Pasta Primavera

In a pot of boiling water, drop the following.

A handful of:

cauliflowerettes broccoli
peeled and chopped carrots

coarsely chopped onion
asparagus spears broke off at the bottom

Blanch these for about 15 minutes. You might want to give the carrots a head start, then the broccoli and cauliflower, then the asparagus, then the onions. Now scoop these blanched vegetables out with a slotted spoon leaving the boiling water behind. To avoid the peeling and all, you could buy a bag of mixed vegetables at the market. Add a tsp.of salt to the boiling water.

Drop a pound of spaghetti (1lb. package), and stir it around so it doesn't stick together. Now, you know what al dente is (to the tooth when you bite into it) so you want to stop the cooking process at this point by draining and setting aside.

In a sauce pan, heat 1 1/2 cups of your marinara sauce and add your strained pasta and then the vegetables. Cooking on low heat and stir in 4 tbsp.of grated parmigiano cheese. Make a beautiful presentation on your plate by adding, at the last minute, a diced up cold tomato sprinkled on top along with chopped parsley, followed by a little more parmigiano or romano (my favorite) cheese!

Maybe a spinach salad with ranch dressing, or a ceasar salad would be good with this recipe!

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Pollo Saltimboca

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices proscuitto
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tbsp. parsley
1/4 cup flour
4 oz. white wine
8 oz. chicken broth OR 2 bouilion cubes in 8 oz. water
1 tablespoon butter
4 slices provolone cheese

Pound chicken breasts with meat mallet until uniformly flat and about 1/4 inch thick. Lay slice of proscuitto on each chicken breast and cover both sides of meat with flour. Heat oil and butter in pan and add chicken breast, proscuitto side down. Brown for 3 minutes and turn over to brown other side, also 3 minutes. Add white wine and parsley and allow to simmer and thicken one minute. Sprinkle with black pepper and allow to simmer until chicken is completely cooked, about 5 minutes. Place a slice of provolone cheese over each chicken breast (the proscuitto should now be facing up) and allow cheese to melt. For the sauce, remove the pollo saltimbocca from the pan and add the broth and a tablespoon of butter and reduce to half.

Serve chicken breast with the sauce over top. Ooooh La La! Putty in your hands!

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Roast Chicken and Sauteed Asparagus Spears

Everything should be ready at the same time. Asparagus had a five minute head start. SO..chicken breasts are done in fifteen.Take chicken breast out and put on plate. In the pan add 1 tbsp. of butter and 1/4 cup of white wine and a squeeze of lemon and deglaze the pan, reduce and drizzle over chicken. Add your asparagus to plate next!

Make your plate beautiful with a gifted, artistic presentation (you and I both know you have always had that talent). Sit down, don't attack this meal...give it a Norton (he was on the Honeymooners), then enjoy!

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Roasted Leg Of Lamb

Any cut is suitable, but the most common are leg or shoulder. Cook it for 50 minutes per pound, plus 25 minutes 10 minutes more if you like it well done instead of pink. Make a number of slits all over the meat, and insert a small piece of peeled garlic into each one. Add a tiny sprig of rosemary to each slit as well. If the meat is tied, tuck sprigs of rosemary, thyme or marjoram under the string. This will give a lovely subtle herb flavour to the meat. You can also scatter lemon zest over the lamb before roasting. Squeeze lemon juice over the meat when serving. A popular touch in the Middle East, this gives lamb an extra dimension. Make a herb and crumb crust by combining fresh chopped parsley, mint, thyme and marjoram with fresh breadcrumbs, grated lemon zest and enough oil to bind the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and spread over the lamb before roasting.

The Gravy

1. Pour the meat juices and fat from the roasting tin into a tin that will go on the hob. Better still, use the roasting tin once the meat has been removed for resting.
2. Spoon off most of the fat and meat juices, leaving just a few tbsp.
3. Heat this gently until bubbling, then stir in 1 tbsp plain flour for each 225ml liquid (about a cup), that will be used. Cook the flour, stirring for 1 minute, but don’t let the mixture burn.
4. Gradually add stock or water, stirring between additions to avoid lumps.
5. If you wish, add wine, sherry or Madeira or a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Season to taste, then strain and serve hot.

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Short Ribs

Ingredients:

Short Ribs:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons coarsely cracked black peppercorns
3 (3-inch) strips orange zest (removed from orange with a vegetable peeler)
2 (750 ml) bottles hearty red wine, such as Zinfandel
8 (1-pound each) meaty single-rib portions beef short ribs, sawed crosswise in half by the butcher
2 quarts veal stock
1 1/2 cups pitted Nicoise olives
4 anchovy fillets, chopped

In a large nonreactive pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and orange zest. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool the marinade completely. Place the short ribs in a large nonreactive bowl and add the cooled marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight, preferably 24 hours.

Strain the marinade into a large nonreactive pot and discard the solids. Bring the marinade to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by one-fourth, 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the short ribs in a large, flameproof nonreactive casserole (such as enameled cast iron). Add the reduced marinade and the veal stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and bake until the beef is very tender and pulling from the bones, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Transfer the beef to a platter and cool. Discard the bones, trim away any excess fat, and return the beef to the casserole. Meanwhile, skim off and discard the fat on the surface of the cooking liquid. Strain the sauce into a large nonreactive pot and bring to a boil over medium heat-high. Add the olives and anchovies. Cook, skimming often, until the sauce reduces and is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, about 30 minutes. Pour the sauce over the short ribs. (The short ribs can be prepared up to 1 day in advance, cooled, covered, and refrigerated.)

Assembly:

Bring the short ribs and sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the short ribs are heated through, about 10 minutes. Spoon a portion of the potato pure onto the centers of 8 warmed dinner plates, and top each with the short ribs.

Spoon the sauce around the potatoes.

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Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini

Get yourself some nice size shrimp. About 10 - 15 count to the pound. If you have many people, adjust the recipe by doubling the ingredients. Clean, remove the shell, and devein the shrimp by taking a paring knife and and making a small incision under the tail. Then pull out that little vein (it's really something else but we'll just leave it alone at that). Set aside for the time being.

In a bowl mix 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of grated Parmagiano or, my favorite, Romano cheese.

1/2 tsp. of thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 crushed and pureed cloves of garlic
a pinch of salt and pepper

Now you want to drizzle Italian salad dressing on this mixture until it is moist but not saturated. Take each shrimp and coat with this mixture evenly and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Arrange so they aren't touching each other. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

THE ZUCCHINI

While these are baking, let's prepare the zucchini. Peel and cut them on a bias. Salt and pepper each peice and heat your skillet. Add olive oil and 1 tbs. of butter. Now take a clove of garlic and slice it in half and add it to the skillet. Remove the garlic and put the zucchini in. You are just flavoring the oil and butter. with the garlic. Saute the zucchini until a light golden brown on both sides.

Serve Kieto's Italian Scampi, along with the zucchini, with a fresh arrugala salad tossed in a simple vinegarette and cherry tomatoes and pearl onions, or with your favorite salad.

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Shrimp Terriyaki

You'll need 1 lb. (10 - 15 count) shelled and deveined raw shrimp. Marinate the shrimp in a covered bowl in these ingredients:

1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup of pineapple juice

4 tbs. soy sauce

1/2 cup of vegetable or olive oil

a pinch of salt and pepper

Marinate the shrimp for about a half an hour. Then you can broil or grill them basting with the marinate about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with with your favorite vegetable and a small salad. Mama mia!

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Spedini

You'll find a package of breakfast steaks at your grocery store. If you want to do this right, ask the butcher to slice very thin some beef top round. When you get home, take a glass and pound gently each slice. Then salt and pepper lightly each slice and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together really well:

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup of parmagiano cheese

1/2 cup of virgin olive oil

1/8 cup fresh chopped parsley

2 cloves fresh chopped garlic

1/4 cup of finely chopped onions

and salt and pepper to taste

If you have to, add a little extra olive oil to make moist, but not soaked. Lay out a slice of the beef and place a dollop of the mixture, spread and press down with fingers. Add a piece of provolone cheese in the center and roll up. Put a bay leaf inbetween each spedini (not inside the spedini but on top).

Place the rolled up Beef Spedini in a Pam or Olive Oil sprayed baking dish and repeat this process. If you have any of the mixture left, sprinkle a little on top. Then cover and put the baking dishin into the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Then uncover and bake at 325 degrees for 10 more! Mama Mia! Remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve them with a garnish of fresh parsley and a slice of lemon. Maybe a small side order of your favorite pasta! Woo hoo!!!

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Steak Mudega

Ingredients:

For 4 good cuts (12 oz) sirloin strips

In a bowl, mix:

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs
2 tbs. of my dry rub seasoning
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tbs. chopped parsley
4 tbs. Parmagiano Cheese
1 Tbs. crushed and diced garlic

Very lightly salt and pepper each sirloin srip. I use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Take a dollop of the breadcrumb mixture in your hand and press down onto the meat both sides. Drizzle a little more olive oil over them lightly. Put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Heat your skillet until when you put your hand over it, you feel the heat. Add 1/8 cup of olive oil. Add a pressed, but not crushed clove of garlic in the olive oil. Let it flavor the olive oil and remove.

Then add 2 tbs. of butter, then the sirloins. Brown on one side. Do not move them around too much. Then, turn them over and cook for about 3 minutes.

In your 350 degree preheated oven, put your skillet in and bake for 20 minutes, or, until desired doneness. Pull them out of the oven and remove them from the skillet to a platter. Grate fresh Parmigiano over the top and let rest.

Return you skillet to the stove top with heat on med high and add 1/8 cup of dry white wine, the juice of 1 lemon, and 2 tbs. of butter. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to get the browness incorporated into the sauce. Then, drizzle over the steaks.

Tie your guests to the chairs for after they taste this, they will want to run around the house screaming for joy.