Ingredients
8 manicotti noodles
1 pound ricotta
1 whole egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
Marinara Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and start a large pot of water to boil.

Combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper.

Cook the manicotti in boiling water for 6 minutes. Remove, rinse, and drain the noodles. Shake off the excess water as you remove each square. Blot off any excess water.

Spread a little sauce onto the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking pan. Pipe the filling into the noodles and arrange on in the pan. Cover the stuffed noodles with sauce and spread on a handful of mozzarella. Bake for 45 minutes.


Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed plum tomatoes
10 basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

Instructions
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes or until the garlic is softened. Add the remaining ingredients, then raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Oh, this was good. Make this. I love red cabbage and this was some of the best I'd ever had. The schnitzel was really tasty too but it dried out a little waiting for the cabbage to get tender. Next time I make this, I'll get the cabbage on and simmering before I even begin the schnitzel.

Ingredients
pork cutlets, pounded thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
Breadcrumbs, for dredging
2 tablespoons butter
3 slices smoked bacon, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pounds mushrooms, chopped if large
1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Pat cutlets dry. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. In a large skillet, add butter and saute cutlets on both sides until golden brown and crunchy. Drain on paper towels, keep warm.
Cook the bacon and the onions until they both start to brown. Add mustard, capers, and lemon. Add butter and mushrooms. As the mushrooms begin to absorb the butter, add just enough cream to cover the bottom of the pan. Simmer sauce to reduce slightly.

To serve, spoon sauce over browned schnitzels.

Ingredients
2 pounds red cabbage, coarsley chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium apple, peeled and diced
3/4-ounce sugar
3/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
In a bowl, sprinkle the cabbage with salt and red wine vinegar. Toss and let stand for 2 hours. Saute diced onions in butter. Add the apple and sugar. Saute lightly. Add strained cabbage to saute mix. Reserve the liquid. Stir for several minutes. Then add strained liquid, red wine, chicken stock, cranberry sauce, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and cook for approximatley 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.

I found this curry powder at an Indian grocery store in Cuyahoga Falls.


The recipe I used came from (the English) side of the can. It was absolutely delicious and pretty simple. Alex proclaimed it "better than Bombay Sitar's."

These are the chutneys I used. Tamarind Mango and Mint. You can see a spoonful of each on the the plate.

Ingredients
1# chicken cut in pieces
2 T Yellow Curry Powder
1 t salt
4 T butter
2 large onions chopped in large pieces
1 1/2 cup water
chopped cilantro
chutney (optional)

Instructions
Combine curry and salt and sprinkle over chicken and set aside while chopping onions. Melt butter in and sautee onions until softened. Add curried chicken and water and simmer 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked and sauce reduces. Serve over rice with chopped cilantro and chutney.

I've been needing to do a little work with wine. Tonight, I moved a Sauvignon Blanc and a Montepulciano to secondary fermenters. They'll be ready to bottle in about two weeks.

Half a cucumber and one pear chopped and covered with vodka...



...filtered through a coffee filter after two weeks.


Sweet and refreshing.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1 pound lean ground chicken
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 (4-inch) whole wheat pitas with pockets, tops trimmed and warmed
sliced tomato and cucumbers

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add the scallion whites cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic, tomato, and raisins and cook over high heat until moisture reduces a little. Add the chicken and cook stirring until meat is cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the green part of the scallions, yogurt, and pine nuts. Serve mixture stuffed into warm pita with tomato slices and cucumber slices.

Ingredients
Fresh basil
4 garlic cloves
2 T butter
1/4 toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Process until smooth. Stir over cooked gnocchi. Wow.