Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian dishes, but not the Lasagna with tomato sauce, the one with a creamy meaty ragu sauce.  The first time I tried Lasagna with meat sauce was at Angelini Osteria on Beverly Blvd. (One of the best Italian restaurants in LA) IT WAS AMAZING! I learned to make this version of lasagna while working at Terroni Los Angeles during my culinary school internship. I love this recipe and it is so rewarding when you actually take the time to do it, so i hope you guys enjoy this one.

Ingredients

2 Medium size carrots rough chop
1 stalk celery rough chop
1 onion rough chop
1 LB ground beef (80%)
1/2 C heavy cream 
2 tsp salt 
3 Tablespoons EVOO
4 C Chicken stock 
About 12 fresh pasta sheets 8x4"

or 
Dry lasagna sheets 
about 1.5 C grated Parmesan cheese
one container of fresh mozzarella cheese

Procedure

1. pulse the carrot, onion, and celery in a food processor until you reach a fine mince consistency.
2. Sweat the mix in the EVOO on a low to medium heat until well cooked. (about 30 min)
3. add the ground beef and continue to cook until the ground beef begins to color.
4. add the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer.
5. cook until the beef becomes very tender and almost all the liquid is gone.
6. add the salt and the cream and bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce thickens just a bit.
7. set the sauce aside to cool.
8. Now cook the pasta sheets in boiling salted water until they are aldente and still have a little bite to them.
9. once cooked shock them in ice water.
10. now start to layer the lasagna in a small square baking pan. about 8x8"
11. Start with one layer of pasta, then a thin layer of sauce and cover the sauce with grated Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese.
12. Rinse and repeat, and at the final layer only top the pasta with Parmesan and Mozzarella, and make sure to fully cover the top layer of pasta withe cheese to ensure that you get a nice cheesy top layer. 

Sweet Corn Angiolotti

Fresh pasta is probably one of my favorite things to see on a menu.  There is just something magical about getting a nice hot plate of Hand made pasta, whether it is tagliatelli, papardelle, Ravioli, or Lasagna, it just doesn't matter. Fresh Pasta is AMAZING! after a lot of trial and error I finally found a pasta dough that I really love and I have been making pasta at home ever since. So give it a shot, and if you master the dough you will never have to buy dry store bought pasta ever again (I still buy dry pasta, don't worry its not a crime) 
This recipe is for the more advanced home cooks out there, but even if you haven't ever made fresh pasta don't hesitate to try. You might be a natural!

Ingredients

For the filling

6 Heads of white corn - Grated

1 Cup heavy cream

1-1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

1-1/2 Teaspoon salt 

For the Dough

2 Cups all purpose flour 

 2-3 large eggs

1/2 Teaspoon extra virgin oil

Semolina flour for dusting

(Makes About 1/2 Pound)

(you will need about 8-10 sheets of dough)

For the sauce

About half a stick of butter

3-4 sage leaves (fresh)

1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Salt To taste

Procedure

1.  Add the flour, eggs and olive oil into a mixer and mix with the dough hook on a low speed until the dough starts to form.
2. Once you see that the dough is coming together take it out of the mixer and place it onto a lightly floured work surface and start to kneed the dough with the heel of your hands.
3. Continue to kneed the dough until all of the flour is incorporated. Depending on the size of the eggs and the moisture in the kitchen you may need to adjust the dough. if the dough seems to wet add a little more flour. 
4. kneed the dough by hand for at least 5 minutes.
5. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky, but not wet.
6. While the dough rests make your filling
7. Place the heavy cream and grated corn into a medium pot and let it cook on a medium flame stirring frequently so it does not burn. do not let it boil
8. Once the mix has cooked for at least 30 min. season with salt and sugar.
9. set aside and cool.
10. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for about 30 min.
11. Cut the dough into small pieces and start to gradually roll it through a pasta machine.
12. I like my dough to be thin so I roll it up to the 8th level on my machine (I can slightly see my hand through the dough when i hold it)
13. the pasta sheets should be about 6x12 if they are too long cut them to size.
14. lay the pasta sheet down on your work surface and pipe a line of the filling down the center of the sheet.
15. Fold the pasta over the filling and seal the edges with your hands.
16. now shape the angiolotti as shown in the pictures below, and cut them.
17. Sprinkle with semolina and put in the fridge.
18. Boil the Angiolotti in heavily salted water for about 2 minutes.
19. While the pasta is cooking melt the butter in a saute pan and add the sage to the butter and take of the heat.
20. Drain the pasta and add it to the melted butter and sage. 
21. put the pan back on a low flame and add the grated Parmesan to the pan and mix.
22. Serve and garnish with grated Parmesan Cheese. 
23. Save any extra dough in the Fridge.

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Delicious Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

I have always loved Tomato Bruschetta. When I was a kid I always looked forward to going to Italian restaurants just so I could get my hands on some fresh Bruschetta.  I never knew how they could make such a simple thing taste so good, I always thought to myself "there must be some secret to making Bruschetta" I have been trying out many different variations of this recipe until I could finally capture that same taste I was so familiar with in my childhood, and I would love to share this easy yet delicious recipe with you.

Ingredients

5-6 Roma tomatoes - Small dice

1/2 red onion - Fine chop

3-4 Garlic cloves - Minced

7-8 Basil leaves - Chopped 

1 Cup Olive oil (Preferably Extra Virgin)

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Lemon juice (Fresh)

Kosher Salt To Taste (Aprox. 1/2 TBL)

1 Baguette cut into 1/2" Slices

Freshly Shaved Parmesan cheese to garnish (Optional)

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 400°
2. Combine onion, garlic, tomatoes, and a 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cut the Baguette into equal size slices and place on a sheet tray. 
4. Brush the remaining Olive oil generously on the baguette slices and season lightly with kosher salt.
5. Put the Baguette slices in the oven to toast for about 5-7 minutes, or until the bread starts to become golden brown around the edges.
6. While the Bread is toasting add the Lemon juice, Balsamic vinegar, Basil, and Salt to the tomato mixture. stir and let sit until the bread is ready.
7. Now that the Bread is done toasting just spoon some of the Tomato mixture onto the slices of bread, garnish, and Enjoy!