Grandma Vincenza’s Lasagna

This is by far the best lasagna I have ever had. Of course, I am biased, having grown up with it, but whenever I have made it for friends, they always love it and want the recipe. The key to this thick, rich tasty lasagna is a perfectly seasoned ricotta mixture blended with lots of garlic, romano and mozzarella cheeses. My grandmother also blended some of the tomato sauce into the ricotta mixture rather than just lay it on top.

Ingredients

1 box of lasagna noodles

32 ounces of part skim ricotta

2 eggs

3 cloves of garlic

24 ounces of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of dried parsley

1 tablespoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 cup of shredded mozzarella to mix in

½ cup of shredded mozzarella to top

½ cup of grated romano

Boil a quart of water in a large pot and cook the pasta until it is tender but overly cooked and soft

Drain the pasta and set aside to cool

In a large mixing bowl, blend the ricotta and eggs. It is best to this by hand using a wooden spoon

Mix in the salt, pepper, basil and parsley

Using a garlic press, crush the garlic into the ricotta and the mix it in

Add the parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella and blend everything together completely

Mix in a few tablespoons of the pasta sauce. You should end up with a creamy, pink ricotta mixture the texture of a cake batter

SPREAD A THIN layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a glass baking dish

Put down one layer of lasagna noodles. Lay the side by side, overlapping a bit until the bottom of the baking dish is covered

Spoon in some of the ricotta and carefully spread it out over the noodles. Be sure to cover all the entire layer of noodles

Put a few more spoons full tomato sauce over the layer of ricotta an spread that out

Place another layer of noodles over this and continue as above, making layers of noodles cheese filling and sauce

The final layer should be a layer of noodles covered with a generous amount of sauce

Place the pan into an oven that has been preheated to 450

Bake o 30 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle the ½ cup of mozzarella over the top

Lace the lasagnas back in the oven and cook another 15 minutes

Remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to settle for about 10-15 minutes before serving

Bacon Bread with Maple Glaze

Back in the old country, as my grandmother called it, farmers would keep cured meats in a smokehouse. When the time came to empty the smokehouse of leftover meats and make room for the new ones, the farmer’s wives tried to find inventive ways to use the meats so as not to waste them. This resulted in the creation of the Easter Pie and a bread that w incorporated meats. The original recipe was not for a sweet dessert. It was a savory herbed bread. This is my version which changes it to sweet bread that evokes the flavors of pancakes, maple syrup and bacon all in one   

Bread Ingredients

1 2/3 cup of flour

1/3 of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of baking soda

¼ teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of whole milk

1/2 maple syrup

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 egg

6 slices bacon cooked crispy and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400

Grease a bread pan well with butter

In large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.

 In a separate bowl beat together the milk, maple syrup, butter and egg until blended completely.

Add this milk and egg mixture to flour mixture

Stir in the bacon and continue mixing until all ingredients are well incorporated

Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan

Glaze Ingredients

¼ cup of maple syrup

½ cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of butter

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Melt the butter and syrup over a low heat, mixing together

Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

Spoon over the bread

Espresso Pudding with Hazlenut Cream

Nothing went to waste in my grandmother’s house, including left over coffee after company had visited. This recipe has been modified and uses instant espresso to make the preparation simpler and quicker. Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients

4 cups of whole milk

1 cup of sugar

5 tablespoons of cornstarch

2 tablespoons of butter

8 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant espresso

Mix together the sugar, espresso powder and cornstarch in a bowl and set it aside

Heat the milk and butter in a sauce pan until small bubbles start to from around the edges of the milk

Lower the heat and begin to add the dry ingredients a little at a time, whisking constantly as you add

Continue cooking until the pudding begins to thicken and starts to bubble in the center

Remove from heat, pour into small dessert bowls or ramekins and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour

Topping

Ingredients

6 ounces of whipping cream

¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons of hazelnut extract

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until the cream thickens. Do this just before serving the pudding so that the whipped cream holds up

Spoon onto the pudding and sprinkle on some crushed hazelnuts or shaved dark chocolate

Italian Mac and Cheese with Panchetta or Bacon

1 cup bel paese cheese cubed

½ cup asiago, grated

¼ cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup whole milk

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon of parsley

¼ pound pancetta or bacon1/2 pound of elbow pasta

Cook the pancetta or bacon until crisp and set aside on a paper towel to drain excess grease and to cool

Place the bel paese, asiago,  fontina ad parmesan and milk into a double boiler on low heat (In place of a double boiler you can place a metal mixing bowl into a pan of water or one smaller pan into a slightly larger one pan with water in it)

Slowly melt the cheese stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Do not whisk quickly, use slow rotating strokes

Once the cheese begins to melts and starts to become creamy, add in the nutmeg and parsley

Continue slowly heating. Cheese is ready when it is a creamy, even texture with no lumps.

When the pasta is cooked, drain well allowing al the water to run out through the colander then put the pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Add the crumbled pancetta/bacon

Pour in the cheeses sauced and mix until the cheese sauce has thoroughly mixed into the pasta

Add half the mozzarella and mix into the pasta

Pour the pasta into a small glass baking dish, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top and bake at 350 until the mozzarella has melted and begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Let sit outside the oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh, snipped basil leaves.

Arrosticini

Arrosticini

Lamb is the unofficial meat of Abruzzi and arrosticini is a traditional dish that dates back centuries. Sheppard’s used to prepare this over fires in the fields.  Arrosticini is roasted lamb that is cooked and served on wooden skewers. This does not require any complicated seasoning. The traditional recipe is calls for only black ground pepper and salt. The flavor comes from roasting the meat over a charcoal grill.  For this reason, this is something that is great to serve at a cook out.

    

Ingredients:

Two pounds of lamb, leg or shoulder, removed from the bone

Salt and pepper

About 20 or more wooden kabob skewers (skewers should be soaked in water for about 30 minutes prior to using)

Cut the lamb into ½ inch cubes

Slide the cubes onto the skewers

When the charcoal is ready (has coating of gray ash on it), lay the skewers on the grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes turning frequently to ensure and even browning on all sides of the meat. Cooking time will vary depending on the heat of the charcoal.

When ready, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. The lamb can be eaten right off the skewer.

This goes well with a nice rustic bread and dipping oil, some peppers roasted over the charcoals and some olives and cheese.  

Roasted Peppers

Roasted peppers can add a wonderful flavor to so many dishes and they are deceptively simple to prepare.
Back in Pianella, my great grandmother, Lucia, would roast sweet and hot peppers in a a huge, open fireplace in the kitchen. My great grandfather, Panteleone, loved to eat the really hot Italian peppers with Lucia's rustic bread.
Choose peppers that have a nice, rich color to the skin and are unblemished and firm. I prefer the red and green bell peppers or the hot green Italian peppers. Other varieties, such as yellow and orange bell peppers can be used, but I find their more delicate flavors do not hold up as well when roasted.
Wash the peppers thoroughly and dry off excess water with a dish towel or paper towel. Place the peppers in a shallow broiling or baking dish or a cookie sheet. You can also place them directly on the oven rack.  
Set them in the oven close to the broiler and allow to cook until the outer skin of the peppers begins to bubble and char. As the skin begins to turn black, turn the peppers overs to allow the same to happen o the other side. Continue turning the peppers until you have achieved a nice burnt skin all over.
Note that it is almost impossible to get them cooked evenly and in a uniform manner. Do not worry about that.
Once they are cooked, remove the pan from the oven or broiler and allow the peppers to sit and cool so that you can handle them. Although the outside may be comfortable to the touch, the inside of the pepper may still be very hot. Cut them open carefully and, if the inside is still too hot to handle, allow them to sit longer.
Once you can safely and comfortably handle them, remove the stems which should now easily pull away.
Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and spread them open, outer skin down, onto a cutting board.
using a small paring knife, scrape away y the seeds and inside ridged fibers of the peppers and discard.
Turn the peppers over so that the outside skin in now facing up. Again, using a pairing knife, gently scape away the blackened skin. Don't be concerned that you are not able to scrape away all of it. In fact, I prefer to leave some of it as I feel it adds more flavor. You basically want to get rid of the bubbled, overly blackened areas. 
The peppers are now ready to be used in some of my recipes or to be eaten sliced into strips and tossed with crushed garlic and extra virgin olive oil. This tastes great when they are placed on a chunk of hearty, rustic bread.

Linda's 5 Cheese Eggplant Parmesan

This is a staple dish for gatherings in my family. A big Sunday or holiday dinner always includes eggplant parmesan. It is a bit time consuming to make, but you will realize it's well worth the effort when you slice into those thick, rich layers of delicious eggplant, sauce and cheese. Although my family uses this as a side dish to a large meal, it can be a meal in itself. It is rich and filling.


Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
4 eggs beaten
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
2 grated parmesean cheese
24 ounces of shredded mozzarella
1/2 pound of mild cheddar, sliced thin or shredded
1 cup of grated fontina cheese
1 cup of grated asiago cheese

For those who noticed, no, cheddar is not a cheese normally used in Italian cooking. My mother, Linda, modified the recipe because the sheep's milk cheese one would actually use can be very difficult to find outside of specialty cheese shop. The result was positive. The cheddar adds a nice, rich, creaminess.

Cut off the top and bottom, stem sections of the eggplant and peel away all of the purple outer skin. Some people leave the skin on. It is edible when cooked, but can also be very bitter. This dish works best with peeled eggplant. You don't want the bitter flavor to over power the dish.

Cut the eggplant into thin slices.

Beat the eggs and and place in a large shallow bowl.
Place about a half inch deep layer of breadcrumbs into a second bowl.

Dip the slices of eggplant, one by one, into the egg making sure to coat both sides completely.

Place the eggplant slice into the bowl of breadcrumbs and coat it completely on both sides. Continue this until all of your eggplant slices have been battered. As you continue breading each slice, the breadcrumbs will become gummy and stick together. When this happens and you are find it difficult to easily coat the eggplant, discard the breadcrumbs and put more into the bowl.

Once all the eggplant has been coated and is ready for cooking ready, fill a frying pan with enough oil to completely cover the eggplant slices. These are going to be cooked just a few at a time as they need to be placed in the oil in a single layer.
Place the battered sliced eggplant into the oil, as few at a time so as not to crowd or overlap them in the pan. This may take a while but it is important. otherwise the eggplant will not be evenly and fully fried and therefore will not have the proper taste and texture.

Keep the heat at low to medium low and fry the eggplant until until the breadcrumb coating has turned a deep golden brown. keep an eye on the eggplant while cooking as it is very easy to burn it. Once it has turned golden brown, remove the cooked slices immediately and place on a thick layer of paper towels or a clean dish towel to absorb excess oil. Again, this is an important step so that your end dish does not come out greasy.
Continue this until all the eggplant has been cooked and drained.

Assembling the Dish:
Take your baking dish and cover the bottom with a thin layer of pasta sauce. place the fried eggplant slices into a layer along the bottom of the baking dish. Add a generous layer the cheese mixture making sure to cover all of the eggplant. add a layer of sauce. repeat the layers until you have used all the eggplant. The top layer should consist of sauce and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 425 for 40 minutes or until done. When the cheese has melted and begun to brown and the layers underneath are bubbling, your eggplant parmesan is done. remove from the oven and allow it to set for about 10 minutes. This allows the layers to firm up so that they cane more easily be served

Eggplant facts and tips:

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family of plants. It was once considered to be poisonous.
Even after being cultivated as an edible vegetable, Europeans still believed that consuming the skin would cause insanity. In fact, the skin is edible but it does have a strong, bitter taste.
Eggplant comes in hundreds of varieties, colors, shapes and sizes. The purple skinned variety is the one that most people probably know. It is the most common variety in the US and much of Europe.

Sexing your eggplant:

No, this has nothing to do with a kinky use for eggplant. Sexing an eggplant means being able to determine whether the fruit is male or female.
Why should you care about the gender of your eggplant? Female eggplants have more seeds than males. Seeds make for a more bitter taste and a higher absorption of oil. Eggplants love to suck up oil when they are being fried or sauteed. Females will absorb more than males.

In some dishes, the bitter female is preferred. This would especially true in some Greek and Middle Eastern recipes.
In an eggplant pamesan the male is a better choice. It will have a milder flavor that will blend better with the cheese flavors. It will also soak up less oil while frying and have a less heavy, oily texture.

Some people find eggplant to be harsh on the stomach. For those people the male eggplant  may be easier to digest. Personally, I always prefer a male fruit. It is milder and blends better in a dish like this without over powering the other flavors.

So, how does one sex an eggplant, a question I'm sure many of you have asked many times.

To determine the sex of your eggplant, look at the bottom end opposite the stem. If there is an indentation, like a navel, it is a female. The male's bottom should feel smooth.
Another way to sex an eggplant is by weight. If you pick up two fruits approximately the same size, the lighter one is usually male.