Skillet Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

• 1lb ground beef
• 6 ounces of Italian sausage
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce
• 8 ounces spaghetti broken 2 in che pieces
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 6 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Cook meat in large skillet.  Drain meat on paper.  Return meat to skillet, add garlic, pepper flakes oregano and cook until fragrant.  stir in spag sauce, water, spaghetti and salt.  Cok until spag begins to soften, about 7min.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for another 7 min, until pasta is al dente.

Stir in half and half, basil and 1/3 cup of cheese.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until surface is spotty brown, about 3 min.  Let cool and serve

Portobello Pasta

•  Portobello Mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Tomato sauce, homemade or good quality purchased
• Grated cheeses: fresh mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, locatelli, cheddar, etc.
• Freshly chopped herbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the portobello with extra virgin olive oil and place gill side up on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes to soften. Remove from the oven and let cool. Pour off any juices.

Top each roasted portobello with some tomato sauce and then grated cheese. Return to oven and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs and serve immediately

Fried Green Tomatoes

Someone passed this recipe on to me, not sure where it came from. Think I’ll give it a whirl with the 20 pounds of green tomatoes I harvested this weekend.

Serves 8

• 8 medium (about 3 1/2 pounds) green tomatoes
• 3 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 4 cups olive oil

1. Trim 1/2-inch from the stem and blossom ends of tomatoes. Slice tomatoes 1/4-inch thick. Season tomato slices with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; set aside. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together flour, 1/2-teaspoon salt, and 1/4-teaspoon pepper; set aside.
3. Place panko in a shallow bowl along with cornmeal, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1/2-teaspoon pepper; stir to combine and set aside.
4. Working with one tomato slice at a time, coat tomatoes with flour mixture, shaking off excess. Coat with egg mixture, followed by breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet; repeat process with remaining slices.
5. Heat 2 cups oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, carefully place tomatoes into the heated oil in a single layer. Fry until golden, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. After frying half of the tomato slices, discard oil and heat remaining 2 cups oil in skillet; continue frying remaining tomato slices. Serve tomatoes immediately with aioli.