This Classic Pesto (Genoese Basil) sauce recipe can be used many ways; over pasta served hot or as a dressing for a summer salad. Brush it on fish or chicken for grilling or baking or spread on crusty bread.

If the pure basil taste is too strong for you replace up to 1/3 of the basil with fresh parsley. Make extra as it also freezes well.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed down)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBLS Pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 TSP salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBLS grated Romano Pecorino cheese
3 TBLS butter at room temperature

Directions:

Put all ingredients except the cheese and butter in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Fold in by hand the cheese and butter until blended well.
This will cover about 1LB of cooked warm pasta.

**OPTIONS**  Health Friendly omit the butter.
If you are serving as a salad you can add cooked cut green beans or cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Ingredients;
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
4-5 slices of Pancetta, diced
3 Tablespoons minced celery
3 Tablespoons minced carrot
3 Tablespoons minced onion
3 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
28oz – 35 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/ 2 cup of vodka
1/2 cup of heavy cream {more if you like it very light in color)
1 pound of Penne pasta, cooked according to box directions
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions;
In a large sauce pan add the butter & oil and saute the pancetta.
Add the minced veggies and saute for 5 mins or so.
Add the tomatoes and simmer on low covered for 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Pour the sauce into a blender and puree or use a hand held blender in the pot.
(At this point you can freeze this and add the vodka & cream when you are going to use it.)
Add the vodka and basil, simmer uncovered for 10 mins.
Add the cream and simmer 2-3 minutes.
Combine with the cooked penne and serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese..

What’s nice about this version of Italian potato salad is it’s not heat sensitive, no mayo to worry about in the summer heat.

Recipe Ingredients:
5 large red potatoes, skin left on
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBLS chopped parsley
1 TSP Basil cut thin
1/4 of a red onion sliced thin
2-3 TBLS white champagne vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Recipe Directions:
Boil potatoes until fork tender but not mushy. Cool and cut into slices or 1 inch cubes. Add all other ingredients and mix. Serve at room temperature.

A great summer cook out dish,  Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Potatoes.  Easy to bring along to feed a crowd.

Serve it in a plate or cut in half a large round crusty Italian bread, hollow it out and fill it with the sausage, peppers, potatoes and onions.  A very “Jersey” Italian sausage sandwich !!

Recipe Ingredients:
5 large red or Yukon gold potatoes
8 Italian sausage links
Olive oil
4 colored bell peppers cut into strips
2 large sweet onions sliced
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Recipe Directions:
Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place them in a baking pan large enough to hold the sausage too. Toss with 2 TBLS olive oil and bake at 375 for 40 min. Grill sausage until browned and slice each link into three pieces and add to potatoes the last 15 mins of baking. Sautee the onions & peppers with 3 TBLS olive oil. You can leave the pepper-onions on the side or toss all together and serve.

***Lower the carbs by eliminating the potatoes***

Sicilian Fig Cookies Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 TSP baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 X·large egg
1 TSP vanilla
1/4 CUP milk
1/2 cup dried figs, soaked in water, water drained off when ready to use
1/2 cup dried dates, pitted & chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey
1/2 TSP cinnamon
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 large egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
Colored non parell sprinkles
Parchment paper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt & sugar, set aside. Mix together the egg, milk, butter and vanilla, set aside. Mince up (food processor works best) the dried fruit, honey. cinnamon, marmalade & almonds until finely chopped, set aside. The fruit mixture will be thick. Beat the butter and add the flour mixture until smooth. Tum the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times. Shape into a ball and cut In four pieces. Work with one piece at a time leaving the others covered with plastic wrap. Roll the dough out to about 12 x 4. Cut oblong pieces about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide, you can make larger cookies if you wish or other shapes. Place about a tablespoon (add more If you make larger cookies) of fruit mixture on the end and roll and pinch the seam. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet place seam side down and pinch the ends and curve it into a crescent. Make 3 small cuts with a knife on the bent side of the crescent. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with non parells.
Bake at 375 for about 17 mins until lightly brown. Makes about 35-40 cookies depending on how big you make them.

My Aunt Chris made Paglia e Fieno for us many years ago.  The name means “Hay and Straw in Italian. The original recipe was from a great Italian cook, Marcella Hazen.

Recipe Ingredients:
12oz fettuccini, mixed yellow & spinach is preferred
1 cup heavy cream
5 TBLS unsalted butter
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
5oz pancetta, diced
12oz mushrooms, chopped, any kind
2 TBLS shallot, minced
1/2 TSP salt
Pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg

Recipe Directions:
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Melt butter in pan (big enough to hold all ingredients) and add shallots. Cook for a few mins until they are soft. Add the chopped mushrooms bring them to a simmer on med-high then reduce temp to med & add the salt. The juices will dry and then add the pancetta and cook 5 mins or so and then add half the cream.
Simmer a few mins until all is hot. Add the egg yolk to the remaining cream and stir to blend and add it into the pan along with the cheese, nutmeg & pepper to taste. Make sure the pasta is ready and pour over & toss & serve immediately.

These Pignoli Cookies are a very old Italian favorite. They have no flour so they are gluten free.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 x 8oz Almond paste (Solo brand is what most supermarkets carry)
3 X-Lrg egg whites
1/2 Cup Confectioners sugar
1 TSP baking powder
8oz raw Pignoli (Pine Nuts)
Parchment paper

Recipe Directions:
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Blend all ingredients together except for nuts.
The dough will be very sticky. Drop dough by level tablespoons full into nuts and place nut side up onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 mins until very lightly brown.

This recipe is not as difficult as some may think. The tender crepes are just soft and creamy as can be.
A classic Italian holiday pasta.

Recipe Ingredients:
Shell:
4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 cups water
4 eggs
4 TBLS olive oil
30 wax paper squares
Shell Recipe Directions:
Blend together until smooth. Mixture will be a very thin crepe like batter.
In a very good non stick pan pour 1/4 cup of batter to form a crepe.

Let cook a few mins until just set but not brown and flip over for another minute. Place on plate with wax paper sheets in between the crepes. Repeat until batter is gone.

Filling Recipe Ingredients:
3LBS whole milk ricotta
3 X-Lrg eggs
2/3 cups grated Romano cheese
2/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
pepper to taste
3 TBLS minced parsley
3-4 cups of tomato sauce, your own or store bought
Recipe Directions:
Blend together (all but the tomato sauce) and fill center of crepe with about 3 heaping tablespoons of cheese mixture.

Fold crepe rolling over the sides to curl around the cheese forming a tube like shape

At this point you can also freeze them, wrapped as pictured in wax paper. Just take out what you want to make and leave the rest frozen.

Place open side down in a roasting pan that has a coating of tomato sauce. Space a inch or so in between the manicotti as they expand when cooked. Once pan is filled, top with a thin layer of tomato sauce and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 oven for about 30-40 mins until the manicotti have puffed and expanded. Let set 10 mins before serving.

Makes about 30 manicotti

Recipe Ingredients:

12oz fettuccini, mixed yellow & spinach is preferred
1 cup heavy cream
5 TBLS unsalted butter
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
5oz pancetta, diced (Italian unsmoked bacon)
12oz mushrooms, chopped, any kind
2 TBLS shallot, minced
1/2 TSP salt
Pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg

Recipe Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the box instructions. Melt butter in pan (big enough to hold all ingredients) and add shallots. Cook for a few mins until they are soft. Add the chopped mushrooms bring them to a simmer on med-high then reduce temp to med & add the salt. The juices will dry and then add the pancetta and cook 5 mins or so and then add half the cream.
Simmer a few mins until all is hot. Add the egg yolk to the remaining cream and stir to blend and add it into the pan along with the cheese, nutmeg & pepper to taste. Make sure the pasta is ready and pour over & toss & serve immediately.