Crespelle di Zucca e Pignoli (Crepes filled with Winter Squash and Pinenuts (for 6)

Filling (can be made a day ahead)

2 lbs. pie pumpkin or winter squash (Sweet meat, Kabocha or Butternut), split and seeded
3 Tbsp. toasted pinenuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. chives, chopped fine
salt & pepper to taste

Bake the squash, cut side down, on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper at 350 degrees until soft. Flip over to allow trapped steam to escape and cool. Scoop out squash and puree when cool enough to handle. Add other ingredients.

Crepes (can be made a day ahead)

2 eggs ~1 1/4 c. milk
~3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
pinch sea salt

Mix together eggs, salt and 1/2 cup milk. Whisk in flour until smooth. Add remaining milk and butter and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Whisk again, adding a bit of water if the batter needs thinning. Make crepes in a small non-stick pan over medium heat using a rotating wrist movement and the minimum of batter to just cover the bottom of the pan. When the first side browns on the edges tap the edge of the pan to loosen the crepe and flip it over with a spatula or a quick flick of the wrist. After 15 seconds more, remove to a flat surface to cool and repeat until all the batter is used--it should make 12 crepes.

Sauce

1 c. heavy cream 1/4 c. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. shallot, chopped fine
salt & pepper to taste

Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.

To Serve:
Place just off center on each crepe 3-4 Tbsps. of the filling. Fold in half, then into a quarter circle over the filling. Place the crepes, with the filled quarter on top, in pairs in a large sauté pan containing half the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the crepes and bring to a boil over high heat. Place in a hot oven until the crepes begin to brown and the sauce is bubbling. Place a pair of crepes on each plate and spoon the remaining sauce around them. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano or crumbled smoked ricotta cheese and serve immediately with a crisp, not too okay, white wine.

Zuppa di Pomodoro Freddo (Chilled Tomato Soup)

5 lbs roughly chopped ripe tomatoes
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped red hot pepper
2 chopped, peeled and seeded cucumbers
1/2 bunch of basil
1/4C red wine vinegar
1C extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend thoroughly adding the oil in a thin stream. Some tomatoes have more acidity than others. Use less vinegar in that case. Try using a cup of black olive brine in the soup for more depth. Use less salt in that case. Chill and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

Risotto with Artichokes and Lemon

4 large artichokes
1 lemon, zested and quartered
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 ounces of prosciutto, finely chopped
2 T chopped Italian parsley
3 oz butter (half-stick)
5 oz dry white wine
salt
pepper
2 C arborio rice
5 C chicken or vegetable stock, simmering
2/3 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Remove and discard all outside leaves from artichokes. Cut the tender artichokes in half and then in quarters. Rub the artichokes with cut lemons to prevent them from turning brown. Cut the hairy chokes from the center. Finely cut the artichokes into thin strips and put them into cold water with lemon quarters. In the pan you plan to cook the risotto in, sauté the onion with prosciutto, parsley and half the butter until the onion is soft but not brown. Drain the artichokes, add them to the onion, and simmer for about 10 minutes until artichokes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Add rice and stir together until rice is hot and starts to turn opaque. Pour in a ladleful of the hot stock and stir together, letting the rice absorb the liquid. When the liquid is absorbed, add another ladleful of stock and continue in this way, stirring and adding a ladleful of stock at a time. This should take about 20 minutes. When risotto is creamy yet rice grains are still firm in the center, remove from heat, stir in reserved lemon zest and remaining butter and Parmigiano. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Let risotto rest for 2-3 minutes, then spoon onto plates or bowls. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and more Parmigiano as needed.

Minestrone Toscana

Minestrone really has no one recipe. To understand minestrone you must understand the process and reason for its development. It is a rich, sustaining soup that utilizes left-overs. Bits of beef, pork, chicken, a bone, parmigiano cheese rinds, dried beans, pasta (cooked or raw), whatever vegetables are about, a bit of broth, bean cooking liquid. These ingredients in some combination can be combined to make the most Italian of Italian soups, minestrone. Don't go out and buy specific ingredients to make it. Wait for the combination of events that demand that it be made. Take joy in participating in an economic as well as culinary event. Begin with making what the French call a mirepoix and the Italians, who taught them to cook, called a battuto.

Ingredients for battuto:
2 carrots, diced
4 sticks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3oz pancetta (or leftover ham, beef, chicken) diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2T finely chopped parsley

Sauté the first 5 ingredients in 4T extra virgin olive oil until soft. Add the parsley and sauté for 1-2 minutes. At this point it is time to add some liquid; chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or, if you plan to add dried cooked beans, you may use a combination of bean cooking liquid and stock. Let the battuto and the stock simmer for fifteen minutes or so. Now it is time to add the vegetables. I like to add a couple of cups of canellini beans that have been soaked in water overnight and cooked in salted water until done.

½ cabbage, shredded
1-2 bunches of chard, shredded. Julienne the stems and use them too.
Add this all to the soup. You may add some diced fresh tomato, tomato purée or sauce. This is another option. If you have any other vegetables around-turnips, zucchini-add them. Season with salt and pepper. I like to add a bit of fresh or dried thyme and a pinch of red pepper flakes. If you have saved your parmigiano cheese rinds add some to the pot. These add a wonderful richness. To thicken your minestrone (if you feel like it) you may do one of two things: When the soup is almost done to your liking you may take a couple of cups out and purée them and add them back to the soup. What I do is what I call the "melting potato" method of thickening. Slice a russet potato or two very, very thin and add them to the soup. They will cook in 12 to 15 minutes and melt, thickening and adding a great flavor and texture.

Serve with parmigiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Fagioli al Ucelleto (Tuscan Style Canellini Beans with Garlic, Tomato and Sage)

1 Lb. Canellini or cranberry beans, soaked in water to cover overnight
1/2C extra virgin olive oil
1C tomato sauce
5 cloves of garlic, quartered lengthwise
2 sprigs of sage (about 15 leaves)
1 pinch of chili flakes
salt and pepper

Drain the beans and put them in a pot with fresh water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour or until the beans are still hard to the bite but almost cooked. Add a little more water if needed.

Pour out and discard some of the remaining bean liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Serve hot drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Parmigiano.

Salsa Verde

This is a delicious uncooked sauce for chicken, grilled meats and even fish. This version is from my grandmother who was from Piemonte in northern Italy. It can be chopped by hand or made in a food processor.

2-3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of Italian parsley, large stems removed
2 ribs of celery, rough chopped
3-4 anchovies fillets
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
2T water
1/2C good olive oil

Put the first six ingredients in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are chopped fine. With the machine running add the olive oil in a thin stream until it is all incorporated. If the salsa verde is too thin, add a little more celery and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.