of Angelina Mancuso

These are the recipes as Noni wrote them. I have not altered her quantities or ingredients but have left that up to your own interpretation. Remember that Noni was not completely sure of the exact quantities because she cooked by feel and instinct. I made several of these recipes with her. Her little hats were always perfect. I have made most of the recipes alone in my kitchen and learn something new every time. Please let me know if you have any suggestions and I will edit this text.

160 Ravioli

Slowly saute the ground meet in a frying pan with little or no oil. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and let cook slowly for 2 hours. Add a little water if it dries out. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a medium sized bowl mix the ricotta, eggs, grated Parmigiano and spices. Steam the spinach just until soft, drain carefully and set aside to cool.

Note: Noni taught my Lombardi aunts to make ravioli and they taught me to wrap the spinach in paper towels and squeeze out all the water.

Combine the spinach and ricotta mixture and add to the meat. At this point you may continue on to make the pasta or refrigerate the filling overnight.

Note: In my experience one cup flour and 2 eggs is a standard ratio for % pound pasta, which will feed three. Perhaps Noni skimped on the eggs because of the expense but she made great pasta.

Put the flour on a dry work surface, make a well in the center. Beat the eggs with the water and salt until foamy. Slowly add the water and eggs to the center of the well. Cup your hand and carefully stir the eggs and flour together, working to mix the flour and eggs into a soft ball. Continue to add flour or water until you have a soft dough. Knead the dough until soft and elastic, cover with oil and let rest under a bowl for 30 minutes.

You will need a pasta machine to get the dough to the correct thinness. Every machine is slightly different but I put pieces of dough through the machine at it’s widest opening. Flatten the piece of dough, run it through the machine. Fold the dough twice into a third of its length, and feed through machine once again. Repeat the operation two to three times and lay the strip on a towel on the counter. Pasta dough for stuffed pasta should be soft and sticky. Take one piece of pasta at a time through the thinning process, cut it and stuff it before going on to the next piece. Keep all pieces of dough waiting to be thinned under a plastic bowl or wrapped with plastic wrap.

Note: My father remembers that Noni did not use the store bought forms to shape the pasta. I checked her recipe and he is correct. She made them simple and large and I recommend this method.

Lay out the strips of thinned pasta and place spoonfuls of the stuffing three or four inches apart. Beat an egg yolk and brush along the edges to make the dough stick together. Cover the strip and press gently around the edges. Noni cut the ravioli with a zig-zag roller. Continue on until all dough is used.

You can serve them the same day or freeze on cookie sheets until hard and carefully put in plastic bags. I plan 10 per person and put 50 to a bag.

Note: I won’t tell you how to make sauce because you already know how. For the younger generation, I offer the following advice.

This is an old fashioned sauce that cooks a long time but you do not have to make it this way. Start with a little oil in a large pot and slowly melt the chopped garlic and basil in the sauce. Do not brown the garlic. Next add some wine if you like and let the alcohol burn off Add the tomatoes, fresh, canned or pureed and let cook slowly for 30 minutes. Add the paste and the meat and let cook slowly for several hours.

Serves 6

Cut the cauliflower into little pieces and set aside. Cut the salt pork and pork loin into small pieces and cook slowly in a small saucepan until white but not brown. Add the butter, salt pork, basil leaves, salt and pepper, and mix well. If you decide not to use the salt pork, I suggest using several cloves of chopped garlic. Let cook slowly for an hour or longer, take care not to let it dry out.

Follow the same steps as ravioli. You will need to use less eggs because you want a dough that is not as soft as ravioli dough. You can use just water and flour if you like. Do not thin the dough through the machine. Knead the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes under a plastic bowl.

Cut a piece of dough and roll it between your palms into a skinny snake. Cut into ¼ inch pieces. Press down with your thumb on the cut side of the piece. Turn your thumb slightly as you press. Keep them small and thin. Keep unworked dough under the bowl until you need it. Continue until all the dough is used.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower and the dried pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente (9-12 minutes). If you are using fresh pasta you can add the cauliflower to the cold water and let it come to a boil together. When the water and cauliflower come to a boil, add the fresh pasta and cook until al dente (5-10 minutes). Drain the pasta mixture into a colander over a bowl. Reserve the cooking water. Mix the pasta mixture with the pork sauce and slowly add some of the reserved water to make a soupy sauce. Toss with grated cheese and serve.

Note: I save all the water because the pasta swells after a few minutes and you may need to add more water. This dish is even better the next day.

Serves 6-8

Someone told me that Noni learned to make gnocchi from my Lombardi aunts but I remember her teaching me in a big kitchen with a pantry. The secret to making delicate gnocchi is adding as little flour as possible.

In Italy I have eaten gnocchi with a simple but wonderful sauce of melted butter and sage leaves with lots of grated cheese. But to me, gnocchi are best with a smooth tomato sauce.

Bake the potatoes until a knife enters them easily. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm and rice them into a large bowl. You will need a ricer for best results. Mix in the salt, egg, semolina and as little flour as possible to make a soft, smooth consistent mixture. Form into a ball, roll out into logs about the width of a finger, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces with a paring knife. Lightly drag the knife across each cut piece to make a slight indentation. The dough will be soft and sticky, use enough flour to make a workable but soft dough.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they rise to the top, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve in a warm platter with sauce. lop with plenty of grated cheese.

Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Cut the parsley and rip the basil into small pieces and add to the breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs and add to the breadcrumbs. Dice the ham and add to the mixture. Add the pepper and tomato and salt and pepper.

Add the stuffing to the veal pocket. Sew the pocket with coarse thread. Rub the roast with oil or butter. Oil the bottom of the pan, add the potatoes and toss in the oil with salt and pepper. Add the roast and bake until done.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and saute slowly. Do not brown. Roll the veal pieces lightly in flour and add to the skillet. Brown the veal and add a little water or wine. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, green pepper, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Cook approximately 15 minutes.

Serves 6

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the chopped onion. Cook the onion until soft. Add the chopped garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Add the veal to the pot and brown on all sides. Add the meat broth, greens, salt and pepper to taste and cook slowly. Before serving, beat the egg with the grated cheese and add to soup. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

Serves 8

Beat the eggs until foamy and gradually add the sugar. Mix well. Blend the mixture with the ricotta until smooth. Add the spices and nuts.

Note: You can substitute the citron with dried cranberries or cherries.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and eggs. Add the oil and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients until soft dough is formed. Save about 1/5 of the dough for the lattice top. Roll out the remaining dough. Line the bottom of a pie pan with the dough, add the filling. Use the remaining dough to weave a lattice top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.

Cut the codfish into pieces and put in a large bowl of cold water. Soak the fish overnight, changing the water often to remove excess salt. Drain the fish and pat dry. Coat the fish with flour and fry in oil. When cool, break the fish into bite size flakes and set aside.

Slice the onions and cook slowly in cooking oil until soft. Do not brown. Drain extra oil.

Make a regular pie crust dough, top and bottom.

Layer the ingredients into the pan with a pie crust. Start with the onions, then the fish and top with the green olives and black pepper. Do not add salt. Cover with the pastry and bake about 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Makes 150 cookies

Flour cookie sheets and set aside

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Add more flour as needed to make a soft, wet dough.

Lightly oil your hands. In the palm of your hand make a small ball and set on floured cookie sheet. Make them small, about the size of a cherry.

Bake 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven.

Frost when cool. Let the frosting dry. The cookies can be stored in airtight tins or frozen.

Makes 75 cookies

I always associate Noni’s Italian cookies with the holidays. But these cookies are light and lemony and wonderful for summer parties. They are also easy to make.

Beat the eggs until creamy. Add the sugar. Mix well. Add the oil and flavorings. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients, beating well between additions.

Roll into small balls in the palm of hand. Bake for 10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven. They will be lightly browned on the bottom and white on top. Let cool before frosting.

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons anise flavoring with 7 1/2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar. The frosting should be a medium consistency. Dip the tops of the cookies only in the frosting and let dry.

Store in an airtight tin.

Note: I have never been able to roll these in the palm of my hand as Noni suggests because the dough is too sticky. Perhaps Noni added more flour but I think that would make the cookies too heavy. I drop them by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet and that works fine for me.

In a small bowl, cream the soft butter with the sugar and vanilla. Add the chopped nuts. Begin to add the flour one cup at a time until you make a stiff dough.

Roll into round, small balls in the palm of your hand and place on floured cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven until done. Do not brown.

When cool, roll several times in confectioner’s sugar until they look like small white snow balls.

Makes 100 bows

Mix the eggs, flour and salt together to form dough. Knead until soft. Let rest ½ hour under a bowl. Cut the dough in pieces and thin through the pasta machine. The dough should be thin. Cut into 2x5 inch strips.

Put the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and let the oil get hot. Drop the strips into the hot oil. To make the bow tie shape, use a large spoon and pull each strip in the middle to the side of the pan and hold for a few seconds. The dough will puff up and turn golden. No not let them get brown. Drain the strips on paper towels. Move the bow ties to wax paper and drizzle with warm honey and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Do not cover. They keep for 1 week.

Sift flour and baking powder onto a work surface. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. Add the anise. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the center of the dry ingredients, mixing well. Form a smooth dough. Roll out the dough in long strips and cut on the diagonal into 5 or 6 inch strips. Place on well greased cookie sheet and bake in hot oven, 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Torongini Cookies

Makes 60 cookies

These almond cookies are sweet, crunchy and delicious. I wish I could remember what Noni’s tasted like to know if I have the ingredients correct. If you remember, please let me know what changes to make. They are a favorite in my family.

Toast the almonds in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn. Chop the almonds and mix them with the flour, baking powder, sugar and spices. Grate the lemon and orange rind into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add the oil. Gradually add enough water to form a manageable dough. Roll the dough into long flat logs with your hands and cut in ½ inch slices on the diagonal to form diamond shape cookies.

Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes or until brown.

In a small sauce pan mix sugar and water and cook until it thickens. To test for thickness, drop a small amount by spoon into cold water. It should hold together. When thick, cool slightly, and beat as it cools. Dip the cookies into the frosting and let dry:

Note: I have never made the frosting. The cookies are so good by themselves. Noni may have added cocoa at times to the frosting because several family members remember these cookies with chocolate frosting.