Pasta with faves and ricotta

Pasta with faves, ricotta, and fennel – straight from my mom.

Green faves
If in a can, have to shell them.
But if in a jar, you can see that they are small, green, and no shell – prob. from Greece.

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until clear.
Pour faves in that and simmer.

Core fresh fennel and remove outer leaves, cut the very tops off until you get the tender part. Slice up the bulb and the top and all of it and put it in the pasta water – boiling salt water – until it’s fork tender, not mushy. Use a big pot to make this because you’re making a lot of food!

Cook ditalini pasta in the water. Drain the pasta when done and save some of the water – don’t drain it dry, leave it moist.

Dump the faves in the pasta pot, turn the stove back on, add some good ricotta a tablespoon at a time, as much as you want, and then leave it on the stove a bit because the ricotta is cold (from the fridge) and when it’s all warm, it’s done!

Serve with ricotta salata if you have it or parmesan.

Sara Butera Ranelli's Homemade Banana Pudding

Sara Butera Ranelli's Homemade Banana Pudding

1 & 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt

5 bananas

1 box of vanilla wafers

1 lg can evaporated milk

1 & 1/2 cups whole milk

1 capful vanilla extract

1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Pudding:

In a medium.large saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with 1/4 cup flour and a pinch of salt. Mix dry ingredients well to make sure there are no small clumps of flour.

Then stir in 1 large can of evaporated milk and 1 &1/2 whole milk, whisking constantly.

Add 3 egg yolks and whisk into mixture

Place mixture over medium heat - whisking constantly - and cook until mixture begins to bubble around edges of the pot - not boiling - then reduced heat and continue to whisk constantly until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 capful of vanilla extract and 1/2 stick of softened pure "lightly salted butter." Whisk until mixture begins to take on a sheen and set aside.

Line the bottom of a large bowl with a layer of vanilla wafers then a layer of banana slices.

Pour half of pudding over vanilla wafer and banana layer while still hot.

Make another layer of alternating vanilla wafers with banana slices on top and pour remaining pudding over second layer of banana layer.

To Make Meringue: In a medium metal bowl, use hand mixer and beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar- a little at time, constantly beating egg whites until whites are stiff and will peak. Spread meringue onto last pudding layer covering it completely and using spoon to create peaks around the top of the bowl.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, just until meringue peaks is browned. Chill before serving.

My Mom's Suca/Sugo (Spaghetti Sauce) Recipe

>
> 2 - 32 OZ CANS OF ITALIAN BRAND ROMA TOMATO PUREE
> 1 32 OZ OR 2 16 OZ CAN(S) OF ROMA TOMATOS
> ½ TO 1 LB GROUND BEEF
> 2 - 3 EGGS
> ½ CUP ITALIAN BREAD CRUMBS (reference bread crumb recipe if you want the best)
> ½ CUP GRATED ROMANO CHEESE
> ¼ TO ½ POUND OF PORK NECK BONES OR SOME OTHER CUT IF YOU WANT
> 1 MEDIUM ONION
> 5 CLOVES GARLIC
> 1 OR 2 TABLESPOONS OF GRANULATED SUGAR
> 1/8 CUP OR SO OF FRESSH CHOPPED BASIL
> 2 TBSP. OREGANO
> 1 WHOLE BAY LEAF
> SALT & PEPPER (GUESS AND TASTE TEST AS IT COOKS)
>
> FOR MEAT BALLS OR MEAT SAUCE
> ADD ¼ TO ½ CUP OF ITALIAN BREAD CRUMBS, EGGS, 1 CHOPPED CLOVE OF GARLIC, 1 TBSP. OREGANO. 3 OR FOUR LEAVES OF FRESH CHOPPED BASIL TO GROUND BEEF AND MIX ADDING A LITTLE WATER UNTIL THE RIGHT CONSISTANCY AND EITHER MAKE MEATBALLS OR LEAVE AS IS. ps she never left 'as is' - always meatballs, and thus I do not like 'meat sauce' with it all crumbled up in the sauce -
>
>
> BROWN MEAT IN SKILLET AND DRAIN SET TO SIDE
> IN BIG POT SAUTEE ONION IN OLIVE OIL AND THEN ADD GARLIC UNTIL TRANSLUCENT
> ADD TOMATOS AND BREAK APART WITH FORK AND LET COOK 10 MINUTES ON MEDIUM HEAT
> ADD PUREE AND 2 CANS OF WATER (64 OZ)
> ADD SUGAR AND SPICES - SALT AND PEPPER
> COOK ONE HOUR ON LOW
> ADD MEAT AND MORE WATER AS NEEDED COOK ON MEDIUM FOR 30 MINUTES
> REDUCE HEAT TO LOW, COVER POT AND COOK FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR
> STIR OFTEN AND CHECK TO SEE IF WATER IS NEEDED AND ADD A LITTLE AT A TIME - TASTE TEST BY DIPPING A BITE SIZE PIECE OF BREAD INTO SAUCE AND RESEASON AS NEEDED.
BE SURE TO STIR DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POT. OTHERWISE THE SAUCE MAY STICK, AND THEN BURN, ON THE BOTTOM OF THE POT.



Best served with imported sheep's milk Ricotta Salata, or Pecorino Romano; some good Italian bread, and a sort of skinny lasagne noodle like either Margheritina or Elina Piccola shaped pasta. You can also use something like a Penne.