RESTAURANT REPLICAS: BRING A TASTE OF ITALY TO YOUR TABLE.

Byline: Story by Natalie Haughton/ Food Editor

Maggiano's Little Italy in Woodland Hills opened last October to instant success. Diners have been packing the restaurant for lunch and dinner - and if you stop by during prime-time dining hours on weekends, plan on a lengthy wait unless you have a reservation.

Once you've sampled its menu (the place is noted for its family-style dinners), it's easy to figure out why the restaurant, designed to bring back the family aspect of dining, is so popular. Most of the Italian-inspired creations taste delicious - and offer good value for the price, as portions are quite large. Many menu selections are available as half orders - and even those are huge.

After sampling an array of menu items, we found many of them good candidates for duplicating at home. Today we offer a quartet of streamlined copycat versions developed and tested for home cooks with excellent results.

Although it's not our policy to request restaurant recipes (and we didn't in this case), Keith Brunell, executive chef/partner, was happy to share a few ingredient clues for some of the dishes.

These replica creations are all winners, so next time you want to impress friends or family, pull them out and whip up one or two. Diners will be asking for your recipes.

BAKED FUSILLI WITH CHICKEN AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA 

Sporting a creamy white sauce, this dish is homey comfort fare at its best with the addition of a few ingredients such as portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella cheese. Although not complicated to prepare, the recipe involves a few different steps - including making the sauce and cooking the noodles - prior to turning into a casserole dish and baking. To save time, we opted to use cooked, smoked chicken from Trader Joe's, but you can also rely on a roasted chicken from the market - or cook your own. Add a simple salad and dinner's on.

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1/3 cup dry white wine (chablis OR chardonnay)

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 

4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 teaspoons cold water

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

3/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese

Garlic pepper to taste

1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken strips (smoked, if desired)

1/3 cup rehydrated sun-dried tomato slices

4 (2-inch diameter) portobello mushrooms, sliced, cooked in microwave oven 1 to 2 minutes and then sauteed or browned in nonstick skillet

1/2 pound uncooked fusilli noodles, cooked al dente and drained

In a large skillet, heat butter until melted over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook a few minutes until tender. Add wine and cook over high heat until wine is reduced completely and pan is almost dry. Stir in broth and heat to boiling. Stir in cream and heat until very hot. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking, until mixture boils and thickens. Cook 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, until melted. Add garlic pepper to taste. Stir in chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and portobello mushrooms, mixing well. Stir in noodles, mixing to coat well.

Turn mixture into a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole, spreading evenly. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 15 to 20 minutes or until very hot throughout. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil leaves. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

A colleague who requested a replica of this dip says it's the best version of this style appetizer he's tasted. With a little assistance from the microwave, it goes together fast, with a homemade Alfredo-style sauce as the base. For convenience, we've used frozen chopped spinach cooked in the microwave and well drained. Asiago and Parmesan cheeses add flavor punch along with sun-dried tomato strips. The works is oven-baked just prior to serving. If you have any leftover, keep refrigerated. The dip reheats well in the microwave oven on 50 percent power. Serve with tortilla chips or crostini as the restaurant does.

1 1/2 cups whipping cream 

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese OR Parmesan-Romano cheese

1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked in microwave and drained well

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese 

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped (be sure they are drained, then rinsed and well drained before chopping)

1/4 cup slivered rehydrated sun-dried tomato pieces

In a glass bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together cream, flour, garlic pepper and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese until well blended. Heat in microwave oven 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes, stirring twice, until very hot and thickened slightly. Stir in spinach, Asiago cheese, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes until well mixed.

Turn into a 9-inch pie, quiche or attractive serving dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven 15 to 18 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with thinly sliced crisp crostini or tortilla chips. Makes 6 or more servings.

CHOPPED SALAD

This salad is one of the restaurant's signature dishes - and it's terrific. What makes it different from some of its counterparts is crisp pieces of cooked prosciutto along with avocado pieces and crumbled blue cheese. Our dressing facsimile, zipped up with Dijon mustard, tastes like a dead ringer for the original.

Replica Dressing

8 cups packed chopped iceberg lettuce 

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 green onions, chopped

1 large ripe avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup chopped crisp-cooked prosciutto OR bacon

2/3 cup crumbled Danish blue cheese 

Prepare Replica Dressing and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, avocado and 3/4 of prosciutto and 3/4 of blue cheese. Add dressing and toss to evenly coat. Place salad on platter and sprinkle top with remaining prosciutto and blue cheese. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

REPLICA DRESSING: In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, whisk together 1/4 cup vegetable oil (NOT olive oil), 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard, dash garlic pepper and few dashes salad seasoning. Whisk until well blended. Makes about 1/3 cup dressing, enough for recipe above. If making in advance, refrigerate, covered, until serving time (can be made a day or two in advance of serving, if desired).

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

This is one of the lightest, tallest, creamiest, most divine cheesecakes around - and it's loaded with cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream. The trick for success is to purchase the least-grainy ricotta cheese (Polly-O, available at Monte Carlo in Burbank and other Italian delis, works well) and beat the mixture well. Also, bake as the restaurant does, in a water bath, in a 250-degree oven for several hours. After a few tests, we came up with a version that comes close to the restaurant's. Served with fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce and whipped cream, it's wonderful.

CRUST:

12 ladyfingers (Savoiardi, available at Italian markets)

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

FILLING:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup ricotta cheese (Polly-O brand preferred)

2 cups dairy sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (should measure 1/2 cup)

For Crust, in a food processor, combine broken up ladyfingers with butter and process until mixture is in fine crumbs. Press onto bottom only of a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches high). Wrap a double thickness of foil around bottom and all the way up sides of outside of pan.

For Filling, in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice about 6 to 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar and continue beating 3 to 4 minutes, until very smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour mixture into crust-lined pan.

Put springform pan into a larger baking pan and carefully add hot water to come 1/3 way up side of springform pan (best to do this on oven rack).

Bake in preheated 250-degree oven 4 to 4 1/2 hours or until set and knife inserted near center comes out clean. (Top should be pale golden, if at all).

Remove springform pan from larger baking pan and cool to room temperature. While cake is still warm, run tip of a sharp knife gently around sides to loosen cake from pan. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or longer.

To serve, carefully remove springform side of pan. Cut cheesecake into slices with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped dry. Serve cold with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and strawberry sauce, if desired. Makes 1 (9-inch) cheesecake.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Re-create the flavors of Maggiano's at home

(2 -- color) no caption (Maggiano's Little Italy in Woodland Hills)

(3 -- color) ``When you cook at home, keep it simple. Always start with the end in mind, and buy only what you'll need and use.'' - Keith Brunell, executive chef/partner, Maggiano's Little Italy, Woodland Hills

(4 -- color) BAKED FUSILLI WITH CHICKEN AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA

(5 -- color) SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

(6 -- color) CHOPPED SALAD

(7 -- color) NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Photos by David Sprague/Staff Photographer