My Recipes

Italian Breadcrumb Recipe

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. The day before you plan to make breadcrumbs: Slice the bread into ½ inch slices. Place slices on cake racks to dry overnight.
2. In batches, crumble or tear bread slices into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse the bread multiple times until the crumbs are about the size of a dime.
3. Add the cheese, garlic, herbs and salt and continue to pulse until the breadcrumbs become fine. Store what you are not using in the freezer or in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Note: I like to use Penzey’s for the best quality dried herbs, and their parsley is a deep, beautiful green.

Marinara Sauce

by Buddy Valastro

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. In a 3-4 qt. pot, heat the oil and garlic together. When garlic becomes pale gold and fragrant add the tomatoes, salt and basil sprig. Stir well to combine and bring sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer sauce, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened and is richly flavored. Remove from heat, check for seasoning and stir in the torn basil leaves.

Pizza Dough

This recipe yields about 24 ounces (3 8-10" pizza shells or 2 12-14" pizza shells). It can be scaled proportionately on a 3-1 ratio, flour to water.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle and mix, low, until mixture comes together. Switch to the dough hook and continue mixing, medium-low, another 3-4 minutes. Check dough – if too dry, add a bit more water. If too sticky, add a bit more flour.
2. Dump dough onto a lightly floured countertop or board and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5- 7 minutes. Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Let rest 1/2 hr. to 45 minutes until risen.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and press down to deflate. Cut the dough into thirds (or desired portions), and form into tight balls to press air out.
4. At this point, you can place the balls of dough on a floured board covered with oiled plastic or a towel, and let rise one hour if you want to use the dough today. Alternately, place the dough on a lightly floured tray, cover with oiled plastic and refrigerate overnight. Allow dough to sit a room temperature 10-15 minutes before shaping/baking.

Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Sprinkle the chicken breast halves with salt, pepper, drizzle with olive oil and turn to coast with the crushed garlic. Let rest while you prepare the sauce and eggplant.
3. In a small saucepot, heat the tomato sauce and warm through.
4. Peel the eggplant and slice across the width into 1/4 inch rounds – you will only need four pieces for this recipe. Place the breadcrumbs and the flour each in two shallow plates. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat. Dip each piece of eggplant first into the flour, tapping off excess, then into the beaten egg, allowing excess to drip off, then lastly, coat in crumbs. Heat a large (12”) skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup oil. When oil is shimmering gently lay in the eggplant and fry until golden brown on each side. Place on a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside while finishing the chicken.
5. Heat a cast iron grill pan (or other grilling device) over medium high heat. Grill the chicken breasts on each side until nicely marked but not cooked through. Set aside.
6. In a bowl, toss the fusilli with 1/2 of the marinara sauce – enough to coat well and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Place in the bottom of a small, lightly oiled baking dish. Place the chicken pieces side by side on top of the pasta. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto, two pieces of eggplant and the sliced mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through – approx 10 minutes. You can brown the cheese with a quick turn under the broiler, if desired. Top with remaining sauce and fresh basil.

Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Breadcrumbs

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 450° with a rack set in the middle. Rinse and pat dry the asparagus. One spear at a time, snap off the bottoms of each stalk where it wants to breaks naturally.
2. Place the asparagus on a sheet pan and toss the asparagus with enough evo just to coat – about 1 tablespoon. Add a generous pinch of salt and toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly across the spears and place the sheet tray in the oven to roast for 7-10 minutes.
4. Remove the asparagus from the oven when the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the asparagus tips are starting to brown. Grate Parmesan over all the spears and serve.

Tuxedo Strawberries

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry the berries. If cold, bring to room temperature.
2. Line a small plate or cookie sheet with wax paper, parchment or foil. Set aside.
3. Place the chocolates into two small heatproof bowls. Bring two small pots of water to the simmer. Set the bowls of chocolate over the simmering pots of water. Let the steam gently heat the chocolates, stirring very gently (so as not to create air bubbles), occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
4. By the stem end or leafy crown, dip and turn each strawberry to coat in the chocolate. Give the berry a quick twist to allow excess to drip back into the bowl, and place berry on lined plate. Repeat with all berries. Place in the refrigerator to harden chocolate. The strawberries are best-eaten same day.

Calzone

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat oven to 475° F.
2. Pat/roll/stretch dough into 8” circle. Lift round onto floured peel. Working quickly, arrange the filling of your choice down the center nearest to you, leaving a ½” border. Gently fold top of dough over, stretching as needed to meet edges of other half. Pinch edges to seal with fingers, or with the tines of a fork. Cut 2 small vents in the top.
3. Shake the calzone onto the pizza stone. Bake until nice and brown, 8-10 minutes. Using a peel, remove from oven. Sprinkle with parmesan, if desired and serve immediately.

Fried Zeppole

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INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Have a pot of oil heated to 375° F.
2. Uncover the dough. With the tip of your fingers, break off about a 1-inch round and carefully drop it in the hot oil. Drop a few more dough balls and fry until they float and are golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels for about 1 minute. Fry in batches.
3. Place the zeppoles in a paper bag, sprinkle about 1/2 cup powdered sugar into the bag and shake the bags to coat the zeppoles with the sugar. Serve immediately.

Breaded Chicken with Vinegar Peppers

Cook Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

*Anna uses the B&G brand – I could not locate, used an alternate brand

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400° with center rack.
2. Skin and trim fat from chicken pieces. Anna then further cleans her chicken by rubbing them with kosher salt and some white vinegar, rinsing well with cold water and patting dry thoroughly.
3. Heat a 12" skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the parmesan. Place the breadcrumbs in a pie plate.
4. Pour enough olive oil to come 1/4" the inside of the skillet. Heat until hot but not smoking – a gentle med-high.
5. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Lay the chicken in the hot oil, allowing to become golden brown on each side -- you won’t need to cook through as the chicken will cook further in the oven.
6. Place the chicken in a Pyrex or other baking dish, large enough to accommodate the chicken pieces in one layer without touching -- 9" x 13" or similar. Pour the liquid from the vinegar peppers over the chicken and bake 10 minutes. Remove chicken and add the peppers, tucking in and around the pieces of chicken. Return to the oven, reduce heat to 350° and bake until the chicken is cooked and juices run clear, about 30 minutes longer. (Anna said she cooks a full hour but I think that is too long.)
7. Serve chicken plattered with peppers and pan juices.

Auntie Anna's Manicotti

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Resting Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

*Aunt Anna’s trick to mellow acidity

PREPARATION:

Crepes:

1. In a blender container, blend the water, milk, eggs and butter. Add the flour and salt, blend until smooth and free of lumps. Pour into a bowl and allow the batter to rest for an hour.
2. Heat an 8" non-stick skillet to medium heat. Have waiting melted butter and a pastry brush. Brush a light coat of butter over the surface and when hot, with a ladle, pour in 2-3 tablespoons of batter. Quickly and carefully tilt the pan in a rotating motion until the batter forms a thin, round layer in the pan. Let cook, 30 seconds or more until the bottom is set and starting to color. Lift a set edge with a fork or small offset spatula and flip the crepe over, cooking a bit longer until the bottom side is set (will be a bit shiny in places). Remove to a plate. Lightly grease the pan, and repeat the process, continuing until all of the batter has been used, you should have around 10-12 crepes.

Filling:

1. Combine all of the ingredients well in a bowl.

Sauce:

1. Heat an 8" skillet over medium. Glaze with olive oil and sauté the sausage, turning and crumbling until no longer pink and beginning to brown. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, heat a 3 qt. sauce pan to medium. Add the olive oil, Add the garlic and the potato, stirring and cooking until fragrant ( do not allow the potato to crisp and brown). Add the pureed tomatoes, the sausage and any accumulated juices from the pan, a pinch of salt and some grindings of pepper. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until thick and flavorful, 20-30 minutes. Taste and decide whether you would like to add the optional sugar for sweetness. Check for salt. Allow sauce to cool at least 10 minutes.

To Assemble and Bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" x 12 ½" Pyrex or other non-metallic baking dish. Ladle some sauce onto the bottom of the dish, enough to cover.
2. Assemble the manicotti. Select your 10 most beautiful crepes. Shinier side up, (the second side cooked), scoop a thick line (approx 2 tablespoons), of filling along the center of each crepe, and roll wrapper around filling. Filling should extend to the ends. Line up filled manicotti in the sauce-covered dish. Snuggle them together – 10 will fill the dish perfectly. Pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and sprinkle with a little more chopped basil.
3. Bake, uncovered 35-40 minutes until hot and bubbling. Place under a high broiler a couple of minutes to if you desire to further brown the cheese. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach and Mandarin Salad

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

*If very strong, soak in ice water 15 minutes, drain, pat dry.

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a small baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, stirring halfway through until fragrant. Do not allow the nuts to burn. Turn onto a plate.
2. Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Glaze the pan with olive oil and add the pancetta dice and cook, allowing to brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. In large salad bowl, place the spinach, orange segments, walnuts, red onion and toss together. Pour in enough dressing to give a light and flavorful coat. Taste and correct seasoning, grind over some fresh black pepper to taste. Plate salad and top with reserved pancetta.

Alternately, sprinkle pancetta over top of salad in bowl

Balsamic-Honey Dressing

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil until smooth. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Check seasoning.

Steak Pizzaiola

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. The night before: sprinkle the steaks with salt, rub with one clove minced garlic and a thin coating of olive oil. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Bring meat to cool room temperature before proceeding.
2. In a large sauté pan over high heat: swirl in a couple tablespoons olive oil. When shimmering, add the mushrooms and pinch of salt. Stir to combine and let the mushrooms cook high to medium-high, allowing to sear, caramelize and exude juices – a few minutes. Add the onions and peppers and a small pinch of salt. Continue to cook at the same heat, turning and tossing to get a little caramelization on the onions and peppers. Turn the heat down and add another minced clove of garlic, stirring to combine. Continue to cook, allowing the vegetables to soften until the peppers are a tender-crisp consistency. Add the white wine, turn up the heat and reduce until juices are syrupy. Add the tomatoes and juices and cook, stirring at a simmer until sauce is rich and flavorful. Pull off the heat, add remaining minced clove of garlic, the oregano and parsley. Check for salt and grind in black pepper to taste.
3. Heat grill and cook ribeyes until your degree of doneness. Let rest a few minutes and plate, smothered in the pizzaiola sauce.

Pasta Alla Norma

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Cut off the ends from each eggplant and peel. With a sharp knife, slice 1 eggplant into 1/8" rounds across the width. Cut other eggplant into approximately 1/2" dice. In a large colander, salt the rounds of eggplant, toss to coat and push to one side to drain. In the other half of the colander, salt the diced eggplant, toss, and leave to drain -- both about one hour. Independently, dry the rounds and the dice in paper towels or tea towels.
2. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.
3. In a medium saucepot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the diced eggplant and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the strained tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer, simmering about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter and basil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. In the boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.
5. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large sauté pan. Dredge the eggplant rounds in flour, patting off the excess, then dip in the eggs and coat in the breadcrumbs.
6. When oil is hot, add the eggplant rounds and fry on each side until golden brown. Fry in batches to keep the eggplant crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate as cooked. Add extra oil to the pan as needed.
7. Drain the pasta and add to the diced eggplant sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter. Slice the fried eggplant into 3 strips and top the pasta. Garnish with the crumbled ricotta and serve immediately. If any sauce left, serve on side separately.

Lemon Granita

INGREDIENTS

* This is puckery- sweet (my taste). If you want the granita sweeter, you can increase by 1-2 tablespoons sugar.

PREPARATION:

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in saucepan, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Place in refrigerator and chill completely.
2. Strain mixture into a 9" x 9" x 1-1/2" cake pan. Place in the freezer. Set a timer for thirty minutes. With a fork, scrape frozen crystals of granita from the edges of the pan towards the middle. Repeat every 1/2 hour, scraping where needed, until mixture is a frozen, icy fluff -- 2 - 3 hours.

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage

by Buddy Valastro

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25-30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Wash the broccoli rabe and pat dry. Trim away the stem ends, thick stems and yellowed or discolored leaves. Blanch the rabe in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove from the water and shock in a large bowl of ice water to keep the color vibrant. Drain, lightly pat dry and set aside.
3. On the stove top, place the 1/2 sheet pan* across two gas burners (should cover a back and front burner). Turn the burners to medium and allow the pan to heat. Glaze the back of the pan with a thin drizzle of oil and add the garlic. Cook until it just starts to get golden. Lay the sausage on the pan and mix it around with the garlic. Start browning the sausages, turning as needed and monitoring heat levels. Push the sausage to one end of the pan and lay the broccoli rabe on the other end and cook. Season with salt. Some of the rabe will darken and crisp which is desirable. Cook the rabe in batches, about 3-5 minutes in all per batch. If needed, remove the rabe to a bowl as it finishes cooking.

You can most definitely use a large skillet, grill pan or griddle for this recipe. Using the sheet pan method will discolor your sheet pan.

4. Once the sausages are nicely browned and cooked through, plate the rabe and sausages and serve. You can also slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces, add to the rabe and mix to combine before serving.

Bananas Foster

by Buddy Valastro

PREP TIME: 2 minutes
TOTAL COOK TIME: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Peel the bananas. Slice them at an angle into 1-inch thick pieces.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter. When the butter foams, lay in the pieces of banana, cut side down, and the cinnamon. Let the bananas cook about 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar stirring gently, turning the banana pieces once, until the sugar melts.
3. Turn bananas once more and add the banana liqueur, shaking and swirling the pan to combine the sauce ingredients. Add the rum and ignite either by tipping the pan towards the flame, or light contents with a match. Remove pan from burner and allow the flames to burn out completely. Place the pan back on the burner, turn up the heat and let the sauce reduce, spooning over bananas.
4. Add the heavy cream and cook a minute more so the sauce becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from heat. Spoon bananas and sauce over scoops of vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

Pasta e Lenticchie

by Buddy Valastro

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: about 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and stir to coat in the oil. Allow to cook until softened, translucent and some fat is rendered. Add the onions, celery and carrots, stir to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Tip in the lentils and stir to coat. Add the tomatoes, their juices, the water, a pinch of salt and optional parmesan rind. Bring soup up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just about fully tender, 20-30 minutes. Add the ditalini and cook an additional ten minutes until the pasta is cooked to taste. Correct seasoning with salt.
2. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil, grated parmesan and black pepper.

Baked Ziti

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400°, middle rack set. Butter a 9 x 13 x 1-3/4" pyrex or ceramic baking dish (equal capacity in oval shape would be nice) in abundant salted water. Cook the ziti to al dente and drain.
2. In large bowl, whisk together the cream, ricotta, fontinella, and salt. Fold in the can of tomatoes with their juices and the mortadella. Add ziti and combine well. Pour all into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, with a large spoon, stir the contents of the baking dish, sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and dot with butter. Continue baking another 15 minutes, or until bubbling hot. Remove from oven and allow ziti to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

Gnocchi:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prick potatoes and bake until done, 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from oven, and slash lengthwise through each potato, pressing short ends to open to release steam (you want the potatoes as dry as possible = less gummy gnocchi). When cooled enough to handle but still quite warm, scoop out the potato flesh and force through a ricer. Measure out 3 lightly scooped cups (do not pack) and spread out into a rectangle on a clean board or counter. Allow potatoes to cool until warm room temperature.
2. Sprinkle with salt and grate over nutmeg. Drizzle the egg over potatoes, followed by 1/2 cup of flour. With a (metal) bench scraper, begin to lift and fold the potato mixture on to itself, cutting the flour and egg into the potato mixture. When almost incorporated (mixture will begin crumbling), sprinkle over another 1/4 cup flour , and repeat until mixture is in small crumbs. Lightly press the dough together into a ball and move it aside. Clean any sticky dough from counter with the scraper and cover with a light dusting of flour.
3. On the floured surface, lightly press the dough together and fold/knead just a few turns -- dough should be workable with some potato texture and not sticky. Adjust by adding more flour if necessary -- the less flour and handling needed, the more tender the resulting gnocchi.
4. Cut the dough into quarters. On a lightly floured board, roll one portion of dough into a long rope, about 1/2" wide. With the bench scraper, cut 1" pieces of dough from rope and place on a floured sheet pan -- these are your gnocchi.
5. Cook gnocchi at a gentle boil in a large pot of abundant salted water. Gnocchi are done when they bob to the surface and cook about a minute longer. Scoop from water and place in sauce.

Mushroom Sauce:

1. Warm the chicken stock and pour over the porcini mushrooms in a bowl. Allow mushrooms to soak at least 20 minutes to hydrate. When hydrated, remove the mushrooms, rinse and trim away any tough gritty bits if present. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and set aside. Filter the mushroom soaking liquid through cheesecloth, a paper or tea towel and reserve.
2. Slice the creminis. Heat a large sauté pan medium-high – you want it large enough to eventually hold both the sauce and cooked gnocchi. Add the olive oil. When shimmering, add the mushrooms and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, and allow the mushrooms to exude their juices. Let the juices cook and reduce down until almost completely evaporated. Add the porcini, garlic and red pepper. Continue to cook until well combined, everything smelling fragrant and beginning to dry out.
3. Add the wine and let reduce. Add 1/2 cup of the mushroom-soaked stock and let reduce until rich, add in another 1/2 cup stock, reducing again. Stir in the parsley. Taste and check for salt; correct if necessary. Turn off heat if the gnocchi has not yet finished cooking.
4. Meanwhile, begin cooking the gnocchi. Gently scoop the gnocchi as it’s done into the waiting mushroom sauce. Turn the heat to med-high and add another 1/2 cup of the stock, turning gnocchi to coat. If the gnocchi looks like it can absorb more stock, add in a little more -- you don’t want it to become too soft. Fold in the butter and truffle oil. Garnish with grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Rigatoni alla Vodka

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
2. Heat a few drizzles of oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the prosciutto and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for about 15 minutes.
3. To the boiling water, add a handful of salt and the rigatoni. Cook until al dente.
4. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer until peaks form. Fold it gently into the tomato sauce.
5. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Mix to combine and season, if needed. Add the basil and serve immediately.

Caponata

by Buddy Valastro

Browse the recipe Caponata

VIDEO: See Buddy in action as he shares his family favorite Italian dishes on Kitchen Boss.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Heat a large skillet (12") medium high. Add the ¼ cup olive oil. When shimmering, add the eggplant and a pinch of salt. Stir and let cook, stirring occasionally until softened and browned. Remove to a bowl. Add the onion and celery, pinch salt. Cook, stirring until slightly softened an somewhat translucent. Add garlic and red pepper, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, raisins and capers and stir well to combine. Add the eggplant and combine. Cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally. As the mixture softens, smash the cherry tomatoes a bit with the back of your spoon. Cook until richly flavored, 15-20 minutes. Remove caponata from heat and fold in the pine nuts and parsley. Check for salt and correct if more is needed. Cool and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve with grilled crusty bread.

Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

by Buddy Valastro

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Combine all of the ingredients listed except pasta sheets in a bowl.
2. Working with one sheet of pasta at a time, trim each length of pasta to 4" in width. Place heaping teaspoons of filling in a line about 1" from the bottom of the pasta sheet. Leave about 1 1/4 " gap between each mound of filling.

There is a lot of waste with trimming the pasta. My yield is 46 raviolis.

3. Bring top of pasta sheet down to meet and line up with the bottom -- if pasta is not moist enough to seal to itself, wipe streaks of water at all points of sealing, between mounds, along perimeters. Press and seal. Use a fluted pastry wheel to trim along outer edges and in between mounds to cut ravioli.
4. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook ravioli, in batches if necessary, approx 3-4 minutes until cooked.
5. Serving suggestions: sauce ravioli with fresh marinara with plenty of parmesan, or brown butter with sage and parmesan.

Roasted Rosemary Chicken

by Buddy Valastro

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. The night before roasting: Combine the lemon, onion, garlic and all but 2 pieces of rosemary in a bowl. Season with a generous pinch of salt and some grindings of pepper. Place all of the mixture inside the bird cavity, and a few cloves garlic in the neck cavity. Slip one piece each of rosemary under between each side of breast and skin. Sprinkle entire outside of bird with salt. Wrap bird in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Unwrap bird, pat off any moisture and bring to cool room temperature. Place bird in cast iron skillet or roasting pan (just big enough to hold bird comfortably), smear breast with butter and give a light shower of salt.
3. Roast bird until a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165, approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour. Skin will be appealingly browned. Let bird sit 10 minutes before carving. Tip juices from cavity into the pan, remove bird to cutting board or platter to carve. Add parsley to pan juices and pour over carved bird.

Spaghetti Marinara

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Cook pasta in abundant salted water, al dente. Serve with marinara sauce and finish with the torn basil and grated parmesan cheese.

Green Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, sugar, mustard, oregano and basil. Whisk in the red wine vinegar and season as desired. Whisking continuously, drizzle the oils until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can pour into a jar or container and store in the fridge until ready to use. Just remember to shake or whisk again to combine all the ingredients.
2. Place greens in a large salad bowl. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss to combine. Sprinkle in some grated Parmesan and toss again. Serve immediately.

Perfect Italian Chicken Cutlet

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. If breast have tenderloins, remove and trim of all cartilage. Place a breast half on the cutting board. Place your free hand on top of the breast. Hold a sharp knife parallel to the board, and slice through the thickest portion of the breast towards the pointy end, separating the breast into two bookend pieces. Repeat with all halves -- you will have eight pieces. Pound each piece of chicken between plastic wrap to approximately 1/4" thickness.
2. Set up a dredging station of flour, eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of grated parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Get a large sauté pan to medium on the burner. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces on both sides. Coat first in the flour, patting off extra, then egg, allowing excess to drip into the bowl. Dredge in breadcrumbs. Set the chicken pieces on a plate. Heat the oil in the hot pan. When hot, add chicken cutlets, cooking to a golden brown on each side -- no more than a couple of minutes each. Set on paper towel-lined plate to drain a minute; serve plated with lemon wedges.

Four Cheese Pizza

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 500° with a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
2. Roll out dough to a 9-10" round. Place the dough on a floured pizza peel.
3. Spread the pizza sauce in a thin layer all over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle all of the cheeses on the pizza. Tear the fresh oregano evenly over the pizza.
4. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the crust is golden and cheeses are melted.

Joey’s Nachos

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the oil and the onions, sautéing med-low with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the garlic and serrano, sauté until fragrant. Add ground beef, another pinch of salt and cook beef until crumbled and no longer pink. Add the chili sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and simmer, stirring a few minutes until juices begin to reduce. Add the kidney beans and stir to combine, cooking another few minutes until thickened. Remove pan from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread cream cheese evenly over the bottom of a 10" ceramic or glass pie plate. Spread all of the beef/bean mixture evenly over the cream cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over all. Bake until cheese has melted and mixture is hot through, 20-30 minutes.
3. Serve with any/all optional toppings and chips.

Buddy's Famous Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Place wing pieces in a large Ziploc bag with the ingredients, seal the bag and turn to coat the chicken well. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight (can be marinated two days ahead).
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a half sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray lightly or brush with oil.
3. Remove chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade in a small saucepan. Lay the chicken pieces skin-side down on the prepared pan and roast 30 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade and turn the pieces. Brush again with the marinade and roast another 30 minutes or longer until deeply bronzed.
4. When the wings are almost finished bring the reserved marinade to a boil, lower heat to simmer and reduce the marinade until almost a syrup (don’t allow to become a syrup -- will be bitter). Remove from heat and whisk in the tablespoon of butter. Place wings in a large bowl, pour in contents of the saucepan and turn to glaze evenly. Plate and serve.

Sophia's Sweet Pizza

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to highest setting (450°-500°). Pat or roll out dough to 9-10" round. Place on floured peel.
2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
3. Brush dough with the melted butter, allowing for a 1/2" border. Prick the buttered portion of the dough all over with a fork. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake pizza until dough is cooked and browned in spots, 5-7 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Spread the Nutella all over the pizza. Top decoratively with bananas and strawberries. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce:

1. Combine the chips and cream in a small saucepan. Over medium-low heat, stir until chips have melted and everything is smooth and well combined. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Yields 2 cups

Buddy's Famous Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Place wing pieces in a large Ziploc bag with the ingredients, seal the bag and turn to coat the chicken well. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight (can be marinated two days ahead).
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a half sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray lightly or brush with oil.
3. Remove chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade in a small saucepan. Lay the chicken pieces skin-side down on the prepared pan and roast 30 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade and turn the pieces. Brush again with the marinade and roast another 30 minutes or longer until deeply bronzed.
4. When the wings are almost finished bring the reserved marinade to a boil, lower heat to simmer and reduce the marinade until almost a syrup (don’t allow to become a syrup -- will be bitter). Remove from heat and whisk in the tablespoon of butter. Place wings in a large bowl, pour in contents of the saucepan and turn to glaze evenly. Plate and serve.

Arancini alla Buddy

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

Ground Meat Sauce:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft. Add veal, pork, and beef and stir in the carrot and celery and stir until browned. Drain off excess liquid add tomato paste, and wine. Cook & reduce wine for a few minutes then add crushed tomato. Simmer over medium heat from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool completely.

Risotto:

1. In a heavy, wide 4 quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions until golden, stirring often. Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Toast the rice until the edges become translucent, about 1 -2 minutes. Pour in wine and stir until evaporated. Add 1/2 cup of warm stock and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until all stock has been absorbed. Continue to add stock in small batches-just enough to completely moisten rice-and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir constantly and adjust the heat so the rice is simmering gently until the rice is creamy but al dente. About 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat stir in butter and grated cheese then pour on to shallow baking tray and allow to cool.

To make the Arancini:

1. In a bowl, combine risotto, parmesan and eggs. Mix well and set aside. In a bowl, combine meat sauce, peas, and mozzarella. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat a large pot of oil to about 350 degrees F.
3. Using your hands, roll risotto mixture into round balls the size of a small egg. With your finger make an indentation in the center and fill each one with a teaspoon of meat mixture, close the indentation and roll until smooth. Dredge each arancini in flour, dip in the egg wash and roll in the breadcrumbs.
4. Deep fry arancini until golden brown about 2 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined plate, season with salt if desired and serve.

Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS

* I liked using the sauce from Sunday Gravy

PREPARATION:

1. Slice tops from the peppers. Clean out seeds and pith. Set a large pot fitted with a steamer basket over high heat to boil. Place in the peppers, upside down. Cover pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Remove peppers to a paper-lined platter to drain and cool while preparing the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Glaze with a slick of oil and add the sausage, cooking, until brown and crumbled. Add the fennel and onion, stirring over medium low heat until translucent and soft. Remove to a bowl and let cool. Add the rice and fold in. Add the oregano, provolone and 1/2 cup tomato sauce; combine well. Check seasoning and correct if needed.
3. Lightly oil a 9" x 13" ceramic baking dish, or vessel with similar capacity. Glaze bottom with some of the remaining tomato sauce. Cut the peppers in half, lengthwise. Divide sausage filling evenly between the pepper halves. Place filled peppers in the baking pan. Top each with some remaining tomato sauce and finish with breadcrumbs.
4. Bake until hot all the way through, about 30 minutes.

Stuffed Artichokes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Prepare the artichokes: Trim the stem off the bottom so artichokes can stand flat. Peel attached stem. Place artichoke on its side and cut off the top inch or so to remove top thorns. With scissors, snip thorny tips from remaining leaves. With a spoon, scoop out the choke in the center of the artichokes. Cut one lemon in half and squeeze into a large bowl of cold water. Toss in the squeezed halves and artichokes to prevent discoloration while you make the stuffing.
2. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, pecorino, prosciutto, garlic, herbs, chili flakes, pepper, zest from remaining lemon and olive oil. Taste for salt -- may not need any; adjust accordingly.
3. Drain artichokes. Working with one choke at a time, set in the bowl of crumbs and opening one leaf at a time, push about a teaspoonful of crumbing in each. Fill cavity with crumbs, or alternately, pat crumbs over top.
4. Set the chokes in a pot fitted with a tight lid large enough to accommodate snugly. Pour stock in approximately 1/3 up the sides of the chokes.
5. Bring stock to a boil, cover pot, and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, 30-35 minutes until a center leaf pulls out with ease and flesh is tender. Remove chokes from pot, garnish with a few slices of Parmesan and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tortellini Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Place the meat in a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until meat is tender, skimming impurities from the top as needed. Pull the meat out and set aside until cool enough to handle. When cool enough, remove from bones and cut or pull apart into bite-sized pieces. Build the soup in the remaining beef liquid.
2. Add 2-3 cups of water to the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Add 3 bouillon cubes to the soup. Add the reserved meat, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, potato, tomato, and some grindings of pepper. Simmer until all is tender, about 45 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until done per package instructions. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with grated cheese.

Affogatto

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. In 4 glass bowls, parfait or Irish coffee glasses, scoop 3 small scoops of gelato into each. Pour 1 shot espresso over each serving. Crumble some cookie over the ice cream. Top with dollop of soft whipped cream, and sprinkle of more crushed cookies.

Garlic Bread with Compound Butter

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

Compound Butter:

1. Let butter soften to room temperature. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine. Keep compound butter at room temperature to use for garlic bread or wrap tightly in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks or store in the freezer for 6 months.

Garlic Bread:

1. Cut the bread into two equal halves. Spread each side with a generous amount of butter. Place the bread on a sheet pan and bake in a 375-degree oven for 7-10 minutes until golden brown.

Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Add the oil, butter and garlic to a large sauté pan and heat to medium. When oil is hot and the garlic fragrant, add the shrimp, and a couple pinches of salt and black pepper. After 2-3 minutes add oregano and parsley and sauté. Keep turning the shrimp so both sides cook evenly and the shrimp is pink and cooked through. When shrimp is done, a couple minutes longer, add the breadcrumbs and cheese, turn to coat well. Add the lemon juice, stirring all to combine well. Serve over mounds of cooked pasta.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Casserole

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Thinly slice (less than 1/4") the zucchini and yellow squash into circles. Toss squashes with salt and let sit in colander to drain 15 minutes. Pat dry.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the pesto, herbs, olive oil and shallots. Add the squash and combine all well. Pour into an 8" x 12 1/2" shallow baking dish (or similar capacity). Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
3. In the same bowl you used to toss the squash, and without wiping out, toss the breadcrumbs and cheese together, absorbing the oil left in the bowl.
4. Remove the foil from the squash and top with the crumb/cheese mixture. Bake and additional 20 minutes, uncovered. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Eggplant Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Cut eggplant into 1/4" rounds. Salt liberally and allow to weep set in colander for one hour. Press eggplant dry between paper or tea towels.
2. Preheat oven to 375°, middle rack. Lightly oil a shallow glass or ceramic 9" x 13" baking dish and cover bottom with a layer of marinara sauce. Combine breadcrumbs with the half cup parmesan in a pie plate. Set up dredging station of flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs.
3. Heat a large skillet medium-high. Pour in enough oil to come 1/4" up the sides. Dredge eggplant in flour, tapping off excess, then egg, dripping excess into plate. Coat in crumbs. Fry in hot oil, adjusting heat accordingly, until golden brown on each side. Set cooked eggplant to drain on paper towel-lined baking sheet. Lightly salt one side of the eggplant.
4. Place an overlapping layer of eggplant in the sauced baking dish. Sprinkle on two tablespoons of parmesan. Ladle over another layer of sauce. Cover with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat layer of eggplant, parmesan, sauce, mozzarella, and finish with two more tablespoons of parmesan.
5. Bake until cheese is hot and bubbling and dish is hot throughout, approximately 20-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Buddy’s Swiss Chard

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Wash chard well, stripping leaves from stems; discard stems.
2. Bring large pot salted water to boil. Blanch chard, 30-60 seconds. Shock in ice water bath to stop cooking. When cool enough to handle, squeeze excess liquid from chard and rough chop.
3. Heat sauté pan medium. Add oil and garlic and cook over low heat to infuse the oil. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the chard and season to desired taste. Sauté until soft and heated through, a couple of minutes.

Valentine’s Vanilla Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°, center rack. Line a 12 portion standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In other bowl, whisk together the milk, buttermilk and extract. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment: combine the butter and sugar, beat medium, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides. On low, add the whole egg, increase to medium and beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides, repeat with egg white.
2. On med-low, add the dry mixture, alternating with the wet in three additions of dry, i.e., dry, wet, dry , wet, dry, scarping between additions. Mix just combine on last addition. Mixture will not look completely smooth.
3. Fill liners 3/4 full with batter -- do not overfill or cake will bake slightly concave.
4. Bake 20, 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from center. This cake has a flat top -- will not dome.
5. Allow to cool before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream:

1. Beat the butter until fluffy on medium, stand mixer fitted with whip. Turn to low, add 10x sugar by 1/4 cup until incorporated. Add milk, vanilla bean bits, extract and salt. Increase to med-high, beat a minute or two until light and fluffy.

Roasted Prime Rib

by Buddy Valastro

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. The night before: In a processor or blender, pulse to a rough paste the onion, garlic, oil, rosemary, parsley, pepper and red pepper flakes. Rub the roast well with the kosher salt on all sides. Rub the roast with the herb paste and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Unwrap the roast and wipe off the rub with a paper towel -- does not need to be perfect. Bring roast to cool room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 450°, middle rack. Place the meat, bone side down, in a lightly oiled shallow roasting pan, just large enough to comfortably hold the meat. Sprinkle the fat cap with salt and some grindings of black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325. Continue to cook until meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 (med-rare), approximately 20-30 mins. (start checking after 15 mins. Let meat rest 15 minutes before carving. Serve with natural juices or a simple horseradish sauce.

King Crab Legs with Garlic Butter

by Buddy Valastro

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Break legs into manageable-sized lengths to accommodate an approx 10" x 8" bake-and-serve dish, With shears, slit open the legs and set aside.
2. In a heated saucepot, combine the clarified butter and cloves of garlic. Bring to a simmer, zest the lemon over the butter sauce and add the parsley. Stir to combine and add the crab. Toss to coat the crab in the butter sauce and cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the crab to a serving bowl. Pour the sauce over top and serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Linguini with Shrimp and Oven Roasted Tomato

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. On a small piece of foil, place the garlic head and drizzle a little oil on it. Wrap the garlic tightly in the foil and place in the oven. Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, until nice and soft and golden.
3. In a small baking dish or baking sheet put the tomatoes in one layer. Add the garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat. Roast 10 minutes in the same oven as the garlic. Remove pan and shake -- tomatoes should just be bursting. Roast another 5 minutes, shake and add the breadcrumbs. Roast another 5 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes roast, set a large pot of salted water to boiling. When the water boils, drop in some salt and the pasta.
5. Heat a large sauté pan. Add the two tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter foams, add the shrimp in one layer, lightly salt. When one side is pink and cooked, turn and salt other side.
6. Your pasta should be close to al dente. When the shrimp is almost finished cooking, add the wine and allow to bubble. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pan. Let the sauce cook for another minute. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
7. Remove the pasta from the cooking water and add it to the pan, cooking and turning with tongs so the pasta finishes cooking in the wine and shrimpy juices (add cooking water if you need more liquid). When the juices are absorbed, turn off the heat and scrape in contents from the roasted tomato pan. Open the roasted garlic and squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan. Add the baby spinach and chopped parsley. Turn all to coat well in the sauce. Serve immediately.

Pizza Bread

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Mash the tomatoes, a generous pinch salt, olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes to taste, and a few grates of both cheeses in a bowl; let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Put bread cut-side up on baking sheet. Top with tomato mixture and any juices. Top with sliced provolone. Grate over pecorino. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Broil high until cheese begins to bubble and brown -- quickly!
3. Allow to cool a couple of minutes and cut into serving pieces.

Baked Sausages with Savory Onions

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prick each sausage several times to prevent bursting. Heat a Dutch oven large enough to accommodate the sausages in one layer over medium. Add sausages and brown on both sides – no need to cook through. Remove to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and add the fennel, onions, garlic, thyme and salt. Reduce heat and sauté, slowly, until soft, translucent and taking on color -- 10-15 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir 30 seconds. Add the stock and wine. Bring to a boil and let reduce by half.
2. Put sausages back into the pot and bake 30 minutes. Remove pot, and platter sausages. Swirl mustard into the onions, check salt, correct, and add grindings of black pepper. Pour onions over sausages. Garnish with sprigs fresh thyme, if desired.

Prosciutto and Blue Cheese Breadsticks

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Process until smooth in a processor: the gorgonzola, cream cheese, butter, parmesan and black pepper. Remove to a bowl and fold in the chives.
2. With an offset spatula, spread each slice of prosciutto with a small amount of cheese mixture, about 1/2 teaspoon.* Fold slices of prosciutto in half lengthwise and wrap, spiraling each piece around a grissini, pressing on itself to seal. Serve.

Sunday Gravy

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Lightly salt the lamb neck bones. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the neck bones to the pot, sear them on all sides until golden brown. Remove the neck bones and set aside. Add the sausage links to the pan, sear them on all sides and then remove and set aside. Sear the Braciole in the pot as well. Once seared on all sides, remove from the pot.
2. Build the sauce in the stockpot. First add in the onions to sauté for a few minutes. Then the garlic, basil and oregano, add in the cans of tomatoes, water and sugar. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add back all of the seared meats, as well as the meatballs.
3. Allow sauce to simmer 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally and making sure nothing is scorching on the bottom of the pot. When done to your taste, with tongs, remove all meats to a platter. Stir sauce and reduce if necessary. Taste and correct for salt, if needed.
4. Slice the sausage into serving portions. Remove string from braciole and slice into portions. Leave neck bone to pick through for those who wish to do so.
5. Serve sauce with cooked pasta and grated cheese. Offer platter of meatballs and sliced meats.

Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Tear the bread into small pieces. Place in a small bowl, cover with water and allow to soak for 5 minutes.
2. Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Squeeze out and discard the water from the bread. Add all remaining ingredients to the meat, combine well with your hands and form into meatballs approximately 2" in diameter.
3. Shallow fry the meatballs in a large sauté pan until golden brown on all sides, 3-4 minutes per side.
4. Proceed with cooking instructions for Sunday Gravy.

Braciole

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Lay the beef between layers of plastic wrap and pound out gently with a meat mallet. Lightly salt top surface area. Sprinkle each piece of meat with garlic, breadcrumbs, pecorino, parsley and a few grindings black pepper. Fold in the short sides, then bottom, followed by the top to enclose and create a long bundle. Secure meat with toothpicks or butcher’s twine.
2. Proceed with cooking instructions for Sunday Gravy.

Fettucini Alfredo Buddy Style

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Start a large pot of well-salted water to boil.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the butter, cheese and nutmeg and stir to combine. Turn off heat and set aside.
3. Cook pasta until al dente. Turn into a colander, give one shake add to cream sauce. Turn pasta to coat and melt butter. Pasta should be just-coated with a glossy cream. Remove from heat and plate immediately, Passing with extra cheese, if desired.

Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Put the espresso, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup of the coffee liqueur into a heavy saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool.
2. Put the yolks, marscapone, marsala, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium speed until light and airy, approximately 7 minutes. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer fitted with the whip attachments.) Transfer the mixture to another bowl and clean and dry the stand mixer bowl and the whip attachment, returning them both to the mixer.
3. Put the cream in the bowl of the stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the marsala mixture.
4. One by one, dip the ladyfingers in the espresso syrup and arrange a layer in the bottom of a 13-inch x 9-inch pan. (3 rows of 7 across the width worked perfectly, each layer) Spoon a layer of cream over the ladyfingers. Sprinkle some cocoa powder over top of cream. Dip and arrange another layer of ladyfingers over the cream, with the second layer perpendicular to the first. Spoon the remaining cream over the top.
5. Dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. To serve, use a kitchen spoon to scoop out portions into small bowls or glass dishes.

Veal Saltimbocca

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Salt the pieces veal on each side. Lightly pound each piece of veal between plastic wrap. Lay a piece of mozzarella, then a sage leaf. Lay a prosciutto slice on each piece of veal -- some overhang is fine. Weave a toothpick in and out to secure.
2. Heat a large skillet med-high. Add the oil and two tablespoons of butter. When hot and foaming, add the veal, prosciutto side down in two batches of four. Saute the veal on high each, about one minute each side to brown. Remove to a platter and repeat with next batch.
3. Add the flour to the pan and cook until tan in color. Add the wine and stock to the pan, cooking on high to scrape up brown bits and reduce by half. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter. Remove toothpicks from veal, pour hot sauce over all.

Banana Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS

* If making in the summer, use 6 Tablespoons to account for how the increased humidity affects the moisture content of the flour.

PREPARATION:

Pie Crust:

1. Put the flour, shortening, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle at lowest speed just until the mixture holds together, approximately 30 seconds. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can put the ingredients in a bowl and blend with a hand mixer fitted with the blending attachments.) Add 6 tablespoons of the water, and paddle until absorbed, approximately 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Lightly flour a work surface, and roll out the dough in a circle, about 14 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Roll it up onto the rolling pin and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, unspooling it over the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter and the dough will fall into place. Put your hands at the 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions on the side of the pan, and rotate the pan from just under the lip to cause the excess dough to fall away. (If molded to an aluminum pie pan, the dough can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months. Let thaw to room temperature before filling and baking.)
4. How to "Blind Bake": If you need to bake the crust with no filling, fill the pie with dry beans or rice, or set another pie pan in the well, invert, and bake on the center rack of an oven preheated to 350?F until the crust is firm and golden, approximately 25 minutes.

Carlos Custard:

1. Have all of your ingredients measured and ready. In a deep saucepan (3 qt), bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer, turn off heat. Whisk the sugar into the eggs. Stream the cake flour into the eggs while whisking well to incorporate. Ladle approx. 1/4 cup of hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to combine well. Repeat with another ladle of hot milk.
2. Pour/scrape all of the egg mixture back into the saucepan of milk and return to med-low heat, whisking continuously, making to sure reach the bottom and bottom sides of the pan. Mixture will thicken within a minute, continue to whisk another 30 seconds. Whisk in the butter, lower heat and whisk until quite thick, another minute or two. Remove from heat. Chill custard well in fridge before use.

Italian Whipped Cream:

1. Put the cream and sugar in a bowl and whip with on high speed with a hand mixer fitted with the blending attachments. Do not over mix or you’ll end up with butter.
2. The cream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Whip by hand to refresh before using.

Assembling the Pie:

1. Put the custard in a mixing bowl, whick to smoothen, and use a rubber spatula to fold in half the whipped cream, making a French cream.
2. Peel 2 of the bananas and slice them crosswise over the French cream, so the slices fall into the cream.
3. Transfer the banana cream to the shell, using a rubber spatula to scrape as much cream out of the bowl as possible and then to level it off in the pie. (I mounded to accommodate all of the filling.)
4. Transfer the remaining whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with the #7 star tip and pipe blobs of cream all over the pie. Peel the remaining banana and slice it crosswise on an angle into 8 pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl, drizzle the lemon juice over them, and gently toss to coat them with lemon juice and prevent them from oxidizing. Arrange the banana slices at even intervals around the perimeter of the pie.
5. If using the strawberry, position it in the center of the pie.
6. How to Hide Oxidized Bananas: The lemon juice in this recipe will keep the bananas from oxidizing, but for good measure (and more flavor), consider topping the pie with chocolate cake crumb processed chocolate cookies, or by grating a few ounces of semisweet chocolate over it. You can also pour warm Ganache over each banana.

Chocolate Ganache

This ganache can be used in two ways, as a filling and/or poured over a cake.

To use it as a filling, refrigerate it, transfer it to a pastry bag, and pipe it out.

To pour ganache over a cake, melt it in a double boiler and simply pour it over a cake or layer. To top layers of pastry cream or chocolate mousse with ganache, pour it on and smooth it with a cake icing spatula.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Put the heavy cream in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to simmer, remove the pot from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon to melt the chocolate. Stir in the corn syrup.
2. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour. If using for filling, soften until pourable in a double boiler over medium heat.

Grandma Maddalena's Sausage Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil, add the beef, pork, veal and sausage (that has been removed from its casing) and cook until nicely browned. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the meat is coated. Add tomatoes with their juices and the tomato puree, season with salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened about 1 1/2 hours.
2. In large bowl, combine the ricotta with the parsley, basil, 1 cup of the parmesan, 1 pound of the shredded mozzarella and beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles. Fresh pasta and no-cook lasagna do not require any pre-cooking. Dry, curly-ridged lasagna noodles only need 3 minutes pre-cooking time: boiled in abundant salted water, drained, rinsed in cold water and dried between towels.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9-by -13 inch glass baking dish. Line the dish with overlapping noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, sprinkle with a little parmesan and shredded mozzarella then top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and another layer of noodles. Repeat the layering 2 more times. Top with noodles and cover with 1 1/2 cups of sauce -- there may be some sauce remaining -- save for another use. Toss the remaining mozzarella with the remaining parmesan and sprinkle over the lasagna.
5. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes up to one hour, or until the top is golden and crisp around the edges and the filling is bubbling. Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Tomato and Bean Bruschetta

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

Bean Topping:

1. In a medium bowl, place the cut tomatoes with a pinch of salt, toss to coat and allow to rest five minutes. Add two tablespoons olive oil and the garlic, toss to coat. Add the beans and celery and toss to coat. Add the red wine vinegar, some grindings of pepper and toss. Taste mixture -- should be flavorful and a little juicy. Adjust taste and texture with another splash of olive oil, vinegar, or pinch of salt. Fold in basil.

Grilled Bruschetta:

1. Heat grill pan to medium-high. Grill slices of bread until marked on both sides. Rub one side of each piece with the cut sides of the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut slices of bread in half, top each with a tumble of bean mixture, some juices.

Buddy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven 350°, middle rack. In a bowl, whisk cinnamon into flour. In a stand mixer with paddle, put butter, both sugars, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Beat medium just until ingredients come together as a mass.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, stopping to scrape sides as needed. On low, add flour and cinnamon and beat just until incorporated. Add chips and beat just until incorporated.
3. On 1-2 baking sheets lined with parchment, drop batter by heaping tablespoon, up to 15 per sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes, turning midway until just golden brown on edges. Let cool on racks.

Crispy Halibut Fingers With Honey Mustard

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Cut halibut across the width into thirds. Cut each portion into "fingers," approximately 3" x 3/4-1". Lightly salt and pepper the fish strips. Place in a bowl with the beaten egg and toss to coat.
2. Toss panko with Italian seasoning, salt and paprika together in a pie plate.
3. Heat a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium. Pour in enough oil to a depth of 1/4". When hot, remove pieces of fish from the egg, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Drop into the panko, turning to coat, and lay carefully into the hot oil. Place as many pieces into the pan as you can without crowding.
4. Cook, monitoring heat, until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Remove pieces to a plate lined with double thickness of paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt. When all of the halibut has been cooked and drained, serve with honey mustard and lemon wedges.

Honey Mustard:

1. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl.

Kid's Cavatelli With Broccoli and Cream

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION:

1. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the broccoli -- cook more than al dente stage, but not to a mush. Remove and shock in ice water to stop cooking. Keep water at a simmer. Use the same water to cook cavatelli.
2. Heat a large sauté pan with enough capacity to contain all of the sauce, broccoli and pasta over medium. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook over low heat, just to flavor the oil with the garlic. The garlic should not burn.
3. Meanwhile, cook the cavatelli per instructions al dente. Drain into a bowl, and add broccoli, some cheese and the garlic oil. Toss to combine and serve with plenty of grated parmesan on the side.