Recipe of the Week: Strozzapreti

This recipe is super simple and makes spaghetti noodles. I found in the New York Times and is adapted from Oretta Aanini De Vita. It is a recipe it make when you have a lot time to prepare dinner.

1 Cup Grano Duro Flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (More as Needed)

2 Large Eggs

Salt

The recipe says to mix the flour and eggs with your hands, but I find it works better to combine the ingredients in a mixer and blend until the dough is uniform. After, dust your hands with flour (the dough is very wet) and then knead the dough briefly. The dough should be moist, but not sticky.

Now shape the dough into what you want the noodles to look like. I like to spread out the dough with a rolling pin and then make star shaped noodles with a cookie cutter. Make sure to keep the shapes pretty thin so that it can cook all the way though later. After the shapes are all done, put the dough in a bowling pot of water. The noodles only take a minute or so to cook, so stay by the pot. Be careful not to undercook or overcook them. Check to see if the noodles are done after they float to the top of the pot. The noodles should be tender, slightly chewy and no longer raw in the center. Drain cooked pasta and pour into a large bowl. Add sauce and/or vegetables or what ever else you want add, and then toss quickly and serve hot.

Recipe of the Week: Family Spaghetti Pie

This recipe sounds weird, but it is actually delicious. It comes from Campbell's Kitchen and once again I have added some commentary.

1 pound ground beef (or chicken tenders)

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

1 cup Prego® Mushroom Italian Sauce

(Or any Prego® sauce you like)

3 cups hot cooked spaghetti

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until meat is well browned, stirring frequently to break up meat. Pour off any fat. Stir picante sauce and Italian sauce into the skillet and cook until hot and bubbling. (For the chicken, I usually grill it on the George Foreman grill and then cut it into chunks and add it to the sauce and let it simmer for a bit.)

Mix the spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, egg and butter in a medium bowl. Spread on the bottom and up the side of greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread ricotta cheese in the spaghetti shell. Top with the beef mixture.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges.