Abbacchio scottadito

I'm missing my trip to Italy this year, so I'm making my own culinary journey. I found some lamp chops at a good price the other day and decided to try to make scottadito.

Ingredients

• lamp chops
• white wine
• fresh thyme
• clove of garlic
• olive oil

Preparation

1. Iniziate a sfogliare il timo e schiacciate l’aglio. 
2. Mescolate il trito di erbe aromatiche con 3 cucchiai d’olio d’oliva e al vino bianco. Si creerà così una sorta di marinatura abbastanza leggera, nella quale mettere l’abbacchio (utilizzate una pirofila, preferibilmente in “cotto”. In questo caso il consiglio è di preferire una marinatura tanto più lunga quanto vogliate “ammorbidire” il gusto dell’abbacchio scottadito. In linea di massima si possono impiegare appena 30 minuti per ottenere un risultato piuttosto soddisfacente al palato.)
3. Una volta terminata la marinatura, rimuovete le costolette dalla pirofila. Scolate il liquido e asciugate la carne con l’aiuto di un canovaccio pulito oppure con delle classica carta assorbente da cucina. Scaldate molto bene una piastra o una griglia e cuoceteci sopra l’abbacchio scottadito cinque minuti per lato, facendo attenzione a che non risultino eccessivamente bruciacchiate. 
4. Una volta pronto, servite l’abbacchio scottadito immediatamente.

Chicken Supreme

No picture of the final product; I don't know how one would dress this dish up enough to make it picture-worthy, so here's a ceramic chicken instead. The dinner is, however, a good childhood memory for me, and I decided to make a batch--some 25 years since I last had it. (Though now in my older age I realise how caloric and relatively expensive it is to make for a weekday family dinner.) It's super simple and a hit every time.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless)
• 8 strips bacon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can/10 3/4 ounces cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
• 1 jar dried beef
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300F (150C/GM2)
2. Wrap 1 strip of bacon around a chicken breast half; repeat with the remaining halves.
3. Line a large lightly buttered casserole or baking dish with the cut up chipped beef.
4. Place the 8 chicken breast halves on the chipped beef.
5. In a bowl combine sour cream and soup until well blended; pour over the chicken. Sprinkle lightly with freshly ground black pepper.
6. Bake slowly, at 300 F for 2 hours, or until chicken is cooked and bacon is crispy.
7. Serve over white rice.

Quick Lasagna

We've had to make some quick meals lately and it's easy to make a lot of lasagna in a hurry and freeze it for future use.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef 
• 4 c. tomato-basil pasta sauce 
• 6 uncooked lasagna noodles 
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese 
• 2 1/2 c. (10 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1/4 c. hot water

Preparation

1. Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce.
2. Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin.) Repeat procedure; spread remaining one-third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour 1/4 cup hot water around inside edge of dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
3. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Lamb Ragu

This quick and easy recipe from the NYTimes is spot on. And I couldn't agree more: don't skip the anchovies; they add a richness not a fishiness.

Ingredients

• 2  Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1  medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4  garlic cloves, finely chopped
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
•  Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 2  anchovy fillets (optional)
• 2  Tbsp tomato paste
• 1  lb. ground lamb
• 1  (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 12  oz. cooked pasta, noodles or tubes, for serving
•  A good hunk of Parmesan or pecorino, for serving
•  A small handful of marjoram, oregano or thyme, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a pinch of red-pepper flakes and anchovies, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to toast the spices and melt the anchovies.
2. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally so it has a chance to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add lamb and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir lamb until the fat starts to soften and the meat begins to break down. Continue to cook, stirring rather frequently until the lamb begins to brown and sizzle in its own fat, 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and swirl around to get all the remaining tomato, then add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until sauce is thickened and insanely flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Serve sauce mixed into and over pasta with plenty of cheese for grating over the top, scattered with a small handful of marjoram, oregano or thyme leaves if you like.