Pizziti

This little gem is a combination of baked ziti and pepperoni pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ziti (boiled to al dente)
• 1-2 quarts tomato sauce (I like the Sunday Gravy recipe)
• 5 cups grated mozzarella
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• 5 oz sliced pepperoni

Method:

Roll the sausage in 3/4” balls and brown thoroughly.

Stir sausage, ziti, tomato sauce (adjust amount based on how saucy you like it), and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese into a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350˚ for 25 minutes.

Remove the foil. Add the remaining 3 cups of cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

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Sunday Gravy

This traditional Sicilian tomato sauce is great with pasta or used in baked dishes like lasagna and baked ziti.

Ingredients:

• 84 ounces San Marzano tomatoes.
• 1 lb spare ribs (on the bone)
• 1 lb beef stew meat (cubed)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 6 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Method:

Brown the spare ribs on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside. Then brown the stew meat for 6 minutes. Remove and set aside. While the meat is cooking, run the tomatoes through a food processor. How chunky you leave it is up to you. I like mine smooth.

Turn the heat down and cook the garlic for a minute or two. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat up enough to allow you to deglaze the pan with about half the water. Put the meat back in, and add the rest of the water and the tomatoes.

Bring to a simmer, cover loosely, and let it cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove what’s left of the spare ribs (not much) and serve.

Note: For a truly authentic experience, use veal instead of beef and pork neck bones instead of spare ribs. Also, many traditionalists prefer to remove the garlic after cooking it.

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Buttermilk Syrup

• 1 1⁄2 cups Sugar
• 3⁄4 cup Buttermilk
• 1 cube Butter
• 2 tablespoons Corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the other wet ingredients (except the vanilla) and turn the heat up to medium high. Whisk in the sugar, and keep stirring until it's completely dissolved. Remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla extract.

Serve warm over pancakes or waffles.

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Lasagne with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ pound Lasagne pasta
• 2 pounds Hot Italian sausage
• 84 ounces San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon Fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme
• 1 pound Mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 pound Ricotta cheese

Method

Brown the sausage. Just before it's done, add the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, herbs and salt. Simmer for about 1.5 hours.

15 minutes before the sauce is done simmering, put the pasta in the casserole dish with some hot tap water and pre-heat the oven to 350.

Remove the pasta from the dish, drain and dry the dish.

Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of pasta, then a layer of ricotta, then a layer of mozzarella. Add another layer of pasta, then sauce, then the two cheeses.

Cook, tented in foil, for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

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Penne Vodka

My all-time favorite Italian dish. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Penne pasta
• 28 ounces San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed
• 3 ounces Pancetta
• 1⁄4 cup Heavy whipping cream
• 1⁄2 Shallot, minced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 shot Vodka, Absolut Peppar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Fresh basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Fresh oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Fresh thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Black pepper, fresh ground
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Dice and sear pancetta.

Add a little olive oil to the pan, and add shallots and garlic. Season with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook for about a minute.

Deglaze pan with the vodka, then immediately add the tomatoes. Add herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Put the pasta in boiling salted water. Add cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over hot penne pasta. Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Variations: Like it spicy? Add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and/or use capacola instead of pancetta.

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Impromptu Italian Pasta Collage

My apologies for failing (for the first time) to provide you with exact measurements, but I was in a hurry and measuring things out would completely fly in the face of the spirit of this dish. This is just an idea for what you can do with whatever you have laying around the house.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 lb shrimp (peeled & deveined)
• 1 lb can San Marzano tomatoes
• Spaghetti
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 3 cloves garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Red wine
• Random herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Method

Combine tomatoes, red wine and herbs in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce to about 1/3.

As your reduction is nearing the end, put the spaghetti in a pot with salted water to cook.

Heat up a cast iron skillet, and cook sliced sausage. Once it's about done, add a little olive oil and cook onions for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Shove that stuff to one side of the pan, and add shrimp and salt (as well as more olive oil, if needed).

Once everything is done, mix it all together in a big pot and serve with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese.

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Chocolate Maple Popcorn

A delicious anytime treat that's loaded full of sweet goodness.

Ingredients

8 cups Popcorn, popped

½ cup Pecans, chopped

6 tablespoons Butter, unsalted

1 ½ cups Maple syrup, pure

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

6 ounces Milk chocolate

Method

Toast the pecans and put them in a bowl over the (popped) popcorn.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add maple syrup and salt. Cook until 300°.

Pour the syrup mixture over the popcorn, stirring as you go. Spread it out on a lightly-greased cookie sheet.

While the popcorn is cooling, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn.

Let it cool and serve.

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