Cooking is so personal and subjective. Take stuffed shells...Some like them dry, some with lotsa sauce, some more cheese, some less. So adjust the recipes according to your taste. A word of caution tho...If I find out anyone used the dreaded cottage cheese in the stuffed shells recipe, I'll have to hunt you down and confiscate your cookware......
The Family's Spaghetti Sauce
A note: I usually make sauce when I have a leftover porkchop or two. I t adds a ton of flavor and I'm too damn lazy umm I mean efficient to cook them separately.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (optional)
leftover porkchop(s) if you have them
1 TBS Italian spices
1 large bay leaf
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion chopped
5 or 6 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 12 oz cans tomato paste
8 cups water
Brown ground beef and sausage. When they have lost most of their redness, add onion and cook about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste. Stir thoroughly. Add about 8 cups of water and pork chop. Stir again. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occaisionally (don't let it stick or burn!) Add spices and cook to desired consistency, about 1-2 hours more.
If I have to tell you how to use "spaghetti" sauce ...Find another website.....hehehe.
Actually, when I specify "sauce" in other recipes, like stuffed shells, THIS is the stuff!
Val's Stuffed Shells.....yup, this one's really mine.....
You might look over the ingredients and say "What the heck is nutmeg doing in the recipe? You can't really taste the nutmeg, but most Italians know it really brings out the taste of the cheeses.
Ingredients:
32 oz RICOTTA cheese - I prefer whole milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Romano cheese.
freshly grated tastes much better, but I usually use the stuff in the can and it still comes out great.
16 oz mozarella
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 lb jumbo shells
4 cups, more or less, spaghetti sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook shells till AL DENTE
While shells are cooking, combine ricotta, parmesan, romano, 1/2 the mozzarella, eggs and nutmeg. Stir well. When shells are done, drain. Cover bottom of pan with sauce. Stuff shells (approx 2 heaping TBS per shell) and place in large baking pan. Cover with sauce. Bake covered about 45 minutes. Uncover, add remaining mozarella to top and cook till hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let sit about 5-10 minutes before serving. See note at bottom of page!
Val's Turkey Soup...this one's mine, too (duh, Val...)
I made some really good turkey soup from a leftover turkey breast ( I got three meals outa that baby!) and I thought it would be a good recipe to share...if I had written it down. If I HAD written it down it would have probably tasted like crap...Anyway, I'm estimating amounts here. Again, adjust to your own tastes.
Ingredients:
1 meaty turkey frame, cut into about 4 pieces, bone and all
1 large onion, sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder, optional
1 1/2 cups medium noodles OR I recommend 1 cup of acini de pepe if you can find it. They're tiny and don't get mushy if you reheat the soup.
OR 2/3 cup rice
chicken boullion if neccesary
8-10 cups water (or stock or chicken broth or combination)
Put pieces of turkey frame in a large stock pot. Add water, broth, etc. onion, celery and poultry seasoning and parsley. Simmer 2-3 hours or until meat is almost falling off the bones, turning frame and stirring occaisionally. Strain soup and remove meat from bones. It's a good idea to wait until they cool off a little....heheh. While you are picking the bones, put broth back in pan and bring to a slow boil. Add carrots and boullion if neccesary. Simmer approx 15 minutes and add noodles. ( If using rice, add at the same time as vegetables.) Add meat back in about 5 minutes before soup should be done. Cook until vegetables are almost done. They will continue to cook for a short time after they are removed from heat. EAT!
This page was last updated on: September 28, 2008
A NOTE about my stuffed shells...The quality of your spaghetti sauce has a great effect on the quality of your stuffed shells! The stuff you buy at the grocery store is NOT authentic! Barilla, an Italian company, puts on their label "Made in America for American Tastes" If ya like spaghetti-os , go for it! Nuff said....
