Here’s a quick and very delicious appetizer to serve this New Year’s Eve…or anytime, for that matter. Basically, it’s a bite-sized version of prosciutto-wrapped (pronounced proh-shoo-toh) caprese salad. Prosciutto is an Italian salt-cured ham that can be found in many supermarkets and gourmet food stores. I found mine at Trader Joe’s. Actually, I got everything for this recipe at TJ’s: the fresh basil, sugar plum tomatoes, prosciutto, and ciliegine (cherry-sized whole milk fresh mozzarella balls).

Husband saw me making the mozzarella and basil bites and commented on how fragrant the fresh basil was. He waited with anticipation until I gave him the go-ahead to help himself to the plate of appetizers. It’s amazing that something so easy to make can deliver so much flavor!

You will probably want to double or triple the recipe because they will disappear quickly. Serve with Champagne, red wine or your fave cocktails. Enjoy!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Mozzarella & Basil
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine
 
Serves eight.

8 thin slices prosciutto (preferably imported), halved lengthwise
8 large basil leaves, torn in half
8 small fresh mozzarella balls (about 1-inch in diameter), halved
8 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Arrange 8 slices of prosciutto flat on a cutting board and put a piece of basil on one end of each slice. Top each piece of basil with a piece of mozzarella and a tomato half, matching the cut sides to make a ball. Season very lightly with salt and generously with pepper and then roll up the balls in the prosciutto. Secure each with a toothpick and set on a platter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the olive oil and serve.

Make Ahead Tips
These keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour before serving.

Tags: Appetizer, basil, caprese salad bites, holiday appetizer, Hors d'Oeuvre, hors d'oeuvres, mozzarella, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve appetizer, prosciutto

Because I love Italian sausage, I always try to have some on hand so I can make simple pasta dishes like this one. The ragù gets flavor from the sausage, a little red wine, garlic and some fresh basil.  And, if you make it a day ahead, it’s a perfect meal for entertaining because all you have to do is reheat the sauce and cook the pasta. The recipe says it makes 6 first-course servings so you’ll probably want to double the recipe if you’re serving it as a main dish. Serve with a big green salad and some crusty bread and you’ve got a delicious meal!

Penne in Country Ragù
-recipe from epicurious.com

What to drink: Sangiovese wines are a classic pairing with robust pasta dishes. Try the Cantina di Montalcino 1999 Poggio del Sasso, a good-value Super Tuscan.

Yield: Makes 6 first-course servings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped canned whole Italian-style plum tomatoes
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup Chianti or other dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

12 ounces penne pasta
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sauté until brown, breaking up with fork, about 6 minutes. Add carrots, onion, and celery; sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in tomatoes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup broth and wine; simmer uncovered until liquid is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Add basil; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if liquid evaporates too quickly and stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Simmer uncovered until ragù thickens to desired consistency, stirring often, about 10 minutes longer. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Mix in ragù, 1/2 cup cheese, and 2 tablespoons oil. Add cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta among plates. Serve, passing 1/2 cup cheese separately.

Tags: canned Italian-style plum tomatoes, chianti, country ragu, fresh basil, italian sausage, Pasta, penne

Now this is a serious sandwich…and super easy, too! The muffuletta, the famous hero-style sandwich that originated in New Orleans, consists of deli meat, cheese, and an olive and giardiniera salad.  Giardiniera is basically a jarred pickled vegetable salad, and can be found next to the pickles in many grocery stores. The giardiniera I buy (Mezzetta brand) contains carrots, celery, cauliflower, red bell pepper, pickles and onions—I love the stuff and eat it straight out of the jar. 

I didn’t bother with the food processor to make the olive and vegetable salad. Instead, I chopped everything by hand, which only took a few moments.

For the deli meat I used black forest ham, salami and soppressata. My provolone was too thinly sliced so I should’ve doubled that. It was still good but cheesier would be even better. Instead of the pullman-style bread, I used a sliced Italian hearth bread from a local bakery. It made a sturdy foundation to the hearty sandwich. Grilling the sandwich was a cinch but next time I’ll use my panini grill. Serve with fresh veggies or some of the giardiniera to munch on. Enjoy!

Muffuletta-Style Grilled Ham-and-Cheese Sandwiches
-recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine
 
1 cup giardiniera (Hot pickled vegetable salad), drained
1 cup packed baby arugula leaves
1/4 cup pitted green olives
8 slices pullman-style white bread
4 tablespoons butter, softened
8 thick slices provolone cheese
8 thin slices prosciutto cotto or boiled ham
8 thin slices hot soppressata
8 thin slices genoa salami

Using a food processor, grind the giardiniera, arugula and olives.

Coat 1 side of the bread slices with the butter. Build each sandwich as follows: a bread slice (buttered side out), giardiniera relish, a cheese slice, 2 prosciutto slices, 2 soppressata slices, 2 salami slices, another cheese slice, more relish and another bread slice (buttered side out).

Preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sammies and cook, turning once, until the cheese melts, 6 to 8 minutes.

Tags: deli ham, genoa salami, giardiniera, grilled ham and cheese, grilled sandwich, muffuletta, muffuletta-style sandwich, provolone cheese, soppressata

Recently, I was looking for carrot recipes and ran across this one for Caramelized Carrot Risotto. Since roasted carrots are one of my favorite winter side dishes and risotto is my favorite rice dish, I knew I had to make this recipe. While not a quick dish to make, it is definitely comfort food. The flavors are simple, mild and perfect for springtime. Husband called it Creamy Goodness…I totally agree!

Caramelized Carrot Risotto
-recipe from Sunset Magazine

It’s made the traditional way, but this risotto hits some extraordinary flavor notes, mainly because of two not-so-common risotto ingredients. One is creamy sweet mascarpone cheese. The other is carrots, slow cooked in a butter-oil bath until their sugars caramelize.

Note: To make this risotto even prettier, you can cut the carrots into 1/4-in. dice (it’s time-consuming, but makes the carrots look like little jewels). Mascarpone — a rich Italian-style cream cheese available at specialty, gourmet, and Whole Foods stores — can be replaced with an equal amount of heavy cream.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings as a side dish or first course

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped as finely and evenly as possible (about 3 cups; see Notes)
About 1/2 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (I used heavy cream)
1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Heat 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed pot; add carrots and stir with a wooden spoon until well coated. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the sugar; cover and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and carrots are just starting to brown, a few minutes more. Reserve half of the carrots. In a blender, purée other half with 3/4 cup hot water.

Bring chicken broth to a simmer and keep at a simmer, covered, over low heat.

Heat remaining oil and butter over medium heat in same (unwashed) pot used for carrots. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat rice with oil, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine evaporates. Add carrot purée and cook, stirring, until mixture no longer looks soupy.

Add 1/2 cup hot broth, stirring often, until rice absorbs most of the liquid. Repeat process, adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and stirring often till each addition is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente (about 20 minutes; at least 1 cup broth will remain).

Fold in reserved carrots (save 2 tbsp. for garnish), mascarpone, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 tbsp. parsley, and the thyme. Add up to 1 cup broth (1/4 cup at a time) to loosen the risotto. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each bowl of risotto with some of remaining 1/2 cup parmesan, remaining 1 tbsp. parsley, and reserved carrots. Serve immediately.

I’m linked to:
Foodie Friday
Favorite Things Friday
Friday Favorites
Friendly Friday
I’m Lovin’ It
Feature Yourself Friday
Friday Potluck

Tags: Arborio rice, caramelized carrots, Italian, rice, risotto, vegetarian

My first thought was, “Do Italian people really eat this at weddings?” I’m not Italian so it’s an honest question, don’t you think? After a little research, though, I learned that the “wedding” part refers to the fact that the vegetables and meat go well together in this Italian-American soup (hence the marriage). Whatever the history, it’s a great recipe!

Although the broth is fairly simple, it’s the meatballs that are the star of the show here. While they consist of typical meatball ingredients, the addition of Italian sausage and fresh garlic adds a lot of flavor! Baking them in the oven cuts down on prep time, and results in tender and delicious meatballs. I couldn’t fit all the meatballs on one baking sheet so I used two baking sheets and rotated them on the racks halfway through baking.

The store I was at didn’t have fresh dill so I used a heaping teaspoon or so of dried dill. Right before serving, I also stirred a tablespoon of pesto into the soup to bump up the fresh herb flavor. Garnish each bowl of soup with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup
-recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredientsby Ina Garten

Who likes standing at the stove rolling meatballs around in hot oil? Not to mention that I can never get them evenly browned. I discovered that chicken meatballs mixed with good Italian sausage have great flavor and they’re so much easier to make because you bake them in the oven. This rich chicken soup is filled with lots of good things: spinach, pasta, and plenty of those spicy meatballs.

Serves: 8 servings.

For the meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken Italian sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots (3 carrots)
3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced celery (2 stalks)
10 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: the pasta will thicken the soup as it sits; just thin it with some water or chicken stock.

I’m linked to:
Foodie Friday
It’s a Hodgepodge Friday
Favorite Things Friday
Friday Favorites
I’m Lovin’ It
Feature Yourself Friday
Friday Potluck
Hop Along Friday

Tags: carrots, celery, chicken broth, chicken Italian sausage, ground chicken, Ina Garten, Italian Wedding Soup, meatballs, onions, parmesan cheese

I make paninis all the time now that I have an electric panini grill. Even though they’re really just a glorified grilled cheese sandwich, I get raves every time I make them for family and friends. This particular recipe is a good example of simple ingredients that yield tasty results: turkey breast, roasted red peppers, melty cheese, grilled bread. YUMM! 

I made a few minor substitutions based on what I had in the fridge…the sandwich is basically the same, though. Instead of jack cheese and watercress, I used sharp white cheddar and a handful of peppery arugula. A dab of Dijon mustard adds a slight zing to the sandwich. I layered the ingredients on sliced Rustic Wheat Bread from Portland French Bakery (available at many Portland area markets).

This sandwich calls for roasted red peppers, one of my favorite panini ingredients. I love the smoky, slightly sweet flavor that it brings to a sandwich. If you don’t have freshly roasted turkey breast, splurge and get the best sliced deli turkey you can find. Smoked turkey would also work great here.

If you don’t have a panini grill, just make it in a pan like you would a regular ol’ grilled cheese sandwich…but be careful when flipping the sandwich so the ingredients don’t fling out all over the place. For more info on my electric panini grill, check out my Panini Grill post.

Note: the recipe is for one panini so make sure you get enough ingredients if making more than one sandwich.

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Panini
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com

Taleggio cheese adds richness to our turkey panini. Produced in Italy’s Lombardy region, this cow’s milk cheese boasts a nutty, fruity flavor. Makes 1 sandwich.

2 slices country-style bread, each 1/2 inch thick
Olive oil for brushing
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
3 thin slices roasted turkey breast
2 Tbs. julienned roasted red bell pepper
1 slice taleggio or jack cheese
1/4 cup watercress, stemmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat an electric panini maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Lay the slices, oiled side down, on a clean work surface. Spread the top of each slice with 1 Tbs. mayonnaise. Place the turkey on one slice and top with the bell pepper, cheese and watercress. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the other bread slice, oiled side up.

Place the sandwich on the preheated panini maker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately. Serves 1.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

I’m linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Delicious Dishes
Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tags: cheese, electric panini grill, lunch, panini, panini press, roasted red peppers, turkey and roasted red pepper panini, turkey sandwich

I got together with a group of girlfriends from my bible study on Friday to organize a friend’s garage. The friend we were helping is a mom of two young boys and her husband has been in the hospital for several months awaiting a heart transplant. Needless to say, it’s been a difficult season for this family, so a chilly, overcast November day was not going to deter us from the work we had set out to do. We were there to help a girlfriend, to let her know that she and her family are loved, and in some small way, to offer hope.

After we finished our project, we stood around the kitchen together eating a bowl of this Summer Minestrone with Pesto. Friends sharing life together and a hot bowl of soup…this is what it’s all about!

Now about the minestrone…I doubled the recipe so there would be plenty of soup for all of us. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, russets instead of the red-skinned potatoes, diced canned tomatoes instead of fresh (28-oz can for double recipe), chopped kale instead of spinach, and extra carrots instead of green beans. About 10 minutes before serving, I added a little bit of uncooked pasta to the simmering soup which helped thicken it up a bit. Once the pasta was cooked, we ladled the piping hot soup into bowls and garnished each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Yumm!

Summer Minestrone with Pesto
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

When a generous garnish of pesto gets stirred in, the soup turns a vibrant green and becomes perfumed with the intense and sweet aroma of basil mixed with garlic. Makes 6 servings.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 small red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), drained
2 tomatoes, peeled, crushed
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
6 tablespoons pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add broth and next 7 ingredients. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach; simmer 3 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 6 bowls; garnish each with 1 tablespoon pesto. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Tags: cannellini beans, carrots, celery, chicken broth, kale, minestrone, onion, parmesan cheese, pesto, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, Vegetable, zucchini

Really Good Lasagna may be a goofy name for a recipe but it’s true…it really is good! Instead of using ricotta cheese like many lasagna recipes, this one layers lasagna noodles with a meat sauce, a creamy Parmesan white sauce, and Fontina cheese.  The resulting lasagna is creamier than the version most of us have had. It’s not just good, it’s GREAT! (Apologies for the photo…it doesn’t do the lasagna justice!)

For the meat sauce, if you don’t have prosciutto, don’t bother running to the store for it. The sauce is still delicious without it. Also, I usually use 1 lb. ground beef instead of meat loaf mix.

I found a type of fresh lasagna noodles that I like so I use those instead of the oven-ready type. When making the lasagna this time, I got distracted while layering the ingredients so it became a free for all…the layers weren’t exactly as the recipe stated but it’s a casserole so it all turned out fine. I served the lasagna with roasted winter squash, green salad, and sauteed broccoli with pine nuts and a splash of balsamic vinegar. YUMM!

Really Good Lasagna
-recipe from Perfect Recipes for Having People Over by Pam Anderson

I’ve developed a lasagna that’s simple yet exceptional: casual enough to serve at a potluck, friendly enough to take to a neighbor, refined enough to serve as part of a sit-down dinner.

Instead of having the usual overbearing red sauce and blobs of ricotta cheese, it’s layered with two sauces – a rich, meaty Bolognese and a bold white sauce punched up with garlic and Parmesan cheese. And the more assertive Fontina takes the place of the mozzarella. The lasagna may be easy to make, but it’s hardly ordinary. Serves 12.

Bolognese-Style Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, cut into small dice
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
1 small celery stalk, cut into small dice
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small dice
1 pound meat loaf mix (or ground turkey or ground beef)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

Parmesan White Sauce
2 1/2 cups (2% or whole) milk
1 cup chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black Pepper

Lasagna
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
15 oven-ready (rippled-style, such as Ronzoni) lasagna noodles (from two 8-ounce packages)
8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To make Bolognese sauce: Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add prosciutto and saute until vegetables are fully softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground meat and cook, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and stirring frequently, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add vermouth and simmer until almost evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary, until reduced to a thick but not gloppy sauce, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

To make white sauce: Combine milk, broth, and garlic in a 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup or a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a small plate, and microwave until steamy hot, 8 to 10 minutes (or heat in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat).

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour until well blended. Pour in hot milk all at once; whisk vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to bubble and thicken. Stir in Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly on sauce’s surface.

To assemble and bake lasagna: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425° degrees.

Dissolve salt in 2 quarts hot tap water in a 13″x9″ baking dish. Add noodles and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain noodles and stack loosely. (Noodles may stick together as they dry but will pull apart easily.) Wipe baking dish dry.

Smear 1/4 cup white sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top with a layer of 3 noodles, then 2/3 cup white sauce, 1 cup meat sauce, 1/2 cup Fontina, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat 3 times, then make a final layer with remaining noodles, white sauce, and cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake until very hot throughout, about 30 minutes. Leaving pan on rack, remove foil and turn oven to broil. Watching carefully, broil lasagna until cheese and sauce are spotty brown. Remove from oven and let stand to set, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into portions and serve.

Tags: Bechamel sauce, Bolognese sauce, Fontina cheese, Italian, lasagna, meat sauce, parmesan cheese, Parmesan white sauce

This recipe for Pasta Bolognese is from a chef at the Culinary Institute of America, the world’s premiere culinary college. It’s rich, hearty, meaty and a perfect pasta dish for these cool, autumn evenings.

The recipe calls for 6 ounces of pancetta but my container only had 4 oz., so that’s what I used…I didn’t want to spend another $4 dollars for a few more ounces. Also, I used 1 lb. ground beef instead of a mixture of pork, beef and veal. Next time I’ll add sauteed mushrooms to the sauce, which would be a delicious addition. Serve with a big green salad or your favorite veggies and you’ve got yourself a meal. Enjoy!

Pasta Bolognese Epicurious
-recipe from Epicurious.com

This recipe was shared with Epicurious by Chef Joseph W. DiPerri of The Culinary Institute of America.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes with juice or crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces pancetta or 6 slices bacon, finely chopped

1/4 pound ground pork (not lean)
1/4 pound ground beef chuck (not lean)
1/4 pound ground veal
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 carrot, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound small pasta such as orecchiette or rotini

Garnish: Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

If using whole tomatoes, in blender or food processor, purée tomatoes with juice. Set aside.

In large, heavy pot over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add pancetta and sauté until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add beef, pork, and veal and sauté, breaking up meat with back of spoon, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add onion and carrot and sauté until vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Stir in red wine and simmer, scraping up browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cream, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and brick-red in color, approximately 30 minutes.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until almost tender. Drain well and toss with sauce. Serve with grated cheese.

Tags: Beef, carrot, heavy cream, Italian, meat sauce, onion, orecchiette, pancetta, pasta bolognese, pork, Quick Cooking, red wine, rotini, tomato sauce

If you like mushrooms, you’re going to LOVE this risotto! Like all risotto recipes, it does take some effort but, boy, is it worth it: it’s hearty, earthy and delicious!

I basically followed the recipe with a few minor substitutions. I used turkey Italian sausage and substituted Marsala wine for the Madeira. For the mushrooms, I used 6 oz. portobello, 8 oz. crimini and 4 oz. shiitake…a total of 18 ounces. I sauteed the onion and garlic in 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter instead of a whole stick. If you can’t find Asiago cheese, just use Parmesan. A drizzle of truffle oil would put this risotto over the top!

Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom Risotto
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine from Tuscany, Salt Lake City, UT

At the restaurant, this dish is served as a starter. It would also make a great main course for four. Makes 8 first-course servings.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed, crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped out, caps diced
10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 cups Madeira (I used Marsala)

6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I used 1/2 stick, or 4 tablespoons)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups arborio rice or other medium-grain rice (about 13 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add all mushrooms, thyme, and oregano and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup Madeira; boil until almost absorbed, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Bring stock to simmer in large saucepan; remove from heat and cover to keep hot. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup Madeira; simmer until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot stock; simmer until almost absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding more stock by cupfuls, stirring often and allowing most stock to be absorbed before adding more, about 25 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Pass cheese separately.

Tags: arborio, Asiago cheese, chicken broth, Italian, italian sausage, Madeira, Main Dish, Marsala, onion, oregano, portobello mushrooms, rice, risotto, shiitake mushrooms, Side Dish, thyme, wild mushrooms