Italian Wedding Soup

It's not just for weddings, it's great company to keep you warm this winter season :)

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 8 servings


Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions

To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.


To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.


Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

Fom: foodnetwork.com

Bucatini All'Amatriciana with Spicy Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

Cook Time: 55
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Ingredients

All'Amatriciana Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, diced
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano


Meatballs:

1 small (6-ounce) onion, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/4 cup
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground veal
2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes
1 pound bucatini or other long pasta


Directions

For the sauce: In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and reserve. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the cooked pancetta. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.


For the meatballs: Position an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


In a large bowl, combine the onion, 1/2 cup parsley, 2/3 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the beef and veal. Using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 1/2-inch-diameter) meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Make a hole in the center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella inside. Reform the meatball so that the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meatballs and sauce. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and Parmesan.


From: foodnetwork.com

Classic Italian Lasagna

Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce:

* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 4 cups whole milk at room temperature
* Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows
* Salt and white pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 pound ground chuck beef
* Salt and pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
* 3 large eggs
* 1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente
* 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and
squeezed dry
* 3 cups shredded mozzarella
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bechamel sauce:

In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When
butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth,
about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to
prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over
medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10
minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden
spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir
until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to
cool completely.

In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add
the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking
any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and
drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season
with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the
bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the
bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta
mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of
pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the
mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the
bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with
remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining
2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on
top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top
is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for
about 15 minutes.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
* 2 dried bay leaves
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high
heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about
5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and
pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10
minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat
for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning.
If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a
time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process
until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to
2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6
months.

From: foodnetwork.com