Portobello Parmesan

Ingredients

(from NY Times Cooking)

Yield: 4 servings
10 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (1 pint)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
3 cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
½ cup (½ ounce) basil leaves, finely chopped, plus more leaves for topping

Prep:

Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan, along with half the garlic, and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and toss to coat the tomatoes.

Step 2
To the sheet pan, add the mushroom caps in between the tomatoes, gill side up, and drizzle each generously with olive oil. (Don’t skimp here, as the olive oil will add lots of rich flavor.) Scatter the mushrooms with the remaining garlic, and season each mushroom with salt and black pepper. Fill each mushroom with marinara sauce, and top with cheese. Place in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly and golden.

Step 3
Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the bread crumbs, basil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a bowl or jar.

Cannelloni with Ragu

This recipe is from a "Kids Cook Italian" class I took back in 1996. Time flies, and 13 years later it turns out adults can cook Italian too, and this recipe is still really tasty, and only takes about 1/2 an hour to prepare. It comes with a recipe for ragu, but you can use any sauce you have on hand, I used some bolognese that I made earlier in the week.

CANNELONI A LA RAGU

For the Ragu:

Chopped celery, onion, 5-6 cloves garlic and carrot

.5 lb. ground beef

.5 lb. ground pork

1 can tomatoes

.5 cup milk

.5 cup tomato puree

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Saute vegetables and garlic in olive oil. Add meat and cook until no longer pink, add milk, tomato puree, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook 20 min. or until liquid has reduced considerably.

For the Cannelloni (8-10 servings):

1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & drained

15 basil leaves, chopped

1 lb. fresh ricotta

6 oz. shredded mozzarella
salt & pepper

2 eggs

.5 cup grated parmesan

1 lb. fresh pasta sheets (cut into 20, 5x6 pieces)

Ragu (above)

Combine drained spinach, basil, ricotta, mozzarella, salt & pepper and eggs; mix well. Add .25 cup parmesan, reserve the rest for topping. Mix well, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set aside greased, 9x13 pan. Fill cut pasta sheets by putting filling in the center lengthwise and rolling loosely like a fat cigar. Arrange in a single layer in the dish...not too crowded. Spoon sauce over top and cover with remaining parmesan and additional mozzarella if desired. Bake 20 minutes, or until cheeses are melted.