Yellow Squash Risotto

While a medium grain Italian rice is usually recommended for risotto, I use whichever rice I have on hand.

3 tbsp olive oil
One medium to large yellow squash, sliced in to coins or bite sized pieces
One medium yellow onion, diced
Four medium carrots, peeled and sliced in to coins
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup rice (see first note) -- I used long grain white rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp cream cheese

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, carrot, and half of the onion. Allow to simmer until carrots are cooked through. Salt to taste.

Set broth and vegetables aside in a separate bowl. In the saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add remaining onion and saute until tender. Add rice, stirring constantly, until golden, about two-three minutes. If the onions start to brown, reduce heat. Pour the wine over the rice and stir, with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Ladle the broth in to the saucepan, about half a cup at a time, stirring while the liquid is absorbed. You can either discard the vegetables in the broth, or spoon them back in to the rice as I did.

While the risotto is going, heat the remaining oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Toss the squash with black pepper and garlic, and lay out on the pan. Flip the squash every so often, until cooked to your liking.

It should take about 20 minutes for the rice to fully absorb all of the broth. Towards the end taste the rice, you want it al dente, not mushy. It's okay if a little broth is left over. Remove the risotto from heat and add the cream cheese. Fold it in until fully blended.

Spoon the risotto in to a bowl, and top with squash.

Homemade Pasta

I have a pasta roller. It is not attached to a KitchenAid standing mixer. Not, this is the kind that you have to spend a whole day cranking by hand. And I love it.

A lot of pasta recipes will tell you to use fine flour and eggs, with just the tiniest amount of water. I don't want, nor do I need, egg noodles. In fact, you don't even need to use eggs at all.

You DO NOT need to add an egg. This is a lie. Do not believe anyone who says you have to add an egg. You can if you want, but flour and water are going to work just fine. You just need to be patient.

Start with three cups of flour, 2/3 cup of water, and, fine, one large egg. Pour the flour in to a glass bowl, and make a little dent in the center for the egg. Crack that in, and slowly fold in the flour with a fork. While you continuously fold, slowly pour in the water. Here's the thing, you can add a bunch of eggs right at first and then mix as fast or as slow as you want, but then you have all that stupid egg yolk cholesterol. You are already eating so many starchy carbs, do you really want to throw that in to the mix? No. So add the water really, really slowly. And keep folding.

Dust your hands liberally with flour and start to knead. This will take a good ten minutes, so make sure you have a tv show or podcast or something to keep your attention. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Seriously, if it tears while you roll it, just go right on kneading.

If you are unlucky, this will be the time to bring out your rolling pin and get to gettin'. If, however, you are smart and fun to be around, you will have a pasta roller. Starting on the thickest setting, roll out 3inx6in sheets of dough. Then go down a setting, and roll out each of these sections. Continue until the sheets are your desired noodle thickness, remembering that pasta will plump almost double while cooking. Now you can either slice the noodles yourself, or pull out the handy guide that does it for you, attached to your pasta roller. (Seriously, Ned and Mooshe, this is the best present ever!)

Fresh pasta only needs to be boiled for about 3 minutes to be al dente. Serve immediately with a rich tomato or cheese sauce. This particular batch, made at midnight during a pretty bad bout of insomnia, was eaten directly from the pot while watching reruns of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Ahh, Italian...

Marinara Sauce

When canning your own sauces or preserves, it is very important that the food be just below boiling, and the jars very warm. Fill the jars as high as you can and seal the cap and lid on tightly, then turn upside down to create a tight seal. This inversion helps create that concave area in the center of the lid that lets you know the food is staying fresh.

Pictured above is my marinara sauce, a recipe so secret that no one has ever even watched me make it. No one has ever seen the grocery list for the week I plan on making it. In those jars there is a healthy dose of stewed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sauteed onions, minced garlic, fresh basil and oregano, and slightly more olive oil than is really necessary. Available upon request, guests bring the wine.

The Godfather

This is a sandwich served at Zunzi's in Savannah GA. It is the most delicious sandwich ever. EVER!

French bread: Nice crust, dense inside, foot long.

Andouille sausage: Spicy. As much as you want. Grilled and cut lengthwise.

Chicken breast: Marinated in red peppers, basil, lemon pepper. Grilled along with the sausage. Cut in strips.

Marinara sauce: Do you have my marinara sauce recipe? Oh, you don't? I'll post that soon, promise.

Slice the french bread sandwich style. Lettuce, spinach, several slices of mozzarella cheese, sausage and chicken, topped off with marinara.

I am assuming this bread is fresh baked, so "toasting" the sub is not necessary. The hot ingredients will melt the cheese without wilting the spinach, and this is the secret to the deliciousness of the sandwich.

DO NOT substitute the Andouille for some inferior type of sausage. That chicken marinade is the restaurant's suggestion, but I guess you can do whatever you want. The Andouille is non-negotiable.

Cheese Manicotti

cheese filling
1 medium size whole milk ricotta cheese
1 handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 handful of shredded parmesan cheese
1 large egg
parsley, basil, salt, pepper to taste

sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 half onion, sauteed and minced
1 large tomato, minced
oregano, basil, coarse salt to taste

cut one red bell pepper in half, remove the seeds, and put in the oven on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until, whenever.

cook the manicotti al dente, drain and rinse with cool water. fill each pasta tube with cheese filling (make a huge mess). grease a 9x9 glass baking dish, pour in half the sauce and place the manicotti on top. cover with the rest of the sauce. Slice the red pepper and layer on top of the sauce. Cover with fresh mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.