Chef Chris seamlessly combines his culinary expertise with the cherished recipes passed down from his Nonna's treasure trove, resulting in a delightful fusion of culinary traditions in every dish.

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

2. In a large cooking pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Then add the flour and whisk for 5 minutes to make a roux. 

3. Add milk and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Add all 3 cheeses and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the cheese is completely melted. Then add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon. 

4. Transfer the mixture to a large aluminum foil pan and top with a thin layer of bread crumbs. 

5place in oven for 20 minutes at 350°F. 

6. Remove the Mac and Cheese from your oven, top with chopped chives and serve.

Directions

•  Pre heat your oven to 325 degrees. 
•  In a heavy oven proof pot with a tight fitting lid on the stove top heat the oil to very hot add a few pieces the beef at a time do not crowd the pot or it will steam and not brown. 
•  Allow the beef to brown on all sides, remove to a plate and brown the rest of the beef, remove to the plate. It's very important to create that brown foundation in the pot.
•  Drain all but 2 tbs of oil, add the minced onion, garlic, tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
•  Deglaze the pot with the wine scraping all the brown bits from the pot mixing everything together.
•  Add the beef back to the pot with the liquid that has gathered on the plate. Sprinkle the flour all over the beef.
•  Add the tomato sauce and enough stock just to cover the beef, mix everything together.
•  Add the bay leaves, celery and stir this all together.
•  Bring to a boil cover, place in the oven, after one hour check the liquid level and if need be add more stock to just cover the beef. 
•  After 2 hours total add the potatoes, quartered onions and carrots. Stir everything together cover and place back into the oven.
•  After 40 min add the peas, stir, cover and place back into the oven for 15 minutes. 
•  Remove from the oven, discard the bay leaves and stir everything together.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large ovenproof sautepan or roasting pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle the short ribs on all sides with the salt, pepper, garlic salt and seasoned salt. Pat the seasonings into the meat. Dredge the short ribs in the flour and pat off any excess flour.

3. Place the short ribs in the pan and sear until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celeryand onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, veal stock, water, undrained tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven. Roast for 2 hours. Then add the potatoes, cover and roast for an additional 30 minutes.

4. Be sure to occasionally check the liquid in the pan to make sure there is enough to keep the meat moist and simmering. Add more stock if necessary.

5. Serve over Three Cheese Polenta.

Three-Cheese Polenta:

Yield: 6 servings.

1. In a large saucepan combine water, polenta and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir over high heat until mixture boils; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer polenta for 25 to 30 minutes or until smooth, whisking occasionally to ensure a smooth consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still firm.

2. While the pasta cooks, make the wine sauce. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add wine, clam juice and water, salt, to taste; increase heat to high. Add pasta and butter cook in sauce for about 3 minutes and scallops in sauce for 1 minute.

3. Add pasta and scallops to plate top with extra-virgin olive oil and chopped parsley

Meanwhile, add the coarse black pepper to a separate small pan over medium heat. Toast a minute or two until fragrant.

Once the pasta is al dente and the pasta water has reduced so only a slight coating remains at the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat and add the toasted ground black pepper and Pecorino-Romano. Stir and toss vigorously until both ingredients are well incorporated into the pasta. Toss in the olive oil and season with salt.

Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and garnish with more black pepper, PecorinoRomano and extra-virgin olive oil.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still firm.

2. While the pasta cooks, make the clam sauce. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add wine and water, salt, to taste; increase heat to high. Add clams, cover, and cook, shaking pan periodically, until all clams are opened, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Drain pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired. Pour clam sauce over pasta, add parsley, and toss.

1) Whisk together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, chopped basil and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a small bowl. Grate 3 cloves of garlic into the olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour the olive oil mixture into the breadcrumb mixture and fluff with a fork until the mixture is evenly combined and resembles wet sand.

2) Arrange one slice of beef on a clean work surface. Top with 1 slice of prosciutto, folding if necessary to fit the slice of meat. Top the prosciutto with 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture and press slightly to compact it. Fold in the side edges of the beef about a 1/4 inch. Starting from the bottom, roll up the beef like a jelly roll, creating a cylinder. Secure the opening with 2 toothpicks. Place the finished roll on a rimmed baking sheet and continue the process with the remaining meat, prosciutto and breadcrumb mixture. Once all the meat is rolled, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

3) Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large high-sided pan and heat over medium. Once the oil is shimmering add the beef rolls, in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to the rimmed baking sheet and brown the remaining rolls.

4) Once all the rolls have been browned and removed from the pan, add the red wine. Cook, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the harsh alcohol smell burns off and the wine slightly reduces, about 2 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes, basil sprigs, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water to the can of tomatoes and swirl it around to clean any residual tomato from the sides of the can. Add the tomato water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the rolls back to the pan and turn the heat down to low. Baste the meat in the tomato sauce, cover the pan and cook on low, basting the meat 2 to 3 times during the cooking process, until the meat is very tender, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.

5) To serve, remove the toothpicks from the rolls and serve topped with red sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

Bread Crumb Recipe 

Add the following to your bread crumbs to your taste:

-Dried parsley

-Granulated Garlic

-Salt & Pepper

In a skillet, sauté onions, carrots, and olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add ground meat cooked till brown.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes add fresh basil and parsley.

Fill a blender or food processor with all ingredients and blend.

I don’t use a blender or food processor I chop all ingredients by hand and mix with a spoon.

Great for Steak, Chicken, Eggs, Veggies and Seafood

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the Penne as per the package instructions.

Begin by adding the oil into a sauté pan and heating it up over a medium flame. Once the oil is heated up, add the Pancetta and fry for about 2 minutes. Next, add the Onion and Garlic, making sure to stir frequently to keep it from burning. sauté for about 2 minutes.

Lower the flame and pour the Vodka into the sauté pan. Stir and let simmer until the Alcohol evaporates, which is about 3 minutes.

Add the Marinara, Salt & Pepper and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, add the Heavy Cream and continue to cook over a low flame for another 5-8 minutes.

Once the Penne is al dente, strain and add directly into the Vodka Sauce into the sauté pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, pour into a serving dish, sprinkle some freshly grated Pecorino Cheese and serve.

Ricotta Filling

- 30 oz Ricotta Cheese
- Roast 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Parsley
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
*mix together

- 1 lb fresh Lasagna Sheets
- Mozzarella Cheese (thinly sliced, about 24 slices)
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano

In a baking pan lay Lasagna Sheets add ½ meat filling, Ricotta Cheese, 1/3 cup pecorino Romano and 1/3 of the Mozzarella Cheese and repeat steps now on top add marinara sauce the remainder of pecorino Romano and Mozzarella Cheese bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes let cool before cutting.

1) Pulse the basil and pine nuts:
Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.

2) Add the garlic and cheese:
Add the garlic and cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

3) Slowly pour in the olive oil:
While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

4) Season the pesto sauce:
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the meatloaf: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper and crushed red pepper if using and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the beef, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper, basil, eggs, 1/2 cup of the marinara and the cooled vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything together. Transfer the mixture to the center of the prepared baking sheet and form into a loaf.

4. Place in a 350-degree oven after 30 minutes spread the topping on continue to bake for an additional 20 - 30 minutes or until done. Done when internal temperature of 160 degrees.

*QUICK MARINARA (for above)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
-1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

 
DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, combine the oil, onion and garlic  over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf.

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the red pepper marinara with (2) 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes and (3) large red bell peppers, diced small in a bowl.  Add peppers, tomatoes and (1) cup of water to a pot and simmer for 30 minutes, then blended together.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a frying pan, add olive oil, onion, garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes.

Blanch the peppers for 2 minutes, this helps cut down cooking time.

In a large bowl, mix the pork, sautéed onion and garlic, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Add about 3/4 of the rice and 1 cup of the red pepper marinara and mix.

In a baking dish, coat the bottom with red pepper marinara to cover the bottom evenly.

Add the stuffing into each pepper, filling them to the top and then place onto the baking dish.

Place the pepper on the baking dish and spoon red pepper marinara over the peppers.

Place the pan in the oven and bake at 400°F for about one hour.

Once they are done, remove from the oven and serve with red pepper marinara.

Directions

Set aside ground meat, eggs, and Italian roll.

Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl.

Once combined add to the ground meat, then add your eggs, and diced roll. 

Mix together, form your meatballs, and you're ready to cook.

Directions

Boil, simmer, then strain. Simple syrup!