Old Flaves
New Flaves Rachael Ray - Christmas Pasta We eat fish on Christmas Eve — no meat allowed. After Midnight Mass, all bets are off! We make this sauce for Christmas Day; you can’t fit another meat in the pot! As many times as you reheat it, it just gets that much better, so if people are coming and going throughout the day, cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time — half a pound for every three people.
ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried, 1/4 pound pancetta, thick. Cut, chopped into small bits (Italian cured pork, ask at deli counter), 1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage, 1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal, 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped, 1 rib celery, chopped, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 cup good quality dry red wine, 1 cup prepared beef stock, paper container or canned, 2 (32-ounce) cans chunky style crushed tomatoes, a handful chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, 1/4 teaspoon (a couple of pinches) allspice or cinnamon, Coarse salt and black pepper, 2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente, Grated Pecorino Romano, as an accompaniment. Fresh crusty bread for mopping.
preparation
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes. Chop carrot, celery and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat 5 minutes and add wine. Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot. Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves. Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table.
for the love of food...
holiday biscotti
Ingredients:
Giada De Laurentiis
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped, 2/3 cup dried cranberries, 12 ounces goodquality white chocolate, chopped. Red and green sugar crystals for garnish.
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.
bon appetite !!!
42 Florida Bride Fall/Winter 2015 ♥ www.florida-bride.com
A