Spicy Baked Rigatoni

{dash}

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 2 each sweet and hot Italian sausages, casings removed 
• 12 oz. rigatoni pasta 
• 2 cups of your favorite prepared marinara sauce 
• 2 medium-size ripe tomatoes, diced 
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn coarsely 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1/4 tsp hot red-pepper flakes 
• 12 oz. mozzarella (make 6 slices and dice the remainder) 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly oil a 9x13x2–inch baking dish. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat.  Add the sausages and cook, breaking them up into clumps, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl. 
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the sausages along with the marinara sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, diced mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover the top with the mozzarella slices. 
4. Bake until the cheese is melted and the pasta is heated through, about 20 minutes. 

Spicy Spaghetti

"...We sautéed lean ground beef, onion, garlic, carrot, green pepper, mushrooms, jalapeño and a pinch of salt before adding a can of tomato sauce and a chopped fresh tomato. Then we added a chipotle chile with some extra adobo sauce, dried oregano and basil and let it simmer for around an hour and a half. Before eating, I chopped some fresh basil and added it to the sauce and served topped with some aged gouda cheese."

{ganymede kids}

Simple Farro & Bean Stew Recipe

{101 cookbooks & La Cucina}

Ingredients

• 1 pound / 16 oz / 453g red beans, soaked for at least 4 hours preferably overnight, then drained

• 10 cups / 2.5 liters water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 28 ounce / 800g can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped

• 1 medium carrot, chopped

• 3 small-med (1/2 pound / 8 oz) new potatoes, chopped

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cups / 13 oz / 370 g pearled farro
• 1 - 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• fine grain sea salt to taste
• 1/2 head / 9 oz savoy cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 bunch / 4 oz kale, de-stemmed and chopped

• Parmesan and olive oil to serve. Or do what I did with this bowl - whisk together a bit of leftover harissa and some olive oil for a spicier drizzle.

Italian cooking

This book is a compilation of Italian recipes gathered from various regions.  This was a culmination of the efforts of The Italian Academy of Cuisine to preserve and document Italian cooking recipes. 

La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy

$30 (on Amazon)

Epicurious provides the Leek and Chestnut Soup recipe from the book.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. fresh chestnuts
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 lb. leeks, sliced
• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup beer
• Beef broth
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• Bread slices

Preparation

1. Clean and peel the chestnuts. Melt the butter in a pot and sauté the chestnuts, leeks, and potatoes.
2. Pour in the beer, let it evaporate, add broth to cover by 1 inch, and continue cooking.  
3. Pass the mixture through a food mill, reheat, and whisk in the cream and egg yolks. Heat, stirring until thickened, but do not let the mixture boil. Serve with bread.