Pastitsio

Meat sauce
enough olive oil, to just coat the bottom of a large pot
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs lean ground meat (I often use a combo of beef and pork, lamb would be good too, but go heavier on the beef)
2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1/3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick, broken in two

Pasta
1 lb penne or rigatoni pasta
8 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups whole milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated kefalotiri or romano cheese or parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 lb grated kefalotiri or romano cheese or parmesan cheese, divided

For the meat sauce, put some olive oil in a large pot; saute onion until lightly browned; add garlic; add meat and cook until brown, crumbling with a fork; add remaining meat sauce ingredients to skillet; mix well; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until quite thick; let mixture cool; remove and discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
Prepare pasta by boiling until al dente in plenty of boiling, salted water; drain and place pasta in a large bowl; add butter, milk, eggs and 1/2 cup cheese; gently stir to coat; set aside.
To prepare bechamel sauce, melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan; stir in flour until smooth, cook, whisking for 2 minutes; gradually add milk, stirring, until thickened; lower heat; add salt, pepper and nutmeg; remove from heat.
In medium-sized bowl, beat 3 eggs; slowly add hot cream sauce to eggs; stir thoroughly so eggs don't curdle.
Preheat oven to 350 F and butter or oil (with olive oil) a large baking pan (my pan is about 18" x 10").
Empty 1/2 of the penne mixture over bottom of pan; cover evenly with all of meat sauce; sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over meat sauce; add remaining penne mixture, spreading evenly; sprinkle another 1/3 of the cheese over top; pour bechamel sauce evenly over entire casserole; top with remaining cheese.
Bake until bechamel sauce sets and has golden-brown patches across top, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour; cool atleast 20 minutes before cutting into pieces for serving.
Freezer Notes: Once the baked pastitsio has completely cooked, cut serving-size pieces, double-wrap in foil and freeze. Defrost in the usual manner and reheat in microwave (or oven) for a delicious, quick meal, when there's little time to cook and dinner is ready and waiting in the freezer!

Pasta with Romano Cheese and Salami

4 tablespoons Bertolli Extra Virgin(tm) or Bertolli Classico(tm) olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced
8 ounces Italian-style salami, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound pasta: penne, ziti, or rigatoni
4 ounces grated Romano cheese
Bring pasta to boil in large pot. Heat the Bertolli(tm) olive oil and the garlic in a large saute pan on medium-high heat until the garlic starts to brown, about 2 or 3 minutes.


Add salami, onions, and red pepper flakes, and cook until onions begin to soften (2 or 3 minutes). Pour in white wine and stir up any brown bits that might be clinging to the bottom of the pan. Boil until the wine is reduced by half.


Add chicken stock, heavy cream, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 or 20 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain well, then return to the pot. Pour sauce over pasta and cook 3 minutes, stirring, over medium heat, until the sauce is absorbed. Add cheese. Toss well and serve.

Penne alla Vodka

- 5 large tomatoes, or 2 cans diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, mined or thinly sliced
- 1 med. red onion, chopped
- slices of bell peppers
- 1/4 cup vodka + a splash
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 lb. penne pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 or 4 fresh, flat-leafed (Italian) parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Peel and seed the tomatoes, then cut them into small dice. If the tomatoes are very juicy, drain them for about 10 minutes in a colander. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, onions and peppers. Saute until golden, 1-2 minutes. Add the vodka and cook until reduced by half. Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes and let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 or 12 minutes. Drain well and add the pasta to the frying pan.

Add the cream and stir over medium heat until the penne is well coated with the sauce, about 2 minutes. Pour into a warmed, large, shallow bowl. Add the parsley and toss briefly. Serve immediately with some good garlic bread!

Pasta, Chicken and Artichokes


1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 of a (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
1/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon red bell pepper, julienned
4 ounces pasta, cooked and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley


1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and brown the chicken and garlic (about 5 minutes). Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Add the chicken broth to the pan; then add the broccoli and tomato and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, mushrooms, red bell pepper, cooked chicken and pasta and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes until all are cooked through. Add salt and pepper.

Malfatti (Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings)


These delicious little balls of spinach and cheese are similar to gnocchi. Be sure to cook most of the moisture out of the spinach so the balls hold together. Test by cooking a couple of dumplings. If the mixture is loose, add another tablespoonful of flour.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, or 4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup minced onion
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3/4 cup ricotta
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons flour, plus more for coating hands

Melt butter in a frying pan or skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture is evaporated. Add ricotta, remove from heat, and stir until well mixed, about 3 minutes. Pour into bowl. Add eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir well. Mix in flour, cover, and chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour, or overnight. (At this point, dumplings can be frozen.) With floured hands, roll mixture into balls the size of cherry tomatoes. Place on waxed paper. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook dumplings in boiling water 6 to 8 minutes (they should rise to the top). Remove with slotted spoon and allow them to rest a few minutes before serving. Serve with red sauce or with butter and Parmesan cheese. For meatless meal, serve with marinara sauce.