Francesca's Kitchen (29 page)

One of my favorite things in the whole world is to come home, especially after a long day, and smell dinner cooking in the kitchen when I walk through the door. When you're tired and cold and hungry, is there anything better? No matter how crazy your day might have been, sitting down to a nice meal with your family has a way of centering you and restoring your sanity. Sleep might be the balm that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, but good food is what keeps it from falling apart in the first place.

With that in mind, I pass along to you the recipes for some typical family dishes that always bring a smile to my face. Like most Italian cooking, they are all very simple, but very delicious. For appetizers there are my cousin's
arancie e pepe
, and the
fungi riempieni,
which were one of my father-in-law's specialties. My wife makes a great spaghetti
agli e olio
, and, of course, my mother's lasagna is the best! I love frittata, so I asked my sister for her recipe. And for a little sweet after dinner, my mother-in-law's
biscotti
are always a treat!

Buon appetito!

B
ILLY'S
F
UNGI
R
IEMPIENI
(S
TUFFED
M
USHROOMS
)

Clean mushrooms. Remove stems and chop very small. In bowl, mix chopped stem pieces, chopped pepperoni, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stuff mixture into caps of mushrooms. Place on baking sheet or sheet pan (can line with foil to avoid a mess). Bake in oven at 350ºF for about 30 minutes. Mushrooms are done when they turn brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.

A
LICE'S
A
RANCIE E
P
EPPE
(O
RANGES AND
P
EPPER
)

Slice fresh oranges into half moon shapes and place on platter. Sprinkle generously with extra virgin olive oil and black pepper.

C
ORINNE'S
S
PAGHETTI
A
GLIO E
O
LIO
(G
ARLIC AND
O
IL
S
AUCE
)



Using a 6 quart pot, put water on to boil. Optional: add 1 tbsp. salt when water is at a boil.

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Use a 12-inch heavy bottom skillet for sauce. Warm skillet on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Use as much as you like for desired hotness. Chop 1 garlic clove and add to pan. Slice other 2 garlic cloves into large pieces and add to pan. Heat garlic over medium heat until just soft and starting to turn color. VERY IMPORTANT: Do not let garlic burn! Now, lower heat while spaghetti is cooking (remember to stir spaghetti so the strands don't stick together). Add ¼ cup of olive oil to skillet. Add 1 cup of pasta water (water taken from the boiling spaghetti) to skillet which should be at a low simmer now. Add a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley (about 1/3 cup).

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Drain spaghetti while still al dente. Reserve the water in the pot. Put spaghetti into skillet. Add another ½ cup of pasta water to skillet. Toss spaghetti to coat with sauce. This will be wet, but not soupy. If you like, you can add more pasta water. Bring skillet to table or transfer spaghetti to a warmed bowl. Drizzle with olive oil (not too much). Serve with freshly grated cheese.

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This will serve 4 people. Enjoy!

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P.S. To make your basic sauce more interesting, try adding chopped black olives, hot pepper rings, or tuna fish in olive oil or all these together. Add these when you add the first ¼ cup of olive oil to skillet. This can also be tossed with a pesto sauce at the very end while still in the skillet. Be creative. Use the basic Aglio e Olio sauce to make your own signature dish!

N
ORMA'S
L
ASAGNA

Boil lasagna noodles in large pot of salted water until softened. Drain and add cold water to keep from sticking together. In a large mixing bowl, whip eggs until frothy. Add ricotta cheese and fold together. Add cinnamon, parsley, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, gently folding mixture together.

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To assemble lasagna:

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Use large ovenproof baking dish, approximately 12x15x3 inches. Start with a layer of sauce to cover bottom of dish to keep noodles from sticking. Take noodles from cooled water, shake off water. Place layer of cooked noodles, slightly overlapping, in bottom of dish. Spoon small amount of tomato sauce over noodles. Spoon ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle on ¼ cup mozzarella pieces or thin slices. Spoon small amount of tomato sauce on top. Add another layer of noodles. Then add tomato sauce layer, layer of ricotta cheese mixture, then layer of mozzarella cheese slices and more sauce.

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Continue to layer until pan is ¾ filled. There should be 3 to 4 layers. For top layer, a little extra mozzarella will give a nice browned crust to the finished dish. Put pan on a cookie sheet to avoid spills in oven. Bake in oven approximately ½ hoursat 350º F or until bubbling and golden brown on top. If there are any ingredients left over, continue layering in another baking dish. These can be frozen raw or after cooking for an extra meal.

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S
UE'S
Z
UCCHINI
F
RITTATA

Spray bottom of skillet with cooking oil spray. Beat eggs and grated cheese together. Sauté zucchini in skillet with olive oil and onion until al dente. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Add eggs to skillet. Let cook. Use a spatula to check bottom of eggs. When bottom of eggs is brown, place skillet in oven under the broiler to brown the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

C
AMELLA'S
A
NISETTE
B
ISCOTTI

Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in center. Put eggs, oil, and flavoring in the well and mix together. Place in bowl and let stand loosely covered for 2 hours at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet with cooking oil spray. Shape mixture into two logs on floured surface, then place on cookie sheet.

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Bake about 25 minutes until tops brown slightly. Cool and slice diagonally about ½ inch thick. Place cookies on their side on baking sheet and return to oven for 10 minutes more at 360º.

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As an option, add ¼ cup chopped walnuts or almonds to mixture. Also, dip ends of biscotti in chocolate before serving.