Nana's Vitello Tonnato - Veal in Tuna Sauce

I actually have two recipes of my grandmothers that she gave to a friend while playing canasta many years ago. My grandmother told her how she prepared the two dishes and she jotted down the instructions on the back of a canasta score. In April of 1977 this friend, Kathie Nissen, sent the recipes to my mother and she passed them on to me. She told my mother in a note which I still have a copy of that she had built quite a reputation as a cook on these recipes and had always managed to evade giving them away. Kathie still had the canasta score that she originally jotted the recipes on. This and the following recipe are exactly as Nana wrote them all those years ago. My notes are in parenthesis. These are Piemontese style preparations.



Tuna Sauce



1 can tuna (packed in oil)

1 can Flat Anchovy (packed in oil)

Juice of 2 lemons

Mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)



(Nana said to strain ingredients together. I use the blender.) Thicken with mayonnaise to desired consistency. (I also like to add some capers to this sauce.) Serve on boiled veal or beef slices.

Penne alla Fornaia - Penne with Tomatoes, Pesto, and Ricotta

If there is one thing that unites Italians everywhere, I would say it is pasta. They are in love with pasta. They argue about it, and they can not let a day go by without it. I love this particular pasta dish best in the summer when there are vine ripen tomatoes and fresh basil in the garden. You can also use imported canned Italian tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano) as you will find below. Finding a good Italian whole milk ricotta is important to the flavor of this sauce as well. Shop your local Italian market or deli for a good Italian ricotta, if not buy the very best brand you can find.

Place 4 cups canned imported tomatoes with their juice through a food mill or strainer to remove seeds.

Heat 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/3 large red onion finely diced and 1 garlic clove minced. Cook and stir until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Ass 1 cup of dry white wine and cook until the wine is almost all reduced.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce will start to reduce and thicken and reduce some.

Add 2 tablespoons pesto and mix in well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 tablespoons ricotta and mix well with a wooden spoon until it is incorporated completely into the sauce.

While the sauce is cooking, boil penne in a large pot of salted water until tender but al dente.

Drain the penne and add it to the sauce. Mix well.

Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano.

Note: You can use your favorite recipe for pesto in this recipe or a store-bought pesto though it won't taste as fresh as it will if you make your own. I will add my recipe for pesto soon.

Pasta al Forno con la Besciamella - Pasta Baked with Bechamel and Parmigiano

This is a simple, inexpensive dish to prepare. It can feed a crowd or a few. The beauty of this dish is that it can be made completely ahead of time and baked at the last moment. The baked penne ooze velvety bechamel and melted parmigiano. Italian comfort food at its best.

Heat 3 cups milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter foams, add 5 tablespoons flour. Lower the heat to medium-low and stirring, cook about 2 minutes, without letting the flour burn.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the milk all at once. Mix enthusiastically to prevent lumps. Place saucepan back on low heat, season with salt to taste, and cook gently,stirring constantly until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency. This takes around 3 to 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, cook a bit longer. If too thick add a bit more milk. Cover the pan and set aside until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon salt and 1 pound of penne. Cook uncovered over high heat 7 to 8 minutes. The penne shouldn't be totally cooked because it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta and place in the baking dish.

Stir in 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg to the bechamel.

Add the bechamel to the pasta and mix in well.

Sprinkle the penne with 3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano. Sometime I use 1/2 cup grated Vella dry Jack from Sonoma, CA and 1/4 cup pecorino romano. Dot with 3 tablespoons unsalted butter that has been cut into small pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the penne has a golden color, around 15 minutes or so. Serve hot.

Buon Appetito!

Salsa della Carne con il Vitello e la Crema - Meat Sauce with Veal and Cream

This is a lovely sauce, layered with distinct flavors that blend gently to make this a favorite in my household. The light flavor of the veal and prosciutto, layered with the aromatics of the carrot, onion and parsley, the hint of Marsala and nutmeg grounding the sauce, and a touch of cream taming the tomato and adding a slight richness to the sauce. Dishes such as this cooking on the stove top bring a sense of place and a warm soul to my kitchen.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a cooking pot over medium heat. Add finely minced 1 small carrot, 1 small onion and 2 tablespoons parsley and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is pale yellow and soft, perhaps 4 to 5 minutes. Add 10 ounces of ground veal and 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto finely diced and cook, until the meat is no longer pink, stirring now and then.

Add 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine and cook until it is almost all reduced. Stir in 3 cups strained or crushed canned tomatoes, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, uncovered over low heat (gentle simmer) 45 minutes or so, until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency.

During the last few minutes of cooking add in 2 tablespoons double (heavy) cream and stir a few times. While the sauce is cooking, cook penne rigatta, fresh made gnocchi de patate (potato gnocchi), spaghetti, noodles or rice to serve with the sauce. When serving, top with freshly grated parmigiano. I like to stir in perhaps a 1/2 cup of the cheese to potato gnocchi and sauce.