At Home Italian Cooking by JoElaine

Homemade Lasagna by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
Sunday Sauce with Italian Sausage and Meatballs, see recipe
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 lbs of lasagna noodles
32 ounces of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
4 cups of fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp of salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Process,
1. One large pot of Sunday Sauce with Italian Sausage and Meatballs simmering.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella with eggs, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix together and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large dish slice Italian sausage and meatballs enough to fill the middle layer of your lasagna. Set aside.
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise on top of ricotta cheese mixture. Then add your Italian sausage and Meatballs and top and spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top. Then arrange lengthwise 6 noodles over your meat mixture and spread remaining ricotta cheese mixture on top and spoon 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top of ricotta mixture and sprinkle 1/4 of parmesan cheese on top. Then arrange lengthwise 6 noodles on top of the ricotta mixture and spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top. Then add 2 cups of mozzarella cheese shredded evenly on top.
Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
 

               Enjoy!

Pasta Aglio E Olio recipe by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of olive oil
7 cloves of garlic, sliced
Salt
Black Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp of pine nuts,
1 cup of breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
1 lb of spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

Process,
1. Fill a large pot of water and sprinkle in some salt, bring to a boil and add the pasta, cook till adente.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, add the oil and garlic, turn the heat on low and cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is lightly golden, add the black pepper and the pine nuts, continue to cook until the

pine nuts are a nutty brown color. Then add in your parsley and remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a small pan place 1Tbsp of butter and let melt. Add your breadcrumbs and cook till toasted, set aside.
4. Using tongs remove your pasta from boiling water and place it into the oil mixture and the parsley, toss everything together so that the oil coats every piece of the pasta. Add a cup of the pasta water and mix well.
5. Serve topped with toasted breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese
 

                Enjoy!

Corned Beef Brisket by JoElaine Quinn

Ingredients:
2 Tbsps of butter
4 lbs flat cut corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
1/4 cups of french's yellow mustard
3/4 cups of brown sugar
1 head of cabbage (quartered)
6 carrots (julienne 2 to 3 inches)

Process,
1. Place your corned beef brisket with seasoning packet into a large pot and cover with water. Make sure you include
the juices from the package as well. Bring to a boil then simmer for 2 1/2hours with the lid half on.
2. Line a baking pan with foil. Place brisket on foil. Add several ladles of
corned beef broth onto the pan, this is called a wet bath. Combine the mustard and brown sugar and brush on

top of your brisket with half the mixture. Place brisket in a heated oven at 275degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
3. Reglaze with remaining brown sugar / mustard mixture after the first hour.
4. Before pulling brisket out of oven, set oven to broil and broil brisket 2-4 minutes till the sugar/mustard

glaze caramelizes the top. (Do not let it burn) Let it stand for 15 minutes before slicing.
5. Take your broth made from the corned beef with seasoning packet and strain the broth to remove
seasoning and any fat that came off the meat and place back in your large pot.
6. Add carrots and your quartered cabbage and continue to simmer 30 minutes more until cabbage and
carrots are tender with a folk.
7. When serving, place 2 tablespoons of butter on top of your cabbage and carrots when placed on a serving
dish.

                     Enjoy!

Corned Beef % Cabbage recipe by Paula Dean made by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
1 4-pound brisket corned beef
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
4 slices bacon
1 head green cabbage
4 (1 1/2 pounds) potatoes
Mustard

Process,
1.Rinse the corned beef under cold running water and place in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic, bay leaves, hot sauce, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 4 hours or until beef is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, retaining the fat in the skillet. Add the cabbage wedges and potatoes in batches; cook over medium-high heat until brown but not tender.
3. When the beef is very tender, transfer it to a warm serving platter and cover with aluminum foil, retaining the cooking liquid. Add the potatoes to the simmering liquid; cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the cabbage; simmer about 15 minutes more or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Discard bay leaves. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the serving platter and crumble the bacon overall. Serve with mustard.

               Enjoy!

Crown Pork Roast by JoElaine {Balsamo} Quinn

Ingredients:
1 5-bone pork crown roast, (could be 6 or 7 bone crown roast)
6 garlic cloves
6 whole cloves
3 lemons, zest removed in strips with a vegetable peeler and lemons juiced
3 oranges, zest removed in strips with a vegetable peeler and oranges juiced
20 fresh bay leaves
8 rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon juniper berries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Process,
1. Using a paring knife, make three 1-inch-deep slits on the fatty side of each pork rib roast closest to the bones. Stud the garlic cloves with the whole cloves and stuff them into the slits.
2. In a baking dish, combine the lemon and orange zests and juices with the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, fennel seeds, juniper berries and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally. Bring the pork crown roast to room temperature before roasting.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Scrape off the marinade and generously season the pork with salt and pepper. In a very large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the pork and brown over moderate heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.
4. Transfer the pork crown roast to a large roasting pan. Roast for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 140°. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes. Cut the pork between the rib bones into 5 or 7 chops. Transfer to plates, garnish with the roasted apples and pears and serve.

For Garnish
Score the apples and pears to prevent the skin from splitting. Roast the fruit at 350° for about 1 hour, until

tender.
 

             Enjoy!

Roast Beef Recipe by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs boneless beef roast (Top Round, Bottom Round, or Eye of Round)
4–5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsps of olive oil or softened butter
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of cracked black pepper
1 tsp each of dried rosemary, thyme, and basil (or fresh sprigs)

Process,
1. Remove the roast from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to reach room temperature for more even roasting.
2. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the garlic, salt, pepper, oil/butter, and herbs in a small bowl. Rub this mixture evenly over all surfaces of the beef.
3. Roast: Place the beef on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, fat-side up. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer into the thickest part. Roast uncovered until it reaches your target internal temperature (see chart below).
4. Remove the roast from the oven when it is 5–10°F below your final target temperature. Transfer to a board,

tent loosely with foil and let it rest for 15–20 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Enjoy!