Mamma can cook

Like Pasta e Fagioli which is one of my favorite dishes, but obviously this has chickpeas, and it is blended, and well maybe not EXACTLY like Pasta e Fagioli, but let's say in the same Family, alright? I am not a big fan of the chickpea, BUT in this dish it is so damn good. Anytime I serve this, it is always well received. The kids, my father, even Karen was a fan and yes that is supposed to mean if she likes it most people will. Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) serve 4. 2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes 1 sprig rosemary or 1 tbsp. dried rosemary 1-1/2 cups chickpeans (use canned chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed) 2-1/2 cups chicken stock or water 1 cup dried pasta (I like to use tubetti which is a tiny tubular pasta) 3 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste Parmigiano Reggiano to taste In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil with the

The best meals are the ones with fresh basic ingredients, IN MY OPINION anyway. I had this quite a bit when I was in Italy and it is just plain old easy and YUMMY!!! and well I freaking love yummy. Many of you have asked for this easy recipe.... Here ya go. Pasta with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes and Bocconcini 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half 1/2 cup walnut pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated 3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil strozzapreti or pasta of your choice (enough for 4 people) 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 cup bocconcini, diced (smaller mozzerella type cheese) Set a pot of water to boil. Once the water has come to a boil, cook your pasta according to package directions. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil leaves, garlic cloves, walnut pieces, salt, pepper and parmesan. Process until combined and the basil leaves and walnut pieces have been chopped

6 larger-sized bocconcini or 12 baby ones (I used a type of bocconcino called a treccia. It’s soft cheese that’s pulled into a twist or braid.) enough speck to wrap around each piece of cheese that you’re using 3 to 4 cups of arugula, washed and torn into pieces a handful of cherry tomatoes (to garnish) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 or 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar sea salt freshly cracked black pepper In a bowl, mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the arugula with the dressing and arrange on a serving plate. Take a slice of speck and wrap around each bocconcino. Arrange the wrapped bocconcini on your salad. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes and serve immediately. Enjoy!

1 red onion, roughly chopped 2 green onions, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 2 cans artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and roughly chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. grated lemon zest 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1/2 tsp. hot paprika 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup bread crumbs (unseasoned) 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. parsley, finely chopped 2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the red onion, green onion, garlic and artichoke in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is combined and everything is coarsely chopped. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and Parmigiano. Add the onion and artichoke mixture and mix well. Add the paprika, salt and pepper and taste. Adjust seasoning as desired. Spoon the mixture into a 9-inch shallow baking dish (you can use any baking dish as long as it’s shallow). In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, o

Serves 35 for dinner, 50 for cocktails. 1 spiral-cut smoked ham, fully cooked -- 14 to 16 pounds 6 cloves garlic 8 1/2 ounces mango chutney -- Major Gray's 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1 cup light brown sugar -- packed zest of 1 orange 1/4 cup fresh orange juice Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place the ham in a heavy roasting pan. Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the chutney, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour, until the ham is fully heated and the glaze is well browned. Serve hot or cold.

Coconut Cupcakes Makes 18 to 20 large cupcakes This is one of the best-selling items at Barefoot Contessa. 3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar 5 extra large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingre

Who knew that meatballs can have a religion? Well these do and they are called Jewish meatballs by The Mensch Chef himself Mitchell Davis. He recommends that you eat them the next day because Jewish Food always tastes better the next day. I tested these and yes it is true, but eaten the same day they are great. Makes 14 to 18 meatballs, about 8 servings For the cooking broth: 2 large yellow onions (1 pound) roughly chopped 2 large garlic cloves, smashed 1/4 cup tomato paste 1 teaspoon dry mustard 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 4 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 or 5 potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks For the meatballs: 3 pounds ground chuck or ground beef (no more than 85 percent lean) 1 large yellow onion (1/2 pound), grated 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup matzo meal or unflavored bread crumbs In a wide, heavy-gauge 8-quart pot, combine the onions, garlic, tomato pas

Makes 6 servings Ingredients 24 white or cremini mushrooms with caps about 1 1/2 inches in diameter 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tops of the mushrooms if you like 1/2 cup finely chopped scallion 1/2 cup of finely chopped red bell peppers 1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley Salt Freshly ground pepper: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup Chicken Stock Vegetable Stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth 1/4 cup of dry white wine, optional Method Serve these nice and hot, or let them cool to room temp. If you'd like to make this a little more contemporary, you can add a dash of balsamic vinegar to the red peppers and scallions as they cook. In true Italian-American style, these are topped with butter, but in Italy, we would use olive oil. Best yet, top them with butter, then "bless" them all with a little olive oil. This stuffing is delicious in celery stalks baked w

2 pounds ground beef (I use 85% lean) 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 C. dry bread crumbs 1/2 C. ketchup 1 T. horseradish 2 t. Worcestershire sauce 2 t. salt 1 t. onion powder 1/2 t. black pepper 1/2 t. mustard powder 1 clove garlic, minced 1-2 T. chopped fresh parsley Sauce: 1/2 C. ketchup 3 T. brown sugar 1 T. horseradish 2 t. spicy brown mustard 1/2 t. mustard powder 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients together well (Although messy, it’s easiest to do this with your hands). Press meat mixture into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or form into a freestanding loaf in the center of a baking sheet. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Spoon half of the sauce mixture on top of the meatloaf. Place meatloaf in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 50 minutes. 4. After 50 minutes, remove meatloaf from oven, spoon remaining sauce over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remov

I use this as a base for cookies for the kids M&M cookies, then not so low fat but hey. INGREDIENTS: 5 tbsp butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt PREPARATION: Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter and sugar until dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for two hours in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch thickness. Use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make cutouts. Gather scraps and reroll until all the dough is used. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack after 1 minute to cool. Makes 30 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters u

Sauce: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch ground nutmeg Lasagna: 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 1 large egg, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 12 uncooked lasagna noodles 2 cups marinara sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces) To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Whisk the ricotta,

2 tablespoons olive oil 8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 (12-ounce) bunches fresh spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped 4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend Pastry Dough, recipe follows 1 large egg, beaten to blend Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and

This is THE easiest and tastiest way to make Pork Loin. The boys LOVE it!!!! Ingredients: 1 lb. pork tenderloin 3 Tbs. bread crumbs 1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 tsp. salt freshly ground pepper olive oil, as needed 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced Preparation: Cut tenderloin crosswise into eight slices, each about 1-inch thick. Flatten each slice to 1/2-inch thickness. Combine crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. Dredge pork slices to coat. Add oil to a large heavy skillet and pan-fry meat slowly with onion and garlic about eight minutes. Cook until meat is done and the onion and garlic are softened. If the meat finishes first, remove it to a plate and keep warm.

Cr ust: 1 C. graham cracker crumbs 2 T. brown sugar 1/3 stick melted butter Filling: 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature 1/3 C. sour cream 1 egg + 1 egg yolk 1/3 C. sugar finely grated zest of one orange Topping: 1 C. heavy cream 1 T. Grand Marnier 2 T. powdered sugar Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter with a fork until well combined. Divide crumb mixture evenly between the 12 cups of your mini-cheesecake pan. Using your fingers or the back of a tablespoon, press crumbs firmly onto the bottom and partially up the sides of each cup; set aside. (optional step) Combine sugar and orange zest in a mini food processor and process until orange zest has been incorporated and sugar is fine. Using an electric mixer, blend softened cream cheese, sour cream, egg, and orange sugar together in a medium bowl. (if you skipped step 4, add both the sugar and orange zest in step 5) Spoon cream cheese mixture into the

These are just Heavenly!!! Amazing, Yummy, Fattening, Delicious. Pa LOVED them. Ingredients 1/3 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F) 1/3 cup warm milk (105°F to 115°F) 2 envelopes (5tsp) dry yeast 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 3 large eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into 4 pieces, room temperature 1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze) Place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk, and yeast in bowl of standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves. Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in 3 eggs on low speed, then add sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next (dough will be soft and batter-like). Increase speed to medium-h

This is just DELICIOUS!! The Lemon and glaze are a perfect pair. Lemon cake (From Barefoot Contessa Parties ) Yield: 2 (8-inch) loaves For the cake and lemon syrup 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons) 3 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract For the glaze: 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract zest of 1 lemon, finely grated 2 cups of shredded zucchini 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and oil until light. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, followed by the dry ingredients, beating thoroughly to combine. Add the zucchini and walnuts. Pour into a greased 13-inch by 9-inch cake pan. Bake the cake 35-40 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top and springy to the touch in the center. Dust the top of the cake with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Note: This is a very forgiving pie so feel free to use any crust you like, including a favourite one if you have it. I usually make this with Royal Gala apples but you can use whatever apples you wish. For the crust : 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting) 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into very small pieces 1 cup vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup to 1 cup ice water In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and with your fingers, gently begin working the fat into the flour mixture. Rub the butter and shortening into the flour until you have a mixture that is very coarse and looks like large flakes of oatmeal. Begin adding the ice water by adding 1/2 a cup. Start gathering the dough into a ball. If it comes together, you can turn it out onto a well-floured surface. If not, add a bit more water (a tablespoon at a time) until it comes together. Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and kne

Cookies 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large egg yolks 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 2/3 cup golden raisins (about 4 ounces) Powdered sugar Zabaglione 6 large egg yolks 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup Italian Moscato or Essencia Preparation For cookies: Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in lemon peel and salt, then egg yolks. Beat in cornmeal, then flour. Stir in raisins. Knead dough just to combine; transfer to sheet of plastic wrap. Using plastic, form dough into 2x9-inch log. Chill until firm, 3 hours or up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice dough log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Arrange rounds on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart and reshaping into rounds if uneven. Bake cookies until golden at edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack. Dust with powdered suga