Pizza Today - December 2016 - 51

Tortellini Pesto with
Sun-dried Tomatoes

Penne Rigate with Smoked
Mozzarella and Asparagus Tips

18 ounces of fresh cheese tortellini
½ cup pesto (recipe follows)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and
chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

¾ pound asparagus, cut diagonally into
1-inch sticks
12 ounces penne rigate (quill noodles)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1
teaspoon dried)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ pound smoked mozzarella, cut into
small cubes

Drop tortellini into boiling salted water. Cook
until they float on top; drain. Toss with pesto,
cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
Pesto
1 cup fresh basil, washed, dried and
stems discarded
2 cloves garlic (or more, according to
taste)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon freshly grated Pecorino
cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
cheese
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Crush basil in a mortar and pestle with garlic,
pine nuts and salt. Once a thick paste forms,
grind in the cheeses. Whisk or blend in the
oil.

Fettuccine Gorgonzola with
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (not oilpacked)
8 ounces uncooked spinach or tri-color
fettuccine
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt or low-fat sour
cream
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola
cheese
1⁄8 teaspoon white pepper
Place sun-dried tomatoes in bowl and
cover with hot water; soak 5 to 10 minutes
or until tomatoes are soft and pliable. Drain
well; cut into strips.
Combine cheese and yogurt in food
processor; process until smooth. Heat
cheese mixture in saucepan over low heat.
Add Gorgonzola and white pepper; stir until
Gorgonzola melts. Add tomatoes and stir in.
Pour cheese mixture over spinach or
tri-color fettucine; mix well. Add garnish, if
desired. Serve immediately.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large
saucepot. Add the asparagus; cook 3
minutes until tender, but still crisp. Drain
the asparagus, then shock in cold water
to stop further cooking. Using the same
boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.
In the meantime in a separate pan, heat
1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat;
add onion, sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to
low; add garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in
asparagus, thyme leaves and salt. Cook for
5 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of
pasta water. Return pasta to the pot; toss
with remaining olive oil. Add reserved pasta
water to the sauce; stir. Combine pasta with
the sauce, then add cubes of smoked mozzarella. Toss well. Serve immediately so that
the cheese melts from the heat of the pasta
and sauce.

wilts. Add the beans and tomatoes. Simmer
the mixture over low heat to reduce the
liquid.
Add the cooked and drained pasta to
the sausage and escarole mixture. Add salt
and pepper. Serve in large, heated pasta
bowls with crusty Italian bread and grated
Parmesan.

Veal Saltimbocca
8 veal scaloppini, pounded thin
salt and pepper
8 thin prosciutto slices
8 fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Marsala wine
Season the scaloppini with salt and pepper. Place a slice of proscuitto and a sage
leaf on each scaloppini. Fold in half, securing
with a toothpick in two places by stitching
along the length of the roll.
In a medium nonstick pan, heat the butter
and oil until foamy. Add the veal and sauté
for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat
and cook 4 more minutes. Remove the veal
and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with the
wine and reduce the sauce by half. Remove
the toothpicks from the veal and place on
a warm serving platter. Pour the sauce over
the veal and serve.

Penne with Artichoke Hearts
Penne with Escarole,
Beans, and Sausage
Yield: 4 Servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (remove casing
if necessary)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
1 head escarole or spinach, trimmed,
washed, chopped coarse
1 19-ounce can cannelloni beans,
drained, rinsed
4 ripe plum or Roma tomatoes, seeded,
diced
¾ pound penne or other short pasta
such as rigatoni, cooked until al dente
and drained thoroughly
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Warm the olive in a large sauté pan. Add
the sausage and cook it through, crumbling
the larger pieces. Add the garlic, chicken
broth and escarole. Cook until the escarole

9 ounces artichoke hearts
8 ounces fresh spinach, washed and
dried
16 ounces penne
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated
Slice 6 ounces of artichokes into small
wedges; chop the remainder into paste. Set
aside. Cook pasta until al dente. While pasta
is cooking, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil
until onion is translucent. Add oregano, salt
and freshly ground pepper. Reduce heat to low
and stir in wine, lemon juice, spinach leaves,
artichokes and artichoke paste. Simmer and
stir until spinach is wilted. Stir in ricotta. Drain
pasta and add to the sauce. Remove it from
heat and add lemon zest. Serve.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 5 1
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - December 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - December 2016
