Christmas Pasta

Looking for something to serve on Christmas day? Here's a flavorful sauce with pancetta, Italian sausage, veal, pork and beef!

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1/4 pound pancetta, thick cut, chopped into small bits (Italian cured pork, ask at deli counter)
1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup good quality dry red wine
1 cup prepared beef stock, paper container or canned
2 (32-ounce) cans chunky style crushed tomatoes
A handful chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon (a couple of pinches) allspice or cinnamon
Coarse salt and black pepper
2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Grated Pecorino Romano, as an accompaniment
Fresh, crusty bread, for mopping


Directions

Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes.


Chop carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat 5 minutes and add wine. Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.


Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.


Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table.


From: foodnetwork.com

Veal Rolls with Pancetta

Cook Time: 10 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 pound veal scaloppine from the butcher counter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
Salt and pepper
1 pound smoked fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 (16 to 18-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
1/3 pound pancetta, sliced like thin cut bacon at deli counter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 clove cracked garlic
1 (10-ounce) sack baby spinach or triple washed spinach leaves
1/4 to 1/3 cup white wine or dry vermouth


Directions

Arrange scaloppine on waxed paper or plastic. Sprinkle veal with parsley, salt and pepper. Place a thin layer of cheese and a few slices of roasted pepper on each scaloppine. Roll veal and wrap each roll with a slice of pancetta. Secure with toothpicks.


Fry veal rolls in a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, until golden all over and pancetta is crisp, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from pan to warm platter. Return skillet to heat. Add a drizzle of oil and cracked garlic. Wilt spinach in pan, add a touch of wine or vermouth to lift drippings and combine them with greens. Using tongs, place a bed of spinach on each dinner plate and top with veal rolls. Serve immediately.

From: foodnetwork.com

Veal and Sage Meatloaf with Gorgonzola Gravy and Smashed Potatoes with Prosciutto and Cheese

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 3 large russet potatoes, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds, peeled and chopped
* Salt
* 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
* 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 4 to 6 sprigs fresh sage, thinly sliced
* Black pepper
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 10 to 12 cremini (baby portobello mushrooms), quartered
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 cups milk
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
* 1/4 pound prosciutto di Parma, finely chopped (have the deli
slice it as thick as bacon, rather than shave it)
* 1/4 to 1/3 pound Gorgonzola, depending on how cheesy you like it

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place potatoes in a pot, cover them with water, then bring water up to
a boil; salt it and cook potatoes until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes
or so.

While the potatoes are working, combine veal with egg, bread crumbs,
1/2 cup cheese, sage, salt, and black pepper. Form 4 (1-inch thick)
oval shaped meat loaves. Heat a large nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of
the pan. Brown meatloaves 2 to 3 minutes on each side then transfer to
a nonstick baking sheet and finish in the oven, 6 to 8 minutes. Return
skillet to heat, add another turn of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan
and the mushrooms and the garlic. Cook mushrooms until dark and
tender, 5 to 6 minutes, then add salt and pepper and 1 cup chicken
stock to deglaze the pan.

While the mushrooms cook, melt butter over medium heat in a medium
saucepot. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and season
with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Reduce the sauce a few minutes to
thicken a bit.

Drain potatoes and add them back to warm pot. Add half of the milk
sauce to potatoes with prosciutto and remaining 1/2 cup cheese, a
couple of handfuls. Smash the potatoes to desired consistency and
season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the remaining milk sauce to the mushrooms, stir in Gorgonzola
cheese to melt, then add the broth and combine. Serve the meatloaves
with Gorgonzola-mushroom gravy over top and prosciutto potatoes
alongside. Serve with green salad or wine steeped greens, recipe
follows.
Wine Steeped Greens:

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
* 1 clove garlic, cracked from skin
* 1 1/4 pounds cleaned kale, 1 large bunch, trimmed and chopped
* 1 cup dry red wine
* Salt and pepper
* 2 teaspoons lemon zest, eyeball it

Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2
turns of the pan, and garlic. Cook garlic a couple of minutes while
you chop kale then remove the clove. Crank heat up a notch them add
greens to wilt them down, 2 to 3 minutes of turning is involved here.
Add wine, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to simmer. Steep the greens
in wine 10 minutes, stir in zest then serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy