Recipe Course: Vegetables & Sides

Radicchio and Pear Salad

  • Place pears and lemon juice in shallow bowl; cover and set aside.

Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and celery seed; set aside.

  • In serving bowl, combine radicchio, walnuts, cranberries and orange segments; toss with dressing. Add pears with lemon juice; toss again. Sprinkle cheese over top.

Tip: Chopped dried figs, instead of cranberries, make a nice alternative if desired.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Porcini-Stuffed Baby Bello Mushrooms

  • In microwaveable glass measuring cup, combine porcini and wine. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a vent. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes or until softened. Drain through fine sieve lined with coffee filter, saving liquid. Rinse and chop porcini mushrooms.
  • Grease large baking sheet with olive oil. In small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat; sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add tomato, rosemary, salt, pepper, and the reserved porcini and porcini liquid. Increase heat to medium-high; cook for about 3 minutes or until mixture no longer smells of alcohol. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley.
  • Preheat broiler. Remove stems and gills carefully from Portobello mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast mushrooms face side down in oven for 10 minutes until slightly tender.
  • Flip mushrooms face side up and spoon some of the porcini stuffing into each mushroom cap, pressing lightly to help stuffing adhere. Place on prepared pan, stuffing side up. Sprinkle mushrooms with Parmesan. Broil for 5 minutes or until hot and browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tip: Don’t make the soft bread crumbs too small or too large, they should be about the size of small peas.

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

  • Preheat oven to 375º F. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in single layer in large casserole dish. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until tomatoes have softened.

Open-Face Provolone Cheese Melt

  • Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add bread slices; fry fir 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown, adding more oil if needed. Transfer bread to serving dish.
  • In same skillet, working in batches if necessary, briefly fry provolone; when cheese begins to melt, transfer to bread slices. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar, then thyme; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Olive Oil Mayonnaise

  • In blender, combine olive oil, egg substitute, onion, salt, mustard, garlic, and sugar; blend until thoroughly mixed.
  • While blender is running, very slowly add olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar, stopping to scrape down sides several times.
  • Add remaining olive oil, 1 tablespoonful at a time, with blender running. Store mayonnaise in a tightly sealed covered container in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Mostaccioli in Fiery Tomato Sauce

  • Heat oil in sauté pan set over medium-low heat; cook prosciutto, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until fat is melted. Remove with slotted spoon; set aside.
  • Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes to pan; cover and cook, crushing some of the tomatoes with back of large spoon, for 5 minutes or until softened.
  • In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water; return pasta to pot. Toss in reserved prosciutto, tomato sauce and parsley, adding some of the reserved cooking water if needed to moisten sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Mixed Sweet Pepper Casserole

  • Preheat grill or broiler; char peppers, turning occasionally, until skin is blackened on all sides. Transfer peppers to paper bag to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove charred skins and cores and scoop out seeds. Slice peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips; set aside.
  • Place onions in small saucepan; pour in enough water to cover. Bring to boil over high heat; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Drain onions; remove papery skins and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in sauté pan set over medium heat; sauté pepper strips for 3 minutes. Stir in onions and tomatoes; simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Season with salt to taste.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Mini Macaroni and Cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in saucepan set over medium heat; cook onion until very soft but not browned. Sprinkle flour over top; stir to mix well. Slowly pour in milk, stirring, until well combined. Stir in salt, mustard, and pepper to taste; cook, stirring, just until sauce thickens enough to coat back of spoon, but is not too thick. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese; cover and remove from heat.
  • In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta just until firm (but no longer hard). Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl; pour in sauce, stirring, until well combined. Using 1/4 cup measure, scoop mixture into muffin cups, filling up to the rim.
  • Place muffin tin on baking sheet; sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake for about 30 minutes or just until the macaroni and cheese is set; broil until top is brown and crusty. Let cool slightly in pan before removing individual servings using a butter knife.

Tip:

Be careful not to overcook the pasta on the stovetop, as it will also be baked.

Variation:

Veggie Mini Mac and Cheese: Add minced carrot or celery to the onions when making the sauce or throw in some peas when mixing the macaroni with the sauce.

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Marinated Shrimp and Cannellini Beans

  • In bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice and zest, capers, parsley, salt and celery salt; toss with shrimp. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
  • In separate bowl, combine beans with remaining olive oil, tomatoes and shallot. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. To serve, combine bean mixture with shrimp; transfer to shallow platter. Serve with slices of bread.

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

 

Lemon Sauce

In food processor, combine lemon segments, sugar, salt and pepper to taste; pulse to coarse consistency. Pour in olive oil and process until mixture is almost smooth. Transfer to jar; store in refrigerator.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito