Rocco DiSpirito's Mother's Day Recipes

Mama’s Meatballs

Olive oil cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ cups Redpack tomato puree
1 ½ Redpack diced tomatoes
½ medium eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
6 oz. lean ground turkey breast
4 oz. 96% lean ground beef
2 oz. extra-lean ground pork
1 large white egg
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

1.2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
2 cups puffed Kamut cereal
salt
6 oz. 100% Kamut intregrale spaghetti

Recipe:
Preheat the broiler
Coat a large skillet with 4 seconds of cooking spray. Add half the garlic and half the onion and a pinch of red pepper flakes, place over medium heat, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add half the chicken broth, all of the tomato puree, and the diced tomatoes; bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Place the eggplant cut-side-up on a broiler pan and broil until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the broiler, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high until tender, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
Scoop the eggplant pulp out of its skin and let any excess water drip off. Measure out ½ cup of the pulp, and then chop it fine.
Combine the turkey, beef, and pork in a large bowl. Place the egg white, the remaining chicken broth, remaining onion, remaining garlic, and parsley in a blender until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add the mixture to the meat; add the Parmigiano and crumble the Kamut cereal in with your fingers. Add the eggplant. Season with salt and red pepper

Lemon Pasta with Shrimp

8 oz. Brown rice fettuccine
4 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
14 oz thawed, peeled, and deveined extra-large shrimp
Salt
Black pepper

Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with cold water, cover with plastic wrap, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain before use.
Peel the skins of the lemons into long strips from the tip using a vegetable peeler.
Scrape any white parts off the lemon zest. Place the zest in a small skillet and add water to cover. Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and cook until it is just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
Place the drained zest on a cutting board and cut into ½ inch long strips. Ass 2 cups cold water to the pan and squeeze the juice from the remaining lemons into the pot. Add the lemon zest and bring to a simmer; remove from the heat.
Pour the olive oil into a large nonstick skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and parsley and cook for 15 seconds. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook until halfway cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and about ½ cup of lemon broth. Add the drained pasta and cook until a sauce is formed and coats the noodles. Season with salt and pepper.

Lasagna Bolognese
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. 96% lean ground beef
Salt
Ground black pepper
20 leaves basil torn into bite-sized pieces
2 ½ cups no fat, sodium, or sugar added chopped tomatoes
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into ribbons 1/8 inch thick
1 cup skim milk
1 ½ tbsp arrowroot
2oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
4 oz. Organic whole wheat, no boil lasagna, about 6 ½ sheets
Heat the olive oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper, and once the boil is smoking, add the beef to the skillet. Brown the beef on one side about two minutes then break it up with a spoon and add half the torn basil, followed by the chopped tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook about 1 minute. Set aside.
Stack the zucchini in 4 equal piles, place each pile on a plate and cook in microwave on high for 1 minute. Flip each stack over and cook on high for another minute, then set aside.
Add 1 tsp of milk to a small bowl and mix with arrowroot. Add the remaining milk to small saucepot and bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the arrowroot mixture and whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano and whisk into sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spoon a thin layer of Bolognese sauce into the bottom of an 8x8x4 inch dish, then place two lasagna sheets over the top, pressing down on the sheets until they break and naturally fit into the bottom of the dish. Add a thin layer of Bolognese, than drizzle thin layer of white sauce on top. Place a third of remaining basil leaves over that layer, then add a layer of zucchini layers on top. Season with salt and pepper.
Repeat the previous layer sequence. Fill any bare spots with half sheets of pasta.
Place last two remaining lasagna sheets on top and spoon the remaining Bolognese over that; the cover the final layer of zucchini and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Top with the remaining white sauce, and then sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano over the entire surface of the lasagna.
Tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap and cook n microwave on high until the pasta is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and broil until brown, about 1 minute. Remove the lasagna from the broilers and let rest for minutes before cutting into pieces.