Croque Madame

Pre-heat the oven to a high heat. Grate the gruyère and the parmesan. In a bowl, mix the yolks with the parmesan and cream, seasoning with ground pepper. Spread some butter on one slice of bread and place it butter side down on a baking tray. Layer the grated gruyère, one slice of ham, then repeat once more. Spread the creamy mixture on both sides of the remaining slice of bread. Transfer the sandwich to the oven and bake until golden. You can also turn on the grill to speed up this process. In a sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and, as it foams, crack the egg over it and cook over medium heat just until the white is cooked and the yolk warm. Once the sandwich is golden, remove it from the oven and top it with the fried egg, season the white with salt, the yolk with pepper and serve.

Bacon Tater Crockpot Breakfast

In 4-5 quart slow-cooker, layer these ingredients in order: 1/3 of the tater tots, bacon, onions, and cheeses. Repeat layers two more times, ending with the cheese layer. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and flour until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over the layers in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Poached Eggs with Roasted Stuffed Mushrooms

Peel the mushrooms remove stalks. Clean the stalks and mince in a food processor. Filling: chop the garlic and parsley finely. Slice the bacon into strips. In a pan, fry the bacon until golden. Drain and return its fat to the pan. Fry the garlic for 30sec, add the minced stalks and stir. Add the wine and boil until the mixture dries up. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and fried bacon. Season the filling with salt and pepper. Fill the mushroom cavities, cover with breadcrumbs and parmesan and roast in a very hot oven until the tops are golden (10 minutes). In another pan, bring about 10cm of water to boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir in the vinegar. Break the eggs separately in a bowl, bring them very close to the water and let them fall gently over a bubble stream. With a spatula or spoon, try to ensure the egg whites don’t spread too much. Cook them for 3 minutes exactly, so that the whites are cooked and the yolks are still soft. Serve over the hot mushrooms.

Potato Spinach Gnocchi with Butter and Parmesan

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20s and transfer to a bowl with iced water. Drain, squeezing out as much liquid as possible, and chop. Boil the potatoes with the skin on until soft when pierced with a knife (about 25min). Drain and peel them while still hot (hold them with a tea towel). Mash and pass them through a sieve. Add a pinch of salt, the spinach, eggs and flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (add a bit more flour if it seems too sticky, but not too much). Cut and shape the dough into long 2cm diameter cylinders. Cut it into 2cm pieces. Lightly roll each gnocchi with the back of a fork, to create little patterns. Boil them in salted water until they rise to the surface. Drain and, while still hot, mix them in a bowl with the butter, grated parmesan cheese and season with pepper. Toss until the butter and parmesan form a thickened sauce that coats the gnocchi.

Penne Ai Quattro Formaggi (4 Cheese Sauce)

In a saucepan, mix the milk, cream and crushed garlic. Bring it to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15min. Remove the garlic. Meanwhile, start cooking the pasta in boiling salted water. Grate (or chop) all the cheeses separately. When the pasta is still a bit hard in the middle, even before al dente, drain it and add to the milk and cream. Add the butter and parmesan. Now, add the emmenthal, fontina and top it with the mozzarella. Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish and bake it in a 180C/350F oven until the top is golden. You can also do this dish with tomatoes instead of milk and cream.

Pasta with Ricotta and Courgettes

Dice the courgette and stir-fry it in a casserole with the olive oil and chopped onion. When it softens, add the milk, bring to the boil, turn down the heat and let it cook until the sauce thickens. Season. Place a large pan with abundant salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, crumble the ricotta in a bowl and add a bit of the pasta water, turning it into a thick smooth cream. Add the grated parmesan, lemon juice and check the salt. Drain the pasta and toss it with the courgette sauce. Serve it with a dollop of the ricotta cream.

Basic Meatballs (Polpette)

Cut the bread into pieces and soak it with a little milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk. In a bowl, mix the beef, mortadella, eggs, parmesan, parsley, soaked bread, pignoli (optional), finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. With your hands, make 7-8cm (diameter) meatballs. Then, gently squeeze them into a light cylinder shape. Optionally, you can coat them with some breadcrumbs or flour. Fry them in medium-hot oil so they cook all the way through (about 10 minutes). You can make smaller balls if you want them to cook quicker. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve.

Basic Basil Pesto (Genovese)

Wash and dry the basil well with a tea towel. Add all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until you have a fine crumbly texture. If you have a pestle and mortar and want to do it the traditional way, bruise the basil and salt into a paste (do not bash the leaves, instead, make a continuous circular motion with the pestle). Add the chopped garlic and, when smooth, add the pine nuts. Keep mashing everything and finally add the grated cheeses. When it gets really thick, add the oil, a bit at a time. The paste will keep for several days if stored in the refrigerator, covered with a layer of olive oil.

Before serving, cook your pasta of choice in abundant salted boiling water until al dente. When ready, mix some of the pasta water with the basil paste to give it a creamy texture. Drain the pasta and mix in the sauce.

Baked Stuffed Courgettes

Remove and reserve the stem ends. With the thin blade of a knife, remove the centre pulp from each courgette, starting from the cut end, leaving a 5mm thick unbroken shell. Dice the salami slices and provolone and chop the parsley. Skin, seed and chop the tomatoes. Slice the onion thinly. In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, Parma ham, salami, provolone, parmesan, pecorino, parsley, pine nuts and tomatoes. Mix in enough olive oil and water to hold the stuffing together. Pack the stuffing inside the courgettes and cover them with the reserved stem ends, securing them with wooden toothpicks. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and, turning occasionally, gently sauté the courgettes until golden brown. Transfer to a baking tray. In the same pan, cook the onion until soft, then add the wine and finish with the butter, salt and pepper. Pour this sauce over the courgettes and bake in a 150C/300C oven for 45 minutes. Leave to cool then cut into slices and serve on a platter, with the sauce drizzled over.

Croque Monsieur

Pre-heat the oven on a high heat. Grate the gruyere cheese and the parmesan. In a bowl, mix the yolks with the parmesan and cream, seasoning with ground pepper. Spread butter on one slice of bread and place it butter side down over a baking tray. Layer the grated gruyère, one slice of ham, than repeat it once more. Spread the creamy mixture on both sides of the remaining slice of bread. Take the sandwich to the oven and bake it until golden. You can also turn on the grill to accelerate this process. To make a Croque Madame, top the finished sandwich with a fried egg.