Makes 4 servings:

• 300 gr of spaghettoni
• 200 gr of beef in small cubes
• 1 white onion chopped fine
• 4 potatoes
• salt & white pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Cut the lean beef into small pieces and fry in oil with finely chopped onion. Add the diced potatoes too, not too small, enough water so that it looks like a stew.

Put salt and pepper to taste.

When the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain and add to the sauce.

Whisk for 30 seconds on the fire, or serve with grated pecorino cheese and a final dusting (just) of white pepper.

Enjoy your meal. A good bottle of wine Nero d’Avola will accompany this dish nicely!

Makes 6 servings:

• 400 gr of mushrooms
• 500 gr of penne pasta
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 cup of finely chopped parsley
• 1 glass of white wine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and clean the mushrooms well, slice them into smallish chunks. In a large frying pan put olive oil and the crushed the garlic and gently fry making sure that it doesn’t burn.

Then add the cut mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste, stir a few times cover the frying pan with a lid so they begin to cook in their own juices. After a few minutes add the glass of white wine, take the lid off to reduce the liquid so that it just covers the pan’s bottom.

In a large pot heat some water for the pasta (you can also use penne) and when starts boiling add the pasta and salt to taste and stir as it cooks so it doesn’t stick together. Once the pasta cooked and is al dente, drain it and add the pasta to the mushrooms, add the parsley, mix it well and you’re ready to serve!

A good bottle of Syrah will accompany the pasta with mushrooms really well!

Makes 6 servings:

• 80 gr of toasted shelled pistachios
• 80 gr of fresh basil leafes.
• 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 4 cloves of crushed garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 700g of rigatoni pasta
• 400 gr peeled prawns
• 1 glass of white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Start by making the pesto sauce: put together in a blender the pistachios, basil, 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste and 4 tbsp of olive oil and mix until its liquified,if there are small chunks of pistachio its ok.

Now to cook the Pasta.

In a large pot heat some water for the pasta (you can also use spaghetti) and when starts boiling add the pasta and salt to taste and stir as it cooks so it doesn’t stick together.

In a medium frying pan put a 2 tbsp of olive oil and a 2 cloves of garlic when hot, add the peeled prawns. Keep stirring adding a little salt and the white wine which will evaporate. Add the cut cherry tomatoes keep in mind not to cook the prawns for more than 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the pasta cooked and is al dente, drain it and add the pasta to the prawns and mix them well, then add the pesto stir well again and serve.

Enjoy with a glass of good white wine.

• 4 medium zucchini
• 5 medium potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini and potatoes 1/4 inch thick and place in large bowl, then pour the olive oil and mix well with your hands. Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, salt and pepper and mix over again.

Spread the vegetables in a large baking pan, heat the oven at 400 degrees and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.

• 3 lbs. of fresh squid cleaned and cut into rings
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup of flour
• salt & pepper
• lemon wedges

Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep skillet.

Dip the cut calamari in flour, and shake off excess flour and fry until golden.

Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil, add salt and pepper to taste, then serve with lemon wedges.

• 2 lb. Octopus cooked and cut into bite size pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1/2 of cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 stocks of celery finely chopped
• salt, pepper to taste.

Wash and clean your octopus, removing the ink sack and internal organs by making a circular cut around the beak with a paring knife and pulling it free (the organs will come with it).

Set three full pots of water on the stove, each with a cork in it, and bring them to a boil. Drop the octopus into the first, and when the water stops boiling transfer it to the second. When the second stops boiling transfer it to the third, and when it stops boiling return it to the first, which should be boiling again by now.

Repeat the transfers, and when you get to the first pot for the second time boil the octopus for 20 minutes. When it’s done, cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Place the cooked octopus and cut it into small chunks in a large bowl.

In a small bowl mix the olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, garlic, half of the parsley, celery , of salt and pepper to taste, and dress the octopus with it.

Serve at room temperature and garnish with remaining parsley.

• 2 Lbs of Leavened Dough
• 1 Lb of boneless Lamb cut in pieces
• 2 large onions
• 1 table spoon of tomato concentrate
• 4 1/2 onces of wine
• 1 egg yolk
• salt & pepper to taste.
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 medium peeled potatoes

Preparation Time 1 Hour

Add olive oil in a frying pan and brown the chopped onions, then add the pieces of Lamb, add in the wine and at medium heat and stir till evaporates. Dissolve in a cup of hot water the tomato paste add salt and pepper to taste and pour into the pan with the lamb, cook for about 25/30 minutes. While the Lamb is cooking, with a rolling pin roll the leavened dough flat to a very thin thickness (about 3 millimeters). Cut the potatoes int medium cubes.

Oil a baking pan and line with half of the rolled dough. Once the lamb is cooked pour the stew in and the cut potatoes and add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, cover with the other half dough, press the edges together with water moistened fingers, prick the pie with a fork and brush it with the egg yolk.

Bake at 200° C (400°F) for 30/40 minutes.

Cannoli are Sicilian pastry desserts. The singular is cannolo , or in the Sicilian language, cannolu, meaning “little tube”. Cannoli originated in Sicily and are an essential part of Sicilian cuisine. They are also popular in the United States and are known as a general Italian pastry, while they are specifically Sicilian in origin, in Italy they’re commonly known as “cannoli siciliani”, Sicilian cannoli.

Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta cheese and or chocolate flavored pastry cream. They range in size from “cannulicchi”, no bigger than a finger, to the fist-sized proportions typically found in Piana degli Albanesi, south of Palermo, Sicily.

This recipe makes about 25

Lets start to make the cannoli shells:

To make cannoli you need the metal tubes sold for this purpose. Pieces of cane can also be used, approximately 3/4 inch in diameter and 6 inches long or 2 cm in diameter, 15 cm long.
In a food processor fitted with metal blades, or mix by hand in a bowl,mix together the flour, sugar, chocolate powder, salt, butter, and enough Marsala wine to make a firm and sticky dough.
Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough lightly by hand, adding some flour as needed, a little at the time, until you get a smooth dough.Shape the dough to a ball, put it in a dish, cover it with a plastic wrap, and put aside for about 1 hour.

Then put the dough to a lightly floured work surface or a large wood board and knead again just for few minutes. Put the dough back in the plate and cover with the plastic wrap, and set aside for 50 more minutes.Put the dough back on the work surface again, and cut into 4 pieces.

Pass each piece through the pasta machine, starting with the widest number setting. Repeat the step until you get to number 5 on the dial and thin smooth pasta sheets are made.

Once done cut the dough into squares 4 x 4 inch (10 x 10 cm).Lightly butter the metal tubes and wrap the squares around the tubes or cane diagonally. Be careful don’t press the dough against the tubes too much or it will be difficult to remove the tubes afterward.

Wet the overlapping part of the dough squares with the egg white and press on the edges to stick them together.

In a deep frying pan bring the oil to frying temperature and fry the cannoli until golden brown just a few at a time.

Once fried remove from the pan and transfer them on paper towels on a plate to drain off (absorb) the excess oil.

Remove the cannoli shells from the tubes while they are still warm.Once you finish forming and frying all the dough for the cannoli you start making the filling.

Now let’s prepare the ricotta filling for the cannoli:

In a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese, vanilla, and the powdered sugar. Put aside 2 pieces of candied fruit per each cannoli for decoration. Mix the candied fruit and the diced chocolate with the cheese filling.

Using a small spoon fill the cannoli with the cheese mixture, and garnish the ends with pieces of candied fruit.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.