Pasta E Fagioli

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 16-ounce can cannelli beans
1/8 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
1/2 pound ditalini
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley tops
Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a saucepan, sauté the garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil til light golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, stir and let cook 10 minutes. Add beans, stir gently, and simmer. Cook ditalini, drain, add to the bean mixture. Add parsley Serve, or else the ditalini will absorb all the liquid.

Polly's Curried Eggs

Ingredients

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
4 teaspoons finely chopped onion, divided
4 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 slices bread, cubed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and mash with fork. Add mustard, salt, vinegar, mayonnaise, and one teaspoon onion, mixing well. Heap mixture into egg white halves. Arrange in shallow, greased ten to twelve-inch round baking dish. Melt three tablespoons butter in saucepan. Blend in flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add milk and stir constantly until it begins to boil. Reduce heat. When sauce is thickened, stir in bouillon cube and curry powder. Pour over eggs. Toss bread cubes with one tablespoon melted butter and remaining three tablespoons chopped onion. Scatter over eggs. Bake 15 minutes or until cubes are toasted.

Serves: 4

Crab and Artichoke Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart cream, scalded
1/2 cup Madeira
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups fresh crab meat
3 (9-ounce) packages frozen artichokes, cooked and drained
2-1/2 cups shell macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup buttered cracker crumbs
paprika, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large heavy pan, saute onion in butter until golden. Blend in flour, cooking over low heat until flour is pale yellow. Remove pan from heat and add cream, stirring vigorously. Return to moderate heat, stirring sauce until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in Madeira, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon juice over crab meat and toss lightly. Combine crab meat, sauce, artichoke hearts, and macaroni in a buttered six-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cheese, cracker crumbs, and paprika. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
SERVINGS: 12 - 14

Cecile's Ham Loaf with Horseradish Sauce

INGREDIENTS for Ham Loaf:

2 pounds ground, lean, fresh pork
1 pound ground ham
1 teaspoon minced celery
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup tomato juice

INGREDIENTS for Horseradish Sauce:

1 bottle (6 ounce) prepared horseradish
1 bottle (2 ounce) capers, drained
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Shedd's or Durkee's Sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

TO PREPARE Ham Loaf:

Mix pork, ham, celery, bread crumbs and pepper together. Form into loaf. Make a depression in center of loaf and pour in tomato juice. Bake in 300 degree oven for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Serve with Horseradish Sauce.

TO PREPARE Horseradish Sauce:

Mix all ingredients together. Chill for several hours and serve with ham loaf.

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SERVES: 8 - 10

Cold Orange Souffle

Ingredients

1 pound fresh string beans
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Break ends off beans. Parboil beans in large amount of rapidly boiling water for about five minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water to retain green color; cool. Place beans horizontally in the feed tube of a food processor and slice. In a skillet, melt butter and add beans, garlic, parsley, and salt. Shake pan back and forth over low heat until beans are warmed.

Servings: 4

Sopaipillas De Levadura (Yeast Puffed Bread)

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup warm water 1 teaspoon baking powder
(105°-115°F) 1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups scalded milk, cooled 1 tablespoon shortening
4 cups flour
Shortening

Directions

Dissolve yeast in water and add to milk. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and cut in shortening. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add liquid to dry ingredients and work into a dough. Knead dough for 10 minutes, or until smooth; cover, and set aside. Heat 2 inches of shortening in a heavy pan at medium-high heat. Roll dough to a 1/8 ingh thickness on a lightly floured board. Cut dough into 4-inch squares and fry until golden on both sides, turning once. (If the shortening is sufficiently hot, the sopaipillas will puff and become hollow shortly after being placed in the shortening.) Drain sopaipillas on absorbent towels.

Yield: 4 dozen medium sopaipillas

NOTE: Sopaipillas may be served as a bread with any New Mexican menu. They may be served with honey, dusted with a sugar-cinnamon mixture and served as a dessert, or may be filled. See Stuffed Sopaipilla recipe.

Penne with Bacon and Three Cheeses

Ingredients

12 ounces penne
Salt to taste
4 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water in a saucepan until al dente. Drain and rinse. Cover to keep warm.

Sauté the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until almost crisp. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the pan drippings.

Combine the reserved pan drippings and butter in the skillet. Heat until the butter melts. Add the mushrooms and bacon.

Sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the whipping cream.

Simmer for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Combine the Swiss cheese, Cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese in a bowl and mix well. Add the cheese mixture 1/4 cup at a time to the cream mixture, stirring constantly after each addition until the cheese melts. Stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the pasta, tossing to coat.

Spoon into individual pasta bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to taste and parsley.

Servings: 3 - 4

North Carolina Party Dessert

Ingredients

1 large angel food cake (about 1 pound)
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sherry
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 Tablespoons cold water
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup broken pecans

Directions

Cut crust from cake. Tear cake into small (1/2-inch) pieces; set aside. In top of double boiler, beat egg yolks until light, gradually adding 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir in sherry; place over boiling water and cook until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Set aside and let cool. Soften gelatin in cold water and dissolve over boiling water; let cool slightly. In a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream; fold in egg yolk mixture and pecans. Beat egg whites until stiff; add 6 Tablespoons of the remaining sugar. Fold in gelatin and egg whites. In a large tube pan, place a layer of cake pieces and cover with a layer of custard. Repeat until all is used, making 3 layers of cake and 3 layers of custard. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Unmold onto serving plate. Whip remaining 1 cup cream, adding remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar. Spread over top and sides of cake.

Serves: 10 - 12

Zuppa d'Aglio - Garlic Soup

Ingredients

3 Garlic; fresh
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 Med Onion, cut up
2 Celery ribs, cut up
1 cup White wine; dry
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
8 cups Chicken stock
1 Medium Potato, peeled and cut up
1 cup Whipping cream
10 Basil leaves, fresh, torn
5 Sprigs thyme leaves, fresh
2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon White pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced very thin

Directions

Cut two of the garlic heads in half across and remove the papery outer skin. Put these cut side down on a very hot surface - a griddle or black iron skillet - until they're black. Peel all the garlic completely. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the onions, celery, and the garlic until lightly browned at the edges. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the flour and stir the pot thoroughly, but don't let it brown. Add the chicken stock, 1/2 gallon water, and the potato. Whisk about the pot well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook for about an hour and 15 minutes. Strain out the solids from the soup, and puree them in a blender or food processor, along with enough broth to ease things along. Return the puree to the soup and restore the boil. Add the whipping cream, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet very hot. In it toast the slivers of garlic until brown around the outside. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with roasted garlic slivers. Float a toasted, garlic-buttered slice of Italian bread on top. Serves eight to twelve.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
4 chicken legs
1 large white onion, cut into quarters
3 ribs celery, cut into halves
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 (12-ounce) package frozen dumplings

Directions

Combine the chicken, onion, celery, bay leaves, salt and pepper with enough water to generously cover in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Boil until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken to a platter using a slotted spoon. Strain the stock and reserve, discarding the solids. Chop the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.

Mix the canned broth, soup and a small amount of the hot reserved stock in a bowl. Stir the soup mixture into the hot stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the poultry seasoning and season with pepper. Drop the dumplings 1 at a time into the boiling stock; the dumplings should barely touch. Stir in the chicken and simmer until the dumplings are tender. Serve immediately.

Serves: 8