Join “Jayni’s Kitchen” this week for “Cafe Italiano: Corpus Christi Italian Festival with Matt Lomshek.”

Lomshek shares the recipes that will be served at the church’s upcoming fundraiser, including Mixed Vegetable Antipasto, Nana Zacarello’s Italian Meatballs and Mama Sesso’s Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce. Jayni Carey is host.

The festival will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 24 at the church, 6001 Bob Billings Parkway. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Children ages 5-12 are $4, and kids 4 and under are free. Tickets are available at the church or by calling 843-6356.

Mixed Vegetable antipasto

1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

8 to 10 fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 6-ounce can pitted black olives, drained

1 4-ounce can pimento-stuffed green olives, drained and halved

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Prepare the cauliflower, peppers, carrots, mushrooms and celery as directed. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the vegetables and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender crisp. Drain the vegetables well and place them in a large serving bowl. Add the olives.

Dressing: Whisk together the red wine vinegar, water, sugar, oil, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Serves 8 to 10.

Nana Zacarello’s Italian Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

5 eggs

1 cup Romano cheese, grated

1/2 cup parsley, stemmed and chopped

1/2 loaf French or Italian bread

4 ounces (1 sleeve) saltine crackers, crushed

2 to 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 48-ounce can vegetable shortening

Fresh Italian parsley sprigs

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, eggs, cheese and parsley. Cut the bread into pieces and process in a food processor to make coarse breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture along with the crushed crackers, salt and pepper. Make the meatballs about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.

Heat the shortening over high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Fry a few of the meatballs at a time until well-browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels. When all of the meatballs are cooked, transfer them to a large serving platter and garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.

Serve the meatballs as an antipasto, or along side Mama Sesso’s Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce (recipe follows). Serves 8.

Mamma Sesso’s spaghetti w/ fresh tomato sauce

15 fresh Roma tomatoes

1 cup olive oil

8 to 10 garlic cloves, chopped

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

salt & black pepper, to taste

2 cups shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 pound dried spaghetti

Fresh basil sprigs

To skin the tomatoes, make an “x” on the blossom end of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, until the skins begin to shrivel. Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and immerse them briefly in ice water to cool. Remove the skins.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the skinned tomatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh basil, salt and pepper, and simmer the tomato sauce for 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender.

Serves the sauce over the spaghetti and pass the remaining cheese. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Serves 8.

– Recipes by Matt Lomshek