LASAGNA

Lasagna

Here is my take on the Classic recipe. 

Ingredients

2 1LB packages of Sage Sausage

2 8oz packages of frozen Spinach, thawed and drained

2 pints of mushrooms of choice, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 Italian peppers, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 quarts of Marinara, Homemade of course

1 box of Lasagna pasta, cook as directed on package

1 pound Ricotta Cheese

2 eggs

24 oz of mozzarella, sliced

1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano cheese

1/4 cup of diced Italian Parsley

1/4 cup of diced Basil

8 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

8 sprigs of Fresh Oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet saute spinach on medium heat to remove as much water as possible, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Next place mushrooms and saute them to remove as much water as possible, about 5 minutes. Once soft, add spinach back to skillet along with the garlic. Saute for about an additional 4 minutes, remove from pan and set aside. 

Now place the sausage in pan, saute until brown.

Remove from skillet and and add onions and peppers, saute until soft. 

Mix Sausage and sausage together.

Next add about 1/2 cup of the Marinara, toss to coat.

In a large bowl place the Ricotta cheese, herbs, and eggs: Mix well.

Now time to assemble

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Using a 9 x 13 inch pan place the following layers,

1. 1/3 cup of Marinara sauce

2. 4 lasagna noodles

3. 1/2 of the Spinach/Mushrooms & Ricotta mixture

4. 4 lasagna noodles

5. 1/3 cup Marinara sauce

6. 1/2 of the Sausage Mixture

7. 1/3 of the Mozzarella slices

8. 4 lasagna noodles

9. 1/3 cup of Marinara sauce

10. the balance of the Spinach/Mushroom & Ricotta mixture

11. 4 lasagna noodles

12. 1/3 cup of Marinara sauce

13. balance of the Sausage mixture

14. 1/3 of the Mozzarella slices

15. the last 4 lasagne noodles

16. 1/3 cup of Marinara sauce

17. top off with the balance of the Mozzarella slices

Now cover with foil, but first cut some bamboo skewers in to about an inch higher than the top of the pan, then place them in corners then cover with the foil.  This will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.

Bake for 25 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for additional 25 minutes until the cheese on top is golden.

Remove from oven and let set for about 15 minutes before serving.  After cutting and plating, sprinkle with grated cheese, parsley and basil.

Enjoy cooking.

Herb Pasta

Herb Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb of pasta of choice
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of each fresh chopped chervil, chives, and Italian parsley, stems removed
2 table spoons of each fresh chopped thyme and tarragon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup of fresh grated parmigiano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare pasta as directed on package.

In a large metal bowl whisk together all the ingredients with the exception of cheese. Just about 2 minutes from the pasta being done, place bowl over pasta pot and whisk to warm sauce. You want it warm not hot, whisk over water for no more that 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and place pasta in sauce bowl and toss to coat. Next add cheese and toss again and serve.

Simple

Enjoy cooking

Shrimp Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas in a Cream Sauce

I was at a loss as to what to make the other night. It was too cold and windy to go back out to the store so i just threw together items we had on hand. I hope you all like it.

Shrimp Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas in a Cream Sauce

Ingredients

3 lbs of shrimp, cleaned but tails left on
3 cups of Sugar Snap Peas
1 Lb of dried pasta of choice
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup of Dubliner Cheese grated
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Italian Parsley, chopped stems removed
1 large onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
2 table spoons olive oil
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon Fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon juiced and zest
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet over medium high heat saute the onions and peppers in the olive oil until soft. Next add the garlic and the seeds and stir for about a minute. Reduce heat to medium and add the wine, lime zest and the balance of the spices and shimmer for ten minutes.

Start pasta as per directions on the package.

Next add the cream to the skillet and simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the Sugar Snap Peas to the skillet and cover for 2 to 3 minutes. After this time, check the Sugar snap Peas for tenderness. They should just be about done when you add the shrimp to the skillet, if they are still firm cover and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. When ready add the shrimp and cover. After 2 to 3 minutes check shrimp and stir. Turn off heat and cover.

Drain and reserve a cup of the pasta water. Place Pasta in a large bowl, sprinkle have the cheese, table spoon of lemon juice and about 1/3 cup of the pasta water and toss so cheese starts to melt. Once shrimp are done dump the contents of the skillet into the ball with the pasta, add the parsley and the balance of the cheese and toss, and you are done.

Enjoy Cooking

Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Pasta

Now there are two ways i make this dish one with bacon and one with out. I will list both ways.

Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

2 large bundles of Swiss chard, stems removed and rough chopped
1 lb of dried pasta of choice
4 Large sweet onions, halved and sliced
1 red pepper diced
3 cups of Shiitake Mushrooms, chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
6 sprigs of Thyme, stems removed
6 oz of Goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 of cup of veggie stock (white wine will work too)
zest of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Now use on of the following but not both depending on which recipe you are to follow:

1 lb bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
or
1/3 of a cup of olive oil

Directions

Cook pasta as per the directions on the package, save a cup of the pasta water.

Bacon route: In a large skillet over medium high heat, render of the bacon and place on a paper towel to drain. Next place the onions and pepper into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and saute until soft

Olive Oil Route: In a large skillet over medium high heat, place the olive oil, onions and peppers and 2 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and saute until soft

Now the Recipe will be the same for both: Reduce heat to medium add the garlic, thyme and stock, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until reduced by half. Now add the Swiss chard to the skillet, once it has wilted remove skillet from heat.

In a large bowl place the pasta, goat cheese and pasta water and toss to coat. Now add the onion Swiss chard mixture from the skillet and toss to combine. Top off with the lemon zest and the bacon if you went that route and you are ready to eat.

Enjoy Cooking

Tomato, Asparagus and Olive Penne

Here is quick and simple pasta dish that can be ready in 25 minutes.

Tomato, Asparagus and Olive Penne

Ingredients

1 lb dried penne pasta
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
8 to 12 spears of asparagus that have been chopped in 1 inch pieces
4 cloves of garlic diced
1/4 cup of Kalamata olives sliced
1/4 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dries oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta as directed on package, you want it al dente.
In a large skillet over medium high heat add olive oil, once the oil starts to shimmer add garlic and cook for about a minute or until garlic starts to turn golden brown. Add cherry tomatoes, asparagus, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring mixture until tomatoes release their juices, which is about three minutes. Next add pasta, parsley and cheese to skillet, toss to combine and serve. I serve wit more cheese of course and some nice crispy Italian bread.

I have also swapped out the asparagus for large diced eggplant for a bit of a variation.

Enjoy cooking

Shallot Pasta

Back from a trade show and i am looking for something warm and homey. I came up with this for the cook book, taking a twist on French Onion soup.

Shallot Pasta

Ingredients

20 Shallots cut in half and thinly sliced
6 gloves of garlic minced
4 table spoons of butter
1 table spoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 table spoons of unbleached flour
1 cup dried morrells
2 cups beef bouillon
1 cup red wine
1 cup Italian Parsley, chopped and stems removed
1 1/2 cups of Assiago cheese
1 pound of dried pasta of choice, I like spaghetti
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large deep skillet placed over medium low heat melt butter,then stir in olive oil. Next add the shallots, garlic, salt and sugar to skillet stir and cook until shallots turn golden brown, about 25 minutes.
While shallots are cooking heat up one cup of bouillon, once hot remove from heat and add dried morrells.
When you are ten minutes out from the shallots being done start pasta water. Add the remain bouillon to the pasta water.
Once shallots are golden brown add red wine, stir. Once wine has warmed remove 1/4 cup add place in a small bowl and add the flour, whisk until smooth and return the wine mixture to the skillet. At this point the morrell's should be soft, add morrells and bouillon to skillet. Raise heat to medium and saute until the liquids have reduced by half. During this process taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook pasta until al dente; drain reserving a cup of the pasta water.
Once the shallot sauce has reduced by half add the pasta and 1/2 cup of the pasta water to skillet, toss for about 2 minutes and remove from heat.
In a large bowl add 1 cup of cheese and the 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir. Now add the shallots, pasta and parsley to bowl and toss. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and serve.

Enjoy Cooking

Pasta with Clams and Shallots

I threw this together a few Sundays ago: I was think what can i do wit with my traditional Mussels sauce and change it up a bit to taste great with pasta. I reduced the liquids and added more cheese, what is better than that.


Pasta with Clams and Shallots

Ingredients

2 table spoons of olive oil
1 stick of butter, un-salted
6 to 8 cloves of garlic minced
10 shallots thinly sliced
6 to 8 sprigs of Fresh lemon thyme, stems removed
6 to 8 sprigs of fresh marjoram, stems removed
1/2 cup of fresh Italian Parsley, chopped stems removed
2 cups of dry white wine
4 oz of creme fraiche
1 1/2 cups grated asiago cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb dried pasta of choice
30 to 36 little neck clams scrubbed well.

Note: if you have not used fresh clams, oysters or mussels before - keep them on ice before using but do not sit them in the ice unless they are in a bowl that drains; by sitting in fresh water it will shock and kill them (that was what i was told at the fish monger). I just place a metal bowl inside a bowl with ice and place the shell fish it that and keep them in the fridge until ready to use them,

Directions

Timing is everything with this dish

In a very large deep dish pot heat oil over medium heat, next add garlic and reduce to low. Infuse the oil with the garlic about a minute. Now add the butter once melted add the shallots, stir, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally during that time.

With a 10 minutes to go with the shallots start the pasta water and follow the directions on the box.

After 30 minutes, increase the heat to medium low and add the wine and the creme fraiche. Stir until the creme is completely incorporated into wine. Next add the thyme and the marjoram, salt and pepper to taste. Stir sauce for 5 minutes. Pasta should be about 5 minutes from being done. Turn heat up on sauce to high, once it starts to boil drop the clams in and cover. 2 minutes into adding the clams stir the pot bringing the clams from the bottom to the top. 2 more minutes in sir again. when you get to 3 to 4 minute in total wit the clams, drain pasta and add the pasta to clams - Clams should all be about open now (if not wait until most are open or about to open before adding pasta but now too long the clams will get chewy). Remove pot from heat and toss in parsley and half the cheese, stir. Transfer the all the contents of the pot into a very large bowl and add the remaining cheese and serve.

Next time i will post all the variations i have with Clams, Oysters and Mussels. I have allot of them due to we love Clams, Oysters and Mussels of them and I serve them at least once a week.

The next sauce I use cucumbers.

Enjoy cooking

Mac and Cheese

I do not make Mac and cheese allot due to the fact that Michael does not like it, well actually its just not his thing. The recipe below is the variation, I have a base mac and cheese recipe but with all the rewrites for the book, my recipe files are every where - i need to spend time to get them in order. Anyway, the recipe below sounds odd at first but it really good - Ask Doug he was my tester for this recipe. There are allot of steps but its worth it.

Coconut Chicken Mac and Cheese

It is a two step process - first the chicken

Ingredients

3 table spoons of canola oil
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 whole chicken cut up

Directions - chicken

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add all the dried spices, minced garlic and ginger. Stir until spice are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add coconut milk, stir and reduce heat to low medium. Simmer for about 3 minutes covered. Now add the chicken and cook chicken covered for about 30 to 40 minutes until completely cooked through. Mid way through the cooking process turn the chicken over in the skillet.

When chicken is done remove from skillet and set aside to cool. Once cool, shred chicken and place in a large bowl and set aside.

Mac and Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients

Cooked chicken - done
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, plus 3 tablespoons
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 cups heavy cream
4 medium shallots diced
1 jalapeno diced - no seeds
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb box dried pasta, i use mezze penne
8 oz mascarpone cheese
8 oz asiago cheese
1/2 lb of Australian cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 lb Capricho de Cabra goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, stems removed

Directions - Mac and Cheese

Prep the pasta as directed on the box, drain and add to the large bowl with the chicken.

In a large sauce pan over medium low heat add shallots and cook until tender - no oil the low heat will cook the shallots with out sticking. Add minced garlic, ginger and jalapeno stir for one minute to warm. Add the balance of the spices and the coconut milk, stir and reduce heat to low ad simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the milk. Now add the 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut, heavy cream, stir and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the mascarpone cheese, stir until completely melted.

While the sauce was simmering add cilantro and all but a table spoon of each of the cheese to the large bowl with the chicken and pasta and toss.

Pour hot sauce over the pasta, chicken and cheeses, toss to coat pasta and the cheese starts to melt.

Pour mixture into a large deep baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top and the 3 tablespoons of shredded coconut.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until top begins to brown and sauce bubbles up.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Until tomorrow, enjoy cooking