1-1/2 lbs ground beef
2 t minced parsley
1-1/2 t salt
1 can tomato paste
1 lb lasagne noodles
1 lb cottage cheese
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t pepper
2-1/2 C water
1 egg
1 lb American cheese, grated

Saute beef, onion, parsley, and garlic. Add salt, pepper, tomato paste, and water. Simmer 30 min.

Cook lasagne in 4 qts of boilin salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Stir gently and drain. Mix egg and cottage Cheese. Alternate layers of sauce, cottage cheese, noodles, and American cheese in baking dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
6 to 8 servings.

This is intended as a finger-food appetizer, but you could also cut the squares larger and serve them as a side dish, or put a square under a nice serving of chicken or fish stew.

4 C water
1 t salt
1 C coarse yellow cornmeal
2 C fresh basil, chopped
1 oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan and add the salt. Add the cornmeal slowly (to avoid lumping) and stir it constantly. When it comes to a boil (watch out that you don’t get burned by the “blorps”!), turn the heat down and cook until very thick, about 30 minutes. That’s a long time to stand around stirring, so put on some good music or find a friend to hang out with you.

Stir in the basil and tomatoes. Grease a 10×15 jelly roll pan and pour the polenta into it, spreading evenly. Chill until firm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Cool to room temperature and then cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Makes about 5 dozen appetizers.

Thaw the breasts and cut into strips. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, and basil in a big zip-loc bag. Put the chicken pieces in the bag and shake, pressing the breading on the chicken.

Saute the breaded chicken in the olive oil, about 4-5 minutes, until cooked through. Set the chicken aside on a plate. In the skillet, with the spices and the oil, put everything else but the mozzarella. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute. Then return the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle the mozzarella over the top, so it melts.

Serve over pasta. Spaghetti or penne are best, but orzo is also a favorite.

Serves four.

The must-have ingredients are the beans, tomatoes, at least 3 other vegetables, garlic, oregano, and macaroni. Otherwise, play around with it.

3 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small potato, diced (optional)
1 C frozen peas
1 can garbanzo beans or kidney beans
1 C chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 T salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t oregano
2 t basil
28-oz can chopped tomatoes (not drained)
3 C water or stock (can use bouillon cubes)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C dry macaroni
Splash of red wine
Fresh grated parmesan

In a large dutch oven, saute the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the oil until soft. Stir in the carrot, optional potato, mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano, 1/2 C of parsley, and basil, saute for another minute, then add the tomatoes, stock, and beans (you may drain them or not, your choice). Simmer until the carrots are tender. Add the macaroni, peas, wine, and garlic and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the macaroni is cooked. Adjust the salt to taste.

Serve garnished with parsley and parmesan and sprinkle cracked black pepper over the top.

Alas! The recipe was in Italian!

Luckily, I have a friend in Italy who’s an excellent translator. I sent it over the transom to Sveva Ricciardi, in Napoli, asking her, “How did they DO that?”

Based on her reply, here’s the answer:

The recipe calls for 12 Martin Sec (martine) pears, peeled. Substitute any small, firm cooking pears.

For the red pears:

4 pears, peeled
2 C red wine (lambrusco)
2/3 C sugar
1 aniseed
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
4 black peppercorns

For the yellow pears

4 pears, peeled
2 C water
1/2 C honey
Pinch of saffron
1 small piece of fresh ginger
Zest of 1 orange, in strips

For the green pears

4 pears
2 C water
2/3 C sugar
1 T jasmine green tea (see note, below)

Take 3 different saucepans. In one, put the wine, sugar, and spices for the red pears. In the second, put the water, honey, saffron, ginger, and orange. In the third, put the water, and sugar, but not the green tea (you add it after cooking the pears). Bring to a boil, put 4 pears in each saucepan, and cook on low for 45 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the tea to the green pears. Let sit until cool.

Remove pears and strain each of the sauces, returning the strained liquid to the three pans. Bring each one to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes a syrup. Pour the sauces over the appropriate-colored pears and serve.

Note: In the original recipe, the author couldn’t find jasmine green tea, so she used green food coloring. But then the pears would just be flavored with sugar. When I make this, I’ll use at least 1 tablespoon of green tea for the flavor, or substitute a teaspoon of jasmine black tea with a few drops of green food coloring.

I’m impressed by the fact that we have a recipe from that generation, since I have only one recipe from one of my grandmothers, and absolutely no idea what my great-grandmothers cooked.

Crust

14 double graham crackers, rolled
1/4 C melted butter

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and pat into sides and bottom of nine-inch pie pan. Bake five minutes at 325 F. Cool.

Filling

3 packages of cream cheese (small)
2 egg yolks
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
1/2 C sugar
1 t vanilla

Mix cream cheese with egg yolks. Add egg whites, sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake 15 minutes at 325 F. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes.

Topping

1 pint sour cream
1/4 C T sugar
2 t vanilla

Combine topping ingredients and cover pie. Bake five minutes at 325 F. Cool and store in refrigerator for 24 hours.

This is a very easy, versatile recipe that can be expanded for a large party. This recipe is good with any pasta – I prefer to use fresh frozen cheese tortellini, but you could use spinach linguini, shells, or layer the sauce with lasagna noodles, or just spoon over spaghetti.

8-12 oz pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2/3 to 1 C butter, at room temperature (soft) and cut into little pieces
1/2 C heavy cream (milk or evaporated milk works okay, too)
1/4 C fresh basil, minced or 4 t dried basil (add more or less depending on your taste). To speed up the mincing process, you can add the basil to the milk and run it through a blender
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2/3 C pine nuts (pinolas)

Turn the pasta into a deep heated serving dish. Add the butter, cream, and basil and toss quickly and gently with two spoons. Season with salt and pepper to taste (caution: the cheese is salty). Ad the pine nuts and any of the optional ingredients below with the cheese and toss again. Serve immediately.

If you want to use this dish for a party (it works great with toothpicks) or at a potluck, the milk will quickly be absorbed by the cheese and the pasta will become dry. Add additional milk prior to serving and toss again to retain the creaminess.

Optional ingredients:

More garlic
1 small package fresh mushrooms, sliced and cooked in garlic and white wine
I also roast my pine nuts by coating them with olive oil; generously sprinkling garlic salt over them; and then placing them under the broiled in the oven – watching them VERY carefully. I stir them around a couple of times once they start browning. Be careful – they will burn quickly.

You could also add cooked shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, or leftover poultry.

(my note: very good with chunks of cooked turkey or chicken breast)

Heat oil over medium heat, saute onions for a minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil. Stir in broth and parsley. Lock lid and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure. Quick-release. Check to make sure rice is done – it will continue to absorb liquid, but should not be chewy. Stir in the salmon, cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute until salmon is opaque.

Makes 4 servings, 482 calories each.

6 slices raw smoked ham – proscuitto, westphalian, country-smoked pork, or Canadian bacon
2 T olive oil
1 lb spaghetti
6 eggs
Cracked black pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Boil 3 quarts of water, add 1 T oil. Add 1 lb or pasta when water is frantically boiling. Cook for half the usual time. Let sit uncovered for 10 minutes and serve with a strainer – don’t drain.

Cut ham into strips and cook in the remaining olive oil. Provide 1 egg and plenty of pepper for each person.

To serve, each person breaks his own egg over the hot pasta and mixes it up, then stir in ham, pepper, and cheese.

Another version…this one says, “4-6 portions – also good for breakfast.”
1 lb bacon, diced
2 T salt
1 lb spaghetti or linguini
3 eggs
1/3 C chopped Italian parsley
grated Parmesan
black pepper

Saute bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and drain. Boil 4 quarts of water with salt, drop in the spaghetti. Stir, return to a boil for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large serving bowl. Have the bacon and parsley ready.

Drain the pasta quickly, pour into the eggs and toss immediately. Sprinkle with the bacon and parsley and toss. Garnish with parmesan and lots of fresh pepper.

Meat filling (makes 1):
1/4C provolone, mozzarella, salami, Italian ham

Spinach filling (makes 1):
1 pkg frozen spinach, sauteed with olive oil and garlic until water has evaporated, mixed with 1/2C provolone and 1/2C mozzarella. Or substitute broccoli for the spinach.