POLLO PROSCIUTTO FROM AMBROSIA Yield: 1 serving 1/2 chicken breast pounded thin 2 fresh sage leaves, snipped into small pieces 1/4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced 1/4 oz. fontina cheese, grated or thinly sliced 1 oz. white wine 1/2 oz. butter 1 tsp. lemon juice pinch of fresh sage 2 or 3 toothpicks flour to roll chicken in olive oil to sauté chicken in Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the sage leaves on the pounded chicken breast. Lay the prosciutto in the center of the chicken breast and cover with the fontina. Roll up the chicken breast with the prosciutto and fontina on the inside, using the toothpicks to keep it closed. Roll the chicken in flour and sauté in olive oil until brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it in on a baking sheet in a hot oven for about 6-8 minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Meanwhile, remove the olive oil from the pan. Take the chicken out of the oven and slice it into 4-5 round pieces. Place back into hot pan minus the oil, add white wine, butter, lemon juice and the pinch of sage and reduce, turning the chicken over to make sure it is cooked through. When sauce has thickened, place chicken on a plate and pour sauce over the top. Serve, as Ambrosia does, with sautéed potatoes and grilled vegetables.   AUNT JOYCE'S GNOCCHI FROM IRAILA MEDITERRANEAN RUSTICA Where most gnocchi is made with potato — which must be at the perfect temperature before you add flour, or else you have a heavy-doughy lump — this recipe uses ricotta cheese and is painfully easy. 3 lb. well drained ricotta cheese strained for at least 12 hours in fine sieve or cheesecloth (Please don't use non-fat!) 3 eggs 6-8 cups flour 2 tsp. ea salt & white pepper (Aunt Joyce says black pepper looks like you rolled the gnocchi in ants!) After ricotta is well drained, add eggs one at a time and mix well, then add salt and pepper. Begin to add flour 1 cup at a time. The amount of flour needed depends on how 'wet' the ricotta was after draining. You want a moist dough that is not too sticky — but not too dry as you will be rolling it out in flour. After mixing, place bowl in fridge, covered with a towel or plastic to rest for at least 20 minutes. Pull off a small section of dough. Flour work surface. Start rolling snakes of dough about as thick as your thumb. (You can do 5-6 at a time.) Lightly sprinkle snakes with flour and cut at a diagonal in approx. 1" thick pieces. Place your forefinger on top of piece and 'roll' towards you to make a dimple — this helps the sauce stick later. Throw them on a cookie sheet and freeze them and they will stay good for about a month or two. (Fresh will only last 2 days or so before they start to discolor.) To cook, plunge fresh or frozen into boiling, well-salted water until they begin to float. Strain and toss into marinara, butter and Parmesan, pesto or any other yummy sauce and serve immediately. And remember, a little goes a long way.     BREAKFAST FRUIT PARFAITS Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 5 minutes These breakfast parfaits are made of layers of fruit, fruit purée and granola in a similar fashion to an ice cream sundae. Who says you can't have dessert for breakfast? 1 cup blueberries 1 cup blackberries, cut in half lengthwise 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced 1 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced 1/4 cup fresh or bottled apple juice 5 large bananas, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 2 tsp. fresh or bottled lemon juice 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 4 cups store-bought or homemade granola Combine blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, mango, kiwi and apple juice in a medium bowl. Toss gently to combine and set aside. In a food processor, process bananas and lemon juice for 1 minute or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the container. Add coconut and process 2 to 3 minutes more or until extremely light and creamy. Transfer mixture to a glass bowl. To assemble parfaits: In the bottom of 4 large glasses or dessert dishes, add 1/2 cup mixed fruit mixture, 1/2 cup granola and follow with 1/2 cup banana-coconut cream mixture. Repeat layers, ending with banana-coconut cream mixture. Serve immediately. Variation: Use nondairy plain or flavored soy yogurt as a substitute for the banana-coconut cream mixture. Feel free to substitute other fruits to suit your personal taste or seasonal availability. From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living by Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano     TORTA PASQUALINA (ITALIAN EASTER TART) FROM THE KITCHEN OF VANESSA SALVIA There are as many versions of Easter tarts as there are Italian households, so feel free to experiment with the cheeses and vegetables to your liking. If you don't like hard-cooked eggs, leave them out. Traditional Torta Pasqualina has 33 very thin layers of dough representing the 33 years of Christ's life and the eggs represent the 12 apostles. This was originally an Easter specialty because hens used to lay eggs only in springtime. Since eggs are no longer a seasonal commodity, it is served any time of the year simply as a filled pie without the layering. Yield: 10 servings For the dough: Use your favorite two crust pie dough recipe. Roll out as usual and spray a 9-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray. Line the dish with the bottom crust. Reserve the top crust to place over the filling. If you want to do layers, separate the dough into evenly-sized balls of the number of layers you want, plus a top and bottom. Roll out as usual and layer the filling ingredients in between the layers. Leaving out the hard-cooked eggs makes layering easier. For the filling: 1 lb. fresh spinach, kale or other greens or a mixture of greens 1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained, or half a 12 oz. bag of thawed frozen artichoke hearts, quartered and thinly sliced 2 tbsp. butter 1/2 onion, finely chopped 15 oz. fresh ricotta cheese 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and cut in half 1 tbsp. flour 2 tbsp. fresh marjoram, chopped or 1 tsp. dried salt and pepper to taste olive oil, for brushing the crust Rinse greens well and steam them, using only the water clinging to their leaves. Squeeze them dry and coarsely chop. Melt butter in pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, add greens and sliced artichoke hearts. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Mix ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano and flour together in large bowl. Gently stir in the artichoke-greens mixture and marjoram; add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan. Place ten hard-cooked egg halves evenly around the outer edge of the pan, with the yolk facing up, nestling them into the cheese mixture. Place the remaining two in the center. Place the top crust over the filling, brush with olive oil. Make small evenly-spaced slits in the crust or puncture with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Using the placement of the eggs as your guide, slice into 10 portions. Can be served warm or at room temperature.     FETTUCCINE ALFREDO DELLA CASA FROM OREGANO'S Yield: 6 servings 1 16 oz. package fettuccine 1/2 cup butter 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 cup artichoke heart quarters, marinated in olive oil 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, marinated in olive oil, sliced into strips 1 tbsp. chopped dried parsley (optional) Cook pasta according to package directions, taking care not to overcook. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in large frying pan. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered to reduce and thicken sauce. Drain artichoke hearts and tomatoes from oil and add to pan. Remove from heat and add cooked fettuccini and 1 cup Parmesan. Toss to combine and top with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and chopped dried parsley, if desired. Serve immediately with Oregano's focaccia. OREGANO'S FOCACCIA Yield: 12 8-oz. rolls 2 lbs. 8 oz. bread flour 8 oz. semolina flour 1/2 oz. active dry yeast 3 3/4 cups water 4 oz. olive oil 1 oz. honey 1 oz. kosher salt 1 oz. dried oregano flakes Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix well. Cover the dough and allow it to rest in a warm area for one hour. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Let rest for five minutes. Shape the dough into rolls and place on baking sheet. Make two or three small slashes (perforations) on each roll. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 380 degrees for 15 minutes or until brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve warm with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and ground pepper for dipping, if desired.