NEW YORK (PIX11) - To celebrate the holiday St. Joseph’s Day, Cara Di Falco, a home cook and health coach, joined New York Living to share some delicious Italian recipes. 

Watch the video for more on this story.

Pasta con Sarde Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 c. chopped, fresh parsley
• 1/2 c. olive oil + 1 tbs.
• 1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thin
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tin sardines
• 6 anchovy fillets
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 lb bucatini or spaghetti

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute' pan. Add in the bread crumbs and toast until golden brown. Toss the parsley with the bread crumbs until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl.
• Chop sardines and anchovies. 
• Heat 1/2 c. of olive oil in a deep saute pan. Add in fennel, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add in garlic and red pepper flakes. Allow to cook until garlic is fragrant. Add sardines and anchovies to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the fish basically dissolve. 
• In the meantime, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Cook the pasta until al dente. 
• Drain the pasta and toss it into the pan with the sauce. Toss the pasta until it is well-coated. If it looks dry, add some of the pasta water. Add in 1/2 of the bread crumbs and mix again. 
• Serve pasta topped with remaining breadcrumbs and a fresh drizzle of olive oil. 

Zeppole di San Giuseppe Recipe

Ingredients for Filling

• 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 c. ricotta
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 tbs. orange liqueur
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 an orange
• 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
• 2 tbs. candied citrus (optional)

Instructions for Filling

• Place the ricotta in a strainer and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.
• Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Set aside.
• Whip the ricotta with the sugar. Add in the liqueur and vanilla and whip again.
• Fold in the whipped cream.
• Fold in the chips, orange zest, and the candied citrus if using. Cover and refrigerate the filling for 8 hours or overnight.

Zeppole Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tbs. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 6 eggs
• zest of 1/2 an orange

Zeppole Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Heat water, butter, salt & sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to boil.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir vigorously while pouring in the four. Continue to stir until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. The mixture should now form a smooth batter.
• Mix in the orange zest.
• Put the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe it onto the cookie sheets in the shape of small bird's nests. Creating a flat bottom with elevated sides and a small well in the middle. Continue until all the mixture has been used.
• Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the pastries from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Assembling the Zeppole

Additional toppings

• Maraschino cherries (or cherries in syrup)
• powdered sugar

Assembling Instructions

• Slice each pastry in half, but not all the way, creating a clam shell. The upper half should look like a small doughnut with a hole in the middle and the bottom half should be a solid circle.
• Place the filling into a pastry bag. Pipe about 2 tbs. worth of filling onto each bottom half. Clover with the tops. Pipe another dollop of filling into the hole of each pastry. 
• Top each with a cherry and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.