ONE-POT PASTA

For the Skillet Lasagna

Start by breaking sheets of lasagna strips into bite-size pieces.

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and add mild or spicy Italian sausage (with the casing removed). Brown the meat and mash-up until every piece have a nice color and the centers are slightly pink.

Remove the sausage from the pan and allow it to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Then using the leftover sausage fat, saute chopped onion for 3-5 minutes until softened and the edges begin to turn translucent. Add crushed cloves of garlic, and optional red pepper flakes and toast together for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Pour in crushed San Marzano tomatoes and add the Italian sausage back into the pot along with hot water.

Bring to a simmer and add in the sheets of broken lasagna noodles. Fold each noodle into the tomato sauce so every noodle gets coated. Top with an additional tomato sauce. Mix everything together.

Bring back up to a simmer and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly cook the pasta for 20 minutes or until the noodles are fully cooked. Stir every five minutes to make sure the noodles aren’t sticking to the pan or each other.

Once the noodles are cooked, generously grate fresh parmesan cheese on top and add full fat, low-moisture cubed mozzarella. Stir so that the cheese is evenly distributed.

Finish with finely chopped parsley, a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Chop the stems off a bulb of fresh fennel, cut in half, and remove the core by placing two triangular cuts at the base of the bulb. Remove the core and slice into thin slices.

For the Herb and Spice Paste

Finely chop the leaves from sprigs of rosemary. Place into a small bowl with cloves of crushed garlic, lemon zest, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Top that with olive oil and mix to combine. Set aside.

For the Chicken

Rinse and pat dry bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs before seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a cold stainless steel pan, pour in vegetable oil then place each chicken thigh into the pan. Make sure each piece is thoroughly coated in the oil.

Crank the heat up to medium-high, season the other side of the chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and let the chicken sit undisturbed for about 3-6 minutes.

After 3-6 minutes, flip the chicken thighs over and cook for 1 minute on the bottom side before removing from heat and setting aside.

Drain off about half of the fat from the pan and use what remains to saute chopped onion and the sliced fennel. Saute over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until softened and slightly brown.

Make a small well in the center of the pan then add in the herb and spice paste. Saute on the direct heat of the pan for about 1 minute before mixing into the surrounding vegetables.

Saute for 1-2 minutes before deglazing with dry white wine, chicken stock and the juice of the previously zested lemon.

Scrape up all the fond off the bottom of the pot and bring to a bare simmer at which point return the chicken thighs to the pot, skin side up. Make sure the skin is not submerged below the liquid.

Place the pan into a preheated 350°F oven for anywhere from 35-45 minutes. Let the chicken braise until the liquid has reduced by about a third and the thighs have cooked through.

After removing from the oven, set the thighs aside and heat braising liquid over medium-high heat on the stove. Once simmering, add in whole wheat pasta. Lower the heat to keep it at a simmer. Stir every few minutes and cook until the pasta is cooked to your desired texture.

Add grated romano cheese and stir to combine. Add in a handful of chopped basil and stir again.

Return the chicken thighs to the pot to warm up if they have cooled down. Once warm, garnish with some parsley before serving.

Generously season skirt steak (any kind of steak will work) with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside to rest at room temperature for a few minutes while preparing the mushrooms.

Rinse Cremini mushrooms and pat dry with paper towels before chopping into pieces.

Heat vegetable oil in a stainless steel pan to become smoking hot. Place the two pieces of skirt steak in and sear for 2 minutes on each side. You want your beef to be a little underdone, as it will cook more later in the recipe. Put the steak on a plate and cover with aluminum foil while preparing the pasta.

Into the pot goes butter. Once melted, dump the mushrooms in and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Once the mushrooms develop some crispy brownness to the outside, lower the heat a bit and add chopped onion.

Saute these together for 2-3 minutes until the onions are softened and the mushrooms are nicely browned. Add in paprika along with freshly picked thyme leaves.

Saute these together over medium heat for about 30 seconds until the paprika is toasted and the thyme leaves are fragrant.

Deglaze the pan with dry white wine and chicken stock and bring to a rolling simmer and add in small shaped pasta.

Once the liquid has returned to a simmer, grab ½ cup of the liquid and slowly stream it into sour cream while constantly stirring. This will prevent the sour cream from breaking when added to hot pasta.

By the time the pasta is done, 90% of the liquid should be absorbed. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce as well as the tempered sour cream mixture. Mix together over very low heat until the sauce is nice and creamy and everything is evenly incorporated.

Finish with finely chopped parsley, a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

At this point, it is time to add the steak back in. Slice into 2-3 inch pieces going against the grain and then slice into thin slices across the grain.

Place on top of the pasta, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes until the beef is cooked through and ready to serve.