today is cooking day for me. it's our annual family noche buena later and I shall be your humble kitchen klutz. enjoy the recipes! i converted them mostly to fit 8 servings. happy holidays!

Spaghetti with Squid Ink - - Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia

To serve 4:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 pounds (600 g) extremely fresh squid, uncleaned
• 3/4 pound (320 g) spaghetti
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in a little water, or 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• A small bunch parsley, minced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt
• Peppercorns

PREPARATION:

Begin by cleaning the squid: carefully separate the heads with their tentacles, then remove the guts, setting aside the ink sacks (be careful not to break them). Wash the squid well under cold water, dice the bodies, and chop the tentacles.

Open the ink sacks and collect the ink in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a pot and wilt the garlic without letting it brown.

Add the squid, the minced parsley, and a generous dusting of freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure it's not sticking (if it does add a little hot water). Once it has simmered, mix the tomato sauce or paste with the white wine and add it to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes more, uncovered, then dilute the sauce with a little hot water and simmer for a half hour more, covered. At this point the sauce should be neither soupy nor too dry.

Half an hour before mealtime bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, salt them, and add the pasta. At the same time stir the squid ink into the sauce, adding the amount that suits your taste. Drain the pasta, season it with the sauce, and serve.

PASTA CON LE SARDE Pasta with fresh sardines

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Bucatini pasta
1 lb wild young fennel
1 medium onion, thinly chopped
6 anchovy fillets
3 T golden raisins (soak to plump)
3 T pinenuts
pinch saffron
2 lbs fresh sardine fillets
1/4 C blanched and toasted almonds
1/2 C olive oil
to taste salt and pepper
1 T grated Pecorino cheese
1 T butter
1 T bread crumbs

METHOD:

• Cook the fennel for about 10 minutes in salted boiling water.
• Take them out, and chop them. Set aside. Note: Save the water in which you cooked the fennel.
• Dissolve the saffron in 1/2 cup of warm water. In a sauce pan, add olive oil, onion and anchovies.
• Sauté until the anchovies disintegrate, add 1/2 of the sardines and cook for 10 minutes.
• Drain raisins and add to sauce. Add pinenuts, salt, pepper, chopped fennel and saffron.
• Bring the fennel water back up to boil, and cook the pasta al dente; then drain.
• Toss the pasta with the sardine sauce.
• Coat a ceramic baking dish with some butter, and sprinkle with bread crumbs to cover the bottom and the sides.
• Spoon the pasta evenly into the baking dish.
• Lay the remaining sardines on top of the pasta, sprinkle with Pecorino cheese and almonds on top.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Serve hot and immediately.

Spaghetti Carbonara II

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 cans minced clams
1 Tbs finely chopped parsley
small pinch of red pepper flakes
salt
1/3 cup of dry white wine
2 Tbs butter
freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Saute garlic in oil in a large skillet, over a medium-high heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in parsley and red pepper flakes. Do not let the garlic brown.
2. Slowly stir in liquid from the clams. Cover and cook over low heat 4 minutes.
3. Add clams and white wine. Stir occasionally, until the alcohol evaporates. (The steam will no longer tickle your nose.) About 1 minute.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1 tbs of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the strands are submerged. If you have a smaller pot, you can use less than 4 quarts of water, but you must constantly stir the spaghetti for one minute.
6. When the pasta is molto al dente (about 1 minute away from being al dente), drain.
7. Return the skillet with the clams to a medium heat and add the drained pasta so that it finishes cooking in the skillet. Cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid in the skillet is evaporated.
8. Stir in butter and serve at once.

SPAGHETTINI CON VONGOLE Spaghettini with Clams
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients :

48 Manilla clams
1/3 cup (75ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried chilli pepper, or 1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 lb (500gr) spaghettini or linguine
3 Tbsp (45 ml) chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/3 cup water or Fish stock

Method:

• Scrub the clams to remove any sand, rinse in several changes of cold water.
• Place them in a bowl topped ice cubes and refrigerate. Drain when ready to use.
• In a 4-inch (10cm deep skillet, heat half the olive oil and sauté the garlic until lightly browned. Add the chilli peppers with half the parsley and stir. Add the clams and 1/3 (75 ml) water or fish stock and cook, covered, over high heat until the clams open.
• In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil, and half cook the pasta. Drain.
• Remove the clams from the skillet leaving the liquid in the skillet, and place them around a large serving dish, leaving space in the centre for the pasta. Put the partially cooked pasta in the skillet with in clam sauce. Sauté over high heat until the liquid is almost absorbed and slightly thickened, and the pasta is cooked al dente. Place the pasta in the serving dish with the clams, Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
• For Red Clam Sauce: Follow the above directions, adding the pulp of 2 tomatoes when adding the water or fish stock.

SPAGHETTI ALLA PESCATORA
Seafood Spaghetti
4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS:

1 lb spaghetti in salted boiling water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
5 T olive oil
4 oz sliced and chopped calamari
4 oz sliced calamari
4 oz medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped fine
4 oz medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz sea scallops
16 mussels
16 clams
2 C tomato sauce
4 roma tomatoes, peeled seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 C dry white wine
1/2 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 pinch curry powder (optional)
2 pinches saffron threads (optional)
to taste salt
to taste crushed red chili flakes

METHOD:

• In a saute pan, add oil, garlic, red chili and seafood.
• Cook on high flame for 2 minutes.
• Add wine and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce and roma tomatoes.
• Cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add curry, saffron, parsley.
• n a pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti, al dente.
• Strain and add to the seafood sauce.
• Continue to cook for 1 minute. • Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Puttanesca I

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pasta
• 1 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes, pushed through a sieve
• 8 anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons capers
• 40 Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over low heat; cook garlic in oil until golden. Add sieved tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in anchovies, tomato paste, capers, olives, and red pepper flakes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss pasta with sauce, and serve.

Pasta Pomodoro

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (8 ounce) packages angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• crushed red pepper to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.

Amatriciana

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 pound linguine pasta, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook diced bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pan.
2. Add onions, and cook over medium heat about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes, undrained; simmer 10 minutes, breaking up tomatoes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of 4 quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
4. Stir basil into the sauce, and then toss with cooked pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Brooklyn Girl's Penne Arrabiata

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup olive oil, divided
• 12 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 bunches fresh basil, chopped
• 2 (12 ounce) packages dried penne pasta
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 pounds thin chicken breast cutlets

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and add the basil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Stir the garlic powder, salt and pepper into the bread crumbs. Dip chicken cutlets into the egg, then press into the bread crumbs until completely coated.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until the coating is a nice dark brown color.
5. Remove chicken, and cut into slices. Toss the chicken slices into the sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked penne, simmer for a few more minutes to soak up the flavor, then serve.

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (6 ounce) cans canned tuna
• 1 cup prepared basil pesto sauce
• 24 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix the tuna, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For only P240, eight slices of divinity would be at your fingertips: twenty five variants of "original Italian pizzas," as their menu describes it. For P120-170, pasta and soup of every imaginable culinary configuration. P35 gets you a cup of delightful gelato in flavors that would make you ditch that sorry pint you picked up from the grocery. P30 is a cup of strong, brewed coffee. P50 is a box of ensaymada and P70 is a huge spinach loaf. I kid you not. It's really cheap, considering that the servings are good for two and terribly tasty.

At this day and age when everything else would bleed your wallet dry, a visit to Amici di Don Bosco would really give you a welcome respite from overpriced Italian cooking. It's affordable, it's hot, and all the ingredients are fresh and imported.

If there's any room for improvement, then it would have to be the venue since it really gives a cafeteria vibe with all the metal railings, meal trays and the students lining up with their plastic serving numbers in hand. On the other hand, the self-service, campus-pizzeria feel could add to the unpretentious ambiance compared to the chi-chi glossiness of the Makati business district. If only they would have extended hours (it's only open from 10am-9m, Monday to Saturday), it would definitely be a fantastic venue for Sunday family lunches or post-lecture dinners with groupmates.

For now, i guess one would just have to be content with gazing at the posters of landscapes across Sicily while waiting for a piping hot pan of authentic Italian fare.

Special thanks to the anonymous Bosconian priest who helped us get to the road to Greenbelt by passing through the printing press office one rainy Saturday night.