Hello Recipe Club,

I would like to introduce you to Sharon Sanders, CCP. She is our host this week and the recipes she is sharing come from her book...Cooking Up an Italian Life: Simple Pleasures of Italy in Recipes and Stories. It is one of our favorite Italian cookbooks. For more about Sharon and her book, visit her site SimpleItaly.com

"Eat Italian, Be Happy"

Few things make me as happy as Italian food. It stimulates and satisfies my senses. Italian food brings grace notes to my life, so I try to play that tune every day. I'm motivated by the gustatory results, of course, but I also cook for other reasons: the pleasures of working with my hands and of connecting with something genuine to name just two.

In this week of flavorful, Italy-style meals, I've tried to capture the simple pleasure that cooking and sharing meals brings to me.

Many of these meals are contained in a single dish. Other meals include recipes or instructions for a salad, vegetable, fruit, or other accompaniment. Some side dishes require no cooking at all, in keeping with the Italian emphasis on choosing fine ingredients and not messing with them. Plus, simple meals mean less clean up - often only one pan.

So, take some time to smell the pasta. Cook Up an Italian Life for yourself this week.

Sharon Sanders, CCP

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Mostaccioli in Fiery Tomato Sauce

Inspired by pasta all'arrabbiata-"angry pasta"-this dish takes its fire from dried red peppers. The amount of pepper in this recipe produces a pleasant glow.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, cut in slivers
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound dried mostaccioli
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Set a covered large pot of water over high heat.

In a medium sauté pan, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the prosciutto. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes, or until any fat is melted. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the tomatoes and red pepper to the pan. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, or until softened, crushing some of the tomato chunks with the back of a large spoon.

When the water boils, add the salt and mostaccioli. Stir. Cover and return to the boil. Uncover and boil, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Drain the mostaccioli and return to the pot. Add the reserved prosciutto. Toss. Add the tomato sauce and parsley. Toss, adding some of the reserved water to loosen the sauce, if needed. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan.

Note:

If you can find pancetta at your supermarket, by all means use it instead of prosciutto. Pancetta is pork belly-the same cut of meat as bacon-that has been salt-cured and sometimes seasoned with cloves and pepper. It will add a wonderful depth of flavor to this dish. Cook the pancetta slowly in the olive oil until all the fat melts into the pan.

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Sweet and Sharp Carrots

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound baby carrots
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons red or white vinegar

Preparation:

Place the carrots, oil, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the water evaporates. 

If any water remains, uncover and cook about 2 minutes, or until the carrots are dry. Remove from the heat. Add the vinegar and toss.

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Panna Cotta with Caramel Sauce

Panna cotta, which translates as "cooked cream," is chilled sweetened cream molded with a whisper of gelatin. Think of it as the silk shirt of the dessert wardrobe.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

Panna Cotta:

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (see note)
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
salt
4 cups whipping cream

Caramel:

1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Preparation:

Panna Cotta

Set 12 custard cups (1/2 cup each) on a tray.

Pour the milk into a saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin, set aside for 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a Dutch oven with ice cubes. Add cold water to cover; set aside.

Cook the milk over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is steaming hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat and whisk until no beads of gelatin remain. Check by pouring the mixture into a mixing bowl, if gelatin remains, return the mixture to the pan and heat for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk to dissolve. Gradually add the cream, whisking constantly. Set the bowl carefully into the Dutch oven. Add slightly more cold water, if needed, to the pan to bring the water up to the level of the mixture in the bowl. 

Allow to sit, whisking occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until thickened to the consistency of melted ice cream.

Ladle the mixture into the cups. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until set. (The mixture will jiggle slightly in the center of the cup.)

Caramel:

In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water and syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir to moisten thoroughly. Cook, without stirring, for about 15 minutes, or until amber-colored. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, microwave the cream in a glass measuring cup for 2 minutes, or until steaming.

With oven mitts on both hands, gradually add the cream to the pan, whisking constantly. There will be considerable bubbling and steam.

When the foam subsides, return the pan to low heat. Cook, whisking, for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is the color of caramel. Remove and pour into a heatproof bowl. Cool. Cover and refrigerate.

To Serve the Panna Cotta:

Bring 1/2 inch of water to a simmer in a small skillet. Run a knife blade around the inside of the cups to loosen the panna cotta. One at a time, dip the bottom of the cup into the water. 

Bring the dessert plate to the edge of the cup. Gently shake the panna cotta onto the plate. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

Note:

Packages of plain gelatin may vary in the amount they contain. For accurate measuring, pour the contents of 2 gelatin packages into a small bowl. With measuring spoons, remove 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon for the recipe. Save any remaining gelatin for another use.