Carbonara Pasta

1 Serving

Ingredients:

5 oz                  bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 oz                  Spanish onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2                      large eggs

4 oz                  fettuccini pasta

6 oz                  Alfredo sauce (can use store bought, or make fresh with heavy cream and

                                    grated parmesan)

Pinch each of parsley, salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccini until al dente and set aside.

2. On medium high-high heat, sauté bacon until ALMOST crispy. Do NOT add oil or butter.

3. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Bacon will finish crisping in this time.

4. Add Alfredo sauce and reduce to simmer. (If using homemade Alfredo prepare prior to starting bacon.)

5. Remove from heat and add cooked fettuccini.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add two uncooked eggs and stir thoroughly. Eggs will cook during this process from the heat of the sauce.

8. Place on plate.

9. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish.

Manicotti with Francese Sauce

1 Serving

Ingredients manicotti and filling:

3                      manicotti pasta sheets

2oz, each          ricotta, shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (mix cheeses together)

Pinch each of salt, white pepper & chopped parsley

Ingredients for Francese Sauce:

1/2oz                mix of oil and butter

1 cup                sliced crimini mushrooms

2 oz                  Alfredo sauce (store bought or equal parts heavy cream and parmesan)

5oz                   Meat sauce (Brown equal parts ground veal, pork and beef with one clove

                        sliced garlic, then add prepared tomato sauce and one bay leaf. Cook on

                        medium heat for several minutes. Remove bay leaf.)

1-2oz               shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Cook and then cool pasta sheets.

2. Place 2 oz. cheese mixture on one end of pasta sheet and roll. Repeat 2 more times and set pasta aside in oval baking dish.

3. Heat sauté pan.

4. Put butter and oil mixture into HOT sauté pan.

5. Sauté mushrooms until caramelized

6. Add Alfredo and meat sauces and cook until hot, stirring occasionally.

7. Pour sauce over manicotti.

8. Top with shredded mozzarella.

9. Bake at 450 degrees until centers are hot and cheese on top is melted (can finish off by broiling if like cheese golden brown)

Torta Di Polenta Dolce Con Le Mele

Specialty of Chef Roberto Luigi

The Pasta Tree

Topping:

6 apples – peeled, cored, diced (1/2 inch dice)

(It’s best to use a mix of apples. Chef Roberto recommends Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and MacIntosh.)

1 cup water

1 cup Sucanat (su=sugar, ca=cane, nat=natural)

(Sucanat is available at most of your larger grocery stores.)
1/2 cup red wine

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place all of the above ingredients in a heavy (non-corrosive) sauce pan.

Cook on stovetop over medium-medium/high heat. Stir frequently until apples are soft. BE CAREFUL not to let the apples scorch or disintegrate.

Dissolve 1½ Tablespoons cornstarch in ½ cup cold water.  Add to cooked apples and return to boil stirring constantly. Cornstarch must be cooked for it to gel.  Topping is finished when the sauce gels.

Polenta:

9”x12” stainless steel pan with a one inch lip

Generously butter pan and sugar with Sucanat.

In a heavy saucepan, bring to boil 6 cups water and ½ teaspoon sea salt.  Using a whisk, slowly add 2 cups of medium ground polenta (do not use instant or course Polenta) and reduce heat to simmer. 

Add 1/8 pound unsalted butter continuing to stir from the bottom until dissolved. 

Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and 1 cup of organic sugar.

Continue to cook for approximately 10 minutes stirring frequently.  While still hot, pour Polenta into 9x12 pan, level it off and cover with apple topping.  Sprinkle with 1 cup toasted whole walnuts (or nuts of your choice).  Let it come to room temperature and refrigerate.

May be served warm, room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!