Radiatore alla Valdostana

In a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and fontina. Add cream and stir until cheese melts. Add ham, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Bring a pan of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and add to sauce. Toss to combine and heat over medium-high until pasta and sauce are warmed through.

Serve with Parmigiano Reggiano and garnish with parsley.

Polpette di Ricotta al Sugo (Ricotta Balls in Sauce)

To make the ricotta balls, drain ricotta well and put it in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add cheeses and breadcrumbs and mix well. Add eggs, garlic, parsley, and basil and combine to make a dough, reserving 1 tablespoon parsley and garlic for garnish. Form dough into golf ball size rugby balls.

To make the tomato sauce, in a frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic and cook until garlic begins to soften. Add cherry tomatoes, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add ricotta balls to tomato sauce and let cook, 5 minutes. Carefully turn over and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add pasta water to thin sauce, as needed.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 3-5 minutes. Place some drained pasta with the tomato sauce and carefully toss well. Transfer to a serving dish and add 5 ricotta balls. Repeat with remaining servings. Garnish with basil leaves.

Lobster Risotto

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons butter. Add leek, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until aromatic, about 4 minutes. Add parmesan rind, saffron, 3 cups broth, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add wine and lobster tails. Bring wine just to simmer to poach lobster tails.

Cook rice, stirring often, until broth is nearly evaporated, and rice begins to stick to bottom of pan. Add 1 cup broth at a time and continue to cook until broth is nearly evaporated before adding another cup. Once all broth is added and lobster is cooked, remove lobster from wine and set aside.

Add 1/2 cup of wine to risotto and continue to cook, adding 1/2cup of wine at a time until liquid is absorbed by rice. You may not need to use all the wine. If you need more liquid after, add 1/2 cup broth as needed.

When risotto is cooked, stir in lemon zest and half of lemon juice and peas. Season with salt and pepper and remaining lemon juice.

Remove lobster meat from tails, cut in half lengthwise. Lay risotto on a plate with a half of a lobster tail. Garnish with parsley.

Beef Involtini (Braciole)

To make the meat, if using flank steak, line a cutting board with plastic wrap. Place 1 piece of meat on plastic wrap and cover it with a second piece of plastic wrap. Pound out steak to 3/8” even thickness. Place on a rimmed sheet pan.

Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper. On one side, sprinkle with chile flakes (if using), garlic, parsley, pecorino, and lay slices of prosciutto atop cheese. Add eggs and mozzarella. Roll meat tightly into rolls. Secure meat with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining meat rolls. Set aside.

To make the sauce, in a pot over medium-high heat, add 4 tablespoons oil. When oil shimmers, add onions and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Move onions and garlic to pan perimeter. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil in middle of pan, add oregano and basil and cook until fragrant, 20 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook with spices, until color deepens, 3 minutes.

Combine herb-tomato paste and onion-garlic mixture together. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and soy sauce and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When oil shimmers, add garlic and cook, about 1 minute. Add meat rolls and cook until browned on the first side. Turn to second side and cook until browned. Continue to turn until all sides are browned.

Transfer meat to tomato sauce, submerging meat into sauce. Partially cover and let simmer until internal temperature reaches 140°, about 45 minutes.

Transfer meat rolls to a plate, remove toothpicks. Add some sauce to a serving platter, place rolls of meat over sauce. Spoon out more sauce over involtini. Garnish with pecorino Romano cheese and parsley.

Lasagne al Forno

To make the meat sauce, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add milk, nutmeg, tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. If sauce seems dry, add a bit of milk to loosen sauce.

To make the béchamel, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir until mixture is smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. Using a whisk, add 2 cups milk, slowly at first, whisking constantly, until all milk is incorporated. Add salt and nutmeg and cook until thickened. Add more milk as needed to make a pourable sauce.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread a thin coating of bechamel on bottom of a 9” x 13” rectangular baking dish. Using bottom of baking dish to determine pasta length, cut a piece of pasta to use as a template for remaining layers. Cut sheet in 3 equal lengths. Place 3 pasta strips on bechamel.

Spread a thin coating of meat sauce over pasta. Spoon béchamel sparingly over meat sauce. Sprinkle cheese over béchamel. Cover with 3 more strips of pasta. Continue until you have 3 layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese, saving a little meat sauce and bechamel to cover top layer. Sprinkle more cheese over top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove foil, increase heat to 400° and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Take lasagne out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Artichoke and Pine Nut Pasta

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Add leek and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice, butter, parsley, pepper, and pine nuts and toss to combine. Reduce heat to medium.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Add pasta to sauce and toss to combine. Add grated cheese and reserved pasta water, if needed, stirring until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with more cheese.

Italian Eggs

In a large frying pan over medium heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add onion and bell pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, if using. Add marinara sauce to pan, bring to just bubbling then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully crack each egg into a ramekin, then slip 1 at a time into tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese over eggs. Cover pan and cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 4-6 minutes.

Serve over toasted bread of your choice.

Golden Beet and Farro Risotto

Orange and Yellow: These colors in produce mean they contain beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals that belong to the carotenoid group. Beta-carotene is a building block for vitamin A and can help protect skin from toxins and disease, help keep the immune system healthy, and block free radicals which can cause cancer. Lutein and zeaxanthin help to keep your eyes healthy and reduce risk for age-related eye disease.   

Preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut beets in half, place them cut-side down on prepared sheet, and cover with foil. Bake beets until tender, 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool, remove skins, and cut into 1/2” dice.

Wash beet greens, remove stems, and coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and farro. Stir frequently, toasting, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to combine. Cook until rice begins to become opaque or white in places. Add broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to become fully absorbed before adding more broth.

After about 40 minutes, add diced beets, beet greens, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and continue to cook until farro and rice are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 more minutes. Add vinegar and stir to combine. Transfer to shallow bowls and garnish with chives.

Nutrition per serving: 500 calories; 15g total fat (2g saturated); 680mg sodium; 63g carbohydrates; 1g dietary fiber; 10g sugar (4g added sugar); 31g protein

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Red: Most red fruits and vegetables owe their color to lycopene, a phytochemical that helps protect against cell damage. Lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers, like prostate and breast cancer, as well as heart disease.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Add bell peppers, shallots, and garlic to a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar and balsamic vinegar over peppers. Sprinkle thyme, oregano leaves, and salt and pepper over vegetables. Roast until peppers are just starting to char and brown sugar and balsamic are starting to caramelize and bubble, about 20 minutes.

Add to a blender and blend until smooth.

In a frying pan over medium heat, warm sauce until lightly bubbling along edges.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Add chopped chard to a colander and drain pasta over chard to wilt. Transfer pasta to sauce and toss to combine. Add some of reserved pasta water to thin sauce, as needed. Serve in shallow bowls and sprinkle with chard and parmesan.

Nutrition per serving: 420 calories; 4.5g total fat (1 g saturated); 350mg sodium; 83g carbohydrates; 13g dietary fiber; 14g sugar (3g added sugar); 17g protein

Minestrone alla Genovese

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add leek, carrot, celery, zucchini, potato, and chard stems (set leaves aside) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beans, broth, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Optional: Remove 2 cups of soup and place into a blender and puree until smooth. Alternately, use an immersion blender to partially puree soup directly in pot.

Meanwhile, cook pasta separately according to package directions, then drain. Once vegetables in soup are tender, return puree to pot. Add chard leaves, pesto, and stir to combine. Once leaves have wilted, adjust soup consistency by adding more water or broth, if needed, and adjust seasonings. When ready to serve, place a small portion of cooked pasta in bottom of a soup bowl, ladle soup over, and garnish with desired toppings.

Store pasta separately from soup to keep pasta from absorbing broth and turning into large, mushy orbs. When reheating, simply mix them together right before.

Nutrition per serving: 310 calories; 14g total fat (2g saturated); 560 mg sodium; 40g carbohydrates; 8g dietary fiber; 4g sugar (0g added sugar); 8g protein

Adapted from Tori Ritchie’s recipe at TuesdayRecipe.com