Ravioli alla Vodka

Ingredients

1 lb pasta

48 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup vodka

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Combine all (but the pasta) into a medium pot and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. For the tomato sauce, I cheated and used a jar of Classico.

Cook the pasta to package directions in a large pot, drain well and put back in the pot and add the sauce. Stir to combine. For the pasta I used packaged ravioli, but you can use penne or any other large-ish sized pasta.

Penne Carbonara

Ingredients

1/2 lb pancetta, diced into 1/4'' cubes

S&P

6 eggs - room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream - room temp

1 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

1 lb mezze penne

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook pancetta in a large pan until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with cream until combined. Season with S&P and stir in 1 cup of the paremesan. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish and for additional sprinkling at the table.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain quickly and return to the large pot (don't drain thoroughly). Immediately add the egg cream mixture. Stir to combine and then add the parsley and pancetta.

Pork & Sesame Noodles

Marinade

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1'' ginger, minced

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Ingredients

2 boneless pork chops, each cut in half making a total of 4

1 lb whole wheat fettuccine

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons peanut oil

4 green onions chopped on an angle

1 red bell pepper, diced

1'' ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili paste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons hot water

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds for garnish

1 teaspoon regular toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade. Put the pork and the marinade in a ziplock bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour, up to 6 hours.

Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool a bit and then slice into thin pieces.

Bring a big pot of water to boil - add a tablespoons of peanut oil into the water. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions and add an additional minute. Drain pasta and toss with sesame oil.

While pasta cooks heat the rest of the peanut oil in a medium pot. Add the green onions, red bell, ginger, garlic and chili paste. Cook for 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce and hot water. Stir until all is melted and combined.

In a large mixing bowl combine the pasta, pork and peanut sauce. Garnish with the sesame seeds. This can be served hot, room temperature or chilled.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

1 cup flour

S&P

1/4 cup EVOO

4 oz sliced up ham

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered

1 small shallots, sliced

1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2'' cubes

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 cup finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

Pound out the breasts to 1/4''. Put them in a ziplock bag - makes it easier. Put the flour in a large pie tin and season with fresh ground pepper and sea salt - mix to combine. Dredge the chicken in the flour.

Heat the oil over high heat. Cook the chicken 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter and cover.

Add the ham to the pan with the drippings. You can also use prosciutto instead of ham. I happened to have ham handy....also it's cheaper. Saute the ham or prosciutto for about a minute so it renders. Then add the mushrooms (I said quartered, half the smaller ones) squash, shallots, parsley and S&P. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the Marsala. Cook for two minutes and then add the chicken stock. Cook for another minute. Put the chicken back into the pan to warm through.

Roasted Pasta Primavera

Ingredients

1 cup baby carrots

2 medium zucchini, cut into strips

1 yellow squash, cut into strips

1 red bell pepperm cut into strips

1/8 cup EVOO

S&P

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

1 lb farfalle

1 cup grape tomatoes cut in halves

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/2 cup freshly grated asiago

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a large bowl (the same one you will use to combine the entire dish later) toss all the the vegetables with the EVOO, S&P and herbs. Transfer the veggies to a baking sheet evenly in one layer. Cook for 20 minutes.

At the same time, cook pasta to package directions and drain. Before you drain reserve a half cup of the starchy pasta water.

Toss the pasta with the veggies in that large bowl you started off with. Add the cherry tomatoes and some of the pasta water. Top with the grated cheeses.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 portobello mushrooms, stemmed (reserve 1 cup minced stems)

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons EVOO, plus more for drizzling

12 oz hot Italian sausages

12 oz sweet Italian sausages

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced yellow or orange bell pepper

1/4 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 grated Parmesan

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

Directions

Rub the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of EVOO.

Cook the sausage (squeeze it out of the casings) in a large skillet until browned, 4 minutes. Add the onion, pepper, celery and mushrooms stems. Cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine for an additional minute. Remove from heat.

Put the sausage and veggie mix into a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley and 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Pulse in the processor until all is combined, about 30 seconds.

Divide the filling among the mushrooms caps. Put them on a baking sheet. Mix together the remaining 1/4 cups of bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle the mixture over the mushrooms. Bake for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

Salmon Stir Fry

Ingredients

1/3 cup Teriaki sauce

3 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound salmon cut into 1'' cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1o oz white button mushrooms, sliced

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl combine the Teriaki, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Whisk thoroughly to combine and then add the salmon to marinade for 10 minutes.

Bring a pot of water with a splash of EVOO to a boil and drop the broccoli. Bring back to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain and cover.

Heat vegetable oil on high in a wok. Add the mushrooms (I used white button because that's what I had in the fridge...but shitake would be great) and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the salmon and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the covered broccoli with remaining salmon marinade. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately over rice.