At Home Italian Cooking by Joelaine

Penne Pasta with Prosciutto Sauce & Peas by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
1 pound box of Penne
3 Tbsps of Unsalted Butter
4 oz of Prosciutto, or Bacon
1 small Onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can of Diced Tomatoes with liquid
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup fresh or frozen Peas
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
1/4 cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese

Process
1 Cook the pasta as usual.
2 In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the prosciutto (Bacon) and cook till crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
3 Add onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins till onions are translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, cream, peas, and pepper. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened.
4 Add the prosciutto (bacon) by crumbling it into your sauce.
5 Ladle 3 spoon full of your pasta water into your sauce mix well and add your parmesan cheese and stir together.
6 Add penne pasta to your sauce and toss till all the pasta is coated with the sauce
7 Serve with additional parmesan cheese on top.
 

        Enjoy

Sweet & Sour Chicken made by JoElaine Quinn recipe by Laura Vitali.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb of Chicken Breast, cut into chunks
1 cup of Cornstarch
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Green Bell Pepper, roughly chopped
1 Yellow Onion, roughly chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, roughly chopped
Olive Oil

For the sauce:
1/2 cup of Water
1/2 cup of Ketchup
1/3 cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
3 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

Preparation
1) Add some olive oil to a large cast Iron skillet and preheat until hot, meanwhile, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Dip your chicken pieces in the beaten eggs and dredge in the cornstarch making sure to shake off any excess bits and then add to the hot oil and fry until crispy on both sides, only takes about a minute, remove

to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
3) Add the chicken, peppers and onions in a baking dish (make sure your baking dish isn’t too big or you’ll risk burning the sauce, the dish should hold everything nice and snug) then in a measuring cup or bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the chicken and vegetables.
4) Bake for about an hour, making sure you give it a stir every 15 to 20 minutes.

           Enjoy!

Homemade Italian Braciole by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
2 Pounds Sirloin or other lean beef, sliced thinly into
1/3 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup of golden raisins
¾ cup of pignoli nuts
½ cup of Italian parsley, chopped
5 Cloves of garlic, chopped
½ Cup of Italian breadcrumbs
6 oz of sliced prosciutto, paper thin
Cotton butcher’s string (for tying the braciole)
2 Tbsps + 1 tsp of oil
Sunday Sauce (See recipe on dinner page)

Process,
1. Have your butcher slice two pounds of lean beef into very thin sheets as thin as possible. With a meat hammer pound, out the slices of meat to as thin as possible.
2. Mix in a bowl the parmesan cheese, raisins, pignoli nuts, parsley, garlic ,1 tsp of olive oil, and breadcrumbs.
3. Add a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture to the middle of each flattened sheet of beef. Add a thin sheet of prosciutto. First roll in the sides of your meat then roll up the sheet of beef to form a roll. Tie the roll securely with butcher’s twine. Note: You roll up the sides first to prevent your filling from coming out.
4. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and brown the braciole on all sides until nicely caramelized. Then place in your sauce and let simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
 

         Enjoy!

Mom's Homemade Tortellini by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

For The Dough
2 cups of flour
3 eggs
1 tsp of olive oil

For The Filling
1 cup of Ricotta
1/2 cup of Grated Parmesan
2 Tbsps of Spinach
1 egg
Salt &Pepper to taste
Pinch of Nutmeg

Note: Other options include ground meat, brisket, prosciutto, mortadella, and mushrooms.

Process,
1. Knead the dough until smooth (about 3-5 minutes). Let the dough rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour before rolling.
2. Roll pasta dough into thin sheets (approx. 1 mm thick).
Cut into 2–3-inch squares or circles.
Place teaspoon of filling in the center.
Lightly brush edges with water or egg wash.
3. Fold into a triangle, seal edges, and bring the two bottom corners together, pinching to form a ring.
4. Boil in salted water for 3-5 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Serve with my creamy alfredo sauce.

{See Recipe}

Note: Work with small batches of dough and keep the rest covered to prevent it from drying out.

           Enjoy!

Homemade Eggplant Rollatini by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
2 large Eggplants
Salt
2 cups of Fresh Mozzarella, for top
Homemade Sunday Sauce (See recipe on dinner page)

For Filling
1 container of Ricotta Cheese
1 cup shredded Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup of Fresh Parsley, loosely chopped
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1/8 tsp of Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg
For Breading
3 large Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour
1 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsps of Fresh Parsley, chopped Pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Process,
1. Peel and slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients; set aside. Rinse and drain eggplant. Then blot the eggplant dry to remove any excess water.
3. Place eggs in a bowl beaten. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, flour, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Dip eggplant in eggs, then bread crumb mixture.
4. In a skillet, heat on medium high 1/2 in. of oil to 375°. Fry eggplant in batches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
5. Preheat oven to 350°. Spoon 1 cup sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Spread 2 rounded tablespoons filling over each eggplant slice. Carefully roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over roll-ups. Sprinkle with2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake until bubbly, 40-45 minutes.
 

             Enjoy!

Pasta and Peas by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of pasta Rigatoni
10 ounces of frozen sweet peas
1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
2 Tbsps of water
2 cups of homemade marinara sauce plus additional to serve (recipe below)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil to drizzle
Freshly grated black pepper
Salt to taste

Process,
1. Cook the pasta till al dente. Meantime, place the peas and mushrooms in a medium saucepan along with

the water and steam until tender.
2. When the water evaporates, add the tomato sauce and heat through.
3. Drain the pasta , place in a serving bowl , and ladle the sauce and mix till the pasta is coated with sauce.
4. To serve spoon pasta in a dish add additional sauce on top. Drizzled olive oil and the sprinkle with parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt.
Note: I doubled the recipe.


Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 35 ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes with their juice
1 tsp of Salt
2 pinches of dried basil
1 pinch of dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 ounces of tomato paste (optional)
3 ounces of water (optional)

Process,
1. In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and add with the juices to the skillet. Add salt, basil, thyme, and pepper. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stir and cook, uncovered, for another 20 to 25 minutes.

Note: if you like a thicker sauce, add tomato paste and water with the tomatoes.

                Enjoy!