Perciatelli with Meat Sauce and Fontina

1. 1 tablespoon cooking oil
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 1 pound ground beef
4. 1/2 cup red wine
5. 1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
6. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
7. 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
8. 3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
9. 1/2 pound perciatelli
10. 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
11. 2 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
12. 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
13. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the perciatelli until just done, about 15 minutes. Drain and toss with the meat sauce, vinegar, Fontina, Parmesan, and parsley. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Yield: 4 servings

Orecchiette with Red-Wine Veal Sauce

1. 2 1/2 pounds veal shanks (osso buco; 1 3/4-inch thick pieces)
2. 1/3 cup olive oil
3. 2 large red onions
4. 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes including juice
5. 2 cups dry red wine
6. 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
7. 3 whole cloves
8. 1 1/4 pounds dried orecchiette

1. Make sauce: Pat veal shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. In a deep large heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown shanks on all sides. Transfer shanks to a plate and in skillet saute onions, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes.
2. In a blender or food processor coarsely puree tomatoes with juice and stir into onions with remaining sauce ingredients. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add shanks and cook, covered, over low heat 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender. Discard cloves.
3. Transfer shanks to a cutting board and cool slightly. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
4. Using 2 forks shred meat. With a sharp knife remove marrow from shanks and chop. Stir meat and marrow into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Simmer sauce 15 minutes. Sauce may be made ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, and chilled, covered. 2 days or frozen 1 month.
5. In an 8-quart kettle bring 7 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette until al dente and drain in a colander. In a large heated bowl immediately toss pasta with sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

My favorite food, easier than you think.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Lasagna So Good You'll Want More

9 lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. To make filling- Combine in a bowl: ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan and eggs.
4. To make sauce- In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain grease. Combine in skillet, browned ground beef, oregano, basil, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper and tomato sauce. Heat through and stir.
5. In a 9x13 inch pan, alternate layers of cooked lasagna noodles, sauce, and filling, making 3 layers total. If desired, top with more mozzarella cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.