Everyday Italian (15 page)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and summer squash and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and sauté for 2 minutes. Season the vegetable mixture with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Using a 6-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut the cooled lasagna sheets into 18 circles. Coat the bottom of each of six 6-inch gratin dishes with 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce. Place 1 pasta circle over the bottom of each dish. In a medium bowl, toss the beans with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Arrange the beans and then the spinach over the pasta circles in the dishes, dividing equally. Top each with another pasta circle, pressing gently to compact slightly. Spoon the sautéed vegetables over the lasagnas, dividing equally, then top each with 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce. Place a third pasta circle atop each and spread each with 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and dot with the butter. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the dishes on the prepared baking sheet. (The lasagnas can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the plastic wrap before baking.)

Bake the lasagnas until brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes.

A great one-dish meal in the tradition of the classic red-checkered-tablecloth, family-owned restaurant, this is Italian-American food at its best. I like to make individual portions ahead of time, and freeze them. When I get home really late from work, I just pop one in the microwave and have a full, comforting meal in mere minutes.

6 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in the meat mixture and set aside.

Brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over a large baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add the manicotti and cook until softened but still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the prepared baking sheet and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon ½ cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture, and arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining cup of sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and then the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese over the manicotti. Dot the top with the butter pieces. (The manicotti can be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Bake the manicotti uncovered until it is heated through and the sauce bubbles on the bottom of the dish, about 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Pumpkin ravioli is easier to find in the fall through the holidays, when the Halloween mascot is in season and on the minds of cooks. The sauce can also work nicely with any ravioli filling, but the pairing of pumpkin (or another sweet squash) with sage is particularly perfect, especially with the nutmeg and hazelnut flavors. This is truly a seasonal dish; to me, it tastes like autumn—even autumn in Southern California, where I’m from.

4 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the oil, then the ravioli and cook until the ravioli float to the top, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a large platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a small, heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the sage leaves and fry until they are crisp and fragrant, about 20 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg. Pour the butter sauce over the ravioli and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts and Parmesan cheese. Grate the amaretti cookies over the ravioli and serve immediately.

In this recipe I have you make ravioli from scratch—but without using fresh pasta! Don’t worry, it’s really not hard, and you’ll look like a professional chef. Trust me.

2 MAIN-COURSE SERVINGS

If you use ravioli with a different filling, omit the toasted hazelnuts and amaretti cookies.

Lightly flour a baking sheet. Arrange 3 egg roll wrappers on a cutting board. Brush with the egg and water mixture. Using a tablespoon, spoon 4 mounds of the spinach mixture 1 inch apart on each wrapper, forming 2 mounds on the first row and 2 mounds on the second. Top each with another wrapper and press around the filling to seal the edges. Using a fluted ravioli cutter, cut out the ravioli squares, forming 12 total. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean towel.

In a large, heavy sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chopped assorted mushrooms and sauté until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Carefully stir in the marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the mushroom sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Adding 4 ravioli at a time to the boiling salted water, cook the ravioli until tender, about 3 minutes (working in small batches will prevent the ravioli from crowding in the pot and sticking together). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to 2 plates. Spoon the mushroom sauce over the ravioli, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

Wild mushroom ravioli are my very favorites, so I always have a box of them in my freezer. In the time it takes the water to boil and the raviolis to cook-no need to thaw or defrost them—I can make this sauce, and have this great dish on the table in a flash.