Espresso-Topped Vanilla ice-cream

  

INGREDIENTS

1 shot espresso  (1 to 1 1/2 ounces; 30-40 g)

1 generous scoop vanilla ice cream

 PREPARATIONS

In a small glass or cappuccino cup, pour espresso over ice cream and serve right away with a spoon.  

 

 

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Stuffed Shells With Ricotta and Spinach

 INGREDIENTS

6 ounces dry jumbo pasta shells (about 25 shells; see notes)

Kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and greasing the baking dish

10 ounces (280 g) tender fresh greens, such as arugula, spinach, or a combination

1 pound (450 g) good quality ricotta, such as Calabro or from a local Italian dairy

12 ounces (340 g) fresh or low-moisture mozzarella, shredded, divided (see notes)

2 ounces (55 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 medium clove garlic, minced

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups (355 ml) tomato sauce, divided

 

PREPARATIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C). In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook shells according to package instructions for baked shells (many packages of jumbo shells will give a specific boiling time for dishes that are subsequently baked; if not, cook the shells for 3 minutes fewer than the stated cooking time). Using a spider, slotted spoon, or mesh strainer, carefully transfer shells to a large bowl of cold water until cooled slightly, then drain. Drizzle shells very lightly with oil and toss to coat. Set aside.  

In the same pot of water, cook the greens until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain greens into the bowl of a salad spinner set in the sink. Run under cold water until thoroughly chilled, then spin in salad spinner to dry.  

Spread greens over a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of paper towels and roll into a tight tube, pressing to remove excess moisture. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.  

Line a large plate or a rimmed baking sheet with a triple layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Spread ricotta on top and cover with more paper towels or another clean kitchen towel. Let drain for 5 minutes, then remove towels and transfer ricotta to a large bowl. (You may need to use a spatula to scrape all of the ricotta off the towels.) 

Add greens, 8 ounces shredded mozzarella, 1 1/2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, and nutmeg to ricotta. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. 

Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with oil. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in an even layer on bottom of baking dish. Using a spoon, fill each shell with a large scoop of ricotta filling and place opening side up in baking dish. Repeat until baking dish is full (you should be able to fit about 18 stuffed shells in the dish, and may have a few pasta shells left over). 

Spoon the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce on top of shells. Top with remaining 4 ounces shredded mozzarella and 1/2 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

Bake until shells are heated through and cheese is bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve.  

 

 

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Italian Bean and Pasta Soup

 

Ingredients

1 pound (454g) dried beans, such as cranberry (borlotti) beans or cannellini beans, soaked overnight in salted water (see notes)

Kosher or sea salt

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 medium onion, peeled and halved

2 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise

2 ribs celery, halved crosswise

3 large sprigs fresh sage and/or rosemary

1/2 pound (227g) small pasta, such as ditalini or small shells

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparations

In a large pot, cover beans with lightly salted water by at least 2 inches. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and rosemary or sage. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook, covered, until beans are very tender and creamy with no graininess left, 45 to 90 minutes, depending on type of bean. Beans can also be cooked in a pressure cooker at low pressure for 25 minutes. Discard onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and herbs. Drain beans, reserving beans and liquid separately. You should have about 6 cups of cooked beans.  

 Measure out 3 cups of cooked beans, setting the remaining beans (approximately 3 cups) aside. In a blender jar, combine the 3 cups of beans with 4 cups bean-cooking water and blend until completely smooth. Return bean puree to pot and add reserved cooked beans. 

In a small pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until just short of al dente (about 3 minutes less than cooking time on package). Drain, then transfer to a bowl or container and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, tossing to lightly coat. 

When ready to serve, bring to a simmer, thinning with additional bean-cooking water until soup reaches a lightly creamy consistency. Season with salt, if needed. Spoon in cooked pasta and simmer just until warmed through. Serve right away, drizzling fresh olive oil on top and a generous grinding of black pepper. 

 

 

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Tomato and Bread Soup

 

 Ingredients

 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Pinch red pepper flakes

 2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 medium onion, minced (about 1/2cup)

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, with juices

2 sprigs fresh basil, plus torn leaves for serving

1/3 pound (about 6ounces) fresh or stale rustic bread, torn or cut into 1-inch chunks (see notes)

2 cups warm quick and easy vegetable stock, plus more as needed (see notes)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Preparations

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic just begins to turn golden. Add onion and cook, stirring, just until softened, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and their juices, along with basil sprigs, and bring to a simmer.

Stir in bread. Ladle stock on top, stirring to combine. Simmer bread, adding more stock as needed, until bread is completely softened and custardy and soup has thickened to a porridge-like consistency, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard basil sprigs. 

Spoon into bowls, generously drizzle with olive oil, and grind black pepper on top. Garnish with torn basil leaves and serve. 

Notes

Pappa al pomodoro is traditionally made with stale bread, and you can use it for this soup if you have it, but our tests have shown that this soup is just as good made with fresh bread. Plus, fresh bread softens much more quickly, making the soup faster to prepare.

You can use store-bought low-sodium chicken stock or water in place of the vegetable stock, if desired.

 

 

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Italian-American Red Sauce

 

 Ingredients

2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Generous pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp (2 g) dried oregano

3 tbsp (50 g) tomato paste

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 large sprig basil

Kosher salt

2 tbsp (1 ounce, or 28 g) unsalted butter (optional)

Preparations

In a large pot, combine oil and garlic, and heat over moderately low heat until garlic begins to very gently sizzle. Add red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic just begins to turn a light golden color, about 3 minutes. Add oregano and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until paste has softened and blended with oil, about 3 minutes. 

Stir in canned tomatoes and their juices, increase heat to medium-high, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat to maintain. Using an immersion blender, blend tomatoes until sauce is smooth. (Alternatively, use potato masher to crush tomatoes or crush tomatoes by hand before adding to pot.)  

Add basil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced slightly and tastes rich, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. 

Discard basil. Stir in butter, if using, until melted. Use sauce right away, or allow to cool to room temperature, transfer to sealed containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. 

Notes

If you prefer a more rustic, chunky texture, or if you don't have an immersion blender, you can hand-crush the whole tomatoes with their juices before adding them to the pot, or use a potato masher to smash them in the pot; just keep in mind that will also leave chunks of crushed garlic in the sauce.

 

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Spaghetti dried in tomato sauce

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (355ml) store-bought or homemade tomato passata (see notes)

Kosher salt

1/2 cup (118ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

3 medium cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp dried chili flakes or about 1 tablespoon thinly sliced hot red chilies

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 pound (226g) dried spaghetti

Stracciatella cheese,* for garnish (optional)

*Stracciatella cheese is a rich, fresh Italian cheese made from hand-pulled ribbons of mozzarella soaked in heavy cream. Famous for being the oozy, spoonable creamy center of a burrata ball, it delivers a mild, milky taste and a lush, soft texture. 

 

PREPARATIONS

 In a 4-cup measuring cup, dilute tomato passata with water to total 2 1/2 cups. Season sauce lightly with salt. 

 In a 12-inch cast iron, carbon steel, or nonstick skillet (see headnote above to decide which you want to use), heat oil with garlic and chilies over medium-high heat until sizzling and garlic has turned light golden; remove garlic with a slotted spoon, if desired. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in enough diluted tomato sauce to just cover the bottom of skillet, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. 

Add spaghetti, spreading it out to cover skillet bottom, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook until liquid is mostly absorbed. Add more tomato sauce to just cover spaghetti and continue to cook, using a thin metal spatula (unless using a nonstick pan, in which case use silicone) to occasionally rotate pasta top to bottom and while moving it around to prevent excessive adhering of strands. Continue to cook the spaghetti in this way, cooking sauce down between additions before adding the next, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes (cooking times are approximate and will depend on how much sauce is added in each increment and other factors); continue to stir, scrape, and toss spaghetti occasionally throughout this process while allowing sauce to reduce and pasta and sauce to brown lightly in spots. 

  

 Once pasta is al dente, allow sauce to reduce one final time, and continue to cook over high heat until browned an lightly charred; scrape and toss pasta and allow to brown and char again. Once pasta is nicely crisped and charred in several spots, toss one final time with a glug of fresh olive oil, and season with salt to taste if necessary. 

 Transfer to plates and serve, topping with stracciatella, if desired.

Notes

In place of tomato passata, you can also use a blender to puree a can of whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, then dilute 1 1/2 cups of that with water to equal 2 1/2 cups diluted tomato sauce.

 

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Sicilian-Style Spaghetti In Fresh Tomato and Garlic Sauce

 INGREDIENTS

 1 1/4pounds (566g) plum tomatoes (about 5 tomatoes)

 1/4cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling if needed

1/4cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh basil leaves

 3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large pinch red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 pound (450g) dried spaghetti

1/2 cup (1 1/4ounces; 35g) lightly toasted breadcrumbs, divided

Grated Sicilian Pecorino or ricotta salata, for serving (optional)

 

PREPARATIONS

Grate tomatoes on largest holes of a box grater into a large heatproof mixing or serving bowl until only the skin remains in your hand; it's okay if some slightly larger pieces of tomatoes and some skin get through, though you can discard the large pieces of skin. Add olive oil, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and season with salt to taste. Set aside. 

In a pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook spaghetti, stirring frequently, until al dente. When pasta has almost finished cooking, transfer 1/4 cup (30ml) pasta cooking water to tomato mixture and whisk to form an emulsion.  

Using tongs, transfer pasta to tomato mixture along with an additional 1/4 cup (60ml) pasta cooking water. Vigorously toss and stir pasta to emulsify sauce and coat noodles. Add half of the breadcrumbs and toss to combine. The pasta should be well coated with creamy, emulsified sauce. If it seems dry, add extra pasta water and olive oil, 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste for seasoning. 

Transfer pasta to warmed plates and sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve right away.  

 

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