Josephine Fusia’s Pasta Puttanesca

1/2-cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 lbs. Ripe fresh tomatoes-peeled, seeded & chopped

3/4 cup black Gaeta olives, pitted

1/4 cup drained capers, rinsed

3 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and pat dry, or 6 oil packed anchovy fillets, drained

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed

1 1/3 lbs. Vermicelli or spaghetti

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large covered pot, bring 6 quarts of cold water to a boil for the pasta.  Meanwhile, in a noncreative skillet large enough to hold the cooked pasta, warm the olive oil over moderate heat.  Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat for 10 minutes. 

Finely chop the anchovies and add to the skillet.  Stir in the parsley and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.  Season with salt.  Salt the boling pasta water, add the vermicelli and cook until al dente.  Drain and toss with the sauce.  Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve at once and pass the pepper mill.

Brittany Fusia’s Chicken and Artichokes  

1 large onion diced

1 can of artichoke hearts - drained

Couple of tablespoons of pine nuts - toasted

Couple of tablespoons of sun dried tomatoes

1 lb chicken tenderloins, shredded

4 cloves of garlic - sliced

Red pepper flakes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (of course)

Good pasta (it makes all the difference) – Recommend Orecchiette for this.

Heat olive oil, red pepper flakes, and 2 of the cloves of garlic until garlic is light brown--throw in onion and caramelize--then remove to a bowl.

Heat a little more olive oil and add artichokes. Saute until artichokes are brown on edges—remove.

Cook chicken with 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil until chicken is done—remove.

Boil the pasta, drain and toss everything together. Add the sun dried tomatoes and dress with more olive oil.

EAT and ENJOY!!!  

Andy & Jill Fusia’s Asparagus Fettuccine Toss  

To prevent avocados from turning brown, sprinkle them with a little lemon juice.

4 oz. Uncooked green fettuccine

4 oz. Uncooked regular fettuccine

2 tbs. Olive oil

3 to 4 tbs. Balsamic vinegar

8 oz. Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced

1 medium ripe avocado, out into 1/4-inch cubes

1/2 red pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbs. Grated Parmigiano cheese

Boil, lightly salted water in a large pan, cook fettuccine al dente.8 to 9 minutes.  Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again.  Transfer to serving bowl: toss with oil and vinegar.  Set aside. 

Boil water in a medium saucepan: cook asparagus until barely tender, 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain.  Toss asparagus with fettuccine.  Add onion and sprinkle with cued avocado and red pepper.  Add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with cheese if desired.  Serve immediately.  This is also good served chilled. 

Makes 4 servings

Marion Fusca Orazi’s White Lasagna

This was one of Marion ’s “Super Bowl “ party recipes…. many of her friends and family enjoyed this dish on “Super Bowl Sunday”.  

Submitted by her daughter-in-law Michelle Orazi

9 x 13 buttered lasagna pan

1 lb. Lasagna noodles

1 lb. Ground meat

1/2 pound of loose sweet Italian sausage

3 packs frozen spinach/drained well and cooked

3 lbs. Ricotta cheese with chopped parsley

3 cups of graded cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3 cups of cream sauce made with half and half and butter

Cook and drain the spinach.  Cook the ground meat and Italian sausage in a small amount of olive oil until completely cooked.  Melt 1 stick of butter in 3 cups of half and half to create the cream sauce. 

Cook the lasagna noodles per the instructions on the box.   Lightly grease the lasagna pan with butter. Coat the bottom with a nice layer of the cream sauce.  Make the first layer noodles, the next ricotta, next meat, and next spinach, next grated cheese and repeat with the cream sauce.  Repeat this order until you get to the top of the pan.  Finish with a layer of mozzarella cheese.   

Bake with foil in oven at 350 degrees for 45 min. to 1 hour.

Great with baked chicken….

Michelle Orazi’s Quattro Formaggi Pasta

5 tbs. Butter

1/4-cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

5 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbed

4 oz. Fontina, grated

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt

1 lb ziti, cooked al dente and drained

4 oz.  Parmigiano cheese, grated

4 oz.  Mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1-teaspoon paprika

Butter a 2-quart baking dish.  Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the milk.  Cook, stirring constantly until lightly thickened to the consistency of cream.  Whisk in the Gorgonzola and fontina.  Continue to whisk until the cheeses are melted.  Season with the nutmeg and salt to taste.  Remove from the heat.

Combine the cheese sauce and cooked ziti.  Stir in the mozzarella and spoon into the baking dish.  Sprinkle with Parmigiano and then the paprika.  Bake until bubbling and the top is browned.  30-40 minutes. 

Serve immediately.

Tom Fusia's Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 lbs of ripe tomatoes – Roma’s work best

5-7 cloves of garlic - chopped

Rosemary – 2-3 sprigs worth of the leaves

Zest from one lemon

Salt

Pepper

Extra virgin olive oil 

This is very easy and very good.  Tomatoes get this great rich taste when they are roasted and get a little char on them.

Cut the tomatoes up into 1 – 1 ½ inch chunks

Put them in a bowl with the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and salt & pepper.

Pour about 1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil over the tomato mixture and stir together.

Dump it into a rectangular casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes uncovered.

Every 10 minutes, take the sauce out of the oven and stir the tomatoes.

At the end of the baking time, put the casserole under the broiler for about 10 minutes. You want the tops of the tomatoes to get a little burnt but not too much (it adds a really cool taste), so keep an eye on them.

When done, stir it again and serve over tube pasta like rigatoni or penne or stuffed pasta like tortelloni.

You can also play with the ingredients and use oregano instead of rosemary, more or less garlic, or fresh basil. If you use fresh basil, don’t add it until the sauce is out from under the broiler.  Basil loses most of it’s flavor if cooked too long.

Uncooked Tomato Sauce

Make this only with fresh ripe home grown tomatoes.  If you make this with grocery store tomatoes, make sure they are very ripe, otherwise you will be disappointed.

2 – 3 lbs of ripe tomatoes – peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces

5 -7 cloves of garlic – chopped

A bunch of fresh basil -  torn into pieces or cut into ribbons – do not use dried basil   

½ cup of good extra virgin olive oil

Put a little salt on the cut up tomatoes and let them drain in a colander for about an hour or so (overnight would be better – it concentrates the tomato taste)

Stir together the tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil in a ceramic bowl and let sit for several hours covered with plastic wrap. 

Add a little salt & pepper to taste

Serve over  spaghetti or linguine

You don’t even need grated cheese -  it is good just this way.  

Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves  

Stir together the olive oil, Parmigiano, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Pasta con Carciofi - Pasta with Artichokes

1 16 oz can of artichoke hearts or a package of frozen or better yet fresh 4 –5 of them cleaned and cut       up into slices

2 oz  ¼” thick Pancetta sliced into slivers

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 medium sweet onion, diced

Juice of ½ a lemon

1/3  cup white wine  Soave or Pinot Grigio are good

1 pound spaghetti or linguini or penne

½  cup reserved pasta water

3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese grated fresh – not from a can!!!!!

½ + cup fresh Italian parsley - chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

Fresh ground black pepper

Defrost frozen artichoke hearts or drain if canned.  

Put the pancetta in a frying pan with a little olive oil and sauté on low med until golden brown.  Remove and put on a paper towel.

Leave a little of the pancetta grease and add the olive oil, onion and garlic. Sautee until the garlic is tan colored but not brown. 

Add the artichoke hearts and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes

Add the thyme, wine and lemon juice and cook until the wine is reduced.  

In the meantime, bring salted water to boil for the pasta and cook al dente.  

Take out about ½ cup of pasta water and set aside.  

Add the pasta to the artichoke mixture and toss together with the pancetta - add some of the pasta water if it seems too dry.  

Sprinkle with the parsley, cheese and black pepper.  

This is the basic recipe - the ingredients are approximations - you can fiddle with them if you like more or less of something.  

Enjoy with the rest of the wine.  

Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups whole milk

Pinch nutmeg

10 fresh sage leaves

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender. Add the sage leaves and blend until smooth. Return the sage sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Variation – add some Italian sausage – brown 3 - 4 links worth taken out of the casings. Include in each layer of the lasagna.

Elisabetta Francalanza's Puttanesca  

Tradition has this originating in Naples but the Calabrese also claim it.  Supposedly it is has aphrodisiac properties. The flavor is complex, sensual and seductive yet it’s quick and easy to make.  

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 anchovy fillets - chopped

3 nice sized cloves of garlic – minced

hot red pepper flakes - enough to make it interesting but don’t over due it

2  28 oz cans whole peeled plum tomatoes – chopped (about 3 cups if you use fresh)

salt – just a little because the other ingredients are salty

1 tablespoon fresh oregano - chopped  (1/2 tbsp if dry)

1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons of capers  (rinsed)

10  black olives (Kalamata also work well) - pitted and cut into quarters

Put olive oil and anchovies in a large skillet and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, over med-low heat until the anchovies dissolve about 5 min.  

Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until the garlic just starts to turn color - about 1 min - don’t overcook the garlic.  

Add the tomatoes, oregano and a little salt and raise the heat to med-high.  After the tomatoes come to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 - 45 min.  

Cook the pasta - spaghetti and linguini work best.  

When the pasta is almost done, add the capers, olives and parsley to the sauce and blend in.  

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.  Drizzle a little olive oil over it but no cheese!  

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