Fettuccine Bolognese

3/4 pound whole-wheat fettuccini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef (90 to 95 percent lean)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
2 (14 1/2-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk or regular whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil, and cook the fettuccini according to the directions on the box.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ground beef, and thyme and cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and broth and cook for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Stir in the milk and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done, drain it, put it back in the pasta pot, add the sauce and stir the sauce and pasta together. Put into serving bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

*cafejohnsoniarecipes.blogspot.com

Pesto Presto

Sun-dried tomatoes
Pesto
Basic Cheese Sauce (see Fondue)
Pasta (fettuccini works well)
Pine nuts
Chicken, broiled and cut into strips
Add desired steamed vegetables, I love broccoli and red bell pepper

Cook pasta, set aside
Broil chicken, cut into strips, set aside
Make cheese sauce, add sun-dried tomatoes and pesto to taste, salt and pepper
Mix sauce with pasta and chicken
Top with pine nuts and parmesan

*Lindsey Jensen Recipe

Penne alla Apple Cider

5 large tomatoes, cut into strips
Boiled chicken, cut into strips
1/3 cup olive oil (or not so much!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup cider
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lb penne
½ cup heavy creamParsley sprigs

Cook pasta, set aside
Warm olive oil in pan, sauté garlic, add cider
Cook until cider reduced by half
Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes
Simmer for about 10 min
Add pasta and chicken
Add cream and stir over medium heatAdd parsley and serve

*Lindsey Jensen Recipe

Stuffed Pasta Shells

12 jumbo pasta shells
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbl fresh basil (or 1 ½ tsp dried basil)
1 egg
14 oz jar spaghetti sauce (Classico tomato&basil)
¼ lb ground beef (optional)Spinach good addition as well

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray an eight inch (2qt) baking dish
Cook pasta and rinse with cold water
Ground beef; sauté garlic.
In a separate bowl, combine cheese, basil, egg, garlic, and meet
Spoon cheese mixture into shells
Place in baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce. Cover with foil.
Bake for 35-40 minutes

*Lindsey Jensen Recipe

Gnocchi

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.

Pasta al forno

An Italian favorite!

Red sauce:
Grate carrot, celery, zucchini - 2 each into a large pot
Add 1 finely chopped small onion and finely chopped garlic clove
Saute briefly in 1/2 c up olive oil.
Add 3 bottles of salsa di pomodoro (2-3 cans of diced tomotoes - blended)
Basil leaves as desired.

(Optional: lightly seasoned ground beef)

Cook 2 kilos of pasta al dente, grain, add sauce
Pour into cake pan and top with mozzarella
Bake 20 minutes at 175 C

White Lasagna

Cook about 2/3 lb. of Italian sausage.
Saute 1 sm. onion (minced)
Saute 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
Add a variety of chopped mushrooms (about 1 1/2 c.) and saute together
Add 1 cup of peas
Mis all the above with 3 cups besciamella (see recipe for Lasagna di Silvio)
Layer the pan as follows: sauce on the bottom, noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
Cook at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Lasagna di Silvio

This is my all-time favorite Italian meal... the first and last meal I had in Italia. Che buonissimo! (Silvio was the chef at the Mission Home... and is now about to open a restaurant in Salt Lake!)

Ragu (red sauce):
1 finely chopped small onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 carrot - grated
1 celery stalk - grated
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

Saute the above ingredients together and then add 1 pound of hamburger and cook on a low heat.

Add basil, oregano, and parsley and 1 qt of tomato juice (2 cans of diced tomatoes, blended beforehand. I would drain some of the juice in the cans before blending the tomatoes and would add tomato paste or sauce to thicken it if necessary).

Simmer the sauce on a very low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, with the lid on the pot.

Besciamella:
3 cups of roux (1/3 c. butter, 1/3 c. flour, and 2 1/2 cups milk. Blend butter and flour over low heat and add milk. Blend. (Sauce needs to be relatively thick, so maybe add 1/2 c. flour.)

In the lasagna pan:
Cover the bottom with red sauce
Layer: Lasagna noodles (the thin kind!! no ruffles on the edges!), red sauce, besciamella, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. (Silvio's lasagna has about 7 layers of noodles).

Cook at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Don't let the top get too dark.
Buon appetito!