FROZEN MEALS
MEALS IN MINUTES
Convenience has never been more delicious.
Fully prepared and ready to reheat. You can store these in your freezer for the times you don’t want to cook. Our selection of meal kits and frozen meals are prepared from scratch in Howie’s kitchen with the same quality ingredients and attention to detail you have come to expect from us.
LASAGNA BOLOGNESE
SERVES TWO
There are as many ways to make a good lasagna as there are Italian grandmothers to make them. I’d go toe to toe happily with any ‘nonna’ suggesting that ricotta cheese has no place in a respectable lasagna, but I have this thing about ‘wet’ food. In any case, Howie’s Lasagna is a straight up Bolognese classic. Layers of ruffle edged lasagna noodles layered with a slow simmered meat sauce, three cheeses and besciamella, a creamy white sauce.
A lasagna should be subtle and balanced, rich but not ridiculous. A simple salad or green vegetable is a sensible accompaniment, but I’d forgo the green stuff and finish the evening with another glass of Sangiovese, biscotti and re-runs of The Crown.
Instructions for Reheating
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Pre-heat oven to 400.
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Remove the clear plastic cover
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Place the item directly onto your oven rack (frozen is best)
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Bake for 50-75 minutes or until heated through (bubbly) and the top is golden brown
Lasagna Bolognese Ingredients
Wheat Flour, Olive Oil, Milk, Butter
Mozzarella Cheese, Pecorino- Romano Cheese, Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
Bolognese Sauce: Beef Chuck, Pork, Chicken Livers, Chicken Stock
Carrots, Onion, Celery, Garlic, Diced Tomatoes in Puree, Tomato Paste, Red Wine
Herbs and Spices, Salt
Recommended Wines:
2016 Bocelli Sangiovese
Available at Howie’s in Palo Alto, CA
BAKED ZITI
SERVES TWO
Baked Ziti? Fuhgettaboutit! If you grew up in the outer burroughs of New York, had a grandmother you called ‘Nonna” or have seen a Scorcese film, you know what I’m talking about. The Iconic Italian American comfort food. The casserole that defines the genre. Pasta tubes baked in a creamy tomato sauce with withs gobs of melty mozzarella cheese, savory Parmesan-Reggiano all under a golden herbed crumb crust.
Instructions for Reheating
-
Pre-heat oven to 400.
-
Remove the clear plastic cover
-
Place the item directly onto your oven rack (frozen is best)
-
Bake for 50-75 minutes or until heated through (bubbly) and the top is golden brown
Baked Ziti Ingredients
Wheat Flour, Butter, Parmesan Reggiano, Pecorino Cheese,
Mozzarella Cheese, Milk, Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Olive Oil, Herbs and Spices, Salt
Recommended Wines:
Bocelli 2016 Sangiovese
Available at Howie’s in Palo Alto, CA
MANICOTTI
SERVES ONE
Manicotti is an unabashedly rich and soul satisfying dish. Fresh Spinach, house made ricotta, parmesan, pecorino and gruyere cheeses are wrapped in a delicate ‘Crespelle’ and topped with a dreamy white sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan-Reggiano.
I had always thought that what differentiated manicotti from the more familiar cannelloni, was that manicotti were prepared with a ‘crespelle’ or crepe wrapper while cannelloni were prepared with a pasta tube.
Turns out, like a lot of italian culinary traditions there is no rhyme or reason to any of it. I have it on good authority, that either preparation is correctly identified as manicotti or cannelloni. A long time ago, in a place somewhere between Catalonia and Nonna’s kitchen in the Bronx, it was decided that Cannelloni would henceforth be called Manicotti. Ours is not to reason why.
Instructions for Reheating
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Preheat oven to 400
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Remove Clear Plastic Cover
-
Place directly onto your over rack (frozen is best)
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Bake for 50-75 minutes or until heated through (bubbly)
Manicotti Ingredients
Spinach, Ricotta Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Pecorino Cheese, Gruyere Cheese, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil, Milk, Butter, Garlic, Chili, Spices
Recommended Wines:
Scarpetta 2018 Pinot Grigio
Available at Howie’s
in Palo Alto, CA
THOSE COOKIES
COOKIE DOUGH
Cookie dough is a hopeful thing. Like the first rose that blooms in early May, cookie dough is a harbinger of good things to come. With a pint of Howie’s “Those” cookies cookie dough at the ready, we know that a sweet moment is only moments away. We know that ‘warm and gooey’ is ours for the taking. A freshly baked chocolate chip cookie is simply one of life’s great pleasures. Indulge yourself.
General Instruction for Baking
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Thaw the cookie dough (overnight in the fridge is best)
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Portion the cookie dough (see Notes)
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Shape the portions into roughly round shapes. Flatten slightly.
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Place cookie dough portions onto a greased or lined sheet pan or cookie tray (again, see notes)
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Bake at 350 for approximately 15 to 20 minutes (see notes, dammit)
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Cool for at least 20 minutes (oh sure) before serving
Notes
Portion the cookie dough to suit your preference. You’re starting with app. one pound of cookie dough. I would suggest dividing the dough into 8, 12 or 16 portions. Evenly spaced you should be able to fit all of them on a standard half sheet pan (13 x 18 inches). Baking temperature should be moderate, I suggest 350 degrees. If your oven has a convection setting reduce the temperature to 300. The cooking time depends on many things, not the least of which is the portion size. If this is you first rodeo, check the cookies after ten minutes and every five minutes after that. ‘Golden Brown All Aroun’ is what you’re looking for.
Make sure your pan is greased or lined with bakers’ paper (parchment). Nonstick spray should be sufficient, but baker’s parchment is always the professional preference.
Bakers Secret
About five minutes before the cookies are done, take the tray out of the oven and holding the tray about six inched above a kitchen counter or a table, drop the tray so that it lands hard on the flat surface. Return the cookies to the oven to finish baking. This is know as “cracking“ the cookies. It will flatten the cookies a bit, but more inportantly it will create a cracked or craggly surface which will make the cookies crisper and more visually appealing.
Available at Howie’s in Palo Alto, CA