Many of you don’t know this, but I consider myself a meatball aficionado. And of the countless meaty spheres I’ve tried and tested (including GOOP’s turkey and fennel rounds), there is only one that I can hail as total cylindrical perfection and they are Mamma Concetta’s Meatballs at Bistro Don Giovanni restaurant in the heart of Napa Valley – one of wine country’s finest. Owner Giovanni Scala, originally from Naples, Italy, dishes his beloved family recipe with passion (and pasta) on the restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus.

I have been wanting this recipe ever since my first experience, so, needless to say, I was beyond ecstatic to learn from one of the chefs that Giovanni and his wife Donna were preparing them live for ABC’s View from the Bay. You will never, I repeat NEVER, have meatballs as insanely to-die-for as these, and now you can try them for yourself!

Mangia!

Salads can be pretty standard and boring: the same greens, the same add-ins. But they can also be quite original – think of all the different types of vegetables and ingredients that can go into a salad. The antipasto salad goes upscale at the 8,000-square-foot A Mano Trattoria in Chicago: Dandelion greens replace iceberg lettuce, freshly charred peppers stand in for jarred ones, and a rare artisanal cheese subs for the mass-produced provolone.

This recipe will add a little spice and texture to your salad.

- 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 bunches dandelion greens, stems trimmed, leaves torn
• 5 oz Capra honey goat cheese or 5 oz plain soft fresh goat cheese mixed with 2 teaspoons honey, crumbled

Preparation

1. Combine lemon juice and shallots in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Char bell pepper directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed and cut pepper into thin strips.

3. Toss greens and roasted peppers in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and goat cheese.

Ingredient Tip

Capra goat cheese is a rich and creamy Belgian cheese that is aged only a few weeks and is sometimes flavored with honey. A great addition for flavoring and texture. Order it online at igourmet.com.

[Photo from Alexandra Moss via Flickr]

Serves 4

• 1 lb. Bacon chopped
• 1 lb. Italian Sausage
• 1 Onion chopped
• 2 Celery chopped
• 2 Garlic minced
• 1 lb. Mustard Greens
• 1 Bunch Basil
• 9 oz bag Spinach
• 1 bunch Parsley
• 1 box Chicken Broth
• 1 can White Beans like Cannelini

Brown bacon and sausage, drain and set aside. Saute onions, garlic and celery until soft. Add all leafy greens, and chicken broth. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Puree the broth then add the bacon, sausage and beans. Heat through and serve.

[Photo from Sebastian via Flickr]

If you have ever found yourself eating hors d’oeuvres at a high-end function, you may have noticed some version of these little guys being passed around. There’s a perfectly good reason for their popularity: they are absolutely delectable. Whether you follow this recipe to the letter or borrow tidbits here and there, you will make a lot of friends with this low-carb, low-fat, easy-to-make classic. They are always a crowd favorite, whether as appetizers or as an entrée, and appeal to just about every palate.

You can buy traditional pesto sauce in a jar, or make it from scratch:

Pesto alla Genovese

Ingredients:

• 3 medium cloves garlic

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves

• ¾ cup fresh parsley leaves

• 3 tablespoons pine nuts

• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1¼ cups Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, and roast the pine nuts for about 5 minutes, until golden brown (alternate method – toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan, but be very careful not to burn them).

2. Puree the garlic in a food processor, then add the pine nuts and herbs and spin them until just chopped. With the blades running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream.

3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. May be made up to a week ahead of time. When ready to use, add the cheese and process until well mixed.

Pesto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter (roughly)

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (see

2 bunches spinach, cleaned and stems removed

4-5 shallots, finely chopped

¾ cup ricotta cheese

2 egg yolks

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

5-6 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half

5-6 whole boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and flattened out

¼ cup lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line the bottom of a baking pan with butter and set aside.

Steam the spinach for 1-3 minutes. You can easily do this by tossing the freshly rinsed spinach into a large pan, covering and heating over medium heat. Then remove the pan from the heat and add ice water to shock the spinach and stop it from continuing to cook. Wring the spinach dry with a clean towel and chop medium-fine.

Put a little butter and the shallots into a sauté pan and cook over medium heat until translucent.

Combine the spinach, shallots, pine nuts, ricotta cheese, pesto sauce egg yolks, pepper and ¼ cup of butter in a large bowl, and taste for seasoning. Place a piece of prosciutto on each breast, then spread the pesto mixture evenly over each breast. Fold each breast over in half and place in the baking dish.

Mix together the lemon juice with an equal portion of melted butter, and baste over each breast. Put the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the juices that drip into the pan.

When it’s done, allow to set for 5-10 minutes. Then cut each breast on a bias into ½-inch pieces and serve, either as an entrée or on a platter as an hors d’oeuvre. You can stick a toothpick into each piece to hold it together.

Cilantro-Key Lime Salsa with Chevre

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• juice of 3 Key limes
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 oz goat cheese, cut into small pieces
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method: Stir together all of the ingredients except the chevre, then fold in the chevre until evenly mixed.

Refried Black Beans

• 1 30-oz can of black beans
• 1 large Anaheim pepper
• ½ red onion, diced small
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil, onions and Anaheim pepper. When the onions are soft and translucent, add the beans. Smash the beans through a slotted spoon or similar utensil until they are fairly smooth.

Pan-Seared Tacos

• 15 corn tortillas
• 2 oz chevre
• Small amount of oil for the pan

Method: Drop 2 or 3 tablespoons of cooking oil into a large sauté pan over med-high heat. Layer 5 corn tortillas evenly around the pan, letting them overlap. Add a dollop of refried black beans to the center of each taco. Add a dollop of cilantro-Key lime salsa to the center of each taco. Fold each taco over in half, and allow it to cook until the bottom side browns thoroughly, then flip each one over and finish on the other side. Transfer to a platter and repeat with the next 5 tacos.

[Photo from bobjudge via Flickr]

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup oil
• 7 eggs
• 2 vanilla beans or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups coconut milk
• 1 ½ cups sweetened condensed milk
• 2 ½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Method: Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar, and half the vanilla. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time, allowing each egg to become fully incorporated before adding the next egg. Stir in ¾ cup of the coconut milk, then gently fold a little of the flour mixture into the egg mixture at a time. Lightly grease cup cake pans. Pour in the batter until each pan is about half full and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center clean and each cupcake feels somewhat firm. Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature and turn them over onto a platter. Pierce the cupcakes with a fork about 30 times, then let cool in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining coconut milk, the condensed milk, 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, the pineapple juice and the rum. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cupcakes and refrigerate for another half hour. You can spoon any milk run-off back onto the cupcakes.

Whipped cream frosting

Method: Combine the remaining heavy cream with the remaining vanilla and 2 tablespoons of sugar, and beat to stiff peaks. Spread a layer over each of the cupcakes. Garnish with toasted shredded coconut. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

[Photo from clevercupcakes via Flickr]

Salted Corn Tortilla Chips

• 12 raw corn tortillas
• 2 cups corn oil (or canola or olive oil)
• salt, to taste (plenty, any type, finely ground)

Tip: There is a perfect golden brown color that will give you a great crunch and great flavor, but a couple minutes too few: the chips will be very chewy; one minute too long and the color turns very dark and tastes bitter; so pay close attention when the chips start to take on a light brown color, and keep in mind they will cook just a bit more after you pull them out of the oil. Experiment a little with the first few chips and you’ll quickly find your color comfort [food] zone.

Spicy Avocado-Cilantro Salsa

• 6 avocados, roughly chopped
• 2-3 tomatillos, diced
• ½ red onion, diced small
• 1-2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (more to taste)
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste

[Photo from sean dreilinger via Flickr]

Tossed Mexican Salad

• 6 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped
• 4 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• ½ cup red onion, diced large
• 1 cup English cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup carrot, grated
• ½ cup radishes, sliced
• zest from a lemon
• ½ cup corn
• ½ cup black olives, chopped
• 2 corn tortillas, cut into strips, fried, for garnish
• chives and/or dill, chopped or whole, for garnish

Method: Stack the cut vegetables according to size and color, as looks pretty, in a large bowl, with the greens on the bottom and the smaller pieces arranged on top.

• 2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• 3 tablespoons horseradish, grated or from a jar

[Photo from nettsu via Flickr]

Lemon Filling:
4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Meringue Topping:

4 egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Use to top lemon filling.

Whisk egg yolks in medium size mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Turn heat on medium and, stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually, 1 whisk-full at a time, add hot mixture to egg yolks and stir until you have added at least half of the mixture.

Return egg mixture to saucepan, turn heat down to low and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and gently stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and that it goes right up to the edge of the crust. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Make sure pie is cooled completely before slicing.

Yield: topping for 1 (9-inch) pie

Prep Time:  30 min

Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr

Cook Time:  12 min

[Photo from Daniel Greene via Flickr]

• 3 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh savory or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon whole caraway seed
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 1/2 quarts beef broth
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 1/2 pound sauerkraut drained and lightly rinsed
• 3 large Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sour cream (optional)