Pasta alla Puttanesca

Bad girl pasta

Ingredients

1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 head garlic
1 tin anchovies
1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 tbsp capers
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 lb spaghetti
parsley or basil for garnish
parmesan cheese for garnish


Directions

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat, add red pepper flakes. Peel, crush, and dice garlic roughly, add to saucepan.  Add anchovies and stir to dissolve.  Halve and and crush olives and add to saucepan.  Once garlic is cooked and anchovies are dissolved, about 10 min, add capers and tomatoes.  Break up tomatoes into pieces and let simmer for 10 min.

Meanwhile, boil water for spaghetti and cook till al dente, then drain.  Toss pasta with sauce and place into bowls.  Garnish with roughly chopped parsley or basil and parmesan cheese.

Lemon Granita 

Light, refreshing, delicious dessert!

Ingredients 

1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions 
In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and thyme. Transfer to an 8-in. square dish; cool to room temperature.

Rome thyme sprigs. Freeze for 1 hour; stir with a fork. Freeze 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes.

Stir granita with a fork just before serving; spoon into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon zest.

Bagna Cauda

For when you want to drink your anchovies

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1 tin anchovies
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions:
1) Peel and mince garlic
2) Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
3) Add garlic and anchovies, stirring occasionally until anchovies are dissolved and garlic is browned, 15-20 minutes
4) Add olive oil and simmer on low heat till completely mixed, another 5 minutes
Option: let cool and blend

Serve with bread to dip, can also dip veggies or use as a salad dressing

Grandma Jeanne's World's Best Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

If you are having a bad day (or even just a good one), I can guarantee these gooey chocolate chip cookies paired with a cold glass of milk will make your world a better place.  Now most chocolate chip cookies are pretty freaking delicious, but there are several parts of this recipe that bump this cookie recipe right up to the top, including the addition of pecans, the shape of the chocolate, and the secret weapon, "vanilla paste."  You're probably thinking, "Well, I've got some vanilla extract in my pantry already, I'll just use that," which is exactly what I thought, but I'm telling you, if you want to experience the ultimate chocolate chip cookie experience, add vanilla paste to your grocery list.  I promise you will not have any regrets.


The Ingredients:
3 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsweetened Butter
1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
300g bittersweet chocolate (preferably a bar that can be chopped into uneven bits)
1 cup Pecans (chopped)


Directions:
1) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2) In a saucepan, melt butter (do not brown) and pour into a large mixing bowl.
3) In the large mixing bowl with the butter, whisk in the brown sugar and the granulated sugar.
4) Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, into the large mixing bowl with the butter/sugar mixture and then add the vanilla paste.
5) Then, slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until fully incorporated.
6) Mix in the chocolate chips and pecans. *the dough should be pretty thick*
7) Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8) Pre-heat the oven to 365' and form your dough into bowls on a baking sheet.
9) Bake for 10-13 minutes and then let cool for 10 minutes.
10) Pair with a cold glass of oat milk whole milk.

Manicotti

Absolutely essential for a proper Easter.

Noodles

1 c flour
1 c water
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Mix, spread pretty thin when cooking.  Stack between wax paper.  Don't let the mistakes go to waste...

The noodles can be made in advance a day or so and stored in the fridge.


Filling

2 lbs ricotta
6 eggs
parsley
2 T parmesan
salt & pepper

Mom's notes say: 3 lbs ricotta for 3 batches of batter (presumably the noodles).


Sauce

1/2 onion
1/2 green pepper
A few cloves garlic
Italian sausage links (sweet or mild, Johnsonville preferred)
Several cans tomato paste (Contadina preferred)

Saute onion, green pepper, garlic, and sausage in olive oil until the sausage is browned on each side.  Add first can of tomato paste, letting the paste saute a little with the rest before adding any water.  Three cans of water for one can of tomato paste.  The big pot usually took at least three cans of paste.

Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as oregano. Simmer for several hours.


Assembly

Layer of tomato sauce.  Layer of noodles, filled with ricotta mixture.  More sauce.  Sprinkle on torn-up mozzarella slices (thin slices - if too thick, your guests will choke).  Top with parmesan.

Serve with green salad and French bread or foccaccia.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starters sound complicated but are actually quite simple. And, the flavor they add is well worth the two minutes a day it takes to cultivate.

Estimated preparation time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

• Flour
• Water
• Small glass jar

Procedure

1. Take the jar and add 2 tbsp of flour. Then add 1.5 tbsp of room temperature water, give it a stir. It should form a sludge. If it is too dry, add another 1/2 tbsp of water. If it is too watery, add more flour.

2. Decide if you want to feed it once or twice a day. Try to be consistent and feed it roughly at the same time each day.

3. Place the top on the jar, but do not fasten so the air can still interact with the starter. Leave starter out at room temperature. Aim for between 70-80F.

4. To feed the starter. Discard the starter until just 1 tbsp remains. Add 2 tbsp flour and 1.5 tbsp of room temperature water. Stir and add either more flour or more water until it forms a sludgy mixture.

5. Repeat feeding the starter for at least five days before actually using it to make bread.

6. Once the starter is rumbling nicely, you can keep the starter in the refrigerator. If the starter is being refrigerated, it only has to be fed once a week.

7. To use the starter from the fridge, take the starter out of the fridge. Feed it and wait at least 6 hours, making sure the bubbles form on the side and it has a good rise before using.

Notes

• Starter should smell like fresh dough
• If a layer of water forms on top, this is called hooch. It is fine, just means the starter needs to be fed.
• You can flip through flours. Use whole wheat one day and then rye another day and whatnot. Keep in mind different flours have different hydration requirements. So whole wheat requires more water than white flour.
• Starters can survive for years and decades, as long as you take care of it and never use all of it. 
• Float test: to make sure the starter is ready to go, try dropping a dollop in a bowl of water. If it floats, it is ready. If it sinks, it may need to be fed, brought up to room temperature, or is just dead.

Cauliflower Carrot Soup

This soup is warm, flavorful and perfect for the wintertime.

Estimated preparation time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower
• 3-4 cups carrot
• 1 large potato
• 1 onion
• 1 head of garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Red chili flakes
• Italian seasoning
• Broth

Procedure

1. Sauté garlic, chopped onions and carrots with all the seasonings for about 5-10 minutes at medium to medium-high heat, until carrots have a nice sear starting. 

2. Add the chopped potato (peeled if preferred) and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower and give it another 5 minutes. 

3. Add broth to almost cover the vegetables. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are cooked through, and blend until smooth. Simmer another 5 minutes. 

4. Serve with a dash of cream, a slice of toasted baguette, or au naturel.