Recipes for Pasta

Ingredients

* about 4 ounces of macaroni
* 4 or 5 mushrooms
* milk
* pepper
* salt
* tomato puree
* grated Parmesan and Cheddar

Instructions

Boil macaroni, and stew mushrooms in milk with pepper and salt. Put a layer of the macaroni in a buttered fireproof dish, then a layer of tomato puree, then a layer of the mushrooms and another layer of macaroni. Dust it all over with grated Parmesan and Cheddar, put it in the oven for half an hour, and serve very hot.

Ingredients

* 1/4 pound of macaroni
* 2 ounces of butter
* good gravy or stock
* 3 tablespoonsful of grated Parmesan and Cheddar mixed
* tiny pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

Cut up macaroni in small pieces and put it in boiling salted water. When sufficiently cooked, drain and put it into a saucepan with butter, add good gravy or stock, Parmesan and Cheddar mixed, and nutmeg. Stir over a brisk fire, and serve very hot.

Ingredients

* 1/2 package of macaroni
* 1 onion
* 1 tomato

Instructions

Cook macaroni in boiling water for fifteen minutes and then turn into a colander and place under cold running water.

Now mince onion and tomatoe fine and place 4 tablespoons of fat in a frying pan. When hot, add the onion and tomato, cook until soft and then add the macaroni. Toss gently until hot and then cover it closely to prevent drying out.

If too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water. Season with pepper, salt and 1/2 cup catsup.

Ingredients

* 1 pound of shin beef
* 3 pints of cold water
* 2 onions cut fine
* 1 medium-sized carrot cut in dice
* 1/2 cup of tomato aux fines herbes
* 2 teaspoons of salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
* 6 ounces of prepared macaroni

Instructions

Wipe with damp cloth and cut beef in one-inch blocks. Roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Place in a deep saucepan and add cold water, onions, and carrot. Bring to a boil and cook gently until the meat is tender. Now add tomato aux fines herbes, salt, paprika, and macaroni. Bring this mixture to a boil and then cook until the macaroni is well heated. Pour on a large platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

If small quantities of fried or boiled ham remain after a meal, they can be used with macaroni to make a very tasty dish known as macaroni Italian style. As ham is a highly seasoned meat, it improves the flavor of the macaroni and at the same time adds nutrition to the dish.

Sufficient to serve six.
Ingredients

* 1 cupful macaroni
* 2 quarts boiling water
* 2 teaspoonfuls salt
* 2 tablespoonfuls butter
* 2 tablespoonfuls flour
* 1 1/2 cupfuls scalded milk
* 2/3 cupful grated cheese
* 1 teaspoonful salt
* 1/2 teaspoonful paprika
* 1/2 cupful finely chopped, cold boiled ham
* 1/4 cupful crumbs

Instructions

Break the macaroni into inch lengths and cook it in the boiling water to which has been added 2 teaspoonfuls of salt. Drain, and then reheat it in a white sauce made of the butter, flour, and milk. Add the cheese and season with salt and paprika.

Arrange in layers in a baking dish, placing the cold ham between each two layers of macaroni and having the top layer of macaroni, sprinkle the crumbs on top of the upper layer, and bake the food until the crumbs are brown. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Instructions

Season tender veal cutlets with salt and red pepper and sauté in hot olive-oil; then cover and simmer until tender.

Boil macaroni until tender; drain. Add the macaroni to the veal with 1 cup of stock, and 3 tablespoonfuls of chopped cheese. Let all simmer ten minutes.

Put on a platter and cover with bread-crumbs fried in butter. Serve hot.

Ingredients

* macaroni
* 2 tablespoonfuls of butter
* 1/2 cup of chopped boiled tongue
* 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
* 1/2 cup of grated cheese
* highly seasoned tomato-sauce
* 1 small glass of wine

Instructions

Boil macaroni in salted water until tender. Drain.

Then heat butter in a saucepan; add the macaroni, boiled tongue, mushrooms, cheese. Cover, let get very hot.

Then mix tomato-sauce with wine; let boil up and pour over the macaroni. Serve hot with roast veal.

This is a favorite dish in the writer’s family, having been sent many years ago from Italy by a friend who had learned its composition from her Italian cook. Its name was bestowed by the children of the house.
Ingredients

* 1 large cup of chopped meat
* 2 onions minced and fried brown in butter
* 1 pint of cold boiled macaroni or spaghetti
* 1 pint of fresh or cold stewed tomatoes
* 1 teaspoonful of salt
* 1/2 teaspoonful of white pepper

Instructions

Butter a pudding dish, and put first a layer of macaroni, then tomato, then meat and some onion and seasoning, continuing this till the dish is full. Cover with fine bread crumbs, dot with bits of butter, and bake for half an hour. Serve very hot.

Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* pinch of salt
* flour

Instructions

Beat eggs with 2 tablespoonfuls of water.

Add a pinch of salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough work well.

Then roll out as thin as paper; fold the dough and cut into round pieces.

Fry in deep hot lard to a golden brown.

Serve hot with stewed chicken.

Instructions

Make a stiff noodle-dough.

Roll out very thin and cut into ribbons half an inch wide.

Let them dry and boil in salted water; drain in a colander.

Fry some sliced onions in butter until soft.

Add the noodles. Stir and serve hot with stewed chicken.

Pasta with Hot DogsThis dish contains pasta and chopped hot dogs, baked in an oven.

Ingredients

• 200g pasta (can be reduced)
• 300g hot dogs (can be increased)
• 1 leek
• 1 red bell pepper
• 350g maize corn (can be skipped)
• 4 eggs
• 2dl milk
• 1tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Boil the pasta according to directions on package.

Chop down the hot dogs, leek and red pepper.

Put the (relatively) dry incredients (pasta, hot dogs, red pepper and maize corn) into a baking form.

Whip the eggs and milk together and season as needed with salt and pepper

Pour the mix over the dry incredients, and bake everything together in a 200-225°C hot oven, for 25-35 minutes.

(If fresh pasta is used for this recipe, the amount of pasta must be doubled.)

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white beans.
• 1 cup of olive oil.
• A whole clove of garlic, unshelled.
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 teaspoon or more crushed or ground hot red pepper.
• fresh parsley
• 1/2 pound of small diameter macaroni, whole wheat is best.
• salt to taste.

Instructions

1. Put washed beans in salted water, 3 parts to 1 part beans.
2. Soak overnight OR bring to boil, boil 2 minutes and let stand, covered, for 1 hour.
3. Do not drain beans, but bring to a boil.
4. Skim off foam and add oil, garlic and bay leaf.
5. Simmer for about 2 hours, or until tender.
6. Cook pasta for 6 or 7 minutes, but don’t let it get too soft.
7. Drain pasta & save some of the water.
8. Stir pasta & red pepper into beans and simmer until pasta is eatably soft, adding some of the saved water if necessary.
9. Garnish with red pepper to taste and parsley.

Tips

• Beans: Use whichever sort is the favorite in your neighborhood and likely to be freshest. In Southern California that would be pinto beans, in the deep South, blackeyed peas or perhaps butter beans. Garbanzos might be good. Navy beans are always safe.

• Olive Oil: Use the best grade you can get: Cold pressed, Extra Virgin.

• With a salad and some red wine this is a hearty meal, and can be eaten the next day, cold or reheated.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch (1cm) thick slices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oregano, to taste
• About ½ cups flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 (¼-inch-thick) (0.5cm) Lemon slices
• 2 artichoke hearts, cut into quarters (canned is fine)
• ½ cup (120g) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ teaspoon capers
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
• 3 ounces (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons or 90g) heavy cream
• 1 cup [240g] (loosely packed) fresh spinach
• Pinch fresh rosemary
• ½ pound (225g) linguine, cooked al dente and drained

Directions

1. Season the chicken slices with salt, pepper, and oregano.
2. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour.
3. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or large sauté pan (not non-stick) over high heat until very hot.
4. Add olive oil.
5. When oil begins to smoke, add the chicken pieces.
6. Cook until pieces are seared on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
7. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm, leaving the oil in the pan.
8. Add the lemon slices to the hot pan and cook until caramelized, about 1 minute per side.
9. Add the artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, capers, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 2 minutes.
10. Add the white wine and cook until reduced to a glaze.
11. Return the chicken to the pan with the cream, and sauté for 2 minutes.
12. Add the spinach, rosemary, and cooked linguine.
13. Cook, tossing to combine linguine and sauce, just until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
14. Serve immediately.

Lasagne is a baked pasta dish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 lb. minced (ground) beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (divided)
• 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, undrained, halved, seeds removed
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 16 oz. package lasagna
• 16 oz. package of mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (a wire cutter is nice for semi-soft cheeses like this)
• about 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Remove sausage casings, and break sausage into small bits.
2. Sauté sausage and ground beef in 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat with onion and garlic until the meat is browned.
3. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, fennel, pepper, and half the parsley; mix well.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and water, mashing the tomatoes a bit. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
6. Cook and drain pasta.
7. In a medium bowl mix ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining parsley.
8. Assemble your lasagna in a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ roasting pan (listed bottom to top):
   • bottom layer of sauce (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
   • layer of pasta (overlapping slightly)
   • layer of 1/2 the ricotta mixture
   • layer of 1/3 of the mozzarella
   • sauce layer (again, about 1 1/2 cups)
   • layer of grated Parmesan sprinkled over sauce (not so much that the sauce layer is covered entirely)
   • layer of pasta
   • layer of remaining ricotta
   • layer of 1/3 of the mozzarella
   • layer of remaining sauce
   • layer of sprinkled Parmesan
   • layer of remaining mozzarella
9. Cover the lasagna with foil and roast 30 minutes covered, then 25 minutes uncovered (or until bubbly and lightly browned). Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Uncooked lasagnas freeze very well so the extra work can be done well in advance. You can make several batches at a time and freeze the extras to thaw out and cook later.

This recipe has been improved on over the generations. The reason why this is cooked on the stove top & only browned in the oven is that in Greek villages there was a shared village oven. So dishes like these were popular as they could be browned after the bread had been baked.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons stale breadcrumbs to top

Pasta Mix

• 250g Macaroni pasta.
• 2 eggs whole beaten lightly.
• ¾ cup Grated fresh pamesan cheese.

Meat Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil.
• 2 medium chopped onions.
• 750g Minced Meat (better to do it yourself in the food processor).
• 400–450g Canned Chopped Tomatoes.
• ⅓ Cup tomato paste.
• ½ Cup water.
• ¼ Cup dry white wine.
• 1 tablespoon beef stock powder.
• ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder.
• 1 egg beaten lightly.

Greek style Bechamel sauce

• 100g Butter.
• ½ cup plain flour.
• 3½ cups milk.
• 1 cup Grated Fresh Parmasen cheese.
• 2 egg yolks.

Equipment required

• 2.5 Litre (10 cup) Baking dish metal/glass/ceramic are fine.
• 2 Large saucepans for Meat sauce & pasta.
• 1 medium to large saucepan for Bechamel sauce.

To avoid a large clean up at the end just reuse the same saucepan.

Procedure

It is a good idea to start your meat sauce first as this needs to cool before you can begin construction.

Meat Sauce

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in pan.
2. Saute 2 chopped onions then,
3. Add 750g of Minced meat cook till well browned.
4. Add 400–450g of chopped canned tomatoes liquid & all.
5. Add ⅓ cup Tomato Paste.
6. Add ½ cup water.
7. Add ¼ cup wine.
8. Add 1 tablespoon Beef stock powder.
9. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder.
10. Simmer uncovered, until it becomes thick in consistency.
11. Once thick transfer into a mixing bowl to cool.
12. Once cool stir in 1 Lightly beaten egg.

Greek Style Bechamel sauce

1. Melt 100g butter in pan
2. Add ½ cup plain flour
3. Stir over heat until bubbling.
4. Remove pan from heat.
5. Gradually add 3½ cups milk - (Please note mixture will become thick & then will thin again).
6. Return pan to heat until sauce bubbles then thickens.
7. Stir in 1 cup parmesan cheese.
8. Transfer to mixing bowl.
9. Cool slightly.
10. Mix in 2 egg yolks.

Pasta Mix

1. Cook 250 g Macaroni pasta as per directions on packet until tender.
2. Drain pasta.
3. Transfer Pasta to Mixing Bowl
4. Mix Pasta while hot with
5. ¾ cup parmesan cheese and,
6. 2 eggs which are lightly beaten.

Construction

1. Grease baking dish.
2. Press pasta mix into base of pan.
3. Top pasta mix with the Meat sauce.
4. Pour over the Greek Style Bechamel Sauce over the Meat sauce (smooth the top).
5. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Stale Breadcrumbs over the top.

In preheated oven- Bake at 180 Degrees Celsius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 1 hour till golden brown.

Stand for at least 10 mins before serving.

Leftovers freeze well so it is a great freezer cooking dish.

Ingredients

• 3-4 quarts boiling salted oiled water
• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices smoked bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon-1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 12-16 ounces tomato sauce
• 2-4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Boil spaghetti 6 minutes or so, just al dente, drain.
2. As water is put on to boil, start heating olive oil in medium saucepan, and sauté bacon until fat is just clear.
3. Add onion and sauté until soft.
4. Add crushed red pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more.
5. Add tomato sauce and heat through.
6. Remove from heat, add Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately over spaghetti.
7. May garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.