Pasta e Fagioli that's almost as good as Mom's

My mom was an amazing cook! Growing up, she'd make just about everything from scratch and it would be just perfect. Since she passed in 2001, I've been trying to find recipes for all her "regular" meals. While I've found (and perfected) my own recipes for pasta sauces, chicken soup, beef stew, and fried chicken, I hadn't found a good substitute for one of my favorite soups that she made all fall and winter - Pasta e Fagioli - until now.

1 lb. ground beef
1 C diced onion
1 C julienned carrot
1 C celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato soup (or you can substitute V8)
1 tsp. vinegar
1-1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1⁄2 tsp. pepper
1⁄2 tsp. thyme
1⁄2 lb. ditali pasta

Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat; drain off fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

After 50 minutes, boil pasta to al dente. Drain well. Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.  

Homemade pizza... it's easier than you think

Friday nights in our house is "pizza night." Typically this means that we order in because, well, that's my usual night off from cooking dinner. However, because we live in Ohio and it's hard to find good pizza (we've found one place that comes close to what I remember from Italy and living in New York), I occasionally make my own homemade pizzas (dough recipe to follow below in comments) for dinner.

The top one is roasted red pepper, fresh tomato, garlic, pepperoni, and cheese, and the bottom one is just pepperoni. Yum!

1 package dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.)
1 - 1/2 C lukewarm water
3 - 3 1/2 C unbleached flour, sifted
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it begins to be foamy. Add 1 cup flour and stir well. Add an additional 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix again. Mix in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the salt, 1/2 cup water, and an additional 1/4 cup of flour. The dough should form a ball and be a little sticky. Add more flour or water if it's either too wet or too dry. By this point, you'll probably be using your hands to mix it.

Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto a board and knead dough on it 8 - 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Oil a large clean bowl with 1 tsp. olive oil and place dough in it, turning so all sides are lightly oiled. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough with your fist, turn onto floured board and knead 1 - 2 minutes. Form dough into either 2 or 4 evenly sized balls, depending on what size pizza you wish to make (either 2 - 12" or 4 - 8" pizzas.) You can freeze the dough balls up to a month, individually well wrapped in plastic.

Tortellini with Pancetta & Gorgonzola Cream (serves 4)

Looking for a recipe that's super delish and easy to make?  Oh, and looks like you've spent hours in the kitchen?  Then, try my tortellini with pancetta & gorgonzola cream sauce.  It takes about 30 minutes, from start to finish, and is as perfect with company for dinner as it is on one of those "Oh crap!  I forgot to take something out for dinner!" nights.

Enjoy!

2 packages of refrigerator tortellini (or 1 bag of frozen) 
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Pancetta, cooked, chopped

Cook tortellini as per the package instructions.  Drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté till it begins to turn light brown.  Add white wine and deglaze pan.  Add heavy cream, Gorgonzola cheese, and Parmesan cheese.  Reduce heat to a simmer until cheese melts and ingredients are all incorporated.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Add tortellini to sauce and stir to combine. 

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with pancetta.

Looking for a fancy, restaurant-quality recipe to serve at home? Try this... Ravioli al Forno

2 Cup Alfredo Sauce (see recipe below)
1 lb Cheese Ravioli, cooked
½ Cup Bread Crumbs, toasted
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 oz. Pesto Sauce
2 oz. Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

In a large casserole dish, place 1 cup Alfredo. Top with ravioli and remaining cup Alfredo. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Place dish in oven and bake until sauce bubbles (approx. 15 minutes). Remove from oven. Top with pesto and marinara in a stripe pattern if desired.

Alfredo Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup grated Romano cheese
Salt, to taste
1 egg yolk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted. Mix in egg yolk. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Recipe of the Day: Italian Chicken and Pasta

1-1/2 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/8 C Italian seasoning (or you could use a mix of fresh basil and oregano, if you got it)
1 can Cannelli beans, drained and rinsed
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 quart of homemade spaghetti sauce
1 C shredded Italian cheese blend (I used Sargento's 6 cheese Italian blend)
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb. cooked pasta (I used fusilli, but you could use anything)

Brown the chicken in the olive oil, and cook until done. Add onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, seasoning, beans, and bacon. Cook until everything's warmed through and hot. Stir in sauce, cheeses and salt & pepper. Cook until hot, then toss in cooked pasta. Serve with garlic bread and olives on the side. (You could add the olives to the chicken and pasta as well, but one of my kids prefers the olives plain.)