“Jim Serpa was one of Steve’s friends from the cement plant. His wife, Kathy, served these when we came over for dinner. This is what I based my Lasagne recipe on.” – Calla Ferre
Cook shells in boiling, salted water for 8 to 9 minutes until just al dente. Drain and rinse.
Mix next 5 ingredients and stuff shells.
Put 1/2 sauce in bottom of baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer in dish. Place remaining marinara sauce over top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; cover loosely with foil.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until mozzarella is melted and pasta shells are tender.
“I added some chopped shallots and you could modify this by adding some of your favorite veggies or would be a good place to use some of the left over bits and pieces in the fridge.” – April Ferre
Course: Main Courses – Pasta & RIce, Main Courses – Vegetarian
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
2TablespoonsOlive or Salad Oil
1CloveGarlicMinced or Pressed
1Small Green PepperSeeded & Chopped
4Green OnionsIncluding Tops, Thinly Sliced
3Medium TomatoesPeeled, Seeded & Chopped
1/4CupParsleyChopped
10OuncesFettuccine
3QuartsWaterBoiling
1/4CupButter or Margarine
2/3CupWhipping Cream
Salt & Pepper To Taste
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Heat oil in a 10 to 12-inch frying pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and green pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pepper is limp. Add onions and stir 1 to 2 minutes longer. Mix in tomatoes and parsley. Cook until tomatoes are heated through. Keep warm, on lowest heat, uncovered.
As vegetables are cooking, cook the fettuccine in boiling water in a 5 to 6 quart pan on high heat just until tender to bite, about 2 minutes. Pour pasta into a colander and drain well.
At once, return kettle to high heat; add butter and cream. Boil until butter melts. Remove kettle from heat and add pasta and vegetables. Mix, lifting with fork, to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Pour onto warm serving platter and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.
“Steve and I went out to dinner for our Anniversary at a little restaurant across from the First Congregational Church of Soquel. We had prawns wrapped in bacon in a wonderful sauce. This recipe came from a Nob Hill flyer and was very similar to the sauce we had that night. It’s the kind of sauce that you want to lick the plate clean. You can serve it just over the noodles too, but with the prawns, it makes it extra special. I was very please to find the recipe for this sauce.” – Calla Ferre
Course: Main Courses – Pasta & RIce, Main Courses – Vegetarian
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1TablespoonButter
1CloveGarlicFinely Minced
1CupTomatoDiced
1/4CupRed Bell PepperFinely Diced
1/4TeaspoonDried BasilCrushed
3/4CupWhole Milk
2TeaspoonsFlour
2 to 3TablespoonsParmesan CheeseGrated
A Pinch or Two Nutmeg
4CupsFettuccine NoodlesCooked
Instructions
In nonstick fry pan, melt butter with garlic over medium-low heat. Add tomato and red bell pepper; let simmer for a few minutes.
Sprinkle basil over the top while it is simmering. Add milk, reserving 1 tablespoon. Mix reserved milk with flour and add to tomato mixture. Keep stirring while it simmers another 2 minutes until sauce has thickened.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and nutmeg on top; stir. Serve over fettuccine noodles.
Recipe – Calla Ferre – From a Nob Hill Advertisement
“My husband and I went wine tasting in Napa one time, and we visited the Robert Mondavi Winery. In addition to wine, they had samples of this pizza there and were giving out the recipe.” – Calla Ferre
“When I moved into my first apartment in Davis, suddenly I got to choose what to make for dinner. I bought myself a cheap pizza pan across the street at Rite Aid and make this. The next day, my best friend Alvin and I were talking and it came up that I made this. I remember him something like ‘What?! You made your own pizza crust too!?’ This is when he found out that I was a serious cook. Word got around, and suddenly, even though I had the smallest apartment of my group of college friends, we usually ended up at my place, since it was likely I had something good in the kitchen to share.” – April Ferre
Cut tomatoes into thirds lengthwise. Slice shallots. Toss tomatoes and shallots in olive oil. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle generously with minced garlic, salt, pepper (I like lemon pepper), and oregano. Roast in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Combine salt, honey, 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil and 1/2 Cup water; mix well. Separately, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees) and add to first mixture. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add flour until dough begins to form. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Let dough rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
Form into 12-inch pizza. Place on pizza paddle, stone or inverted baking sheet dusted with corn meal. Brush dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian Fontina cheese and top with roasted tomatoes and shallots. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.
1996 Recipe – Calla Ferre – From Executive Chef Annie Roberts, Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, California.
“My first harvest from my garden in my new house yielded a plethora of cherry tomatoes, so I was looking for recipes to use them up. So of course, caprese salad was a must. I had my first taste of a caprese salad at Zia’s Delicatessen and this is my copy cat version of their salad.” – April Ferre
“The dressing on this salad is very good (it can also be found at Italian Salad Dressing). Jennie would often make this for Dental Hygiene Component meetings.” – Calla Ferre
Place bread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Set bread cubes aside.
Wish together olive oil and next 5 ingredients.
Reserve 1 cup bread cubes. Scatter remaining cubes on a large serving platter. Top with lettuce and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle with dressing, and toss. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle with reserved bread cubes and green onions. Makes 4 servings.
Notes
For an Italian sub-like flavor, substitute 1 cup thinly sliced salami, such as Genoa for 2 cups ham.
2003 Modified Recipe – Jennie Shabel – From Southern Living Magazine
