Family favorite recipes

The word primavera refers to being served with fresh vegetables; it is from the Italian (alla) primavera, or (in the) spring (style).

4 cups of mixed vegetables, for example:

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2x1/2-inch strips

1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 small eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 bell pepper, any color, cut into thin strips

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence

A sprinkling of garlic salt

1/4 cup of spaghetti, marinara, or tomato sauce

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 pound pasta (use rice pasta for wheat-free version)

Grated Parmesan optional

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for your pasta).

2 Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the vegetables, stir to coat with oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until vegetables are just cooked. Turn off heat, but let pan stay on the burner.

3 While you are cooking the vegetables, add the dry pasta to the boiling water and follow the cooking instructions for the pasta. You want to time it so that the pasta is done soon after the vegetables.

4 Add a 1/4 cup of the spaghetti, marinara, or tomato sauce to the vegetables, along with 1/4 cup of water to thin the sauce. If you are using a prepared spaghetti or marinara sauce, you don't need to add much seasoning, just a 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence, a few sprinkles of garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste. If you are using a plain tomato sauce, you might want to start out cooking the vegetables by cooking a minced clove of garlic first, and then adding the vegetables, and then add a bit more of the seasoning (to taste). Spaghetti and marinara sauce are already seasoned.

5 Once the pasta is ready - cooked but still a bit firm, or al dente - drain the pasta and put it directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Adjust seasoning. Add more sauce if needed. Gently mix in the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan, if you like. A little bit of chopped fresh basil would go nicely with this as well.

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 lb (600g) plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

6 eggs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Heat olive oil on medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent, just starting to turn golden in color, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over low heat until the liquid evaporates, about 40 minutes.

2 Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well blended. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the tomato and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, and scraping from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat as soon as the eggs begin to set, but are still moist, about 3 minutes. Turn out onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 3.

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, 1/2-pound each

Fresh basil leaves, (or other green - beet green, swiss chard, spinach), enough to cover each chicken breast

2 Tbsp finely chopped toasted walnuts

2.5 oz Boursin garlic and herb cheese (or 2.5 oz of herbed cream cheese recipe, see below), room temperature

1/3 cup bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten well

Salt

Pepper

Herbed Cheese

2.5 oz cream cheese, softened

1 garlic clove, minced

3 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced

3 teaspoons fresh chives, minced

A pinch of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns

A pinch salt

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Put each chicken breast half between two layers of plastic wrap, on a chopping board, and use a meat mallet to pound until 1/4-inch thick.

2 Dip each basil (or other bitter green) leaf in boiling water, drain and set aside.

3 If you are not starting with Boursin herbed cheese, make your own by mixing together the Herbed Cheese ingredients mentioned above. Mix the walnuts into the cheese mixture, set aside.

4 Lay the chicken breasts flat, season each side with salt and pepper. Spread the cheese-walnut mixture over each breast, covering the surface of the breasts. Layer on the basil leaves. Starting at the shortest end of the chicken breast, roll up as tightly as possible and tuck in the ends to form a neat roll. Secure each breast with 2 toothpicks.

5 Put flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs combined with the Parmesan cheese on to 3 separate flat dishes. Dredge each chicken breast roll first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the Parmesan bread crumbs. (Skip this step if you are going low carb and/or gluten-free.)

6 Transfer chicken breasts to a greased baking dish, seam side down. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the breast, until the internal temperature is 165°F, the juices run clear, and the chicken is slightly browned.

Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2-4.

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes.

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and de-veined

2 ripe avocados

Lettuce - preferably butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce

Optional - 2 Tbsp chopped roasted walnuts or pistachios

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Lemon slices for garnish

Combine oil, vinegar, and garlic in a bowl. Chop shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces and add to oil mixture. Arrange leaves of lettuce on individual plates. Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Remove some of the avocado around the pit area and mix in with the shrimp. With a spoon, carefully scoop out avocado halves from their skins in one piece. Place avocado half on plate with lettuce. Spoon shrimp mixture on to avocado. Sprinkle with walnuts and cilantro (optional). Serve with lemon slices for garnish.

Serves 4.

1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish

2 teaspoons of olive oil

8 oz fresh spinach, washed, dried, and stemmed

1/2 lb of Italian sausage (we like 1/2 sweet and 1/2 hot Italian sausage), broken out of casing into small pieces

1 large red onion (about 3/4 lb), peeled and sliced thin

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-inch chuncks

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons chicken broth

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

dash of nutmeg

3/8 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 6x9 or 8x8 inch baking dish.

2 Heat one of the teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer and drain. When cool, squeeze out liquid and roughly chop the spinach.

3 Wipe skillet clean. Add sausage to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer sausage to bowl. Wipe skillet clean. Heat remaining oil in skillet and add onions, cooking until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with sausage.

4 Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring potatoes to boil over high heat, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, wipe pot dry, put potatoes back into the pot, and mash with butter, cream, broth, vinegar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

5 Transfer potato-spinach mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with sausage-onion mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until potatoes are very hot and cheese is golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

1 Trim some of the fat from the meat. Pat dry with paper towels. Season generously with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, shimmering but not smoking, add the roast and cook, turning it a few times, until it is nicely browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the meat to a platter.

2 Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are golden brown and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and sage, and stir until the herbs are lightly colored and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine and stir quickly, lifting up the richly browned caramelized vegetables that stick to the bottom of the pan. When the wine is almost all evaporated and thickly coats the vegetables, return the meat to the pan and turn it over a few times to coat it with the savory base.

3 Raise the heat to high, adding the remaining wine, the bay leaf, and the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, turning and basting the meat every half hour or so, until the meat is very tender and flakes away when pierced with a fork, 3-4 hours. Turn off the heat and let the roast sit in its juices for an hour. (You can also put the pot into a 300°F oven and turn the roast every hour.)

4 Remove the meat from the pot and place it on a cutting board, covered loosely with aluminum foil. If the sauce is too thin, bring it to a fast boil and reduce it until it has a medium-thick consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5 Cut the meat into thick slices (it will probably fall apart), and place on warm serving dishes. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve hot. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Serves 8.