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Antipasto Pasta

12 ounces linguine
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large (5-inch diameter) portobello mushrooms, stemmed,
    dark gills removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces 1/8-inch thick slices Genoa salami, cut into thin strips
1 cup sliced vegetables and 6 tablespoons marinade from 16 ounce
    jar antipasto salad with olives
2 cups grated Asiago cheese, divided
2 cups chopped fresh basil, divided

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Heat oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saut? until tender and brown, about 6 minutes. Add salami; toss 30 seconds. Add pasta, 1/2 cup cooking liquid, sliced vegetables, reserved marinade, and 1 1/2 cups cheese; toss until liquid thickens and coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Mix in 1 1/2 cups basil. Season with pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup basil; serve with 1/2 cup Asiago cheese.

Fried Italian Ravioli

12 dozen fresh ravioli*
2 large eggs, beaten
Salt and cayenne pepper

* Fresh ravioli is usually available in the chilled section of your grocery.

In a large bowl beat together salt, pepper and eggs. Detach the raviolis one by one. Dip into the egg mixture, then deep fry for about 2 to 4 minutes ? until golden and crispy.

Serve hot with tomato salsa as appetizer.

Serves 4.

Milanese Scampi Romano

On each hot plate place a serving of cooked spaghetti, 8 cooked medium shrimp, 1 cup Italian Red Sauce and top with grated fresh Romano and Swiss cheeses. Place under broiler or in microwave oven to melt cheeses.

Milano Shrimp Fettuccine

4 ounces uncooked spinach or egg fettuccine
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with
    basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, saut? shrimp and garlic in oil until shrimp are pink. Stir in tomatoes; simmer 5 minutes.

Blend in cream and scallions; heat through. Do not boil. Serve over hot cooked fettuccine.

Yields 4 servings.

Almond Paste Cookies

1/2 pound almond paste
2 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 ounces slivered almonds
Maraschino cherries

Mix almond paste and egg whites with hands. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls; roll into slivered almonds. Place on foil lined cookie sheet. Press thumbprint into ball. Place 1/2 or 1/4 maraschino cherry in indentation. Bake at 300 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cato's Cheese Bread

An old recipe for Roman bread.

1 cup feta cheese, drained, crumbled, and packed
    into the measuring cup
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons honey

Put the cheese into a medium size mixing bowl. Mash well with the fingers until it becomes a smooth, lumpless paste.

Add the flour and mix well with the fingers.

Add the beaten egg and mix well. The dough will be rather sticky.

Divide the dough into two equal parts, then form two round, flat, 1/2 inch thick loaves. Lay each on three bay leaves set on a greased baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked through.

Remove the loaves from the oven, spread the tops with the honey, and let cool.

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

1 pound capellini
1/4 cup olive oil
8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
2 cups Italian plum tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop tomatoes. Cook pasta. Toss with oil. Add remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Braised Veal Shanks, Milan Style (Osso Buco)

Serve with a sprinkling of Gremolada.

4 pounds veal or beef shanks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Gremolada (optional)

Trim excess fat from veal shanks if necessary. Coat veal with flour. Cook veal in oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Drain fat. Add remaining ingredients except Gremolada. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until veal is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Arrange veal and vegetables on platter. Skim fat from broth; pour broth over veal.

Serve with rice or hot cooked spaghetti.

Gremolada
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Mix parsley, garlic and lemon peel.

Bruschetta

Also called "Fettunta," this is one of the best Italian snacks. 

1 large round crusty loaf white bread, sliced thickly
Cloves of garlic, peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil

Toast slices of bread. If you can do this over an open fire, it is best. Rub the toasted bread with a clove of garlic until it almost disappears and then drizzle over plenty of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

Deluxe Focaccia

Yield: three 9-inch rounds

Dough
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100 degrees F)
2 cups water, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for adjustments
3 cups (15 ounces) bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or sage (optional)

Toppings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 4 teaspoon salt and any of the following:
    paper thin tomato slices
    thin slices of onion saut?ed in olive oil
    thin slices of garlic saut?ed in olive oil
    pitted brine or salt cured olives
    a small quantity of Parmesan cheese
    slivers of pepperoni
    Strips of roasted pepper etc.

Combine the warm water with the yeast in a large mixing bowl and set aside until creamy. Stir in the two cups water and the oil. Add the flours and the salt and mix until the dough comes together. You may need to add a bit of water or flour if the dough is too dry or too wet. Knead the dough using the dough hook of an electric mixer for two minutes on low and then three minutes on medium or 8 to 10 minutes by hand. (Work in the optional rosemary or sage towards the end of the kneading, if desired). The result should be a smooth, elastic dough. Place the dough in a bowl. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and leave to rise until double in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

On a lightly floured board, divide the dough into three equal pieces. Oil three 9 or 10-inch round pans and press or roll out one piece of dough to fit in each of these pans. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or damp towels and leave to rise until doubled, about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare any topping ingredients you might need and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

When the dough is ready, use the tips of your fingers to make indentations about 1/2" deep all over the dough. Brush the focacce with the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt, using the lesser quantity with salty toppings such as olives or Parmesan. Sprinkle on the desired topping(s), keeping in mind that this is not a meal or a pizza but a snack or an accompaniment. Bake the focacce for 20 to 25 minutes, misting them with water after 3, 6 and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden and immediately slide them out of the baking pans and onto cooling racks.

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