Taglierini Alla Chitarra

Okay, trust me on this one...it is delish. It smells heavenly. It sounds fancy, It looks fancy. But easy enough for a weeknight dinner and delicious enough for company! Don't let the unknown ingredients scare ya...Pancetta is similar to Canadian bacon and you can get Pecorino cheese at Kroger.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
7 oz. Pancetta, cut into julienne strips (found packaged in deli meat section of Kroger)
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup small fresh basil leaves, chopped
ground pepper
3 oz. pecorino cheese (found near fancy cheeses in deli at Kroger)
fresh Parmesan cheese (wedge)...optional
Pasta of your choice (angel hair is nice)

Heat oil in saucepan over moderate heat, add the onion and pancetta and brown for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer, covered, over very low heat for 1 hour. Just before removing sauce from heat, add the basil and a good pinch of pepper. Serve over cooked pasta and sprinkle with **grated Pecorino or fresh parmesan cheese.

**The Microplane Zester is one of my favorite kitchen tools, and it is fun to use! You can find them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or any gourmet cooking store.

Serve with your favorite baguette bread and a nice red wine for an extra special easy, lovely meal!

Marinara Sauce

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in the olive oil; about 10 minutes. Break apart the whole tomatoes with your hands and add to the pan along with the crushed tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

**The only thing that I did different was to use Italian Seasoning in place of the basil. This just might be the best marinara sauce that I have ever eaten. It taste better than most restaurant sauces. It's not as thick as it could be though. Which was fine for me because I was using it as a dipping sauce anyway. It would be great for spaghetti (which is what it was made for). But I wouldn't try using it as a pizza sauce or anything like that unless I were to thicken it up first.

Baked Ziti

• 1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
• 24 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.

2. In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Used a full 32 oz container of ricotta, mixed with two eggs and italian seasonings, and only 12 oz of mozzarella. We also layer - starting with sauce in the bottom of the pan, then pasta, then ricotta/egg mixture, then mozzarella, repeat. Top with parmesan or romano cheese. Oh, and it's better the next day. Definitely a make-ahead possibility.

Also modified slighly so casserole's layers are a bit more distinct, vs all mixed together, per the following: Don't cook ziti the full time. Instead, only cook 1/2 the required time. The ziti will finish cooking in the oven. In the meantime, first beat the egg, then mix egg w/the ricotta & 1/3 of the amt. of the cheeses. Add 1/3 cup fresh minced parsley & 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt to ricotta mixture. Drain half cooked ziti,then combine w/ricotta. Fill casserole dish by beginning w/a layer of sauce, then a layer of ziti/ricotta, some sauce, then some cheese, repeat, ending w/a bit of cheese on top. I have also combined a bit of extra parmesan w/3/4 cup breadcrumbs, then placed this as the final layer. It adds a bit of nice texture to the final casserole. Rather than make a very saucy casserole, I serve extra sauce on the side, for those who want more.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

I can't rave about this recipe enough! It was absolutely fabulous! I only added about 1 1/2 pks of the spinach, and mixed the spinach, ricotta & chicken together for easy layering. I used fresh (refrigerated), no-boil noodles and just let them cook in the sauce. I did add about 1/2 cup white wine to the sauce and added a lot more garlic. I did add almost twice the amount of ricotta and added a few extra cups of mozzerella. (There's no such thing as too much cheese in my house:)

I also tried fresh spinach in this recipe and it improved greatly. I de-stemmed the spinach (about 1 lb bag) and then threw it in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cooked it down until it was tender and bright green. The frozen spinach is mostly stems, so substituting fresh spinach took care of that problem

Modifications: made 1/3 more sauce. Used only 1 package of spinach, which I mixed into the ricotta. I layered in the following way: 1/4 sauce, 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta/spinach, 1/2 chicken, 1/4 of sauce, 1/3 of remaining mozz/parm, 3 noodles, rest of ricotta/spinach, rest of chicken, 1/4 of sauce, 1/3 of remaining mozz/parm, 3 noodles, rest of sauce, rest of mozz/parm, sprinkled with fresh parsley

Sausage Gnocchi

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage links
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (1 pound) package fresh gnocchi
• chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
• grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned and firm, about 10 minutes. Cut sausages into 1/2 inch slices, return to the skillet, and continue cooking until no longer pink. Drain sausage slices on a paper towel lined plate.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in onion and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; cook until the garlic softens, about 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes, water, salt, sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until pasta floats; drain.

4. Meanwhile, stir Italian sausage slices into sauce to rewarm. Toss pasta with sauce, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Romano cheese to serve.

Lasagna

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

HINTS:
**Don’t bother boiling the noodles, just soak themin HOT water

***Excellent and Authentic recipe! A little more work and ingredients, but well worth it. Use FRESH basil for more flavor - I use about 1/2 - 2/3 cup fresh chopped basil. It cooks down and is sooo aromatic. The mix of sausage and beef is sublime, so no need for more salt. I always add a dash of nutmeg to the ricotta mixture (an old italian secret!). I usually make this a day ahead for the flavors and herbs to meld in the fridge then let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before baking.

****Another tip for lasagna makers - no need to wash another pot to boil noodles. Soak raw, hard noodles in a large bowl of very hot tap water for 20-30 min. Noodles won't be cooked but soft, and can complete it's cooking in the oven.

Also if short on time...do not need to cook the sauce. Sounds bizarre, but it's true. If you make the lasagna ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight, the flavors blend perfectly, no cooking required. For a chunkier tomato sauce, I subbed 1/2 of the crushed tomatoes with diced italian-flavored tomatoes. I layered everything in this order: sauce-noodles-ricotta mixture-sauce-meat-shredded mozzerella...did 3 layers like this and then finished with a layer of noodles, sauce and shredded mozzerella and a generous sprinkling of parmesean on top. Following this method, I had the whole thing put together and in the fridge in less than an hour. It sat overnight and cooked the following night.
You can also let the sauce simmer on the stove as long as possible. I also add a bit of whatever red wine I have on hand to the sauce. And I try to make a double recipe, so I can use the sauce for other things - it works wonderfully for Chicken Parmesan, plain ol' spaghetti, and anywhere else you'd use a red sauce. Everything tastes better the second day, too.