Baked Pasta with Sausage and Four Cheeses

Ingredients:
2 pounds pasta, rigatoni or other
1/4 cup pancetta, very thinly sliced, if you can't find pancetta, use regular bacon
2 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, casing removed, hot or sweet
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons julienne basil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 pounds ricotta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups grated provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
28 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan

COOK pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until only halfway cooked, according to
package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with a minimal
amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.
COOK pancetta or bacon in large skillet over medium heat until well browned, and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Add sausage to drippings in skillet and cook, breaking up large pieces, until well browned. Transfer to paper towel. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms, basil and parsley. Cook until onion is tender, and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Preheat oven to 400F.
SPRAY a large baking pan well with cooking spray. Place ricotta in a large bowl. Gradually
whisk in cream. Stir in stock. Add pasta, pancetta, sausage, onion mixture, provolone,
Gorgonzola, tomatoes, and 1 cup Romano. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.
TRANSFER to prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining Romano. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until very golden brown, and bubbly.

TIP: Using a variety of mushrooms makes this dish fabulous.

Liguria style Elbows

15 minutes to prepare
5 minutes to cook

5 Servings

Ingredients
1 box Elbows pasta
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1 cup packed fresh basil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Parmigiano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
2 pints, cut in halves cherry tomatoes
1 cup, cut in halves kalamata olives, pitted
1 1/2 pounds, cut in half fresh mozzarella cheese

COOK pasta one minute under the recommended cooking time. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

SPREAD on sheet tray to cool. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

SAUTE pine nuts in a pan for few minutes until slightly brown.

MIX the oil, garlic and basil with salt, pepper, pecorino and parmigiano cheese in a blender to make a pesto. Thin with pasta cooking water if too thick.

COMBINE pasta with cherry tomatoes, drained olives and mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.

ADD pasta and pesto. Mix well.

Warm Pasta Salad (Grilled Eggplant, Sausage, and Mushrooms Special)

6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus olive oil for brushing
2 eggplants (about 1 lb), sliced
Cooking Spray
Salt and Pepper
1/2 lb Portobello mushrooms, caps and stems separated, caps left whole, stems trimmed and sliced lengthwise
1 large sweet onion cut into 3/4" slices
2 large beefsteak tomatoes sliced into 3/4" slices
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup basil, julienne
1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
1 cup shaved Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)


MARINADE: In a bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil. Place eggplants in a zip-top plastic bag. Pour in marinade and wait for 1 hour, turning bag every now and then.

SPRAY grill racks well with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high heat. Remove eggplant from marinade, shaking off excess; reserve marinade. Season eggplant, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes with salt and pepper and brush well with olive oil.
GRILL vegetables and sausage until well browned and softened and sausage is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board. Coarsely chop all vegetables and slice sausage. Combine and set aside.
COOK pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente; drain.Take 1 cup of reserved marinade and whisk with remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, parsley, basil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Return drained pasta to pot. Add vegetables, sausage and dressing and combine well.
ADD shaved Romano, toss to coat and serve immediately.