Swiss Chard Ricotta Gnudi With Fall Mushrooms

Gnudi
1 lb Swiss chard, stem ends trimmed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
1/4 cup coarsely chopped shallot
1 large egg
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for shaping dumplings

Broth
6 cups vegetable broth
2 shallots, thickly sliced
1 lb assorted wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, chanterelle and cremini), stems trimmed and reserved, caps thinly sliced
6 Tbs chilled unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, divided
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
coarse kosher salt

Gnudi
1) Cut chard leaves from each side of center stem. Cut stems into matchstick-size strips. Cover and refrigerate stems; reserve for sauce.
2) Cook chard leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; cool. Squeeze chard leaves until very dry; place in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop chard. Add ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, shallot, egg, coarse salt and pepper; process to blend. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup flour; stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate dough overnight.

Broth
1) Bring vegetable broth, sliced shallots and mushroom stems to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 cups, 35 to 40 minutes. Strain. Return broth to saucepan; discard solids in strainer.
2) Melt 2 Tbs butter with 2 Tbs oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat; add sliced mushroom caps. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; saute until mushrooms are tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Heat remaining 1 Tbs oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add reserved thinly sliced chard stems and saute until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
3) Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon some flour onto large plate. Working in batches, drop heaping teaspoonfuls gnudi dough (size of small walnuts) onto plate with flour to form about 36 gnudi. Using floured hands, gently shape each into 1 1/2 inch long, 1/2 inch thick oval. Tap off excess flour; transfer gnudi to prepared baking sheet.
4) Bring large wide pot of salted water to boil. Slide gnudi into pot; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, whisk remaining 4 Tbs butter into hot broth. Season broth to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
6) Divide mushrooms and chard stems among 6 bowls. Add broth, dividing equally (about 1/2 cup each). Using slotted spoon, divide gnudi among bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Review: This was soooooooooo much work. Mike rolled the gnudi and I expected it to be a lot like gnocchi. However, it didn't adhere as well and ended up dissipating some in the broth. It was yummy, but not so yummy that it was worth this much work. I won't make this again.

Zucchini Lasagna

8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced thinly crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly oil an 8x8 inch square baking dish; set aside.
2) In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and ricotta; season with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, combine zucchini, garlic and oregano; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
3) Spread 1/3 zucchini mixture in prepared baking dish; top with two lasagna noodles, then 1/3 ricotta mixture. Repeat twice with remaining zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
4) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil; bake until bubbly and noodles are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil; bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Review: I doubled this recipe, though I can understand a smaller lasagna can sometimes be nice. This was really yummy, mostly due to the vast amount of cream cheese. Yum.

Szechuan Black-Eyed Pea Salad

2 14 oz cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 avocado, cubed
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs Szechuan sauce
2 tsp sugar

1) Toss together black-eyed peas, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic in large bowl. Toss avocado with lemon juice in separate bowl. Add avocado to black-eyed pea mixture.
2) Whisk together oil, vinegar, Szechuan sauce and sugar in bowl used for avocado. Add to black-eyed pea mixture and toss to mix.

Review: I could have sworn I had two lentil salad recipes for the week and thus opened two cans of lentils. Then, Mike corrected me. Oops. So, what do you do with two opened cans of lentils? You add it to the recipe! I just doubled the dressing ingredients. It turned out wonderfully and was incredibly yummy. I'll just have to be more alert in the future.

Provencal Lentil Salad

1/2 cup lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh sage

1) Bring large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add lentils, garlic and bay leaf. Cook until lentils are just tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain. Discard bay leaf.
2) Transfer lentils to medium bowl and toss with bell pepper, parsley, oil, vinegar, sage, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Review: I made this last night, using a can of lentils. It saved some cooking time and I got to eat this cold for lunch. It made just under 2 cups of salad, but was a tasty lunch. I'd recommend doubling the recipe. And canned lentils are really a great time saver. I couldn't find them at the store, so I bought a case from amazon.com. Thank goodness for our pantry!

Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

7 cups vegetable broth
1/2 lb butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbs, plus 1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
1 tsp salt
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves
3/4 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1) In large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Drop squash into boiling broth, reduce heat and simmer until squash in tender, but still firm, about 3 minutes. Remove squash with slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat and let broth simmer.
2) In large, deep skillet, combine oil and shallots. Place over medium heat and stir to cook without browning, about 2 minutes. Add rice and salt. Stir until rice is coated with oil. Add wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until rice absorbs wine.
3) Ladle 1/2 cup of simmering broth into skillet and stir until absorbed. Continue with remaining broth, adding 1/2 cup of simmering broth into skillet and stir until absorbed by rice before adding more liquid, about 25 minutes total.
4) Add chard and stir until wilted. Stir in squash, tomatoes, sage and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cheese and serve hot.

Review: I used 1 1/2 cups of bulgur and 3 cups of vegetable broth, cooking it as normal. I followed the rest of the instructions as it directs to do. It came out wonderfully. It had a great flavor and made plenty of food. It also had a great "hearty" taste. Perfect for a cold October night.

Garlicky White Beans, Sage & Orecchiette

salt
3 cups orecchiette
6 medium size fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
2 cups cooked white beans, or 19oz can drained white beans
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup small dice of mixed yellow, green and red bell pepper, for garnish
Grated asiago cheese

1) Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is tender.
2) Cut fresh sage leaves into fine shreds; peel and mince garlic, chop parsley. Rinse and drain canned white beans.
3) Heat olive oil in a medium size saucepan. Add garlic and sage and cook for 10 seconds. Add wine and cook until evaporated, about a minute. Add beans, cover and simmer until heated through: 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered, off heat, until pasta is done.
4) Drain pasta and return it to the pot, off heat. Stir in bean mixture, toss well and serve immediately garnished with raw peppers. Pass cheese separately.

Review: This was super yummy. We used penne pasta and should have used two cans of beans. We could only find 14oz cans and it just wasn't quite enough. I also believe sage may be my new favorite spice. When I bought the package of fresh sage for a recipe last week, I didn't realize how much is in that little container. I didn't want to waste it and it was keeping well, so I filled this week full of sage recipes. It truly has such a different taste when fresh. Yum.

Peppered Pumpkin & Potato Ragout

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs dried minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cubed fresh pumpkin
1 cup cubed potato, unpeeled
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen, thawed

1) In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 1 minute.
2) Add pumpkin, potato, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and white pepper, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pumpkin and potato are tender, about 20 minutes. Add peas and cook just until peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Review: I didn't read the instructions well. This was billed as a stew, and I have a dislike for stew/soup/chili. So, I only used 2 cups broth and served this over a bed of baby spinach. I also didn't have enough pumpkin (using just what I carved out of my jack o' lantern), so I substituted with some butternut squash. It turned out great and I really liked it. Mmmm