Penne with sausage, red pepper, and pumpkin

Zucca is the all-encompassing term used for every possible variety of pumpkin and squash. During the fall and winter it’s on display at every vegetable stand cut up in big hunks with the seeds and shell still attached. We used zucca as the starting point for this dish.

Ingredients:

1 pound pumpkin, cubed
2 pounds vine ripe tomatoes, quartered
½ pound sweet sausage, broken into pieces
penne pasta
rosemary
sage
salt
pepper
olive oil

Place the cubed pumpkin in an oven safe dish and coat lightly with olive oil. Toss with salt, pepper, rosemary and sage. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Meanwhile, pan fry the sweet sausage in about 1 table spoon of olive oil. After about 5 minutes add the tomatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Once the pumpkin has finished cooking, add it to the tomato and sausage mixture. Cook the pasta in a separate pot, drain, then toss with the tomato, sausage, and pumpkin mixture.
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Limoncello

1 liter 95% (190 proof) alcohol
5-6 medium sized lemons
1 liter water
500-600 grams sugar (2 1/2 to 3 cups)

Peel the rinds of the lemons, making sure to just peel the yellow part, not the white part. Pour the alcohol into a 2 liter sealable, glass container and add the lemon rinds to it. Close tightly and, let sit for 5 days. Each day gently turn the container from side to side.

After five days, make a simple syrup by warming 1 liter of water and gradually adding 500-600 grams of sugar. Let the simple syrup cool, then add it to the alcohol and lemon rinds. Let sit for 5 more days, turning the container gently each day. Then it’s ready to drink!

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Fancy macaroni and cheese

8 oz small shells pasta
1 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1 pinch of saffron (about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup arugula, lightly chopped
2 cups milk
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour, sifted
salt and pepper

Heat the milk in a pan to the boiling point. Melt the butter in the milk, and gradually sift the flour into the mixture, stirring continuously so it doesn’t clump. Heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmigiano and saffron and remove from heat. Add the arugula and mix well. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and gently add to the parmigiano, saffron and arugula sauce. Stir well so the pasta is completely covered in sauce. It’ll probably sound like Velveeta when you’re mixing it, but trust me, it tastes a lot better.

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Sausage, pepper and onion pasta

8 oz penne pasta
1 large red pepper, cubed
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 pound sweet sausage
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the red pepper and onion in an oven safe dish. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 350 for about 30-45 minutes until they soften and the edges start to char. Meanwhile, peel the skin off the sausage and break into bite-size pieces. Cook in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the roasted pepper and onion to the skillet, and saute for a few more minutes. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Add the sausage, pepper and onion to the pasta, mix well and serve.

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Mussels with white wine sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 bottle dry white wine
juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 medium onions, sliced
2-4 cloves garlic
1 bunch of parsley
1 pound of mussels, cleaned

Saute the onion and garlic in a pot with olive oil until the onions take on some color. After about 7 minutes add the wine and lemon juice. Cook covered for about 5 minutes then add the lemon zest. Add the mussels, cover the pot and cook until the mussels open. Lightly stir as the mussels are opening to assure they are flavored well. Add parsley when the mussels start to open. Garnish with more parsley and serve with crusty white bread (such as ciabatta)

This wine sauce is also excellent for scallops and white fish.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

It’s said that Spaghetti Carbonara was a quick and hearty meal that was fed to coal miners in Italy. Carbonara comes from the italian word for coal, carbone.

8 oz Spaghetti
3 oz pancetta, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2-3 whole cloves of garlic
2 eggs
2 tbsp. olive oil

Sautee the pancetta, onion and garlic in olive oil until the pancetta is slightly browned. At the same time, cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. When the pancetta is browned add the pancetta, onion and garlic mixture to the spaghetti. Gently toss together. Once the pasta has cooled slightly, so that it won’t fry the eggs, crack two eggs on top of the spaghetti and toss until the egg evenly coats the pasta.

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Fusilli with pepper, tomato and anchovies
(Inspired by a recipe on a box of Barilla pasta)

8 oz fusilli or penne pasta
olive oil
2 small onions, diced
1 red pepper, cubed
1 yellow pepper, cubed
2 oz. anchovies (more if you really like anchovies)
2 medium-sized tomatoes, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
salt
pepper
sugar

In a frying pan brown half the diced onion with olive oil. Save the other half for later. Add the cubed red and yellow pepper and cook over medium head for 3-5 minutes. Add the anchovies and cook another 3-5 minutes. Add the cubed tomato and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In another pan brown the rest of the onion and the garlic in olive oil. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes and salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Cook over medium heat until its soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix the onion, garlic and cherry tomato mixture in a blender until it’s a smooth, even texture. Cook the pasta according to the box’s instructions, then combine it with the onion, garlic, cherry tomato sauce. Mix well so all the pasta is covered. Plate the pasta and add a scoop of the pepper, tomato and anchovies on top.

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White Beans with Zucchini and Tomato
(Recipe inspired by vegetable stands full of zucchini, which are in season in April)

3 cloves of garlic (one chopped)
1 can cannellini beans (washed)
5 vine ripe tomatoes (diced)
4 small zucchini (1 sliced, 3 diced)
handful of chopped basil
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
spoonful of ricotta cheese

Using a frying pan over medium heat, cook the garlic alone with the olive oil for about 30-45 seconds (just before the garlic turns brown). Add the zucchini and let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. While the zucchini is cooking, in a separate covered pot warm the diced tomato and basil over low-medium heat. When the zucchini is tender add it to the warm tomato and basil mixture. Add the cannellini beans and salt and pepper, and mix well. Let simmer covered for another 10 minutes over low heat for the flavors to combine. Finish each plate with a spoonful of ricotta cheese. Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as a side.

Buon Appetito!