Simple spring Italian recipes

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Clean mushroom caps with a brush; do not wash. Set aside on a cookie sheet.

2. Sauté bacon with shallots until bacon fat renders. Pour off most of the bacon fat and replace with 2 tablespoons butter, leaving the bacon bits in the pan.

3. Add the chopped mushroom stems to the sauté pan and cook for about 10 minutes, then add ¼ cup olive oil, bread crumbs and pine nuts and sauté until lightly brown.

4. In a bowl, add the mushroom-bread crumb mixture, fresh herbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; toss and season with salt and pepper.

5. Oil the bottom of a cookie sheet so that the mushrooms don’t stick.

6. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling in each mushroom cap, or until full. Sprinkle each mushroom with remaining melted butter. Place in oven and cook for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove mushrooms, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, cherry tomatoes, onions, prosciutto, salami, and mozzarella; toss and season with oregano, and salt and pepper.

2. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil; serve immediately.

Soft shell crabs
1. Place milk in a bowl large enough to hold the crabs. Add the crabs and let them soak for 1 hour. Drain and discard the milk.

2. Season flour with salt and pepper in a paper or plastic bag. Lightly dredge each crab in the flour.

3. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a nonstick skillet over medium to high heat and saute crabs in batches until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add more oil and butter to the pan if necessary.

Herb and caper aioli
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and serve.

1. Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar till firm and fluffy; do not overwhip.

2. Then, whip the ricotta separately for a few minutes.

3. Fold the heavy cream into the whipped ricotta and fold in the vanilla extract, chocolate, orange zest, and cinnamon.

4. Place in parfait or wine glasses and refrigerate.