Perfect Recipe

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (al Limone)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, bring 4 quarts of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to water. Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 3/4 cups of pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

In the now-empty Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cooking until shallot has softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pasta water and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add pasta, tossing to coat. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, lemon zest and juice, cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Cover and allow pasta to stand for about 2 minutes, tossing halfway through, so that the sauce can thicken and pasta can absorb the sauce. If needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce. Stir in basil and add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, drizzle each individual portion with olive oil and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

450g dried Fettuccine
2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in cubes
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 onion, minced
1 garlic clove
2/3 cup mushroom, chopped
250g cream cheese, in pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 to 4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parsley

Directions:

Cook the fettuccine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until “al dente”. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the chicken with olive oil and season with garlic, salt and pepper. Reserve.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in the same saucepan you cooked the chicken over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add cream cheese and cook until it melts. Add heavy cream, mushrooms, milk and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the chicken. Add the butter-cream mixture and toss to combine thoroughly. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
16 ounces, weight Corkscrew Pasta
1 jar Kalamata Or Assorted Olives
1 pint Ripe Cherry Tomatoes (cut In Halves)
10 leaves Basil (10-15 Leaves), Chopped Or Julienne
1-½ cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated

Dressing:
1 jar Sundried Tomatoes (7 Oz.)
4 cloves Garlic
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Dressing:
In a blender combine sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Continue blending while drizzling in olive oil until mixed together.

Pasta:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.
Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta. Add olives and toss together. Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.
Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

400gr elbow macaroni (al dente)
900g heavy cream
8 tbsp shredded parmesan
300gr shredded mozzarella
100gr shredded cheddar
250 g fried bacon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and black pepper
chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
Mix all the ingredients. Season with salt, parsley and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients:

500 g spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
200 g pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
300 ml heavy cream
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken. Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls. Pass more cheese around the table.