Smashed Peas with Ricotta Toasts

I came across this fantastic recipe the other day while I was sitting in the waiting room of my husbands Chiropractor. I picked up the February issue of Better Homes and Garden and while flipping through it, I found this and I instantly knew I was going to make it.

For a split second I thought about silently ripping the page out, but then that wouldn’t be very nice, so I started fishing through my purse but couldn’t find a pen, so I finally just asked the office girl if she would kindly make a copy for me and she did, I was happy!

It’s hard to explain how good this is, but think fresh lemon juice, sauteed garlic, fresh mint and cracked pepper swirled into a puree of peas and edamame flavored with salt and a healthy drizzle of olive oil, but then the best thing is, you take it and smear it on top of a baguette slice that was slathered with ricotta and toasted under the broiler! Oh my, it’s addicting!
This is such a great appetizer, it makes a ton and it’s really healthy, no mayonnaise, sour cream or cream cheese to make you feel guilty about eating it.

The thinly shaved garlic is a must as well as the coarsely cracked pepper, that along with the lemon and mint make a wonderful flavor combination.

Here’s the recipe:
Adapted from BHG February 2010 issue
1 16oz. pkg, frozen peas
1 12oz. pkg frozen or precooked and shelled edamame
1 T olive oil
4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 to 2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
1/2 lb.of sliced baguette
1 cup ricotta cheese
Extra olive oil for drizzling
1. In a large pot cook peas and edamame for 5 minutes in a small amount of boiling water. Drain, transfer to food processor and puree.
2. In a small skillet with olive oil, add garlic and cook till tender. Stir into pureed peas along with the lemon, pepper, salt and mint.
3. Meanwhile, for ricotta toasts, spread baguette slices with ricotta cheese, arrange on a baking sheet and broil until ricotta is warm and bread is toasted. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.
4. Before serving drizzle pea mixture with olive oil and additional cracked black pepper.

Buon Appetito!
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Sunday Roast Chicken and Winter Sides

Sunday is a good day to roast a chicken, the smell permeates the air and all is good. There are virtually thousands of ways to roast a chicken and we all have our favorites, mine will always consist of fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary, lemon, and roasted heads of garlic, the sweet garlicy pulp gets smeared all over your chicken or you can use it in your pan gravy, amazing!
But no matter how you cook up your chicken, your going to need some sides to go along with it.
The following are some sides I made throughout the fall and winter but never posted, they’re great not only with chicken but with any cut of meat. Some I saw in a magazine and tried, and some my own, either way you’ll love the taste!

Green Beans and Walnuts with Lemon Vinaigrette. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of shallots, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1/3 cup of olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Pour over 1 pound of cooked green beans that are still warm, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Garnish with 2/3 cup of coarsely chopped toasted walnuts and lemon zest.

Thyme Roasted Apples and Onions with Cider Glaze. Reduced down apple cider makes a syrupy sweet glaze that flavors and coats the apples and onions perfectly, this goes great with pork!
This can be done a day ahead. Boil and reduce 4 cups of apple cider for around 1/2 an hour, then whisk in 5 tablespoons of butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Toss apples and onions in a bowl along with fresh thyme and some of the glaze, place in a shallow baking dish and roast at 425F. The last 10 minutes of roasting raise the temperature to 475F, pour the rest of the glaze all over, add more thyme, cook till fork tender but not mushy.

Fontina Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers. I don’t know the proper name of these peppers, but they are very thin fleshed and really long, like 5 or 6 inches. I love them and they make a quick side dish for chicken or pork cutlets or any type of grilled meat, and they look pretty too! Carefully cut the pepper lengthwise, take out the seeds, place on a baking sheet and roast at 400F until slightly tender, they don’t take very long to cook. Remove from oven and place your fontina cheese inside, back in the oven till melted. Garnish with sliced kalamata olives and fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy your weekend!
Buon Appetito

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Mini Ricotta, Eggplant and Pasta Timbales

Want to fancy up that one lonely eggplant you have left? Do you have a tiny bit of ricotta sitting in your frig, a little leftover pasta and sauce? If you do, you can make these individual mini timbales.

They look so special when they’re unmolded that those you serve them to will think you spent all day in the kitchen, I won’t tell!

I also like them because they’re portion controlled, something I’ve been really getting in to lately, just serve with a salad and some crusty bread and your meal is complete!
I used one large eggplant for 4 ramekins, or you could use two smaller ones. The eggplant was cut 1/4 of an inch thick and preroasted in a 4o0F oven.
Next, you’ll want to rub some olive oil in your ramekins then line the base and the sides with the eggplant. Start layering your pasta, sauce, and ricotta mixture of chopped basil and parmesan, pressing down firmly as you go. I topped mine off with a dollop of basil pesto and then closed it all up by folding over your hanging eggplant.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350F, or until heated through. Let it sit for 5 minutes, unmold.
I then put a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of the timbale, placed it on a baking sheet, and stuck it under the broiler until it melt. Serve topped off with more sauce and grated cheese!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!
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