Recipe: Pasta Il Pompiere & Firehouse Bread Pudding

Two dishes tested on 'the world's toughest food critics, firefighters!'. We're making a perfect pasta with a very special backstory, plus 'the best and easiest dessert' you can make from stale bread! These recipes both come from Chef Joseph Bonanno, 21 year veteran firefighter with the New York City Fire Department, certified fitness trainer and nutritionist, culinary academy graduate and author of American Firehouse Cuisine, and host of a YouTube show of the same name.

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Pasta Il Pompiere

Ingredients

• 1 lb penne pasta
• ½ cup olive oil
• 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
• 6-8 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 bunch fresh arugula, some reserved for garnish
• ½ pound fresh mozzarella, cut into dice-sized cubes
• Parmesan cheese, to taste
• dried red pepper flakes, for garnish

Directions

1. Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside, keeping warm.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
3. Add thinly sliced garlic to skillet and sauté until aromatic and just before turning golden brown. 
4. Transfer sautéed garlic and oil to large mixing bowl.
5. In separate bowl, toss chopped tomatoes with salt.
6. Tear arugula into strips and combine with salted tomatoes, reserving some for garnishing dish before serving.
7. Add seasoned tomato and arugula mixture to bowl with oil and garlic.
8. While penne pasta is still hot from cooking, add to oil, garlic, tomatoes, and arugula.
9. Immediately mix all ingredients together, ensuring warmth from the pasta begins to melt diced mozzarella.
10. Once mixed, cheese should be partly melted, creating creamy consistency.
11. Serve pasta with sprinkle of reserved fresh arugula and red pepper flakes. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Firehouse Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 8-10 oz raisins
• 3 oz raspberry liqueur
• 1 oz unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
• 24 oz white bread, day-old or dried out
• 1 qt heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• 10 oz granulated sugar
• 1 oz vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine raisins and raspberry liqueur in small saucepan. Heat to simmer, then turn off heat. Stir mixture, cover, and set aside to allow raisins to soak up liqueur.
3. Use melted butter to grease 2" deep baking pan or cast-iron Dutch oven.
4. Tear bread into chunks and place in large mixing bowl. Pour heavy cream over bread, fold gently to make sure all bread is coated and then set aside to soften.
5. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until smooth and thickened.
6. Add vanilla extract and remaining melted butter. Stir in raisins along with any residual raspberry liqueur.
7. Gently toss egg and raisin mixture with softened bread to blend all ingredients thoroughly.
8. Pour combined bread pudding mixture into prepared baking pan or Dutch oven.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until top is browned and pudding is set in center.

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