Canneloni alla Provenzale
Polpette Semplici -- Simple Meatballs
Pennewith Prosciutto, Onions and Sage
Biscotti

Cannelloni alla Provenzale

3/4 pound commercially prepared cannelloni or manicotti shells, or a batch of home made pasta.
1/2 cup (packed) dried porcini, soaked 20 minutes in 1/2 cup hot water
1 1/4 pounds lean pork, cubed
1 bunch (about a pound) fresh spinach
1/3 cup unsalted butter
A small onion, minced
A medium carrot, minced
A 6-inch stalk celery, minced
A small bunch parsley, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry Marsala (or sherry if you have no Marsala)
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste diluted in 1/2 cup water
Several slices prosciutto
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)
If you are making the pasta from scratch begin by preparing the dough and setting it aside to rest.

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

Rinse the spinach well, discard the roots, and heat it in a pot until it wilts, then squeeze out the excess moisture, chop it coarsely, and sauté in 2 tablespoons butter.

Mince the remaining herbs (carrot, onion etc.) and brown them lightly in 2 tablespoons butter. When they have browned add the pork and continue cooking until it is browned too, then stir in the soaked mushrooms. Stir in the Marsala and the diluted tomato paste, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and simmer for an hour, adding more water if necessary to keep the sauce from thickening overmuch.

While the sauce is simmering roll out the dough if you're starting from scratch, and cut it into 3 by 4-inch rectangles. Once the pasta is cut cook it a few pieces at a time in abundant lightly salted water (if you're using commercially prepared shells follow the directions on the package). Remove the pasta from the water with a slotted spoon while it's still rather al dente, and lay the pieces on a damp cloth taking care lest they be touching and stick.

When the sauce is done, remove the pot from the fire and transfer the meat and mushrooms to a bowl, leaving the sauce in the pan. Crack the remaining egg into the bowl, add the chopped spinach and the grated cheese, a hint of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of the sauce in the pan, and mix thoroughly.

To fill your cannelloni: lay some of the filling along the long edge of the first sheet, roll it up to make the cannelone, and place it in a well buttered, elegant baking dish. Repeat the procedure until pasta and filling are all used up.

Spoon the remaining sauce from the pan over them, together with a little water, dust them well with grated cheese and dot them with a little butter, and bake them for about a half hour, which will give the flavors time to meld.

Polpette Semplici -- Simple Meatballs

1 pound not-too-lean ground beef
3/4 cup day-old Italian bread, crust removed and discarded, and crumb shredded
Milk (as needed)
A large egg or 2 small ones
1/4 cup minced parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
A healthy pinch of nutmeg or whatever other ground spice suits your fancy (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
Bread crumbs for rolling the meatballs (optional)
Soak the bread in enough milk so it is thoroughly wet through. Drain it well, squeezing it gently to remove most of the milk (you want the crumbs moist but not dripping). Combine the crumbs with the ground meat, the egg, the minced parsley, the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and knead the mixture well. Then shape it into so many balls about an inch in diameter. If you like, roll them in bread crumbs.

Set a large skillet to heat with the oil, and add the meatballs. Cook, stirring, over a medium flame until they are browned on all sides, then pour in a half cup or slightly more milk. Partially cover and simmer the meatballs until they are done and the sauce is considerably thickened. Serve, spooning the sauce over the meatballs, with a salad, spinach, or mashed potatoes.

Penne with Prosciutto, Onions and Sage

1 pound (500 g) penne
2 sweet onions, sliced
1/3 pound (150 g) prosciutto, diced
About 1 cup (250 ml) moderately packed fresh sage leaves, chopped.
2 Tbsp each olive oil & butter
Bring pasta water to a boil and salt it.

Sauté the sliced onions in olive oil/butter over medium flame until they begin to brown; while this is happening begin cooking the pasta (assuming it takes 10-12 minutes to cook; check the package). Add the prosciutto and sage to the onion, and continue to cook until the sage gives up most of its aromatic oils. The sauce should be a medium brown. If the pasta isn't done yet, keep the sauce warm. When the pasta is done, add pepper and toss the sauce with the pasta. Add additional olive oil if necessary. Sprinkle with grated romano if desired.

Biscotti Croccanti

4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2/5 cup butter
1/2 cup less two tablespoons almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons candied citron or melon
A pinch of powdered anise
2 tablespoons aquavit
1 scant teaspoon bicarbonate
1 whole egg + 3 yolks

These cookies are quite refined, and I find that they leave nothing to be desired. Peel the almonds, leaving them whole. Mince the candied fruit. Scoop out a depression in the mound of flour and fill it with the eggs, the sugar, the butter, the aquavit, and the bicarbonate. Form a dough without working the ingredients more than necessary, then make an opening in it, add the remaining ingredients, knead the dough lightly to distribute them evenly, and roll it out into a flatish snake a yard long. Cut the snake into four or five pieces so it will fit in a greased and floured pan, brush it with egg yolk, and bake it at 350° for about fifteen minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Once the bars are cooked, slice them into half inch wide cookies, and return them to the oven to toast the cut surfaces