The following recipes give you an opportunity to serve
authentic Italian food using a few simple shortcuts.
Serves 4 to 6 people
Drain the tuna and break it up with a fork.
Fill a pot for the pasta with at least 4 quarts of water and place it over high heat. Bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and the penne to the boiling pasta water.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the caper sauce in a medium pan until it is simmering. Add the tuna and heat it through being careful not to cook the tuna but rather just heat it. Stir the sauce.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley on top and serve immediately.
In Sicilian cooking, bread crumbs are often used in place of Parmigiano Reggiano. Keep in mind, that Parmigiano Reggiano is rarely used in combination with fish. Of course we can always find exceptions to every rule but in general this is a good one to follow.
Serves 4 to 6 people
Fill a pot for the pasta with at least 4 quarts of water and place it over high heat. Bring to a boil.
While the water is heating, peel the shrimp, devein them if necessary, and cut them into pieces about ½ inch long.
Put the Diavoletta sauce in a 10 to 12 inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
When the water for the pasta has come to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and put in the pasta, stirring until all the strands are submerged.
When the linguine still has 4 minutes to cook, add the shrimp to the Diavoletta, season with salt, and cook until they turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. When the pasta is al dente, drain it well, toss it with the sauce, and serve at once.
Put the oil and chopped onion in the pot, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until is is translucent, then add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well, and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add about 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg and stir.
Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomato sauce and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat to a simmer and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Fill a pot for the pasta with at least 4 quarts of water and place it over high heat. Bring to a boil.
While the sauce is cooking, you might see that it is drying out. To keep the sauce from sticking or becoming too dry, add ¼ cup of water when necessary. At the end, make sure no water remains.
When the water for the pasta has come to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and put in the rigatoni.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it well, add the tablespoon of butter, toss it with the sauce, and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the side.
This sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days and it freezes well.
Via Elisa • Telephone: (404) 605 0668 • Fax: (404) 605 0449