Pasta Primevera

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 medium onion, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 pound thin asparagus (tips intact, touch ends cut off)

½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 ounces cauliflower or broccoli, broken into small florets

1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch rounds

1 small carrots, halved lengthwise, cut diagonally into 1/8 inch slices

1 cup whipping cream

½ cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried

1 cup frozen tiny peas, thawed, or 1 cup fresh young peas

2 ounces prosciutto or cooked ham, chopped

5 green onions, chopped salt and pepper

1 pound fettucine or linguine cooked al dente, thoroughly

1 cup freshly grated imported parmesan cheese

1. Heat wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add butter, onion, and garlic, and saute until onion is softened (about 2 minutes)
3. Mix in asparagus, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 
4. Increase heat to high.
5. Add cream, stock, and basil and allow mixture to boil until liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in peas, ham and green onion and cook 1 minute more.
7. Turn onto large serving platter.

*Great as dinner, serve with wine and bread!

Drunk Chicken - we ate this all the time when I was a kid!

¾ cup vin Rose

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup salad oil

2 tbsp water

¼ tsp oregano

1 tsp clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp powder)

1 tsp ginger

1 chicken, cut up

1. Salt and pepper chicken, pour sauce over.
2. Bake about 1 ½ hours in 350* oven, baste if necessary and start in a cold oven.
3. Serve with rice

Fagioli - A Huge Favorite

Fagioli-on-Toast: Adapted from a Cookie Magazine recipe

Thick slices of country bread
Olive oil
1 lb. Italian chicken sausage
2 garlic cloves peeled, sliced, mashed however you like garlic (or use the Trader Joe’s frozen garlic)
Sage leaves, lots (I keep them whole)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toast the country bread slices. Heat the oil in a large skillet (very large) add the sausage. When the sausage is almost browned add the garlic and sage, stir until it all browns a bit. Add the tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid thickens a bit.

Put the toast in the bottom of a bowl and add the sausage/bean mixture on top. I usually serve broccoli with parmesan cheese with this meal. If you roast the broccoli it gives it a really sweet taste or microwave it – just don’t over cook it! I think the reason kids hate broccoli is most people over cook it.