I have just a couple of extra pieces left over, I'll use them for fish cakes.

Serves 6

2 small red potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 slices on pancetta, chopped fine
4 scallions, chopped (white part only)
1 # cooked tilapia
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. crushed wheat Chex
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Remoulade or Mustard Sauce for dipping

Mash the potato in a large bowl. In a small skillet, saute the scallions and pancetta until the meat is crisp and the scallions are wilted. Add the scallions and pancetta to the potatoes. Mix in the fish, egg, salt and pepper. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Form the fish mixture into 6 round patties. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry for 2-3 min per side. Serve with remoulade or mustard sauce.

Meatballs and Raviolis - A Sunday Tradition

Every Sunday, we have a variation on meatballs and sauce. The only thing that changes is the kind of macaroni we serve. Today, because that was always our favorite, my dad and I are making raviolis.

Serves a lot of hungry Italians

For the meatballs:

2 # meatball mix (pork, beef, and veal)
a small bunch of fresh basil, enough to fit in the palm of your hand, chopped
a small bunch of fresh parsley (see above), chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 c parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste (and my mother actually tastes it. raw. I DO NOT advise this)
2 slices of Italian bread, soaked in water, squeezed out, and then crumbled
1 egg
drizzle of olive oil

Mix. Let sit, overnight if you can, or at least a couple of hours. According to my parents, the meatballs have to "make love."

For the sauce:

olive oil
breadcrumbs
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
another bunch of fresh basil, chopped
2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 cans plum tomatoes, crushed in your hands on their way into the pot
red wine

Saute the parsley, basil, and garlic in the olive oil. DO NOT BROWN. When the garlic is just soft, you'll notice that there is a lot of olive oil in the bottom of the pan. You don't want an oil topped sauce. Sprinkle just a little bit of breadcrumbs on top of the garlic mixture to make a light paste. It should absorb the oil. Add the cans of tomatoes. Stir together and lower the heat to low. Pour yourself a glass of wine. Now pour a little off the top of the glass into the sauce. Stir often. You don't want to burn the sauce, which is very easy to do. Cook for at least 2 hours.