1 unbaked 9" pastry shell
6 slices bacon
12 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese, sliced like bacon
3 T butter
3 T olive oil
3 cups Bermuda onion or Walla Walla onion, thinly sliced
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg, thyme, and cloves- to taste
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated, divided
Triangle-shaped slices of Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Broil bacon until cooked; drain and cut each slice in half. Cover bottom of crust with bacon and sliced cheese. Melt butter with olive oil in large skillet. Stir in thinly sliced onions and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the onions are transparent but not all browned. Remove from heat and cool thoroughly.
Beat together eggs and cream. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, and cloves. Stir in onions and 1/4 cup of the grated Swiss cheese. Pour mixture gently over bacon and cheese in pastry shell. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup grated Swiss. Arrange thinly sliced triangles of cheese in a wheel shaped pattern on the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until pie is puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Servings: 4-6

Note: If desired, 1/2 to 1 cup of the onions may be replaced by sliced fresh mushrooms.

1 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained well
1- 32 oz can tomato sauce
1- 12 oz can tomato paste
2 large cans water
1 to 2 cups parsley, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic
1/2 T crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
Bay leaf
Salt to taste
2 whole cloves

Combine all ingredients and simmer 2 hours.

2 cup chicken broth
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 T cornstarch
Dash of pepper
Dash of Worcestershire
Dash of nutmeg
French bread

Heat 1-3/4 cups chicken broth and garlic until almost boiling. Add both cheeses. While the cheese melts, mix in remainder of ingredients. Keep at room temperature just below boiling.
Cut french bread with crust on each piece.

1 lb Italian sausage
1-1/2 cups onion, chopped fine
1-12 oz can tomato paste
5-15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 T sugar
4 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
4 T parsley
4 tsp salt

8 oz spaghetti
2 eggs
8 oz cottage cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Brown meat with onion and drain. Add the other ingredients and simmer 4 hours.

Cook spaghetti. Drain and add 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons butter and well-beaten eggs. Form into a "crust" in a large casserole pan. Spread cottage cheese over crust and cover with the sauce. Cook covered in microwave on high for 7 minutes. Cover with grated mozzarella cheese and microwave for 1-2 minutes on high or until hot.

Meat Sauce Bolognese
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 T butter
1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups tomatoes, chopped, peeled and seeded
3 T tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp allspice
salt and pepper to taste

Besciamella (Italian Bechamel Sauce)
3 T butter
6 T flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
Dash nutmeg
1 lb lasagna noodles (preferably green)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

To prepare meat sauce: combine the onion, garlic, and celery and saute over low heat in 2 tablespoons butter until golden, about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove to a heavy 3-4 quart saucepan. In same frying pan, saute the sausage and ground beef in the olive oil until lightly browned. Stir to break up lumps. Remove excess grease. Add the wine to the meat and boil, stirring constantly, until wine is almost evaporated. Add meat to saucepan with onion mixture and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock seasonings. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

To prepare Besciamella: melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy 2-3 quart saucepan, over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook slowly 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the milk and cream slowly, stirring with a whisk to obtain a smooth sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon salt and the nutmeg. Set aside. (Makes 3 cups)

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a large 6-8 quart pot cook the lasagna. When cooked, drain and cover lasagna with cold water, then lift out strips and drain on paper towels.

To assemble, spread a layer of meat sauce on bottom of baking dish to about 1/4 inch deep. Over this lay 1/3 of the noodles, then 1/3 of the Besciamella, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times;  layering the meat sauce, noodles, Besciamella, and ending with the mozzarella. Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Can be frozen.

Bread Crumb Topping
4 slices white sandwich bread with crusts, torn into quarters
1/4 cup (1/2 oz) Parmesan, grated
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Pasta
4 oz (1 cup) Fontina cheese, shredded
3 oz (3/4 cup) Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 lb penne
1 T table salt
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp unsalted butter
2 tsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Topping
Pulse bread in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses (you should have about 1-1/2 cups). Transfer to small bowl; stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Set mixture aside.
Pasta
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot. Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; stir to separate pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low high heat; whisk flour into butter until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in cream, increase heat to medium, and bring to boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 minute to ensure that flour cooks. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; cover cream mixture to keep hot and set aside.
When pasta is al dente (when bitten into, pasta should be opaque and slightly underdone at very center), drain about 5 seconds, leaving pasta slightly wet. Add pasta to bowl with cheeses; immediately pour cream mixture over, then cover bowl with foil or large plate and let stand 3 minutes. Uncover bowl and stir with rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl, until cheeses are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined.
Transfer pasta to 13x9-inch baking dish, then sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumbs, pressing down lightly. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch dried red-pepper flakes
1 lb ricotta cheese, low fat okay
6 T Parmesan, grated
2 eggs
3 T fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup mozzarella, grated

Zesty Tomato Sauce
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 28-oz can tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

Crespelle
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 cup milk
3 T olive oil
Olive oil for cooking

Sauce
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the white wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, 1 hour. Add the pepper and puree the sauce in a food processor or blender.
Crespelle
Put the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and oil in a blender or food processor and whir until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Heat a 6 or 7 inch non-stick frying pan over moderately high heat. Brush the pan lightly with oil or spray. Ladle in about 3 tablespoons of the batter. Tilt and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan completely, working quickly before the batter sets. Cook until the batter stiffens and just begins to brown around the edge, about 30 seconds. Loosen the crespelle from the pan by running a rubber scraper around the edge. With your fingers, flip the crespelle. Cook about 5 seconds longer. Remove and repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil only if necessary. Stack the finished crespelle.

In medium frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 2 minutes longer. Let cool.
In medium bowl, combine the onion mixture, ricotta, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat the oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking dish (or a pan appropriate to the number of cannelloni you'll be cooking). Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
Put a crespelle, brown side up, on the work surface. Spoon about 3 tablespoons filling in the center. Fold in 1 inch from opposite sides of the crespelle. Starting from an unfolded side, roll up the crespelle to form a cylinder. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Continue filling and rolling until all the cannelloni are completed. (They can be frozen unsauced at this point).
Pour the remaining sauce over the filled cannelloni and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until hot and bubbling, about 30 min.

Serving: 6
2/3 recipe of crepes yields 12 crepes. 1/2 recipe filling yields 8 cannelloni