Lasagna

You will have 3 layers of Lasagna.
What you put Between each layer is described below.

Ingredients needed.
Prep all ingredients before you cook the Lasagna Noodles.

• 2  -  32 oz  Containers of Cooking Sauce.  (look under Sauce for recipe)

• 1/2 Can Small Peas  Optional - divide into 2 = portions.

• 2 Boxes of Lasagna. There are 20 per box. You will need 1 box PLUS 13 from the 2nd box.  Cook Lasagna in an x-tra large Deep pot with 1 Tbs salt and 1/3 cup oil.  (oil doesn't make the Lasagna stick to each other.) Cook Aldente (hard). (You will be baking the Lasagna so, you don't want it to become very soft)  Drain out and cool off. Lay it over the collander or pot so they won't stick together.
• 15 Meatballs. (look under Meatballs for recipe) Mashed up.
•   3 Cups Ricotta  mixed with a pinch of Black Pepper, Garlic Powder,                                                2 Tbs Grated Cheese, 2 eggs
• Fresh Mozzarella log - Sliced 
•  4 oz Grated Cheese Romano Peccorino
• 1 lb whole milk mozzarella.
• 1/2 lb shredded Provoloni
• 2 links Sausages. Squeeze out of casing and sauté until cooked then chop them up. 
• 11 x 17 pan 2 " high.  Must be at least 2" high otherwise lasagna won't fit.                                       If you can find 3"in height that would be better.

 

Put everything in its own bowl and divide into portions I have listed.  This way you can make sure you have enough for each row.

 1.   Ricotta mix.  In 3 = portions

 2.   Mashed up Meatballs.  in 2 = portions                                     

 3.   Sausages 2 = portions.

 4.   Grated Cheese. You will just be sprinkling a 
       small amt ea. time. Approx. 2 Tbs.

 5.   Mozzarella Cheese in 3 = portions.

6.    Fresh Mozzarella

7.    Provolone
 8.   Sauce.  1 bowl. Large ladle full each time.

                       



A. 1st Row.

1.  Pour 2 Cups Sauce in bottom of pan. (you need a lot of sauce on the bottom of the pan, so it won't burn when you cook it. and only a little bit in between the layers.)

2.  Lay out Lasagna 8 horizontally.
     2 vertically.  Lay overlapping 1/2 way on top of each other.

3.  1st Portion:  1 Tbs Ricotta mix and fresh mozzarella in rows across the whole pan.

4.  Add in this order: Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, and Mozzerella. 



Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, Mozzarella.



5.  Pour a little bit of Sauce.  As shown above.
Wave the ladle across the pan. Don't need to much.





B.

6.  Add another layer of Lasagna.

7.  With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna.



8.  Lay down Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella as you did in Step A.

                  Next, in this order:  Grated Cheese 1 Tbs, Meatballs, Sausages, Sauce then Mozzarella. 

This is your last layer.

  9.  Add another layer of Lasagna.  

 10. With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna. 

11. Add Sauce. Smooth Sauce over lasagna completely.  Any 

      uncovered spots will burn.          

12.  Add Tsp full of Ricotta and pieces of fresh Mozzarella.  As shown above.

13.  1 tsp grated cheese.

14.  Add Mozzarella and Your done.

1.   Place aluminum foil over top. Making sure it doesn't touch the cheese.

2.  If cooking the next day place in fridge and take out 1 hour before cooking.  When Lasagna is from fridge it take approx. 50 - 60 mins to cook.

If cooking now.  Put oven on 400 degrees. Keep Lasagna covered.

Cooking time will vary 30 - 45 minutes.

When cheese is melted lasagna is done.  Nothing is raw.  So, all you have to worry about is to make sure the Middle part of the Lasagna is hot.

 

Yup!  That's right! to find out if it is hot, the Italian way is to Stick a knife in it and make a small opening then stick your finger in it. ha! ha! But, watch out you can burn your finger!  If it is hot it is Ready.  A better way is to use a food thermometer to check the temperature.  Once you determined it is hot then take the cover off and bake until cheese is lightly golden brown or to your liking.

LASAGNA MUST SIT FOR 5 - 10 MIN.

TO SETTLE BEFORE SERVING.

Enjoy!! 

FYI:  Lasagna is a big project and timely.
You can cook the Sauce and Meatballs up to 3 days before. Keep it in the fridge. Grate the mozzarella, slice the fresh mozzarella and put it into a ziploc bag to keep it from drying out place in the fridge.
I cook my Sauce one day then the Meatballs another day so, it doesn't take up too much of my time.
Better yet!!  Always keep a few containers of Cooking Sauce in the freezer so, you can always have it ready when needed.  I freeze 6 containers of sauce at a time.  Sauce can stay frozen up to a year.  Mine never last that long. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Marshmellows

10 large Sweet Potatoes - Peeled

3 Tbs Sugar Free Syrup
1 Tbs Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Stick Butter
1/2  Small Bag Miniature Marshmellows

• Slice Sweet Potatoes into chunks.  
• Bring large pot of water to boil with 1Tbs of salt.
• Add Sweet Potatoes and cook until fork goes threw.              Should not be mushy.
• Strain Potatoes and let sit for a minute to get all the water out. Then place in Baking Pan.
• Mash up Sweet Potatoes but leave some into chunks.
• Mix in melted butter, Syrup, and Brown Sugar.
• Taste.  If not sweet enough add more butter, syrup and Brown sugar.
• Spread out evenly in pan.  On top add thinly sliced pats of Butter and Brown Sugar.
• Add small marshmellows on top.
• If cooking them for the next day then put aluminium foil over pan and refrigate.  When ready to cook,  bake covered at 400 until hot. Approx 10 - 15 min. 
• OR
•  If making them the same day then bake covered for about 5 minutes. 

Take cover off and bake until golden brown. or to your liking.           2 minutes.  Watch closely because marshmellows burn quickly.  I always almost burn them! lol

Chicken Marsala





 8 slices Chicken Cutlet cut into 3 x 3 pcs
3 Eggs - beat and add a dash of salt, pepper and garlic
2 cups Flour add a dash of Salt and Pepper
Med. Onion thinly sliced
1 large pkg of fresh mushrooms
1 pkg of  Wide Egg Noodles
1 stick of Butter.
2 - 3 Small Cans of Beef Broth 14 oz.
6 Tbs + to your liking of Marsala Wine
Heavy Cream 1 cup for each frying pan

Cook Noodles and Strain.  Place in deep serving pan.  In a small pot mix 1/4 cup beef broth,  1Tbs butter,
and 1 Tbs Grated Cheese. Bring to boil and mix into noodles. (Just enough to have noodles moist and not dry out)

• Batter:  Dip Chicken in Eggs then pat in flour

•  Heat Olive oil then Place chicken in frying pan under Medium heat.         

•   Sprinkle a dash  of Salt, pepper and garlic powder.                                                                  

• Cook until golden Brown

• Place in baking dish.

If Chicken starts to burn replace oil and add new oil.

• Saute Onions with a little bit of Olive Oil until lightly golden

Add mushrooms, 2 Tbs butter

• Saute Until Mushrooms are cooked. About 2 minutes add 2 Tbs Marsala Wine and Saute for another minute.   Place in a bowl.

•  (Chicken and Mushrooms mix need to be sauteed together while adding ingredients below to have flavorful taste.)   
•  Divide chicken and mushroom mix into 3 parts or whatever is needed to have enough room in the frying pan to stir and flip.              
•  Place one part Chicken and Mushroom Mix in a large deep frying pan on med high heat.
• Add 2 Tbs Butter 2 -3  Tbs or more of Marsala wine.
• Swirl and Flip the mix in the pan to coat for 1 minute.
•  Repeat this procedure until finished.

Next Step is the Marsala cream sauce.

In frying pan add 2 TBS of butter and 1/2 can beef broth and 2 Tbs Marsala wine. Cook until butter is melted

Add in 8 oz of  Heavy cream. Bring to boil. if too thick add more beef broth.

Then add in 1 Tbs of grated cheese

Add in Mushroom and Onion mix

Add in Chicken and cook for about 2 minutes. 

Place Chicken Marsala on top of  Egg Noodles





CUCUZZA SOUP - Italian Squash Soup

Cucuzza Soup

Olivia @ 2 years old

Freeze in 16 oz containers. 

            CUCUZZA SOUP

• Sauce: 1 - 32 oz Nonna Fina Sauce (Fresh from garden tomatoes) or Sauce recipe below. 
• 3 can of Tuttorosso whole tomatoes. Cut ends off and discard. Then cut the rest up into chunks.
• Cucuzza leaves (Tenerumi) 25 - 30. or Fresh baby Spinach leaves. 
• Chicken Broth 3 _13oz 
• 2 -3 long Cucuzzas 
• 5 Potatoes.  Peeled and cut into chunks
• 5 Carrots.  Peeled and cut into small chunks
•  1/2 cup grated cheese.
• 1 cup cut up into small chunks (pieces) of Romano cheese.                                                             (It's the grated cheese before you grate it.)
•  1 box of Cut Spaghetti. cooked Aldente and cooled it off
•  Olive Oil 
• Onions 1 medium chopped & garlic cloves 5 chopped                                                                           

Cucuzza and leaves of the plant

1.  Pick the leaves from the cucuzza vines.  Pick the small green ones.                                                          Approx. 45-60 leaves for 3 cucuzzas.  Must be fresh looking not old or yellow.                                 You can also include a little bit of the vine chopped. 

   Place a few on top of each other and roll them up.  

  Take scissors or knife and cut them into pieces.  Place them in a bowl for later.

Roll a bunch of leaves up 

cut them in 1/2

and in 1/2 again

2.  Defrost 2 - 32 oz. of Nonna Fina sauce (fresh tomatoes from garden) or use 

    Sauce Recipe below.  

  Place chopped onions in x-large sauce pot.  Pour in enough Olive Oil just to cover the onions

  When onions are translucent add chopped garlic. Sautee until lightly browned. 

  Add in 2 cans of Peeled Tomatoes - (ends cut off and chopped into chunks) 

   1 Tsp Salt, Pepper, garlic, 2 tsp sugar, 5 pcs chopped basil

  Stir and cook for 10 minutes. 

  Optional Can add 1 small can of Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies for a little zing. 

Chopped Onion and garlic

Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes 

   

 

optional 

3.  Add 3 cans of Chicken Broth (low Sodium)      

      Sauce is not Thick.  It's a soup consistency. 

4. Add in the chopped Cucuzza Leaves.

Cook for approx. 5 minutes on medium. 

Now steps to prep the Cucuzza. 

5.  Cut the Cucuzza into smaller pieces (as long as a cucumber) so it will be easier to peel them.

 

    Peel cucuzza (just like you peel a cucumber) Peel until you see the white skin and not green.

 Most likely you need to peel the same side twice.    

                                  

                                                     

                                                                                                   
                                                                   

          

6.  Cut Length wise. Scoop or cut out center if there are seeds.  As above the seeds are hard and large and we don't use them. 

                           

  7.  Cut into Chunks. 1" x 1" thumb size chunks. Place into pot. 

                                       

                                                                               

       8.     Add in Chopped Potatoes and Carrots                                      

     

9.  Bring to boil and cook for 20 30 minutes.  Until Cucuzza are cooked. shown below.



Not cooked yet.



Cucuzza cooked when translucent

   

10.   1 box of cooked Cut Spaghetti or Italiano Pasta.  Place pasta in bowl and add soup. 

                                 

 

11. Add in the chunks of romano cheese to hot soup.
Ready to eat!!

I prefer to freeze soup without the pasta.  When pasta is in container it draws out the broth.

To keep soup more liquidity I cook pasta separately or have soup without pasta. 

Pizza

Nonno Pino Sicilian Pizza.

Sautee onions, blk pepper & 3 pcs of diced up anchious.  Once onions are brown add in Nonna Fina fresh

Sauce or Marinara Sauce .  Put Sicilian in oven with cheese on top only.  Cook 1/2 way.  Add Sauce mix to top of pie and sprinkle on grated cheese and toasted bread crumbs.  Cook until crispy.

when we have Pizza Parties everyone gets to make their own pizza.

Olivia a 2 yrs old.  She pounded down her own dough, spread the sauce and put on her own cheese.  Well, I mean ate most of her cheese instead of putting it on her pizza!  Olivia loves her CHEESE!

Olivia, Stefana and Arianna making their own pizza.

Gaetano inserted pizza brick into my oven.  You can take the pizza away from  the man but not the man from his pizza! It is so heavy that we keep it in there all the time.

Cousin Daniel making his own Pizza.