Chef Todd English
Carciofi Cacio e Pepe ~ Shaved Artichoke Spaghettini
Number of servings (yield): 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby artichokes (shaved)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup walnuts (toasted)
- 1 lb fresh spaghetti
- 2 cups Pecorino
- 1 tbs coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 bunch chopped parsley
Instructions
- Baby Artichokes:
- Peel artichokes down and shave them on a Japanese mandolin or very sharp knife.
- In a large saute pan, cook shaved artichokes in extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Remove, drain and reserve.
- Toasted Walnuts:
- Place whole shelled walnuts on a sheet pan and toast in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until color darkens.
- Remove from oven, and let cool. Once cool, chop in food processor or grate using micro plane.
- Spaghetti:
- In a 6 qt sauce pan, boil 1 lb spaghetti until soft, about 8 minutes or per box directions.
- While pasta is cooking, ladle out 4 – 6 oz of the boiling pasta water and reserve for use in sauce (see method below)
- Strain pasta and put directly into sauce.
- Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, combined grated pecorino, coarsely ground black pepper, and ground walnuts.
- Pour 4 – 6 oz hot pasta water over mixture and whisk until sauce comes together and cheese melts.
- Toss in cooked shaved baby artichokes and chopped parsley stirring to coat.
- To Plate:
- Place in pasta bowls, garnish with shaved pecorino, shaved raw baby artichokes, and leftover ground walnuts.
- Serve immediately.
Papa Carciofi
Number of servings (yield): 4 – 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- 1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
- 1 heaping tbs chopped pancetta
- 6 large fresh artichoke bottoms, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or canned low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups cubed day-old bread (hearty peasant loaf) 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tbs chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for tossing
- 8 oz lump crab meat or Jonah crab
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese- shaved for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
Instructions
- Place a large sauce pan over medium heat and when hot add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add garlic, onion, & pancetta, stirring well after each addition and cook until the onion has softened but not colored – 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add artichokes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, increase heat to medium-high bring to low boil and cook until artichokes are soft, 5 – 7 minutes.
- Add bread cubes and basil.
- Cook for 2 minutes.
- Roasted tomatoes:
- Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place on sheet pan and roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until charred.
- Remove and let cool to room temperature.
- Lightly toss into the crab meat with a tablespoon of olive oil.
- To Plate:
- Serve at room temperature in small bowls.
- First place the artichoke soup in the bowl, then top with the crab and tomato mixture.
- Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, garnish with chopped mint, and shaved parmesan cheese.
Lasagne Di Carnevale ~ Carnevale Lasagna
Number of servings (yield): 8
Ingredients
- 500 g Lasagne pasta, cooked to al dente, rinsed and with a little olive oil
- 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 200 g Small eggplant meatballs
- 200 g Ricotta cheese
- 800 g Tomato sauce
- 500 g Mozzarella, chopped
- 150 g Parmesan, grated
- 150 g Ham, chopped
- 150 g Salame, chopped
- 200 g Sausage (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 ° C or about 375 ° F.
- In a large baking pan, add a scoop of tomato sauce to the bottom and spread, so the Lasagne won’t stick.
- Next, layer the lasagne pasta on the bottom so that they also hang over the edge of the pan (at the end, you will fold them in to close the Lasagne).
- In a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese and several scoops of tomato sauce and blend together to form a smooth, light pink sauce.
- Next, add a scoop of tomato sauce and spread over the pasta, then a couple of scoops of the ricotta sauce.
- Sprinkle several pieces of the sliced eggs, a handful of the little eggplant meatballs, several handfuls of the chopped mozzarella, a little chopped ham and a little chopped salame evenly into the baking pan.
- Then add another layer of lasagne, this time, just to cover the filling, not hanging over the edge.
- Repeat this process until the baking pan is almost full (probably 1 more but maybe 2 more times).
- To finish the Lasagne, layer the pasta to cover, tomato sauce, ricotta sauce then fold in the pasta from the edges.
- Add a little more tomato sauce and sprinkle a couple of generous handfuls of grated Parmesan over the top.
- End with one last layer of lasagne, tomato sauce, and generous grated Parmesan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
- Let the Lasagne cool down and set for a few minutes before serving.
The Kid’s Kitchen
Chloe & Siena’s Recipes
Strawberry Surprise
Well folks it’s March again! And something to make your March a lot brighter is this delicious treat, that I call, Strawberry Surprise! Here are the delicious, and simple ingredients to make it
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries, cut in half
- 1 cup of whipping cream, whipped (after the cake is cooked)
- ½ cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Mixer on medium
- Grease or spray a 9 by 12 pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, add the vanilla, blending well.
- Add the milk slowly, and then carefully add in all your dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan.
- Lightly sprinkle a few teaspoons of sugar on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Once the cake cools, cut into pieces.
- Carefully top the cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
Siena’s Healthy Fruit Dessert
Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Pears, Apple or any other fresh fruit
- Fresh whipped cream
- Tiny chocolate chips, if you want them
Instructions
- Wash and clean all the fruit.
- Cut the fruit into bite size pieces.
- Fill an individual sized glass bowl with a mixture of fruit. (Use a glass bowl so that you can see the colorful fruit!).
- Top each bowl with a generous dollop of whipped cream
- Add some mini chocolate chips or chocolate syrup, if you want.
- Enjoy! It’s yummy and I made it 2 nights in a row for my family!