Butternut Squash Tortelli con la Coda

Pasta ingredients:
1/2 cooked butter nut squash
3 room temp eggs
2 cups 00 flour
splash of olive oil

5 Cheese Filling Ingredients:
1 fresh mozzarella ball a splash of the water
1 slice provolone
1/8 cup ricotta
3 tbls goat cheese
1/8 cup parmesean

Variations:
Pesto
Fresh basil
Italian Sausage

Directions:

1) Cook butternut squash in oven at 250 for about an hour

2) In blender or food processor create filling
3) Once squash is done, cool and scoop out 1/2 of the squash (see this recipe for what you can make with your other half of your squash; Squashcakes)

4) Use squash to create your pasta, No bowl needed, Lay flour on cutting board, create a indent in center of flour to crack your eggs into, mix ingredients on board and mix in squash. Roll out with pasta press or to 1/8 inch thick with rolling pin.

5) Learn to make Tortelli con la Coda or use ravioli press if you choose ("Tortellini with a tail" see this video)

6) Make your little pasta's and boil for 5-7 mins

Top with your homemade marinara sauce and side with a salad and some good friends.

Bon Apitete

Italian Marinara

In 2011 I took a trip to Italy and became inspired, how can you not?! Italy is the culinary heaven!  I learned a lot about the Italian way of life while I was there and think America should adopt these old world techniques that have somehow gotten lost how to grow and appreciate flavorful foods.

1) Small refrigerators means less storage, so less food in the house. Many Italian's go to the market every day to get just what they need for the meal they will be preparing that day.

2) Your day is a five course meal, not really but kind of. Breakfast is just a snack and consists usually of an espresso, a light pastry, and a piece of fruit. (my favorite a macciato, a croissant and a peach, mmmm...) Lunch is an appetizer with cheeses, breads, meats, pesto, balsamic, tomatoes. Dinner is dinner and often eaten out late, at around 9 pm people start meeting up for supper and it lasts for hours. Unlike American restaurants where we eat, drink and converse in 40-60 mins and are given our ticket (hint, hint) and on our ways. Dinner starts with sparkling water, wine and bread, then you move through the courses, salad, pasta, meat, dessert and in the meantime spend hours enjoying your food, wine and company, and the staff at the restaurant is not trying to bustle you out, if you don't know to ask, you will think your wait staff to be rude, because they will never bring you your ticket, until you ask.

3) Fresh, local, and organic. In Europe you know you are eating quality food because they do not allow GMO's and have not modernized their farming. Many farmers drive their produce into the city daily and  are using property and technique that has been passed through generations for ages. Everything tastes ripe and full of flavor, cooking with these ingredients makes for amazing meals, the Italians are onto something and old world technique will survive in Italy as long as they continue to keep their traditions in the fields and in the kitchens. One rule if its not in season, you won't find it at the market!

So anyway I suppose you would like to learn how to make some marinara as well. But I do want to describe my inspiration on this, the sauce we buy in the store is NOT like the sauce in Italy. The marinara in Italy is fresh, slightly watery, and full of flavor! The sauce here is tasty, but too "tomato pasty" flavored and the sauce is usually thick and overbearing. My sauce inspired by the sauce I had in Italy is as close as I could get to recreating the unique flavors and consistency I experienced eating real marinara in Italy. Deliciouso!!!

Marinara Ingredients:
10-12 Ripe fresh tomatoes

1 bunch Fresh Basil
1/2 cup white wine
2 crushed cloves of Garlic
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of pepper
Fresh Italian herbs such as thyme,
rosemary, oregano



Directions:

1) Add light coat of olive oil to a sauce pan at medium high, lay halved tomatoes face down to saute for about 10 mins. Traditional Italiano style is to de-seed them and de-skin them, but I personally like the seeds, its up to you how you want your sauce. If you are going to de-skin them you will need to blanch them for 5 mins in boiling water and remove by peeling off. To de-seed, scoop out with finger once its cut in half.

2) Reduce to medium heat and add wine, start smashing tomatoes when they start heating up, so they are cooking in their own juices and the wine. Continue mashing throughout the process. 

 3) Cook down for about 30 mins and add all spices and any sauteed vegetables you would like to add.

 3) You can freeze, can, to store for months or use the sauce within 10 days of creation. Enjoy!

Listed below are many of my recipes you can make with this marinara:

Savory Mini Calzones

Pizza

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chicken Parmesean

Savory Stuffed Pastries AKA Healthy Homemade Hot pockets

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves 4
Oven heated at 350 degrees

These calzone shaped mini pastries are great with a hearty side salad or by themselves and are quite filling. The great thing about these pastries are they are extremely versatile, if your making them for breakfast you can use bacon eggs and cheese, you make a bunch at once and freeze them for "healthy hot pockets," and this is also a fun "party dish" to allow your guests to create their own unique combinations. Whatever you decide you will love them so much you will want to make them again and again.

Options for my guests were:

-steamed brussel sprouts

-broccoli, sauted onions and peppers,

-marinara

-feta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

-cooked chicken sausage

Ps they are a huge hit with the kiddos, especially if they get to choose the fillings and be a part of the process.

Ingredients for Crust:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 cube of real butter (cold)
2 tsp salt
1/4-1 cup of water

Ingredients for Filling:

Depends on what you want to fill them with!!


I tried a few flavors and variations, you can try my'n or you can always create your own, most of all HAVE FUN!!!


On hand ingredients you can use;

-Veggies of any kind, cooked up
-1 red or yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
-2-3 cloves of garlic
-marinara or cooked down tomatoes with fresh diced garlic
-10-15 steamed brussel sprouts

-1 head of steamed broccoli
-Several kinds of cheese
-Prosciutto, bacon, sausage, chicken. 

Directions for making Crust and Savory Pockets:

1) Crust is a tricky one, butter must be cold!!! Mash cold butter with pastry tool into flour and get as small a possible. Add salt.

2) Slowly mix in water until sticking, kneed together, the right consistency will be sticking without falling apart.

3) Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and create 4-6 inch circles. Cut these in half and put aside.

4) Fill with ingredientts, and cut away edges create semi circle shape.

5) Use fork to stick edges together and place on floured cookie sheet to bake.

Variations to try:

Calzone- Canned or homemade marinara, warm on low with wine, minced garlic and seasonings.
Sauted Veggie and Feta

Broccoli Cheese and Brussel's
Chicken Pot Pie- fill with cooked peas and carrots, cream of mushroom soup w/o milk and cooked chicken diced small and cheddar cheese
Philly- Sauted onions and peppers with strip steak and provolone cheese
Breakfast- bacon, eggs, and cheese

Italian Chicken Caccitore- Gluten Free Options

Serves 4
Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 40 mins or longer

Ingredients:
Approx 4 pack of chicken thighs
2 large chicken breasts
1 egg
Flour (make this dish gluten free by using gluten free flour or just simply fry chicken in oil and skin)

Sauce:
2 Jars of marinara (I can my own tomatoes every summer)
2 tbsp. capers
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 cup red wine/ or dry white
1/2 medium white onion diced
1 sliced red bell pepper
2-4 cloves fresh diced garlic
oregeno, basil, thyme

Pasta of choice, use polenta or other gluten free pasta (watch for gluten free pasta recipe, soon to come)


Directions:

1) Start marinara, seasonings, wine broth, and capers into crockpot* or larger pot on medium-low.


2) Start skillet with olive oil coat at medium-high and saute onion, bell, and garlic til onion begins to brown. Add to marinara and stir  in, taste, and add more seasonings if needed




*if using a crockpot I suggest starting the sauce earlier, so you assure its hot enough so when you add chicken it won't sit at a dangerous temp.





3) Use same hot skillet on medium-high with light coat of olive oil. In small mixing bowl, crack egg and whip. Dip chicken in egg batter then coat with bread crumbs (or alt.) and place into hot skillet.

4) Once chicken is cooked throughout add to bubbling marinara, let cook at least 40 mins, you want the chicken to just fall off of the bone when you eat it.



5) Test chicken with a fork to see if it is falling apart, Start pasta noodles, once pasta is done to your liking, you can dish up. I like au dente which means its still a little hard in the very center, but just slightly.

Enjoy this savory Italian dish over your pasta of choice and plenty of Parm!