PASTA WEEK – DAY 6

Hello! Happy Sunday to you.

Today I’m sharing a beautiful Italian dish made by an Instagram friend of mine. I reached out to her the other day to share one of her most loved Italian dishes. Please meet Michele Sessa.

Michele Sessa Biography

Michele Sessa is an Italian American home cook brought up in New York with a flair for creating her own recipes. 

When she was young, she spent time with her great-grandmother who only spoke Italian. They communicated through the magic of Italian cooking, gardening, and baking which developed her passion for making people happy through food. Her grandmother’s, mother’s, and aunt’s Foster the importance of family, religion, and healthy food.

Now living in Florida, everyone wants an invitation to her Sunday suppers with 8 to 14 people each week. Her mother Louise now lives nearby and they enjoy cooking and baking together especially for holidays.

She learned everything about being a great cook and hostess from her mother. Together with her mom, they’ve catered large parties including a 65 person wedding reception for the family from Italy! Michelle’s love for her Italian heritage and family continues to drive her love of entertaining, cooking, and teaching her friends. 

From Michele to you! 

You’re going to have a table full of smiles when you serve this delicious Italian pasta stew!!

I made this recipe for one of my favorite Sunday dinners and it feeds a crowd at a very good price. I invite our family and friends on every Sunday in the same tradition I grew up with. My Italian grandparents had us all over for a big Sunday dinner every week and for every holiday and always instilled the importance of family in all of us. I like this tradition and I hope you can make memories with your food the way that I do.

Ciao,
Michele

Let’s get to the cooking! As they say in Italian “Mangiamo” 

Cavatappi con Guazzetto di Manzo Stew Recipe

By: Michele Sessa 

Ingredients:

Serves 6-8

• 4-5 cups chicken stock
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound Cavatappi pasta
• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into chunks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 white onion, chopped 
• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• A bit of all-purpose flour or corn starch to thicken the sauce
• Grated pecorino cheese for serving

Method:

1. Season beef with salt and pepper and brown in batches in olive oil in a large Dutch oven.  Remove from pan and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and soften for 6 to 10 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste in the pan let caramelize and mix into the vegetables. Deglaze pan with wine and cook down. Add bay leaves, clove, and meat back to the pot with oregano. Cover with stock and bring to summer. Cover and let simmer for about 2 hours, until very tender. Stir every now and then and add stock as needed. (You may not use all the 5 cups of stock) 
4. Cook pasta to package directions in well-salted water. Save a bit of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Check the consistency of the sauce and add flour or cornstarch to stock to thicken it if desired. Add cooked pasta to the meat and serve with a generous amount of grated cheese on top.

Connect to Michele’s Instagram Page HERE.

I hope you enjoyed her beautiful and delicious family Italian stew recipe.

Thank you for joining in on Pasta Week! 

If you missed the previous pasta week recipes, check them out below. 

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5