2014 SUMMER CAMP PASTA
Lasagna Recipe
Olive oil1 lb lmeatloaf mix 1/2 medium onion, diced, about 3/4 cup2 cloves garlic, minced1 28-ounce can tomato sauce1/2 6 oz can (3 oz) tomato paste1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf), packedPinch of onion powder 1/2 C red wine 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup sugar (to taste, optional)Salt1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles – unbroken)15 ounces Ricotta cheese1 1/2 lb (24 ounces) Mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced1/4 lb (4 ounces) freshly grated parmesan cheese1 egg
1 PUT A LARGE POT OF SALTED WATER (1 TBSP SALT FOR EVERY 2 QUARTS OF WATER) ON THE STOVE ON HIGH HEAT. IT CAN TAKE A WHILE FOR A LARGE POT OF WATER TO COME TO A BOIL (THIS WILL BE YOUR PASTA WATER), SO PREPARE THE SAUCE IN THE NEXT STEPS WHILE THE WATER IS HEATING.
2 Heat about a teaspoon or so of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the meatloaf mix and cook it in the skillet until lightly browned and cooked through. Put a few layers of paper towels in large bowl. With slotted spoon, remove the browned beef from the skillet, draining off the excess beef fat, and put the browned beef on top of the paper towels to help blot away the excess fat. After you have removed all the browned beef from the skillet, drain off and dispose of excess fat.
3 Add the onions to skillet Saute for a few minutes on medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the browned meat back to the skillet, lower the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently.
4 Transfer browned meat, onions to a medium sized (3 to 4 quart) pot. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes. Add oregano, parsley, Italian seasoning, adjust amounts to taste. Add a pinch of onion powder to taste. Add the red wine. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time, until desired level of sweetness, no more than 1/4 cup of sugar. Add salt to taste, and note that you will later be adding Parmesan, which is salty.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and lower the heat to low to maintain a low simmer. Cook for 15-45 minutes to thicken (do not scorch bottom, stir frequently). Remove from heat.
5 By now the salted water you started heating in step one should be boiling. Add the dry lasagna noodles and cook then per package directions (al dente). (Note noodles may be cooked in advance.) Stir often to prevent from sticking. Make sure that water remains at a full rolling boil during the entire cooking to prevent noodles from sticking. When ready, drain in a colander and rinse with cool water, gently separating any noodles that may be sticking together. Spread a little olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet, and lay out the cooked noodles on this sheet, turning them over so that they get coated with a little of the olive oil. This will prevent them from sticking together.
6 In a 13x9x2-inch casserole or lasagna dish, ladle one cup of sauce and spread it along the bottom of the pan. Apply one layer noodles 3 length wise (edge may overlap, depending on your pan). Ladle a third of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Apply a layer of a third of the mozzarella on top of lasagna sauce. Mix together the ricotta cheese with 1 egg, pinch of pepper and parsley and add small amount to lasagna noodles. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese in thin even layer on top of ricotta cheese.
Apply second layer of noodles, top it with half of the remaining sauce. Add half of the remaining Mozzarella, the remaining ricotta cheese, and another thin sprinkling of Parmesan. Finish with another layer of noodles. Spread the remaining sauce over the top layer of noodles and sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella cheese.
7 Tent lasagna pan with aluminum foil (not touching noodles or sauce). Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Egg bread
2 (.25 ounce) packages quick-rise yeast
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45
degrees C)
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
2 eggs
6 cups bread flour, or as needed
1/2 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large bowl and stir gently to moisten the yeast. Stir in salt, sugar, margarine and 4 eggs and
beat well. Gradually mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time up to six, until the dough becomes slightly tacky but not wet. Turn the dough out onto
a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 mins
Grease baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut the bread dough into 2 equal-sized pieces. Cut each piece into thirds for 3-strand braided loaves. Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Repeat for the remaining loaves.
Place the loaves onto the prepared baking sheets, and let rise until double in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk 1 egg with vanilla extract in a small bowl, and brush the loaves with the egg wash.
Tuscan Mac and Cheese with Kale and Turkey Bacon Cups
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
7 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 teaspoons plus ½ teaspoon olive oil
7 ounces kale, finely chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup 1% milk
⅔ cup Asiago cheese, grated
⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, grated
15-ounce can cannellini white beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
5 strips turkey bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled
3 tablespoons whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Boil a large pot of water. Salt the water and add the macaroni. Cook until almost al dente, about 6-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the kale, season with a pinch
of salt and pepper, and cook until kale is softened, about 4-6 minutes.
4. Transfer the kale to a large casserole dish.
5. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. When the milk begins to simmer, but before it boils, turn off
the heat. Immediately stir in all of the Asiago, ⅔ cup of the Parmesan, and all of the cheddar. Also stir in the
beans and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Purée the cheese mixture using an immersion hand blender (or transfer mixture to a blender or food processor to
purée).
7. Along with the kale, add the cooked macaroni, crumbled bacon, and the cheese mixture to the casserole dish.
Gently stir until all ingredients are well combined.
8. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Parmesan, the bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon olive oil. Stir until bread
crumbs are well coated in oil. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
9. Bake the macaroni and cheese until bread crumbs are crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Serve.
Facoccia Bread
1 1/2 cups warm water3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)1 1/4 teaspoons salt3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour1 tablespoon instant yeastAny dried herb of your choosing
Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.
Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.
Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it’s become puffy.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.
Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried herbs of your choice, if desired.
Bake the bread until it’s golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Spaghetti Pie
Yields 6 servings
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion2 garlic cloves crushed and diced1/4 cup chopped green pepper1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste1 teaspoon dried oregano3/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon sugar1/4 teaspoon pepper6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained1 tablespoon butter, melted2 egg whites, lightly beaten1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
In a nonstick skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper overmedium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in thetomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, garlic, sugar andpepper; set aside.In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, butter, egg whites andParmesan cheese. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-indeep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with cottage cheese and sausage mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
CHOCOLATE PASTA:
1½ cups of all purpose flour, plus extra
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cube of bakers chocolate
2-3 Tbsp of water
½ cup of sugar if you want it sweet.
STRAWBERRY SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1 lb of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white wine
2 tbsp of butter
WHIPPED CREAM INGREDIENTS
1 cup whipping cream2 tbsp of sugar for the whipping cream
CHOCOLATE PASTA PREPARATION
NOTE: The ¼ cup of water is used to dilute the cubes of bakers chocolate so it can blend into the dough. You probably will not be using all of the chocolate. I used 2 to 3 tablespoons.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave with a little bit of water to thin out the consistency to a paste like texture.
Just as you would any homemade pasta recipe you begin by mixing the blended flours and salt together and form a pile in the center of a large cutting board. Or place in food processor till ball forms
Take out and knead for a few minuets, next place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let is sit for at least two hours.
WARM SPICY STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
Pour the whipping cream into a food processor with the 2 tbsp of sugar and whip until thick. It doesn’t take long. Scrap into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator until you complete your ready to serve.
Wash and dry the strawberries, then slice. Melt the butter on medium heat in a sauté pan and add the sugar and splash in the white wine. Allow to thicken as the sugar dissolves. Now add the strawberries and cook for about one to two minutes. You don’t want it to turn into strawberry jam.
Ravioli
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt
2 eggs
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup water
Mix water, salt, eggs, oil together add flour a cup at a time. Blend to make dough
Cheese filling15 oz. (425 g) container Ricotta cheese
5 oz. (142 g/about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) “3 Cheese Italian Blend” (Parmesan, Romano & Asiago)1 eggpinch of pepperCombine all ingredients together. Cover and place in refrigerator for 20 mins
Roll out dough on flour surface. Using a cup or 3″ cutter, cut out circles. Add a tablespoon of cheese mixture to center of circle, wet the edges of the circle with water and then fold over. Using a fork mark the edges of the ravioli. Place ravioli into boiling water and cook 5-6 min until ravioli floats to top. Check to make sure dough is cooked and remove with slotted spoon.White Cream sauce2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion – minced
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt/pepper
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – gratedPlace butter into a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until softened. Add cream. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.Transfer drained ravioli into pan. GENTLY toss to combine. Add cheese. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli 16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
olive oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)
Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar.