MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA

Appetizer

1 Buffalo mozzarella
3 slices of Italian cooked ham
12 slices of bread (wheat, white, or the one you prefer)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
bread crumbs
oil to be used to fry

Beat the eggs in a bowl with milk, salt and pepper (if you like it); set aside.
Slice the mozzarella into 6 slices and let them drain; divide each Italian Ham slice in two parts; take away the crust from the bread slices.
Make six sandwiches with all these ingredients, dip them in the eggs/milk mixture and let the bread soak. Press it very well so that it won't separate while cooking.
Place the sandwiches in the bread crumbs and let them stick on both sidesw.
Fry the sandwiches in a big skillet with abundant hot oil until they become golden on both sides. Serve immediately.

If there is some eggs mixture left, don't throw it away, use it to make an omelette.

RICOTTA "CHARLOTTE"

Dessert

12 oz ricotta
3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
3 oz sugar
1 banana, diced
1 egg
Ladyfingers (I used 25)
Alchermes (it's an Italian red liqueur for cakes), you can use whatever you want to dip cookies in - milk is perfect if there are kids

Separate egg: put yolk in a bigger bowl and white in a smaller.
Whisk yolk with 2 tbsp of sugar for about 2 minutes, add ricotta cheese and the remaining sugar and mix until you obtain a smooth cream, now add the chocolate and the banana.
Put the mix in the fridge for a few moments, while you whisk the white part of the egg. To make this passage easier, add a couple of pinches of salt and whisk until it becomes white and firm.
Add it carefully to the ricotta cream.
Now, line a bowl 3" tall and 8" diameter with plastic (cello) wrap.
Quickly dip one ladyfinger at a time and put the on the bottom of the bowl and around it.
Spread half of the cream, layer with other dipped ladyfingers and the remaining cream, top with a final layer of dipped ladyfingers.
Cover with plastic (cello) wrap and put in the fridge (not freezer) for at least 4 hours.
Take it out half an hour in advance, uncover it place a plate over it and flip the bowl over it. Carefully pull the cello wrap to help it come out and take away the remaining wrap.
This cakes serves 6 - 8 people.

Remember that banana tends to become dark so dice it just before adding it to the cream.

STEAK PIZZAIOLA

Second Course

4 Steaks
1 can of peeled tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp of capers, chopped
5-6 anchovy filets
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil

Bring the steaks at room temperature, this way they'll cook better.
In a big skillet put olive oil, anchovies and garlic (whole if you'd like to remove it, otherwise chopped). Sautee them for a couple of minutes.
At this moment, add tomatoes and capers and cook for another couple of minutes. Adjust with salt, add oregano and steaks.
The steaks cooking time depends on how you like them. Serve immediately.

If you cook the steaks for a short time, it's better that you cook the pizzaiola sauce a little bit more to give the flavors enough time to mix.
This sauce is also perfect for pasta.

ASPARAGUS RAVIOLI WITH CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

First Course

1 lb of asparagus ravioli
2 tbsp of olive oil
12 oz of strained tomatoes or 14 oz of chopped peeled tomatoes
8 oz of ricotta cheese
1 clove of garlic
1 pinch of hot chilli peppers flakes
2 tbsp of grated parmesan

Put a large pot with salted water to boil.
In the meantime, put a big skillet on medium heat, put oil in it, add garlic and chilli peppers flakes, mix for a minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes. Lower the heat to minimum.
When the water boils, "throw" ravioli in and cook for about 5 minutes.
While the ravioli cook, add the ricotta cheese to the tomato sauce and mix it to combine the two ingredients.
Drain the ravioli and put them in the skillet with the sauce, cook for 2 minutes and serve immediately, sprinkled with grated parmesan (or chopped parsley, if you like it).

It could be considered a vegetarian course due to the lack of both meat or fish.