Root Beer Baked Beans

From Epicurious. Easy to make and very tasty.

Ingredients

4 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1 1/2 cups root beer (preferably artisanal)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook bacon in large ovenproof pot over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add onions to drippings in pot; cook until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add beans, root beer, vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, mustard, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper; mix. Stir in bacon; bring to boil. Transfer to oven; bake uncovered until liquid thickens, about 30 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

Easy and very tasty.

Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

Swabian Maultaschen

Recipe link for Maultaschen.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli's

From Epicurious

I made fresh spinach pasta to use for the ravioli's. I did the butter and hazelnut thing in this recipe, but liked the tomato sauce over the ravioli's better.

Ingredients

For filling
a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 ounces aged goat cheese, grated (about 2/3)

60 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts,toasted lightly and skinned and chopped coarse

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Make filling:
Put squash halves, flesh sides down, an baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well.

In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling eater 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow baking pan and add enough cooking water to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Keep ravioli warm, covered.

Transfer ravioli with a slotted spoon ) letting excess cooking liquid drip off) to 6 plates and top with hazelnut brown-butter sauce.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Another recipe gleaned from Epicurious.

Tasty, easy to make.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large yellow crookneck squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound penne pasta

2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray large roasting pan with nonstick spray. Combine red bell peppers, eggplant, crookneck squash and butternut squash in prepared pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Combine pasta, roasted vegetables, tomatoes and basil in large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and garlic. Toss to combine. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten, if desired. Mound pasta on serving platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter

Another recipe from Epicurious. Easy to make and tasty.

Lime Butter

Ingredients

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce

Directions

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

Steamed Clams with Spicy Italian Sausage and Fennel

Headed up to Hog Island Oyster Farm for fresh Oysters and Clams for dinner.

Tried out a different recipe to cook the clams in and it turned out surprisingly well. I was skeptical of using sausage with the clams but it was good stuff.

Recipe is here: Epicurious.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2x1/3-inch strips
• 1 large fennel bulb with fronds, bulb cored, sliced; fronds chopped (for garnish)
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausages coarsely crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed in mortar with pestle
• 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
• 4 dozens Manila clams (about 2 1/3 pounds), scrubbed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions

Heat oil in large deep skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper, sliced fennel, Italian sausage, and fennel seeds, and sauté until sausage is brown and vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add clam juice, and bring to boil. Add clams and oregano; reduce heat to medium-high, cover, and cook just until clams open, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper. Divide among 4 bowls, discarding any unopened clams. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds and serve.