Fed up

to taste
    2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
    1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
    2 tbsp. grade B maple syrup
    1 tsp. dried sweet basil
    ½ cup olive oil
     
    Whisk together the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar until the salt dissolves. Stir in mustard, syrup, and basil. Whisk constantly while drizzling in oil: the dressing will form an emulsion and thicken. Refrigerate until ready to use. Bring up to room temperature before serving, since the olive oil will harden in the fridge. Makes roughly ¾ cup.
     
     

    Josh Ziskin, Executive Chef at La Morra Brookline, Massachusetts www.lamorra.com
     
    Serves 8—10 as appetizer
     
    ½ loaf bread, cut into large cubes
    3 cups milk
    1½ cups dried porcini mushrooms
    5 lbs. ground beef
    2 cups Parmesan cheese
    ¼ lb. prosciutto, thickly sliced and diced
    4 eggs
    3 cups flour
    3 cups white wine
     
    Soak bread in milk until it is fully absorbed. Soak porcini mushrooms in water until hydrated and clean. Remove and chop. Mix the next 4 ingredients, and then add mushrooms and bread. Mix well. Roll into desired-size balls. Flour each ball, and shake off the extra flour. Sear in a pan on all sides until light brown. Add wine until it comes halfway up the side of the meatballs. Put in oven and bake at 400° until cooked through, approximately 15 minutes.
     
     
     
     

    Josh Ziskin
     
    Serves 8—10 as an appetizer
     
    1 yellow onion, diced fine
    4 tbsp. cooking oil
    1 pound Arborio rice
    ½ cup white wine
    1 quart water or chicken stock, warm
    4 tbsp. butter
    ½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    Salt to taste
    2 oz. Italian meat (salami, capicola, etc.)
    6 oz. smoked mozzarella or Fontina cheese
    2 eggs
    Flour for dredging
    2 cups bread crumbs
    Oil for frying
     
    Sauté onion in oil until translucent. Add rice and cook for 3 minutes until rice is coated in oil. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add warm water or chicken stock, 2 cups at a time. Rice should absorb liquid each time before the next amount is added. Repeat until rice is fully cooked through. Add butter, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Stir until fully incorporated.
    Lay mixture flat on a sheet pan until fully cooled. While rice mixture is cooling, dice Italian meat and cheese into ¼ “ dice. Beat eggs and place in a bowl. Place flour in a separate bowl. Place bread crumbs in another bowl.
    When rice mixture is cooled, moisten hands. Pick up about 2 ounces of rice and create a cup shape in your hands. Add meat and cheese mixture inside cup, and close rice around mixture to form a ball. Once all aroncini are formed, roll each aroncini in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs. Refrigerate for ½ hour. Deep-fry aroncini in oil until golden brown and warm through.
     
     
     
     

    Jessica Conant-Park
    Manchester, New Hampshire
     
    Serves 4
     
    1 lb. pasta, preferably fettuccine
    ‘½ small red onion, thinly sliced
    1 avocado, cut into ½“ bites
    1 container grape or cherry tomatoes, or 2 plum tomatoes, cut up
    ½ cup (or a good handful) Calamata olives , pitted and roughly chopped
    1 bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped
    ½-¾ cup good-quality olive oil
    ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    1 big squeeze lemon juice
    Salt and pepper to taste
    16-20 large frozen or fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined or 1 lb. chicken cutlets
    Other: olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and Parmesan cheese
     
    Start cooking the pasta while you prepare the vegetables.
    Mix all the vegetables and basil with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a big squeeze of the lemon. Toss in a good pinch of salt and pepper. When the pasta is ready, mix it with the vegetables and dressing.
    Heat a saute pan with a splash of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is nicely heated, add the shrimp or chicken. If using shrimp, cook for about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side until perfectly pink and cooked through. If using chicken, season both sides of the cutlets with a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and sugar. Sear on each side until golden brown. Don’t move the cutlet around too much while it is cooking, because you want the sugar to give a wonderful caramelized crust.
    Toss the shrimp or chicken in with the pasta salad and serve with Parmesan cheese. I prefer this dish with lots of dressing, so add more olive oil or balsamic vinegar if you like.
     
     

    Nancy R. Landman, President and CEO
    Great Cooks & Company and Great Cooks at Home
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    www.greatcooks.biz
     
    Serves 8
     
    Tenderloin
     
    2 tbsp. butter
    2 tbsp. olive oil
    1 beef tenderloin,