Baked Penne with Meatballs

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Steps
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 Italian style breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside. Once the meatballs are prepared. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in the mushroom sauce.

Penne pasta, prepared per instructions
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tbsp fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta per instructions and drain. Pour the pasta into the sauce with the meatballs. Add the cheese - reserving a bit for the top and basil, then mix VERY gently. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

www.fortheloveofcooking.com

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
Kosher salt
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices.

Steps
Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly and generously with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. (This releases the moisture before cooking.)

While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.

When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.

Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.
6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 min before serving.

The trick to Eggplant Parmesan is to drain the eggplant slices of excess moisture first, before cooking. We found this recipe recently in the New York Times and adapted it to our taste (olive oil only - no canola oil, and no hard boiled egg slices as the original recipe called for).

www.simplyrecipes.com

Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients
1 ounce dried porcini
1/4 cup olive oil
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds mushrooms, preferably cremini, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 14 1/2 can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1-pound box lasagna noodles
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto.

Steps
1. Soak porcini in 2 cups warm water for at least 30 minutes. Lift out carefully, reserving liquid. Rinse porcini well and pat dry. Chop coarsely and set aside. Strain soaking liquid through sieve lined with paper towel to remove grit. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil.

3. Heat oil and 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until liquid they release evaporates. Add porcini and their liquid, onion, tomatoes and parsley. Stir well. Partially cover pan and cook until liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Lay noodles into boiling water, bring to boil again and cook 5 to 7 minutes. Drain immediately, rinse individually under cold running water and lay flat on paper towels to dry.

5. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour gradually and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt to taste.

6. Liberally butter 8 onehalf- by 10-onehalf-inch lasagna pan. Line bottom with slightly overlapping layer of noodles. Spread one- third of mushroom mixture over pasta. Top with one-quarter of the white sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. Cover with slices of prosciutto. Repeat sequence 4 times. Cover with one last layer of pasta, top with remaining sauce and cheese and dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Adapted from "Good Friends, Great Dinners" by Susan Costner.