Every once in a while I pick up my copy of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, and flip through it looking for inspiration. Most times that inspiration comes in something that is so simple, that I kick myself for not thinking of it on my own. Prosciutto, cream and Parmagiano-Reggiano makes an awesome quick pasta sauce that goes great with fresh pasta. Paglia e Fieno (Straw and hay) is a combination of plain fresh pasta and green pasta flavored with spinach.

Paglia e Fieno with Sausage and Cream Recipe

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 25 min

Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
1 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound fresh green and white fettuccine or tagliatelle
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmagianno-Reggiano cheeseplus additional for serving

1. Slice the prosciutto into thin strips. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring until it starts to crisp up, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the cream, salt and pepper, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente and drain.
4. Place the pan with the sauce back over medium heat, add the pasta, and grated Parmagianno-Reggiano cheese to the pan and toss until well coated.
5. Serve with additional grated cheese on the side.

Short Rib Ragu Recipe

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 3 hours | Total time: 3 hours and 15 min

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celerey, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
4 ounces pancetta, diced
4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 35-ounce cans imported Italian peeled tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 leaves of basil, chopped
1 pound mezze rigatoni
freshly ground ricotta salata cheese for serving

1. In a large deep sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, cook stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the short ribs and pancetta and brown the ribs on all sides.
3. Crush the tomatoes with your hands, and add to the pot. Then add the beef broth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 2-1/2 hours. Add the chopped basil in for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
4. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, add the mezze rigatoni and cook until al dente. Toss the pasta with some of the sauce, sprinkle with grated ricotta salata cheese and serve as first course. Transfer the ribs from the sauce to a serving platter and serve as the second course.

Roasted Rabbit with Sausage and Potatoes

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour and 15 min

Serves 4

1 pound yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
8 ounces pancetta, diced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 3-4 pound rabbit cut into serving pieces
1 pound italian sausage
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. In large bowl, toss together the potatoes, rosemary, thyme, garlic, pancetta and two tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer into a roasting pan, pour in the white wine and place in the oven. Cook the potatoes by themselves for 40 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, season the rabbit with salt & pepper, and heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the rabbit, brown on all sides and transfer to a plate. When done browning the rabbit, do the same with the sausage, then cut the sausage into one inch pieces.
3. After the potatoes have been cooking for 40 minutes, add the browned rabbit and sausage to the pan and cook for 20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 35 min | Total time: 50 min

Serves 4

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus plus some for brushing on a sheet pan
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Place squash on a lightly oiled sheet pan, place in oven and roast, turning once, until golden and tender, about 30 minutes.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is well coated and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the wine to the rice, and cook, stirring for a minute or two. Then add a 4 to 6 ounce ladel of simmering stock and cook, stirring occasionally, making sure to wipe the sides and bottom of the pot clean as you stir, until all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Continue adding the broth a ladle at a time, waiting until the liquid is completely absorbed before adding more.
5. After about 20 minutes begin to taste the rice. It is ready when it is tender and creamy, but still a little firm to the bite.
6. Remove from heat, and add the squash with the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, stir until well combined. Transfer to serving plates and serve.

Pan Seared Tuna with Rosemary Oil Recipe

Adapted from Da Fiore Cookbook by Damiano Martin

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 5 min | Total time: 20 min

Serves 4

1 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for cooking the tuna
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary plus 1 or two sprigs for garnish
2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper
1 garlic clove
1-1/2 pounds tuna loin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. At least one day in advance, prepare the rosemary oil by combining 1 cup olive oil, rosemary, crushed red pepper, garlic and salt to taste. Cover tightly and let stand overnight. Strain the oil through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar, and seal until ready to use.
2. Cut the tuna loin into four even pieces, and season with salt & pepper.
3. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pieces of tuna to the pan and sear on all sides, about 1 minute per side, for medium-rare.
4. Using a sharp knife cut the tuna into 1/4 slices. Arrange on serving plates and drizzle with the rosemary oil. Chop up the remaining sprigs of rosemary, sprinkle on top for garnish, and serve.

Red Snapper Livornese Recipe

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
12 gaetta olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons capers
4 Red Snapper fillets
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to hold the snapper fillets, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the olives and capers and continue cooking until onion is translucent 3-5 minutes.
3. Lay the red snapper fillets skin side down in the pan, and add the marinara sauce and white wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and place the pan in the oven.
4. Bake in the oven until fish is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully transfer fish to serving plates, spoon sauce over fish and serve.

Porchetta Recipe

Serves 8

4 lb boneless pork belly, with the skin on
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lay the pork skin side down on a work surface, and with a sharp knife, make a few slits in the flesh.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the sage, rosemary, garlic, 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread the mixture all over the exposed surface of the belly, working it into the cuts in the flesh. Roll up the pork belly and tie tightly with butcher’s twine.
4. Place rolled and tied belly in a roasting pan. Make some cuts in the skin with a sharp knife, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
5. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours. The juices should run clear when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil. Slice and serve.

This typically Roman pasta dish was traditionally made with guanciale, but since that ingredient used to be very hard to find outside of Italy, and the Lazio region in particular, pancetta has became a common substitute. This is changing and guanciale can now be found at certain specialty food stores here in America. While you can still make a great Amatriciana with pancetta, if you are able to find guanciale, you should try using it at least once.

Made from cured pork jowl, guanciale is softer and has a higher ratio of fat than pancetta, resulting in a richer sauce. That being said, with either ingredient it is still my favorite pasta dish. So no need to get too caught up in being “traditional”.

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 50 min

Serves 4

2 tblsp of olive oil
1/4 of a pound pancetta or guanciale, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
salt to taste
1 pound of bucatini pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and cook, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until garlic is golden, about 1 minute longer.

2. Crush tomatoes and add with juices to pan. Add salt pepper and a little water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.

4. Drain the pasta, then add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Pomano to the sauce in the saucepan and toss well. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve immediately, with the remaining Pecorino Romano on the side.

I feel like I have been beating the simplicity theme into the ground the past few weeks, but the fact of the matter is, this is how I cook in the summer. There are so many great seasonal ingredients that I look forward to all year, and I want to put them front and center in the dishes I eat. Plus, it’s too hot to cook anything too complicated or involved.

Zucchini and yellow squash are two of these ingredients that I look forward to so much. Sure you can get them all year round in the supermarket, but they are so much better when they are from your own garden or a local farm. This recipe comes from my Aunt Maria who is an awesome cook.

Pasta with Summer Squash Recipe

Serves 4-6

1 pound farfalle, penne or fusilli pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound small squash such as zucchini or yellow squash, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese
4 large basil leaves, washed, patted dry and chopped

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook uncovered over high heat.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the squash, red pepper and salt. Cook stirring occasionally until squash is starting to soften about 8 minutes.
3. When pasta is cooked to just under al dente reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
4. Add the pasta, Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, half of the chopped parsely and the reserved cooking water to the pan with the squash, and stir together over the heat until well combined.
5. Transfer the pasta to serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.

In Italian the word scottadito means burned fingers. This dish is named scottadito because the lamb chops are so delicious that you can’t resist eating them sizzling hot, straight from the grill and burning your fingers.

Serves 4

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
12 rib lamb chops

1. In a small bowl stir together the garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the lamb chops in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them, turn the cops to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Start a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Place the chops on the rack over high heat and grill turning once, 5 minutes per side for medium rare. The outside will be well seared with the insides still pink.

3. Transfer to a warm platter and serve immediately.