Welcome Autumn and all the wonderful comforting foods of the season! Farmer's Markets are still bringing us their best...so here are some wonderful recipes using some fresh items!!
Fresh Basil & Tomato Pasta!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1 poundpenne pasta
1 1/2 poundstomatoes, halved, seeded, and chopped
8 ouncesfresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-in. pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cupbasil leaves, slivered
1/2 cupextra-virgin olive oil
Directions: 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp. salt and the penne; cook pasta until just tender to the bite. While pasta is cooking, combine tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, and basil in a large bowl. Add olive oil and remaining salt to tomato mixture.
2. Drain pasta, add to tomato mixture, and toss. Add salt to taste. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold as a pasta salad.
Parmesan Crook-Neck Squash:
Sauté sliced crookneck squash and red onions with olive oil until golden and tender, then stir in shredded parmesan cheese.
Parmesan Crook-neck Squash!!
Slow-roasted tomatoes:
Cut tomatoes in half and put on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with herbes de Provence, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
Roast at 250° until shrunk by half but still juicy, about 8 hours.
Serve on toasted baguette slices with fresh mozzarella.
STRAWBERRY & RHUBARB MERINGUE!!
Ingredients
Fruit
1 pound fresh or frozen (not thawed) rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, (optional)
2 cups (1 pint) fresh or frozen (not thawed) strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered, if larger
Meringue
3 large egg whites, at room temperature, or equivalent dried egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
Prep:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir rhubarb, sugar and ginger (if using) in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among six 8-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake until the rhubarb is softened, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil.
Carefully tuck strawberries between the chunks of rhubarb. (Do not stir or the rhubarb will break apart.)
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue mixing until the egg whites are glossy and hold peaks. Spoon beaten egg whites over each portion of fruit. Use a thin spatula to spread the meringue into decorative peaks.
Return the ramekins to the oven and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. You could make this dish in a deep-dish pie pan instead of individual ramekins; the recipe and timing are the same.
Fill a medium bowl with ice water and place by the stove. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket.
Thinly slice asparagus stalks on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole. Place in the steamer basket and steam until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the asparagus to the ice water. Drain.
Combine vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, ginger and chile sauce (if using) in a large bowl. Add the asparagus, radishes and scallion; toss to combine. Serve warm or room temperature.
Asparagus/Radish salad
Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Dressing:
1 sm. onion 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 2 tsp. salt 3/4 c. vinegar 2 c. salad oil 2 tsp. poppy seed
SALAD:
2 tbsp. sliced almonds 4 c. torn fresh spinach leaves 1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries
APPLE-PEAR-CRANBERRY CRISP!
Ingredients Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans
Filling:
4 firm apples, peeled, cored and chopped
4 medium-ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 orange
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
Apple-Pear-Cranberry Crisp!
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Make topping: In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture forms pea-size lumps. Stir in oats and pecans.
2. Make filling: In a large bowl, mix together apples, pears and cranberries. Remove zest from orange and squeeze juice; add both to bowl. Stir in cornstarch and sugar. Pour into baking dish, sprinkle with topping and bake until filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown and crisp, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Maple-Apple Upside Down Cake
Maple-Apple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 large red cooking apples, such as McIntosh, peeled, sliced (2 large = about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup All-Purpose Unbleached Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lowfat (1%) milk
Reddi Whip
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 8-by-8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Bring maple syrup just to a boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour evenly into pan. Carefully arrange apple slices in single layer over syrup; set aside.
2. Beat butter, sugar and egg in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add to sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Spoon batter evenly over apples.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Immediately invert dessert onto serving plate; remove pan. Cool slightly. Cut into 9 squares; top each with a serving of Reddi-whip just before serving.
Apricot Chicken!
Ingredients:
12 dried apricots
8 medium chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb.)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
Preparation:
Rinse apricots and scatter them in a slow cooker. Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook thighs until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. (Brown in batches to avoid crowding skillet.)Arrange over apricots.
Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. fat in skillet. Add onion and cook until just soft, 2 to 4 minutes. Add broth to skillet; turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, loosening browned bits. Pour contents of skillet over apricots and chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
Carefully transfer thighs to a serving dish & cover with foil to keep warm. Pour remaining contents into a saucepan. Boil, stirring often, until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour over chicken.
Apricot Chicken
Sweet Potato Gratin!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-in.-thick slices
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking dish with 1 tbsp. butter. Arrange a third of the sweet potatoes, overlapping slightly, in the dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers of sweet potatoes and cheese.
2. In a small bowl, combine cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour over potatoes. Dot with the remaining 2 tbsp. butter. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sweet potatoes are tender and top is browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
