This wonderful recipe is from a vintage cookbook published in 1967 by the owner of Leone’s in NYC, a restaurant that operated from 1906 until  the mid ’60s. It was the gold standard in NY-style Italian food. The cookbook is long out-of-print, but here’s a sauce that I love to make.

1 1/4 lb sweet Italian sausage (bulk or casings removed)
3 garlic cloves mashed
1/4 bunch of parsley
1/3 oz. dried mushrooms (Porcini works well)
1 cup warm water
2 tbs. olive oil
2 oz. salt pork, diced
2 tbs. sweet butter
1/2 lb. onion, peeled & diced
1 28 oz. can peeled plum tomatoes, sieved
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs. tomato paste
6 tbs. of heavy cream, warm not hot

Remove casing from sausage and cut meat into 1/2 in. pieces. Chop the garlic and parsley together. Soak the mushrooms in the warm water for about 10 minutes. Drain, saving the water, and chop the mushrooms.

Combine olive oil, salt pork and butter in a saucepan; heat. Add onions and cook slowly until golden brown. Add sausage and brown slowly. Add garlic and parsley, cover, and cook slowly for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and mushroom water, sieved and chopped tomatoes, cover, and cook slowly for 40 minutes. Add tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Just before serving add the cream to sauce and stir. Makes about 6 cups.

Artichoke & Mushroom Salad

1/2 cup of olive oil + 1 tbs
1 can of quartered artichokes
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1/4 lb mixed baby greens
A chunk of Parmesan cheese.
Lemon wedges

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil over medium high heat and add the artichokes and saute. Make sure you do not burn them. Lower heat if necessary. Saute until golden brown about 10 minutes.
Add half the garlic and saute for another few minutes. Add the lemon juice and water and deglaze the pan by stirring to loosen any browned bits. Reduce the ehat to low, over and braise the artichokes until the bases are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 5 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the pan with a slotted spoon, set aside and keep warm.

Raise the heat to high and boil the braising liquid until reduced by half about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In another pan over midum love heat, warm the remaining olive oil. Add the mushrooms, the remaining garlic, parsley and basil. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put the mixed greens in a bowl, top with the warm artichokes and mushrooms. Use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve with lemon wedges.

Garlic-Basil Shrimp

2 tbs olive oil
1 1/4 lbs large shrimp, peeled and devined, tail off
3 garlic gloves, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked orzo pasta

Heat the oil in a large heavy skilled over medium-high heat, add shrimp. Saute until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just until heated through. Serve with the orzo.

 

Asian-Inspired Chicken Soup

2 cooked chicken thighs
1 tsp vegetable oil
6 scallions, trimmed and diagonally sliced
1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1-in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 cups chicken broth
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
One bunch of thin pasta or rice noodles
fresh cilantro leaves to garnish

Remove any skin from chicken and shred. Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the scallions and chile for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Stir in the chicken broth and gradually bring to a boil.
Add the carrot, stir and reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the shredded chicken, bean sprouts, soy sauce and fish sauce and stir.
Cook for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles, drain and rinse (if using rice noodles). Add to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro garnish!

Penne with Shrimp, Sausage & Cream

1/2 lb. mild or hot Italian sausage, bulk or casings removed
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 tsp. Chinese chili paste such as Sambal Oelek
1/2 cup whipping cream
8-12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz. penne, cooked al dente and drained
1/4 cup of fresh parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Drain all but 1 tbsp. of the drippings. Place sausage on paper towel and set aside. In the same skillet, cook garlic, shallots and thyme 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, chili paste, cream and reserved sausage and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes. Add pasta and toss gently. Pour into large bowl, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve!

Joe’s Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork, turkey or chicken
1 medium onion
2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
2 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves crushed
4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp dried basil
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp dried thyme

Brown meats and onion in a skillet and drain well, transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve!

Here’s a demonstration of this recipe:

Joe’s Basic Marinara Sauce

3 cans of whole plum tomatoes (Italian style if possible)
3 Tbs. olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbs. salt
¼ cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn into small pieces
pinch of sugar

Empty cans of tomatoes with juice into a bowl and crush with hands. Slice the carrot and the celery and mince in a food processor.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is golden and the vegetables softened, 5-10 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, let them heat for 15 seconds and then pour in the tomatoes. Add the basil. Bring to a boil over medium high, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is full-flavored and has reduced to a thick, saucy consistency, 20-40 minutes. Pools of orange may appear on the surface, which means the sauce in done. Taste and add the pinch of sugar if necessary.

Ginger Shrimp with Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 carrots, sliced thinly
12 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 lb. shrimp
2 garlic cloves
cilantro to garnish

Sauce
5 oz chicken stock
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 hot pepper sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

To prepare:

In a small bowl, stir together the chicken stock, sesame seeds, ginger, soy sauce, hot pepper sace, and cornstarch until well blended. Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Stir-fry the carrots for 3 minutes, then remove and set aside.

Add another 1 tbsp oil and fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add more oil if needed and stir-fry the bell pepper WITH the shrimp and garlic for 3 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and opaque.

Stir the sauce again and pour it into the skillet. Cook until the mixture bubbles, then return the carrots and mushrooms to the pan. Cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until heated through. Garnish with the cilantro.