Spring Frittata

Spring Frittata

Serves 8

Ingredients

8 large eggs

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 cup diced potatoes, steamed

1 bunch scallions, diced

½ cup chopped parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1)     Preheat oven to 400° F.

2)     Steam potatoes until tender. Set aside.

3)     Beat eggs until frothy. Add salt and pepper.

4)     In a large oven-proof sauté pan, sauté scallions and spinach in olive oil until soft.

5)     Add potatoes and stir to combine.

6)     Add eggs to pan. Cook at medium heat until barely set. About seven minutes.

7)     Sprinkle cheese on top of frittata. Transfer pan to oven. Bake for a minute or two, until top of frittata is nicely browned. Serve.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spring Veggies

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spring Veggies

Serves four

Ingredients

1 box whole wheat penne or rotini
1 package frozen baby peas, thawed
1 bunch scallions or garlic scapes, minced
1 bunch fresh asparagus, diced small
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped chives
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh pepper

Procedure

1. Place a large pot of salted water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta when boiling. Cook until almost done, one minute less than time on box. Drain pasta. Reserve one cup cooking water.
2. Saute asparagus and scallions/garlic scapes for two minutes.
3. Add peas and continue cooking one minute.
4. Add pasta and 1/2 to 1 cup pasta cooking water.
5. Add herbs and half the Parmesan cheese.
6. Serve with more cheese, if desired, and fresh ground pepper.

Rachel Ray’s ‘Lazy’ Florentine Lasagna

Rachael Ray’s “Lazy” Florentine Lasagna

serves 8

Ingredients
1 pound wavy edge lasagna noodles, regular or whole wheat, broken into irregular pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
Pepper
1 bundle green or red Swiss chard, Tuscan kale or 1 pound spinach leaves, stemmed, leaveshalved lengthwise then thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons butter
3 slightly rounded tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup fontina cheese, grated

Procedure
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Boil the water and salt it, then cook the pasta to 2 minutes just-shy of al dente.Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms andbrown well, then add the onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper.Cook to soften the onions, then wilt in the greens, deglaze the pan with the wine orstock and reduce the heat to low.
4. While the mushrooms cook, in a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whiskin the flour, cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk. Bring to a bubble and seasonthe sauce with salt and pepper. Let thicken, then season with nutmeg, to taste.
5. Drain the pasta and combine it with the mushrooms and greens and a little of thereserved starchy cooking water. Transfer to a baking dish or casserole, then pourthe white sauce over top and cover with cheeses. Bake until bubbly and brown, 20minutes or so.

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni
makes 8 cannelloni
Ingredients
½ pound fresh spinach, chopped
1 ¾ cup ricotta cheese
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 6”x4” pasta rectangles or 8 oven-ready “no-boil” lasagna noodles
1 quart tomato sauce
Procedure
1. Heat oven to 425°.
2. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.
3. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
4. Add chopped spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool
completely.
5. In a large bowl, combine egg, ricotta, parsley, salt and pepper.
6. Add spinach to cheese mixture.
7. Boil pasta sheets two or three at a time. For fresh pasta, boil for 2 minutes; for
oven-ready pasta, boil for 6 minutes.
8. Remove pasta from pot with a slotted spoon and lay flat on parchment paper or a
kitchen towel.
9. Layer the bottom of a baking dish with 2 cups of tomato sauce.
10. Fill each pasta sheet as follows: place 1/3 cup filling along short side of rectangle,
then roll up folding in the sides as you go.
11. Place cannelloni on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish and repeat with rest
of pasta and filling. Cannelloni should fit snugly in the dish.
12. Cover cannelloni with rest of sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
13. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned.