Christmas Foods - Seasons Greetings!

• 2 28-oz. cans tomato puree
• 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 2 cups dry white wine
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and minced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 ribs of celery, with leaves, minced
• 1 unpeeled carrot, grated
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano, whole
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary, whole
• 1 tbsp. dried basil, whole, or 2 tbsp. chopped fresh
• 2 whole cloves
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp. sugar

Place the tomato puree, tomato paste, chicken stock, and wine in a large pot. Heat a frying pan and add the olive oil. In it sauté the onions, garlic, celery, and carrot until they just begin to brown a bit. Add the vegetables to the tomato mixture with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, partly covered, stirring occasionally. Store in the refrigerator in plastic, glass, or stainless-steel containers-never aluminium. The sauce will keep for a week in the fridge.

• ½ lb. Baccala, (dried salt cod) cut in 1 inch pieces, rinsed, and soaked
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 to 6 cups Italian Tomato sauce
• ¾ lb. littleneck or cherrystone clams, rinsed and drained (be sure the clams are closed tight and none are filled with mud)
• ¾ lb. mussels, beards removed, rinsed, and drained
• ½ lb. crab claws
• ½ lb. fresh cod
• ½ lb. medium shrimp, peeled
• ½ lb. squid, cleaned and cut into ½ inch rings
• 2 lbs. penne or linguine pasta

For the Baccala:
Rinse the Baccala several times and soak it in plenty of cold water for a minimum of 12 hours. Change the water a few times during the soaking process. Drain well. The cod is ready to use.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. In another large pot, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the wine and tomato sauce. Simmer gently, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the Baccala, clams, mussels, crab claws, and the fresh cod. Cover and simmer until the clams and mussels just begin to open. Add the shrimp and squid and simmer about 2 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and are barely cooked through. At the same time, cook the pasta in the boiling water with a pinch of salt until al dente. When the pasta is cooked and the seafood is done, drain the pasta well and place on a large platter. Discard any shellfish with unopened shells. Pour the cooked seafood and the sauce over the pasta.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 cup peeled and sliced yellow onions
• 1 cup julienned red bell pepper
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 10-oz. package frozen peas, thawed
• 1 lb. penne
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, garlic, onions, bell pepper, and parsley. Sauté until tender. Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a boil. In a small bowl, beat the eggs together with the half and half and set aside. Place a colander in the sink and put the thawed peas in it. Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until al dente and drain it into the colander onto the peas (this will cook the peas sufficiently).

Return the drained pasta and peas to the pot and add the sautéed vegetables, basil, egg and half and half mixture, and Parmesan cheese. Toss this all together and serve immediately.

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• ½ lb. spinach linguine
• ½ lb. regular linguine
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Additional cheese for topping

Heat a small frying pan and add the butter, olive oil, and garlic. Sauté the garlic briefly, but do not burn. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a boil and in it cook both pastas. Drain. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the reserved butter and garlic mixture, the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. To serve, top the individual portions with additional cheese.

• 1½ oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• ¾ lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup whipping cream
• ¾ lb. angel hair pasta
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the porcini in a small bowl and add ½ cup warm water. Allow to soak for 45 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Heat a large frying pan. Add the fresh mushroom and sauté until tender. Chop the porcini coarsely and add to the frying pan, along with the reserve liquid. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil along with a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Refrigerate the whipped cream until the pasta is cooked. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Drain well. Return the drained pasta to the pot and add the mushroom mixture, cheese, whipped cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Using a large spatula, fold all of the ingredients together. Do this quickly, yet carefully, so that the whipped cream doesn’t collapse entirely. You may want to save a bit of the whipped cream to dollop on top of the pasta as a garnish. Serve immediately.