Ingredients:

• 1 lb cooked pork sausage, sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen organic pasta sauce tomato basil
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup Progresso chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preparation

1. In 12-inch skillet, cook sliced sausage, onion and garlic 5 to 7 minutes or until onion softens and sausage starts to brown.

2. Stir in sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth and tortellini. Cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini is cooked.

3. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese and basil. Serve when cheese has melted.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts to pan; cook 3 minutes or until butter and nuts are lightly browned, stirring constantly. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups torn rye bread with seeds
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces precooked chicken sausage, sliced
• 2 apples, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 large ribs celery, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange bread in a flat layer on a baking sheet and bake until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl; let cool.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider, vinegar, mustard and 1 Tbsp. oil. In a large nonstick skillet, warm remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Cook sausage, turning, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to bowl with bread pieces. Add apples to skillet; cook, stirring, until golden and soft, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage and bread. Remove skillet from heat and pour in cider mixture, stirring and scraping up any browned bits.

3. Pour hot cider mixture into bowl with bread mixture; add onion, celery and parsley, tossing to combine well. Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

• 2 (26-oz.) jars tomato, garlic, and onion pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 (15-oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Cook first 3 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cream and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

2. Peel eggplant, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle slices evenly with salt and black pepper. Stir together eggs and 3 Tbsp. water. Dredge eggplant in flour; dip into egg mixture, and dredge again in flour, shaking to remove excess.

3. Cook eggplant, in batches, in 1 1/2 Tbsp. hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and slightly softened. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant, wiping skillet clean after each batch, if necessary.

4. Layer 3 lasagna noodles lengthwise in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third tomato sauce mixture and half of eggplant. Dollop half of ricotta cheese evenly on eggplant in dish; top with half of mozzarella. Repeat layers with remaining noodles, one-third sauce mixture, remaining eggplant, and remaining ricotta. Top with remaining one-third sauce mixture and mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound ground pork tenderloin
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 (2-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 16 ounces uncooked)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf to pan; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground pork tenderloin, ground pork, pancetta, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sautee 8 minutes or until pork loses its pink color. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients (through rind); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Add cinnamon; simmer 30 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Discard bay leaf, rind, and cinnamon stick; stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Arrange 1 cup noodles on each of 8 plates; top each with about 3/4 cup sauce. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon grated cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breast, browned and cubed
• 1⁄2 cup fresh spinach
• 1⁄2 cup roasted tomatoes, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash crushed red pepper
• 2 oz. BelGioioso Italico™ cheese, shredded
• 1⁄8 cup half and half or cream
• Sandwich roll

Preparation

Brown chicken breast until cooked through, remove from heat and cut into bite-size cubes. Sauté the chopped garlic in olive oil until almost brown. Add the fresh spinach and sauté until wilted. Add the chopped roasted tomatoes and crushed red pepper and sauté until heated through.

In a separate pan, heat chicken and shredded BelGioioso Italico™ cheese with 1⁄8 cup cream until cheese makes a sauce when melted. Stir in tomato-spinach mixture and serve chicken mixture inside a sandwich roll.

(Roman Egg Drop Soup)

Ingredients:

• 4 x-large eggs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (20 gr)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (30 ml)
• 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley (8 gr)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 qts chicken broth (2 lts)

Preparation

Beat eggs in a small bowl until just blended. Add parmigiano reggiano, lemon juice, parsley, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well. Bring broth to a rolling boil in a sauce pan. Pour egg mixture, stirring gently and constantly with a wire whisk. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 2-3 minutes until egg mixture forms tiny flakes. Serve piping hot. Serves 8.

(bake this on a baking sheet or pizza stone)

Ingredients:

• 1 prepared pizza dough
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5 oz. BelGioioso Crescenza-Stracchino™ cheese, sliced
• 4 slices of prosciutto
• Fresh arugula leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Place pizza dough on lightly oiled pan. Top crust with slices of BelGioioso Crescenza-Stracchino cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top and bottom of crust are nicely browned. Take out of the oven and top with prosciutto and arugula. Slice and serve immediately.

(Easter Wheat Pie)

Ingredients:

Wheat Mixture:

• 3/4 pound soaked wheat drained and weighed after soaking (If soaked wheat is not available, dry wheat may be soaked as follows: cover dry wheat with cold water and boil 15 mins. Or until husks crack open. Remove from heat and soak 24 hours.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup each, minced glace citron and orange peel

Pasta frolla (flaky sweet pastry):

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon milk

Filling:

• 3 cups sansone whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Dash cinnamon (optional)
• Grated rind of lemon
• 1 or 2 teaspoons orange flower water
  or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• Wheat mixture (ingredients above)
• 4 egg whites, beaten stiff
• Confectionary sugar

Preparation

Prepare wheat mixture: place drained wheat in covered saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Add salt and boil 1 hour, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Drain wheat, add milk and sugar, and boil an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add citron and orange peel, mix and allow to cool.

While prepared wheat is cooling, prepare pasta frolla: sift flour, salt, and sugar into bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or finger tips to distribute butter evenly through flour. Stir in egg yolks one at a time, mixing with wooden spoon. Work with hands until dough is manageable and clears bowl, adding a little milk if necessary to hold dough together. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead quickly until smooth. Form into a ball, cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide ball into two parts, one larger than the other. Roll large piece on lightly floured board into a disc 1/8-inch thick, large enough to line a deep 10 inch pie plate. Butter pie plate and line with pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Roll out remaining dough 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3/4 inch strips for lattice topping.

Prepare filling: preheat oven to 350F. Beat ricotta and sugar together; add egg yolks, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon rind and orange water, blending well. Stir in prepared wheat and fold in beaten egg whites. Turn into pie shell. Arrange pastry strips criss-cross over filling to edge. Roll bottom overhang up over strips at edge and flute heavily. Bake about 1 hour or until filling is firm in center and crust is nicely browned. Let it cool in oven. Serve sprinkled with confectionary sugar. 8-10 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red kidney beans
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 lb prosciutto (sliced & chopped)
• 3 tablespoons 100% pure olive oil
• 4 cloves peeled garlic (crushed)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled & diced)
• 2 medium yellow onions (diced)
• 1 cup celery (sliced)
• 1 – 28oz. Sansone italian peeled tomatoes (crushed)
• 2 cups potatoes (peeled & diced)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 cup zucchini (diced)
• 1/2 cup parmigiano (grated)

Preparation

Heat prosciutto in pan for 5 minutes in 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Set aside. Heat large frying pan on medium heat with olive oil. Add garlic, onions, and celery. Sautee until tender (about 10 minutes). Add to pot with chicken stock. Add tomatoes, potatoes, red wine, parsley, and marjoram. Bring to simmer and cook while covered for 1 hour (stirring often). Add zucchini, prosciutto, and 1/2 cup parmigiano. Simmer gently for 30 minutes more and stir often. Add salt and pepper to taste.