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Pasta Puttanesca

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets - chopped
1 small red chili - deseeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons capers - rinsed and drained
8 pitted black olives - quartered
14 ounces canned tomatoes - chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
7 ounces spaghetti

PREPARATION:

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for a minute, stirring to break up the anchovies. Add the chili, capers, olives, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta. Drain the cooked pasta into a colander and put the sauce in the bottom of the pot. Top with the hot pasta and toss together gently to combine.

Variation: To make this meal more protein-packed you can add a 6 oz (180g) can of tuna (drained and flaked) to the sauce at the end of cooking to heat through.

Alfredo Ravioli

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons Butter
1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 package (8-ounce size) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 jar (16-ounce size) Alfredo sauce
1 package (25 to 27 1/2-ounce size) frozen cheese-filled ravioli
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350 F. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken pieces. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned (4 to 6 minutes). Add mushrooms; continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and mushrooms are tender (4 to 6 minutes). Do not drain.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange single layer of frozen ravioli over sauce; drizzle 3/4 cup sauce evenly over ravioli. Spread with 1 1/2 cups chicken and mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup red bell pepper and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients, except remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Desserts

This cake recipe has become an annual event around Christmas !!!!

Italian Cream Cake

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Prep Time: 35 min

Inactive Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 1 (3-layer) cake, serving 10 t

IngredientsFor the cake:

• 1/2 cup shortening, room temperature

• 1 stick butter, room temperature

• 2 cups sugar

• 5 eggs, separated and at room temperature

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

• 2 cups shredded coconut

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar, sifted

• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cakes are completely cool, stack the layers with the frosting and frost the sides and top.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the nuts and fold together. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to frost the cake.

Ricotta Pie

Makes one 9- or 10 inch pie, 12 servings

• CRUST (Pate Sucree):
• 1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) pastry or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon nonfat dry milk (optional, but helpful for browning and tenderness)
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) cold butter
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind or a few drops of lemon oil
• FILLING:
• 3/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 pounds (4 cups) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese, drained if necessary*
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil or 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1. CRUST: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter. Whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla, and water and stir into the dry mixture; the dough should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed.
2. Roll the dough into a 13- to 14-inch circle. Roll from the center out in firm strokes; don’t overwork the dough. Transfer dough to a 9-inch removable-bottom cheesecake pan, or 9- or 10-inch springform pan. The dough is fragile, so you will probably have to patch up holes and tears that occurred as you were trying to get it into the pan. Don’t worry; these won’t show. Press the dough all the way up the sides of the pan. Place pan in refrigerator to chill while you make filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. FILLING: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla, and lemon oil. Mix slowly but thoroughly; you don’t want to beat air into the filling, but you do want to combine the ingredients well.

Remove chilled crust from refrigerator and brush with a bit of milk on bottom and sides. This will help prevent crust from becoming soggy. Pour filling into crust. Place pie on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave pie in oven an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, remove from pan and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve pie at room temperature, or refrigerate if you wish to serve it later