orechiette with cherry tomato sauce

Prep time: 5 min
cook time: 15 min
serves:3










This recipe has been adapted from a meal I ate an Italian restaurant in Burlington, VT. This recipe has bright and fresh flavors of arugula, cherry tomatoes, and garlic. Orechiette is my favorite pasta and is difficult to find, but it can be found in most gourmet grocers. Orechiette means little ear shaped pasta.
Ingredients: 1 container of cherry tomatoes, cut in half.
1 small bunch of arugula. 1/2 1b.
1/2 lb of orechiette pasta.
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Boil water, cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil on medium-low heat in frying pan, add garlic, saute until slightly brown. Turn up heat to medium and add pasta, saute until slightly brown and toasted in spots. Add cherry tomatoes, saute until collapsed and blistering. Add arugula until wilted. Add pepper and salt, toss and serve.

Avocado & Corn Salsa

Cooking time:10 min
Prep time:10 min
Time in fridge: 1hr-2 days
serves: 6











This recipe was submited by my father in law. He knows how to perfect a good recipe. This is great in the summer, and always a crowd pleaser. This photo was taken at an avocado farm we stayed at in northern New Zealand. Yes, we did eat gorgeous ripe avocados everyday.
Ingredients:
3 ears of corn, husked
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, diced
1 medium red onion diced small
1 red bell pepper, cored,seeded, diced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 medium gloves garlic minced
4 dashes Tabasco sauco
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano or tsp. of dried
1/2 cup of juice from 4 medium limes
salt and pepper

Boil corn 4-6 min in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and cool under cold water. Cut kernels off cobbs. Mix corn with all ingredients add salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate to blend flabors. At least one hour, up to three days. Try not to eat this all at once you will get a stomach ache unless sharing with 4-6 people

Chicken Tajine

cooking time 50 min









This recipe is submitted by my mother. She was inspired by her travels in Morroco and Tunisia for the creation of this recipe. She adapted the recipe so that you do not need to have a tajine (ceramic oven) to make this recipe.
1 chicken cut in pieces
4 potatoes, washed with skins on and cut in quarters
olive oil
1 tsp curcuma
12 prunes
1/2 tsp cumin
50 grams almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 citrons confits (recipe to follow)
1 tsp ginger
1 large onion
salt
5 pieces of garlic
small bunch of coriander
small bunch of parsley

Chop onion and gently fry. Add garlic. In another pan sear the
chicken. Add salt and spices, the onions and 1/2 the herbs. cover
with water.
Simmer for 20 mins. Rince the citrons confits, cut in quarters and
add.
Grill the almonds. Add them to the pot with the prunes and lemons.
Continue to cook for 30 mins. Skim off the fat. Add the rest of the
herbs, chopped to garnish.

Citron Confit-
2 lemons untreated (organic) sliced 1/4 inch
2 handfuls koser salt
2 cups olive oil
Rosemary sprig (optional)
Bayleaf (optional)
Thyme (optional)
Instructions: Put one handful of kosher salt on a plate, place lemon slices on top of salt, add another thick layer of salt. Leave 12 hrs to sit. Dry and take off salt with paper towels. Layer lemons in a 500g jar. Cover with olive oil. Add optional herb sprigs for decoration. Keeps one week out of the fridge, one month in the fridge.

Vegetarian Too Good to be Meatless Chili

Serves 12-15 (can freeze).
Serve with rice or cornbread
or baked in tureens with cheese.

My dad created this recipe years ago and he has made changes and improvements on it over time. This recipe is great to make ahead of time and just heat it right before you are ready to serve.
Too good to be meatless chili
Ingredients:
5 cans 15 oz. assorted beans (kidney, pinto, small
red), drained
3 C TVP (textured vegetable protein/soy) available
at health food store
1 cube vegetable bouillon
2 cans 28 oz. Whole tomatoes
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 T olive oil
¼ C raisins
3 whole jalapeno peppers from jar, seeded
¼ C fine yellow corn meal
¼ C water
5 T chili powder
2 T gravy master seasoning and browning sauce
2 t sugar
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
2 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
¼ t ground cinnamon
¼ t ground cloves
¼ C pimento stuffed manzanilla olives, cut in half

Directions:Brown onions and garlic in olive oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. In medium bowl dissolve vegetable bouillon cube in 2 C boiling water. Add TVP to vegetable bullion, soak, and drain out excess broth. Add TVP to saucepan, add a little oil to prevent sticking and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree raisins and jalapeno pepper in food processor. Add one can drained beans to food processor and puree together. Add pureed mixture to saucepan and stir
Drain one of the cans of tomatoes and place in food processor with second can of tomatoes. Process briefly
to chop tomatoes and add to saucepan. Add tomatoes to saucepan, along with chili powder,
sugar, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix cornmeal with ¼ cup water and add to saucepan.
Simmer uncovered on low-med heat 10 minutes, and then adjust seasonings to taste. Add remaining beans, stir, and simmer on low heat for 35 minutes or to desired consistence, stirring occasionally. Add olives during last 15 minutes of cooking.

french onion soup

cooking time 1hr
prep time 10 min
serves 4










adapted from A beautiful bowl of soup. Paulette Mitchell
This photo is of my mum peeling shallots when I went to visit her in France. I always buy shallots, red onions, and garlic in bulk straight from the producer. This fall I stocked up on these essentials at The Garlic Farm in Granby, CT.
Ingredients: 3 cups red onions
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup shallots
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. butter
1 lb sweet onions
1Tbsp herbes de provence
salt and pepper
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
1 cup red wine

Melt butter in a heavy pot on medium heat. Add onions. Turn heat to medium low. cover and cook for approx. 25 min. Turn heat to medium. Take cover off cook for additional 15 min, stirring often. Add shallots and garlic. cook for two min. Add wine and set heat to medium high. Cook until liquid is gone. Add veg. stock and thyme. Boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer, stir occasionally. for 20 min. Put soup into tureens, sprinkle with cheese and broil in oven for 2 min until cheese is bubbly and a little brown. Serve with bread.

roasted pear salad

recipe serves 3 people
cooking time: 40 min
prep time: 10 min






This recipe is so easy. Bosc pears can be found in most farmers markets in the fall. Bosc pears keep well and they are inexpensive. Roasting the pears brings out their sweetness, the nuttiness of the pecans adds a nice touch.
Ingredients: 4 bosc pears (sliced into quarters, cores removed)
3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
one small handful pecans
1/2 bag of mixed salad greens
1/2 tsp. thyme
3 Tbsp. grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice and core pears, place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 2Tbsp olive oil over the pears and toss to coat. Sprinkle mixed herbs over pears. Roast pears in the oven. After 20 min flip pears and put back into the oven for an additional 20 min. 40 min total roasting time. While pears are roasting grate cheddar cheese and make salad dressing. For salad dressing combine remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 tsp. maple syrup. Stir dressing in a bowl. set aside. Take pears out of the oven and allow to cool. Chop pecans, place on roasting pan and broil until slightly brown. Watch carefully so they do not burn. This should take only about 2 mins. Assemble salad. Add greens, pears, dressing, cheese, and pecans. Toss salad and serve.