Penne Alla Napolitana Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Drop penne in boiling, salted water. Return to boil & boil gently for 8-10 mins. (for 'al dente'), or to desired tenderness. Drain; toss with 1 T. of the olive oil. Return to pan & keep warm.
• 2. Saute garlic slowly in remaining 3 T. of olive oil in large skillet until soft, but not brown. (NOTE: To speed prep time, I typically start this step as pasta is cooking on another burner!)
• 3. Add sliced/chopped olives, basil, red pepper flakes, & tomato sauce. Stir & heat to simmering. (NOTE: The olive oil will separate & form a 'ring' around pan's edge ... don't worry, this is normal! The oil will incorporate in the next step.)
• 4. Add grated parmesan, stirring until melted and combined well; repeat with mozzarella. (Provolone goes well with this, too.)
• 5. Pour over warm pasta & serve!

Steps:

• Fry onion and garlic for 2 minutes in the olive oil. Add the carrot and celery and fry another 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes (with juice) and tomato paste. Simmer 1 hour.
• Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
• Serve with sauce poured over the pasta. Garnish with basil and parmesan.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine pine nuts, raisins and garlic. Lay meat slices on a work surface, and season them lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle pine nut and raisin mixture on 1 side of the slices. Roll slices up and secure them with a toothpick or tie them with kitchen string. Place them in a large, deep saute pan and add oil, onion and 4 cups of water. Place over medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until water has evaporated, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Continue cooking, turning meat rolls with tongs, until meat is lightly browned on all sides. Add wine to pan and cook until evaporated. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, and coarsely chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes, reserved juice and tomato paste to pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is very thick, about 2 hours.
• Remove meat from pan with tongs, remove toothpicks or cut string, and place meat on a serving platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour it over ziti or penne. Serve with meat and grated Parmesan on the side.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the onions in the boiling water, and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Drain the onions, and let cool a bit, then slice very thinly.
• Heat half the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat; stir in the carrots, celery and bacon, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beef, then cover with the onions. Pour the remaining oil over the onions, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently until the beef is tender, about 2 hours; the onions will release a good deal of liquid.
• Uncover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring more frequently as the liquid reduces and lowering the heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until the meat has fallen apart and the sauce is creamy, about 45 minutes. Stir in the wine and taste, adding more wine if desired. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is glossy and quite thick, about 15 minutes more.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and toss with the sauce. Stir in Parmesan to taste, then serve.

Steps:

• Drop penne into kettle of boiling water, return to boil and boil gently for 8 - 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, toss with 1 tablespoons olive oil, return to pan and keep warm.
• Sauté garlic slowly in 3 tablespoons olive oil in skillet until softened but not browned. Add olives, basil, red pepper and tomato sauce. Heat. Stir in cheeses and heat, stirring, until chunks begin to melt. Pour over pasta. Pass additional grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over if desired.