The executive chef at Carmine's is helping you celebrate National Pasta Month the right way.
Glenn Rolnick shared his tips for making the perfect al dente pasta and shared these recipes so you can try it yourself.
Here are his recipes for Spaghetti with Carmine's Meatballs, Pasta with Bolognese Sauce, Manicotti, Pesto and Vegetarian-Style Lasagna:
Spaghetti with Carmine's Meatballs
Recipe by Glenn Rolnick
Yield: Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
- 1½ cups breadcrumbs
- 2½ cups chicken stock
- 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound ground veal
- 1½ pounds fresh ground beef chuck
- 1 ¼ cups grated Romano cheese
- 10 cups Marinara Sauce
- 2 pounds spaghetti, cooked al dente
PROCEDURE:
Local
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1 cup of the chicken stock, the garlic, eggs, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the basil, the salt, and pepper. Add the veal, beef, and 1 cup of the grated cheese. Using your hands, mix well, but do not overwork the mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the mixture to set up.
3. Lightly oil a high-sided sheet pan with olive oil. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out rounded balls of the meat mixture. Arrange them on the sheet pan, spacing the balls evenly apart, until you’ve used up the mixture; there should be about 12 balls.
4. Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil and tightly pack each ball while rolling it round to maintain a uniform shape.
5. Pour the remaining 1½ cups of chicken stock into the sheet pan around the meatballs. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through. Remove and let cool.
6. When you’re ready to serve, combine the meatballs with the marinara sauce in a medium pot, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. While the meatballs simmer, cook the spaghetti.
7. Spread the pasta out on a serving platter and place half the meatballs along the center. Top with 3 cups of the sauce. Garnish with 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and 1 tablespoon of the basil, and serve.
8. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and 1 tablespoon basil to the remaining sauce and meatballs.
9. Let any leftover meatballs and sauce cool and then refrigerate for meatball heroes the next day.
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Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
Recipe by Glenn Rolnick
Yield: Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 oz blended oil
- 1 oz sliced garlic
- 2 oz Spanish onions finely chopped
- 1.5 oz carrots peeled finely chopped
- 1 oz celery stalks cleaned finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt & pepper mix
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 small bay leaf
- 8 oz ground beef
- 2 oz loose sweet Italian sausage
- 2.5 oz Carmine’s red wine
- 3 oz veal stock
- 6 oz of a can whole peeled tomatoes, 2 oz of the juice
- 1 lb. fresh gnocchi pasta [fresh potato and pasta dumpling]
PROCEDURE:
1. Heat oil in 8” in sauté pan on high heat
2. Add garlic & brown
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, half of the salt & pepper mix & brown
4. Add oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, bay leaves, & stir well
5. Add beef & sausage evenly browned & break up larger pieces
6. Add wine & reduce for 5 minutes
7. Add veal stock & cook for 5 minutes
8. Add tomatoes slightly breaking tomatoes
9. Add the remaining salt & pepper
10. Reduce heat to medium
11. Simmer for 1 hour stirring periodically
12. Place pasta in half gallon saucepot of boiling salted water, stirring often. Strain when tender
13. Place on a platter and pour sauce over the top
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Manicotti
Recipe by Glenn Rolnick
Yield: Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
FILLING
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- 1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella
- ½ cup coarsely grated smoked mozzarella
- ¾ cup grated Romano cheese
- salty and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
SAVORY CREPES
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 1 Tablespoon snipped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
FINISHING THE MANICOTTI
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
PROCEDURE:
TO MAKE THE FILLING
1. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta and mozzarella, 3 tablespoons of the Romano cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Blend the mixture gently with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the basil and parsley and stir the mixture to blend it. Fold the egg into the cheese mixture, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
TO MAKE THE CREPES
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, chives, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, so that the liquid has time to absorb the flour. This will yield 8-9 crepes
2. Heat a few drops of olive oil in a nonstick 10-inch skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Ladle about ¼ cup of batter into the pan and tilt the pan in all directions to evenly coat the bottom. Cook the crepe for about 30 seconds or until the center is dry but not colored. Loosen the edge with a spatula and flip the crepe over with the spatula or your fingers. Cook the other side for about 10 seconds or until it is set and dry. Slide the crepe onto a flat plate and cover it with wax paper.
3. Repeat with the remaining batter, drizzling a few drops of oil in the pan as needed and stacking the crepes between sheets of wax paper. Use them when they have cooled, or cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 1 week, or wrap them well in plastic and freeze them in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 1 month.
TO FINISH THE MANICOTTI
1. Spread the crepes on a work surface. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the lower third of each crepe, roll the crepe to form a cigar-shaped cylinder, and transfer it to a plate. Repeat with the remaining crepes. Cover the crepes with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 20 minutes so that they cool completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 ° F.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the marinara sauce over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it is hot.
4. Spoon 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the manicotti in a single layer. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving. Place the manicotti on the sauce and spread the butter evenly over them. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese over the manicotti. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling hot and the cheese is browned and melted.
5. Remove the manicotti from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving. Warm the remaining marinara sauce in a saucepan and serve it with the manicotti, along with the remaining ½ cup of Romano cheese.
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Pesto
Recipe by Glenn Rolnick
Yield: 1 quart
INGREDIENTS:
- 10 oz fresh basil leaves
- 4 Tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 6 Tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
- 4 Tablespoons pine nuts
- ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus an additional 2 Tablespoons
- 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cup olive oil
PROCEDURE:
1. Combine all ingredients (except the 2 TBS of cheese) in a food processor and blend until fully combined.
2. Mix approximately half of the pesto with 1 pound of the hot, al dente pasta of your choice. We like cheese ravioli, gnocchi and tortellini at Carmine's.
3. Place on large serving platter. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 TBS of cheese on top.
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Vegetarian-Style Lasagna
Recipe by Glenn Rolnick
Yield: Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS:
EGG BATTER
- 8 extra-large eggs
- 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
MUSHROOM FILLING
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
SPINACH FILLING
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ pound spinach leaves, well rinsed and dried
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
CHEESE FILLING
- 1½ pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 extra-large egg
- ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI
- 2 cups canola oil, for frying
- ½ pound all-purpose flour
- ¾ pound eggplant, ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 3/8-inch-thick slices
- ¾ pound large zucchini, ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 3/8-inch-thick slices
LASAGNA
- 3¾ cups Carmine’s Marinara Sauce
- 1 pound lasagna noodles, parboiled in salted water for 8 minutes
- 1 pound whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¾ cup grated Romano cheese
- ½ cup Roasted Red Pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
PROCEDURE:
EGG BATTER
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the egg batter. Set aside.
MUSHROOM FILLING
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic. When the garlic begins to brown, add the mushrooms and basil and sauté over high heat until the mushrooms pick up color and start to become tender. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, transfer to a plate and let cool.
SPINACH FILLING
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic. When it begins to brown, add the spinach. Increase the heat to high, and sauté for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. Transfer to a plate, and let cool. Squeeze and drain out any extra liquid.
CHEESE FILLING
In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.
EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI
1. Heat a large, high-sided pan or skillet filled with 1½ inches of canola oil, until the oil reaches 325°F. While the oil is heating, set up a breading station next to the skillet. Fill a shallow pan with the egg batter, and another shallow pan with the flour. Line a sheet pan with several layers of paper towels.
2. Dust two to three pieces of eggplant in the flour, coating both sides. Shake off the excess. Using tongs, dip the pieces in the egg batter and then slide them into the hot oil. Fry for about 1 minute each side, or until nicely browned all over. Transfer the pieces to the paper towel–lined sheet pan and pat the tops of the vegetables dry with more paper towels.
3. Continue battering and frying the eggplant and zucchini, being careful not to crowd the pan. When all the vegetables have been fried and patted dry, refrigerate to cool.
TO ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Build the lasagna in a half hotel pan (12¾ x 10½ x 4 inches), working from the bottom up, according to the following pattern:
1. Spread 1 cup of the marinara over the bottom of the pan
2. Layer in 4 lasagna noodles
3. Layer half of the fried eggplant slices
4. Spread over ¾ cup of the marinara sauce
3. Sprinkle over one-quarter of the shredded mozzarella, and2 tablespoons of the grated Romano
4. Spread a layer of the cheese filling
5. Layer in 4 lasagna noodles, and press down with the spatula
6. Layer in half of the zucchini slices
7. Spread over ¾ cup of the marinara
8. Spread the drained mushroom filling, topped with the drained spinach filling and the roasted peppers
9. Sprinkle over one-quarter of the shredded mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons of the grated Romano
10. Spread on a layer of the cheese filling
11. Layer in 4 lasagna noodles, and press down all over with a spatula
12. Sprinkle over one-quarter of the shredded mozzarella, and 2tablespoons of the grated Romano
13. Layer half the remaining zucchini mixed with half the remaining eggplant
14. Layer in a mixture of 1 cup of the ricotta filling, 2 tablespoons Romano, and 2 tablespoons chopped basil
15. Layer the remaining 4 lasagna noodles and press down with the spatula
16. Spread over the remaining ¾ cup marinara
17. Top with a mixture of one-quarter of the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Romano cheese
18. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, then cover with a layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until hot all the way through and the cheese has nicely melted.
19. Tightly wrap up any leftovers after they have cooled completely, and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
