Ingredients:

1/4 lb. pancetta, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped, plus additional leaves for garnish
3 cups butternut squash or pumpkin pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup ricotta
1/2 pkg. frozen spinach, defrosted
1 lb. fresh lasagna noodles, cut into 4 inch x 4 inch pieces
1 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese

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Directions:

Growing up Brussels sprouts would probably have been the last thing on earth I would have eaten.  But I think that if you dress them up like these you will find that even the “haters” will find these as delicious and will be asking for seconds!

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Ingredients:

2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
6 oz. pancetta, big dice
2 large shallots
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cranberries
1/3 cup pine nuts, roasted

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium pan over medium heat cook pancetta. Remove from pan, reserving the fat drippings. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook over medium heat to begin to brown. Dress with balsamic and olive oil, a little salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast, tossing a couple of times, until nicely caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the sprouts are ready, remove them the oven and put into a large serving bowl. Add pancetta, cranberries and pine nuts. Toss and check for seasoning. Serve.

This is a great versatile recipe.  I have made this as a side for an Easter buffet, I have made it for brunch and most recently I made it for dinner for a good friend.  Pair it with a nice leafy salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio and it’s the perfect light dinner.  You can make this recipe ahead of time and serve it at room temperature or right out of the oven.  Either way, I’m sure you will love it.

Ingredients:
1 basic tart dough recipe
1 lemon halved
14 oz frozen artichokes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp. minced fresh basil
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin slivers

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the dough and fit it into a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pick the dough with a fork and bake for 15 minutes.

While the tart dough is baking, heat olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onion and saute over medium high heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 more minute.

Drain the artichokes and cut into small pieces. Add to the pan. Add sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Combine the ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, eggs, basil and lemon juice from 1/2 of the lemon in a large bowl. Add the artichoke mixture and combine well. Pour into the tart shell and bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.

Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, sliced into wedges.

Ingredients

3 cups water
2 cups dried red kidney beans
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (14-ounce) package turkey, pork, and beef smoked sausage, thinly sliced (such as Healthy Choice)
1 bay leaf
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 5 hours. Discard bay leaf; stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings evenly with green onions.

Ingredients:
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
Kosher salt
Grated zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1 pound broccoli, cut into long spears, stems peeled
1/2 pound ciabatta, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Put the shallots and the raisins in 2 separate, small, heatproof bowls. In a small saucepan, combine the sherry, vinegar and agave syrup and bring to a boil. Pour 2 tablespoons of the hot mixture over the raisins; pour the rest over the shallots and add the thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover both bowls.

Light a grill. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and rosemary to the remaining dressing in the bowl.

On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the broccoli with half of the dressing from the bowl and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the remaining dressing from the bowl on the ciabatta slices. Grill the broccoli over moderate heat, turning, until lightly charred and barely tender, 8 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to a bowl, cover with foil and let steam for 5 minutes. Grill the ciabatta over moderate heat until crisp, 1 minute.

Cut the ciabatta into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a platter and top with the grilled broccoli. Drain the raisins and shallots and scatter them over the broccoli. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts, drizzle with the reserved 3 tablespoons of dressing and serve.

By this time of year our gardens are overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini.  Unless of course you are looking at my garden.  Not exactly a bummper crop this year.  Between the extremely high temperatures and the critters that keep stealing my plants, I have not had a whole lot to harvest.  I currently have one little lonely zucchini growing in my garden.  Thank goodness for a kind co-worker who brought in a whole bunch to share.  I plan on making this recipe this week.  I like to put a little dollop of sour cream on top.  I could eat the whole platter!

Ingredients:
2 pounds zucchini
1/2 pound russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 medium eggs
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
Grate the zucchini and potatoes and toss in the lemon juice to prevent browning. Squeeze the zucchini and potatoes through towels or a sieve. It is imperative that you get almost all the moisture out of the vegetables.

Add the scallions, cheese, garlic, 1/2 cup of the parsley, salt and pepper, sugar, flour, and eggs and toss to make sure that the ingredients are well mixed.

Heat a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a pan until hot and add thin silver dollar-size pancakes, frying over high heat until golden brown and crispy. When serving, sprinkle with a little more salt and the remaining chopped parsley.