Welcome to Keely’s Kitchen! Here are some recipes that my family and I have tried. I hope you enjoy them just as much as we do.

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Recipe #1: Pansotti Con Salsa Di Noci (Pansotti with Walnut Sauce)

Salsa di Noci is a no-cook, rich and creamy walnut sauce that is perfect to top on fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli. Read through the recipe before planning to serve this dish. For example, it is important to skin the walnuts in order to avoid a bitter taste, but unfortunately, I have no quick hack for this besides getting a family member to help. You will also notice that in order to crush the walnuts, you have to use a mortar and pestle, which I suggest purchasing if you don’t have one already to make the crushing process easier. The great thing about this recipe is that you can choose how much bread you use for the sauce, depending on how nutty and rich you want it to taste. The best way to know when you have added enough is to taste-test it. I suggest the same strategy when adding the pasta water to the sauce as well. For the best result, serve this dish when the sauce is still hot, and I guarantee that the final product is well worth the hard work.

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Recipe #2: Spezzatino di Agnello alla Menta (Stewed Lamb with Fresh Mint)

*My dad submitted this dish to his Italian cooking group’s contest and it won an honorable mention!

Spezzatino di Agnello alla Menta is an ideal addition to the Pansotti Con Salsa Di Noci (read recipe #4) to complete the perfect Italian feast. If you prefer leaner meat, I suggest buying lamb leg instead of lamb shoulder. The recipe says to cut the meat into 2 inch cubes, but I prefer them to be 1 inch cubes for more bite-sized pieces. For more flavor, we added an additional pinch of saffron to the stew along with ⅔ cup of mint (the recipe doesn’t specify how much mint). These flavors compliment each other beautifully and give the stew a delicious, strong flavor. 

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Recipe #3: Whole-Wheat Bread

https://www.thespruceeats.com/whole-grain-oatmeal-bread-from-scratch-1446693

Everyone knows that the bread fresh out of the oven is always best, which is why I wanted to try this whole-wheat bread recipe. This process takes about twenty-four hours to complete—including refrigeration time—so make sure the timing and kneading intervals work with your schedule before taking on this task. To make the dough, the recipe calls for whole-wheat flour, but because we ran out of it, I decided to use both white and wheat flour, and it still turned out great. I also replaced instant yeast with active dry yeast and used 1.25x the amount the recipe called for. I strongly suggest using the optional tablespoon of molasses: it adds a hint of sweetness to the hardiness of the oats and wheat. This made the bread so mouthwatering that the loaf was devoured in seconds. Following the recipe’s note by creating steam in the oven to help make the crust will be the finishing touch to making this bread. It is okay if your bread has to cook for longer than what the recipe states; every oven is different, and as long as the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190ºF, your bread should be ready.