Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken breast cutlets
• 4-6 thin slices of Italian Prosciutto
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 4-6 slices of Provolone or Fontina cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced plus 1 clove minced (for sauce)
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris)
• juice from half a lemon, plus 1 tablespoon zest for garnish
• 1 tablespoon butter
• lemon wedges and additional torn sage leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread out the chicken cutlets flat in a large baking dish, and season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Layer on top of each chicken breast a slice of prosciutto, two sage leaves, and a slice of provolone or fontina cheese, then fold over the chicken in half and secure with a toothpick to secure.
4. Heat 1 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high and sauté chicken breasts approximately 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
5. Remove the chicken and juices from pan and place back into the baking dish and roast in the oven for another 15 minutes until cooked through. You might want to baste the chicken in its juices once or twice to make sure the chicken doesn’t dry out in the oven.
6. Meanwhile, slice 2 cloves of fresh garlic, mince 1 clove and set aside. Trim the ends off the asparagus and blanch in boiling salted water in a large pot for about 1 minute. Drain, place asparagus in a baking dish and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper and sliced garlic. Place in oven and roast for about 10-15 minutes until fork tender and slightly browned (be careful not to overcook or the asparagus will get dark and mushy – aim for tender yet crisp and green).
7. In the same sauté pan for the chicken, heat another tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the additional clove of minced garlic for about 1 minute until lightly golden and soft. Add the chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. . Let sauce reduce to about half, then add 1 tablespoon of butter, swirling in to finish the sauce.
8. When chicken and asparagus are done roasting, plate them and top off with the lemon butter wine sauce.
9. Garnish with lemon wedges, torn sage leaves, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a side of cooked orzo or pasta, crusty bread or a green salad with a lemon vinaigrette and a dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Fingerling potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or chunks
• 1 1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage (may use chicken or turkey sausage if you prefer)
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 large bunch of greens (I used collards, but you can use spinach, kale, escarole, or mustard/turnip greens)
• 1 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for garnish
• Crusty bread or garlic bread, for dipping

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain potatoes, cut into quarters or chunks, depending on the size.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
3. At the same time, add 1/2 inch of water to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add sausages to and cover with a lid, simmering for 10 minutes (without turning). Remove the lid, turn sausages over, and cook for another 5 minutes until almost cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, measure out your liquids and dry seasonings and set aside.
5. Chop the garlic.
6. Wash the greens well and drain. Remove and discard the veins and stems, cutting leafy green parts off on either side into 1-inch strips.
7. Remove sausages from pan and cut into coin-sized chunks. Drain fat from pan and wipe down.
8. Add 1 tablespoon of oil into the same pan and return to medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute while stirring often, for about 1 minute being careful not to burn garlic.
9. Add additional 3 tablespoons of oil and start sauteing greens by the handful until they are just starting to wilt.
10. Add cannellini beans, sausage, potatoes, broth, water and minced onion; bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
11. Remove lid, add 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so until the liquid reduces a little (you can simmer it down longer if you like a thicker stew or add more broth/water if you like a thinner stew).
12. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
13. Serve the Greens and Beans in large bowls topped with shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and crusty bread for dipping in the broth.
14. Delicioso!

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 bag of medium-large shell pasta (fresh or dried)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thin and halved
• 1 bag of fresh spinach (leaves), chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of cooked Virginia ham, diced (can sub cooked prosciutto or bacon)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• PARMESAN GARLIC SAUCE:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons flour
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons neufchatel or cream cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
• 1 green onion, sliced for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta shells and cook according to package directions until al dente (about 8 minutes dried, 3 minutes fresh). Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water and set aside.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-large saute pan and add zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and cook for about 8-10 minutes until zucchini is soft. Add 1 tablespoon of garlic and saute for another minute or so until garlic starts to brown. Remove zucchini-garlic mixture from saute pan and set aside in a medium-large mixing bowl.
3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the saute pan and heat for a minute or so. Add the fresh chopped spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes, stirring through. Saute spinach about 3-5 minutes until wilted. Add the cooked diced ham and saute another few minutes until browned. Remove spinach and ham from saute pan and add to cooked zucchini in mixing bowl.
4. To make the Parmesan Garlic Sauce:
5. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
6. Add the garlic and cook until soft and lightly browned, about 1 minute.
7. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, another minute.
8. Whisk in the milk, a sprinkle of sea salt and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes.
9. Add the Neufchatel and parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute.
10. Combine the cooked pasta shells, 1/2 cup cooking water from pasta, sauteed zucchini, spinach and ham to the alfredo garlic sauce, stir thoroughly to mix ingredients for another minute or so.
11. Sprinkle additional salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste into the pasta mixture. Remove from saute pan and place in a large serving bowl. Top pasta with chopped fresh parsley and green onions, and top with more parmesan cheese to taste.
12. Serve the pasta with some crusty bread, a green salad and glass of wine.

Notes

Ingredients

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped fine
• 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped fine
• 1 cup carrots, chopped fine
• 3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or prepared)
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 cup low-fat or 2% Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh basil leaves or parsley, torn for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil salted water in a large pot. Add lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions, drain, separate and set aside.
3. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil on low heat in a large skillet. Cook onion and garlic for three or four minutes and place into a separate bowl. Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet and cook mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and carrots about 5-10 minutes until tender and add to onion and garlic mixture. Add one cup of the marinara sauce to the vegetables and heat through.
4. Spread one cup of the remaining marinara sauce into the bottom of a 13x9 glass greased baking dish and layer with half of the noodles, vegetables and ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with another layer of marinara sauce, noodles, vegetables and ricotta cheese, sprinkling with remaining cheeses, salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.
5. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, cut lasagna into squares and top with fresh basil or parsley. Serve with a green salad and glass of light red wine.

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Gianduia chocolate
• 12 whole hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
• 3 ounces Perugina 51% cocoa dark chocolate

Instructions

1. In a food processor, blend the Gianduia chocolate and ground hazelnuts together at low speed until they are well blended and a paste is created.
2. Roll the paste into a rope about the width of a wine cork. Cut into 12 cylindrical pieces.
3. Melt dark chocolate and heat to 104 degrees F. Drop 3/4 of the dark chocolate on to a marble or steel table. Temper the chocolate by melting it continuously with 2 spatulas until the temperature has reached 80.6 degrees F.
4. Add the cooler tempered chocolate to the 1/4 tempered chocolate and mix well. The combined chocolate should have a temperature of 87.8 degrees F.
5. Place a whole hazelnut on top of each cylinder of gianduia.
6. With a fork, dip each confection into the dark chocolate twice before placing it on a piece of wax paper. Let it rest for about 5 minutes until the shininess has disappeared and the chocolate looks darker and crisp.

Ingredients

• 1 piecrust, store bought or home made
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup, 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Italian hazelnut liquer (such as Frangelico)
• 18 Perugina Baci candies

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 10-inch pie pan with rolled out pie crust.
3. Using an electric hand mixer beat the flour, sugar, eggs, butter and liqueur in a bowl.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Place the Baci candies, nut side up, into the batter.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes until the top crust is set.
6. Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting.

Ingredients

• 7 ounces + 9 ounces Perugina 51% cocoa dark chocolate
• 1.5 ounces fresh dairy cream
• 1 ounce butter
• 1 ounce Liquor - hazelnut (Frangelico) or lemon (Limoncello)
• 2 Baci Perugina candies, chopped

Instructions

1. Melt 7 ounces dark chocolate and cream together in a double boiler.
2. Add the butter and gently mix to incorporate. When done, add the liquor and set chocolate "ganache" aside.
3. Melt the remaining 9 ounces chocolate and temper by melting it continuously with 2 spatulas until the temperature has reached 80.6 degrees F.
4. Drop in a mold for pralines to create the cups.
5. Fill each cup with the cream and chocolate ganache.
6. Sprinkle the chopped Baci over the filled cups.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 12 Perugina Baci candies
• Whipped cream or mascarpone cheese; hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. Put 1 whole Baci in each of 4 coffee cups, wine glasses or dessert bowls.
3. Divide the hot pasta among them and top each with 2 more coarsely crushed Baci.
4. Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of whipped cream or mascarpone cheese and splash with some hazelnut liqueur.