Vegetable Lasagna

1 32-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
12 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced in half
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 16-ounce package lasagna noodles
1 pound fontina cheese, grated
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the tomato and Sautéed Vegetable Sauce. In a bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, drained spinach, Parmesan cheese, and eggs and set aside.

Sautee the mushrooms in the butter until cooked. Sprinkle with rosemary and set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain well and place them on a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil spray.

Place ½ cup of the Tomato and Sautéed Vegetable Sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan or deep baking pan.

Place a layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan.

Top the noodles with sauce, one third of the ricotta cheese mixture, and one fourth of the Fontina cheese. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Repeat with a layer of noodles, sauce, ricotta cheese and Fontina cheese. Add the sautéed mushrooms and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Layer again with noodles, sauce, the remaining ricotta cheese and Fontina cheese.

The final layer is noodles, tomato sauce, and the remaining Fontina and Paremsan cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 and cook the lasagna 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Uncover and continue cooking until it begins to bubble and the cheese is melted on the top, about 20 minutes or more. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves a crowd.
Preparation time: about 1 hour plus baking

Updated Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole

Serves: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

12 ounces whole wheat, curly wide noodles, cooked al dente
6 tablespoons butter, reserve 2 tablespoons for topping
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon course salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (3.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained. 2 tablespoons oil reserved for sautéing
½ medium white onion, peeled and chopped, about ½ cup
2 medium celery ribs, sliced, about ½ cup
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
1 whole marinated roasted red pepper, diced, about ½ cup
1 (7-ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 (7-ounce) package tuna
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs

Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Pour in the half and half. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the sundried tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Toss in the artichoke hearts, red pepper and tuna.

Add the cooked noodles to the skillet. Pour in the sauce and stir. Preheat the oven to the broil setting. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter and combine with the Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs. Crumble the topping over the tuna casserole. Place the skillet in the oven and broil until the topping is golden.

Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard Roll-ups with Sundried Tomato Basil Sauce

Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
6 medium plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (about 1 pound)
1 cup minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup homemade chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the lasagna:
8 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch squares (about 2 cups)
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup homemade chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound Swiss chard, washed, dried, stems removed, leaves torn (about 2 cups)
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
½ cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
1 large egg, beaten

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, wine and 1 cup chicken broth and reduce the heat. Simmer the sauce for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Use a hand held blender (or food processor) to emulsify the sauce. Keep warm.

Cook the noodles in salted, boiling water until just al dente. Drain and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with vegetable oil spray.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash and onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup chicken broth and Swiss chard . Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chard is wilted and the squash is soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the Gruyere cheese, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan and egg.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 ladle of the sauce into a baking dish. Lay out 1 lasagna noodle on your work surface. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling over top. Roll up the noodle and place, seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat with all of the noodles and all of the filling. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake the roll-ups until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.

I have the perfect knock your socks off “Rustic Bolognese Sauce” recipe in honor of Columbus Day

Foodies, conquistadors & lovers of farmers markets, lend me your ears! There’s another holiday coming up in just 2 ½ weeks…are you doing anything special for Columbus Day? As most of my readers probably know (but the arm chair historian in me likes to point out), Columbus Day is an Italian-American heritage celebration that occurs the second week of October, every year since the 1800s. San Francisco was the first place to turn this bellissimo event into all-day parades and great food, until the holiday achieved statewide appeal in 1907 and Colorado made it a big ta’do.

Whether you’re in the Rockies or heart of Dixie, it’s time to get out your calendars and make note: October 10, 2010, a Sunday, and eve of Columbus Day on 10/11 this year, is the perfect excuse to host a family weekend dinner, using all the fixings you can procure at Italian-American heritage events in your community.

But you don’t have to hail from that part of Europe to enjoy. Do you have any Canadian friends? Columbus Day just happens to coincide with their Thanksgiving, and it’s a big National Holiday for Spain, too—so if you have any dear amigos, get out the tapas, a.k.a. “appys” and treat them all!

In addition to the various, special farmers markets that weekend, there are Columbus Day inspired store giveaways and special promotions/discounts (think espresso machines!) at Italian Markets across the land; I found one in my own Lauderdale neck of the woods (at Doris’) last year, and hope they do something similar for 2010.

You might also have some fun shopping collectible plates that bring out the explorer in all your Sunday dinner guests. Since I KNOW my foodie fans are all about the weekend Farmers Markets, I encourage them to peruse these ingredients and pick up the makings for this FABULOUS Italian sauce that can be the star of your family lasagna or angel hair. To make my Rustic Bolognese Sauce that originated in a Northern Italian city of the same name, you need: a great big yellow onion, bunch of pretty green celery, at least two carrots, 4 wonderfully stinky cloves of garlic, thyme, oregano and a bottle of red…if they got it.

Then it’s off to the butcher (or Italian Market where free espresso machines may be in short supply : )!!!) for the meat that goes into this beyond savory age-old Italian sauce; while traditionally its ingredients were confined to beef, pancetta, choice veggies, white wine, tomato paste and cream, Italian chefs have been known to literally “sweeten the pot” with a little rabbit, pork sausage and sometimes goose liver! My recipe advocates chuck, brisket or good ol’ savory ground round, and just as the Italian foodies love to do, I highly recommend leaving your sauce on simmer for as long as you possibly can—no less than two hours. Of course, a complete ingredient list, plus foodie friendly instructions are available by clicking here.

Pranzo feliz—Happy dining!

Rustic Bolognese Sauce

Browning the veggies and beef for this rich, rustic sauce is key to developing its flavor. Simmering, while reducing the sauce, concentrates the flavor. Spending time to make the sauce today yields several meals later on.

Yield: 4 (2-cup) packages
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: Simmer sauce for 2 hours or longer

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced, about 1 ½ cups
2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and diced, about 1 cup
3 medium celery ribs, diced, about 1 cup
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
3 pounds ground beef (chuck, brisket or ground round)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 cups tomato paste
3 cups red wine
1 quart home made beef broth, or low sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Pour the olive oil into a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the beef to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the beef is browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes more. Pour in the red wine and simmer until the wine reduces by half, about 8 to 10 minutes more.

Pour in enough stock to cover the beef. Add the thyme and oregano. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce. Continue simmering the sauce for two hours. Add additional beef stock to the sauce as it evaporates. The idea is to create a rich depth of flavor by reducing and then adding stock.

Cool the sauce to room temperature. Divide into several airtight containers, mark with the date, and store in the freezer for up to two months.

To heat the sauce, thaw the package in the refrigerator, or in a sink with chilled water. Slowly reheat the sauce in a pot over medium heat.

Let’s Make Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Pesto and Ricotta Cheese while dishing on Food Network’s latest

Greetings Fellow Foodies,

It’s been far too long since I dished up a celebrity chef knock-off recipe, featuring one or two twists from my own kitchen. Last summer I brought you a Rachel Ray knock off (affectionately called RRKO.) I still can’t get the YUMMO taste of that Bacon Wrapped Shrimp in Creamy Tomato Sauce over Cappellini off my mind—I mean, my god, it sounds like an Italian love story, and speaking of which, this week I’m featuring a GKO—a Giada knock off—where I kick up her pesto pasta, by adding fresh strips of zucchini and ricotta cheese to the sauce.

Taking my culinary cues from what’s local and delicious in North Carolina, I’m kicking up this signature Giada pasta dish with what’s in season here in the mountains—which…drum roll…just happens to be zucchini! Shoppers at any local farmer’s market—particularly the ones located near the zucchini-rich fields of Sampson and Henderson counties—will note that North Carolina zucchini are bursting with late summer harvest flavor right about now.

You gotta get to ‘em (the zucchini) before they succumb to their short shelf life of just 1 to 2 weeks, just off the vine. Mmm…mmm…mmm! The mere image of this veggie—before you’ve done a thing to it—has the power to make my mouth water. Imagine what it will do to my ravenous dinner guests, when I pair strips of this fabulouso veggie with creamy ricotta in a zesty pesto sauce. Click here for recipe!

Check out my recipe below, and, if you have a chance to prepare it while watching a mini TV, that many home chefs (like this one) like to put in their kitchens, I recommend catching up on the latest on Food Network.

I’m a big fan of Top Chef, Iron Chef and have also been following The Next Food Network Star. It’s fun to muse on how these different chefs hit it big. My favorite, Giada, was discovered when a network executive read an article about her in Food & Wine Magazine. The article was called “Let’s Do Lunch”, and described a luncheon party that the Rome born beauty hosted in honor of her grandfather, a legendary filmmaker. Giada’s passion for food shown through that day, and has ever since.

I can’t help but appreciate how the art of narrative detail has helped others accomplish Food Network fame. When we hear a good story, we want to add, literally, more flavors to it by passing a really good table wine around the table and serving those we love a family style favorite, ratcheted up 100 percent, with flavors passed down among generations. I saw the recently selected Food Network Star, Aarti Party do this with Indian cuisine her grandmother made her as a child in Bombay.

Stay tuned to my blog, which is a cooking narrative that grows yummier by the week. Starting now, I’m putting up a post every Monday morning! I’ve got stories to tell, people to feed and history to make.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Some cooks tend to shy away from risotto, thinking its preparation a burdensome and lengthy process. The truth is the dish is easily completed in 20 minutes, making risotto an everyday fast food favorite.

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced into ¼-inch squares (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 quart home made chicken broth, or low sodium chicken broth

1 extra large shallot, peeled and diced, about 1 cup
½ cup white wine
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons organic butter, 1/4 stick
2 tablespoons organic half and half
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1 cup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the diced squash onto a baking dish with lip. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, chili powder and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Bake until just soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

Warm the chicken broth in a pot over low heat. In a separate large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid disappears. Stir in the rice and cook to toast, about 5 minutes. Stir in a ladle full of chicken broth. When the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle full of broth. Continue until all of the broth has been absorbed. This should take about 20 minutes. The risotto will be wet, not sticky, chewy on the outside and tender on the inside. Stir in the butternut squash, butter, half and half and Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Servings: 6 to 8
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Sources and Substitutions
Arborio rice is the ingredient of choice when making risotto. The kernels are not only extra starchy, but shorter and fatter than other short-grained rice, which is the reason the dish is so creamy.