Asparagus and Ricotta Tart

Ingredients:

-1 sheet of puff pastry
- 2 eggs (one beaten for crust and one for the filling)
- 100g ricotta cheese
- 2tbs heavy cream
- 50ml milk
- 2-3 tbs grated parmesan
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- a bunch of asparagus trimmed ( 10- 12)

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 190°C
• Unfold the pastry sheet and brush it with beaten egg. Fold the long edges of the pastry rectangle (1cm) and brush them with egg. Do the same with the short edges. Fold again the long sides and brush with egg. Prick the inside of the shell with a fork and cut with a knife through the folded edges to allow the pastry to puff up.  Bake for 15′ until golden brown. 
• Set aside to cool a bit. If the inside of the shell puffed up while baking press it down before pouring in the filling. 
• Turn oven down to 175°. Mix together the egg, ricotta, cream, milk, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the baked tart. Lay the asparagus on top of the ricotta mixture, sprinkle some grated parmesan and some pepper on top and bake for another 15-20′ or until golden brown.

  

Enjoy !

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Mushroom Tarts

Ingredients:

• 10 brown mushrooms (champignon)
• 1 rectangular sheet of puff pastry
• 80g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 2 tbs sour cream
• 50g asiago cheese
• 2tbs grated parmesan
• 2 eggs ( one beaten for the pastry and the other for the cheese)
• salt
• pepper
• chives
• 2 cloves of garlic
• parsley
• 2tbs olive oil

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C
• Cut the pastry sheet in four rectangles; brush each of them with the beaten egg; fold the edges (1cm) and brush them with beaten egg. Use a knife to cut through the folded edges and corners. Prick the inside of the tarts shells with a fork and bake them cca 10′ until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. In case the pastry puffed too much inside the shells press it down before it become cold
• Turn over the oven to 175°
• In a bowl , beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, egg and grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil with the garlic ( remove the garlic after the oil gets flavored) in a non stick pan and slightly fry the mushrooms. Add the chopped parsley and remove from the flame.
• Pour the cheese mixture in each tart shell, add the mushrooms, some grated asiago , fresh ground pepper and bake for 15′
• Sprinkle with some chopped chives for some extra flavor. Serve them warm or cold.

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Soup With White Beans & Kale

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry white navy beans
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 small white potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
8 cups vegetable stock
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 cup dry  pasta (optional)
3 oz parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups kale, chopped
garnishes
olive oil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Immerse the beans in cold water, and soak overnight for at least 12 hours. Rinse and set to the side.
In a large soup pot, on low-medium heat, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the potato and continue to fry for another minute. Add the vegetable stock, juice from one lemon, and beans and simmer for 40 minutes or until the beans are soft.
Add the pasta (which is optional) and parmesan cheese, and continue to simmer until the pasta is al dente, approximately 10 minutes. Add the kale and simmer until tender, and the pasta soft. At this point, you may need to add some boiling water to the soup, as some of the stock may have evaporated (1/2 - 1 cup should be sufficient).
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

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Tomato Mozzarella Tart

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 plum tomatoes (or 1 large heirloom tomato), cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the puff pastry in the center of the baking sheet and brush all over with the egg. Form a crust by folding over the edges about a ½ inch, then brush the edges with egg. Use a paring knife to cut the folded edges and corners.

3. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese, then poke the dough all over with a fork, making sure to go the whole way through the dough. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

4. Meanwhile, place the tomato slices on a triple layer of paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and let sit for 30 minutes.

5. When ready, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the bottom of the crust. Press any excess moisture out of the tomatoes with paper towels, then layer the tomato slices evenly over the mozzarella. Whisk the olive oil and garlic together and drizzle evenly over the tomatoes. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil. Slide the tart onto a cutting board, slice into pieces and serve.

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Parmesan Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup

4 servings
Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces cheese tortellini
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
10 ounces spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream or Greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup basil, chopped (optional)





Instructions

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the flour and cook for another minute.
Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste and tortellini, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the tortellini is tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the parmesan, let it melt, add the spinach, let it wilt, add the cream, season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat before adding the basil.

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Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Crisp-tender chicken in the most amazing cream sauce ever. It's so good, you'll want to guzzle down the sauce!

8 servings

INGREDIENTS

·            8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

·            Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

·            3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

·            3 cloves garlic, minced

·            1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste

·            1 cup chicken broth

·            1/2 cup heavy cream

·            1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained

·            1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

·            1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

·            1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

·            1/4 teaspoon dried basil

·            1/4 cup basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.      Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.

3.      Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.

4.      Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan, thyme, oregano and basil.

5.      Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.

6.      Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.

7.      Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.

Enjoy!

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Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

For the lasagna:

·         10-15 no-boil lasagna noodles

·         3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (use rotisserie chicken for lots of yummy flavor)

·         12 ounces frozen peas

·         ½ cup Parmesan cheese

·         ½ cup Swiss cheese

·         1 cup water

·         ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

·         fresh herbs for topping

For the sauce:

·         6 tablespoons butter

·         1½ tablespoons minced garlic

·         6 tablespoons flour

·         ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

·         ¾ teaspoon salt

·         5 cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant - stir continuously to avoid burning because burnt garlic will taste bitter. Add the flour, poultry seasoning, and salt. Whisk and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, one cup at a time, whisking after each addition and allowing it to thicken slightly each time before adding the next cup. When the sauce is smooth and thick, remove from heat and set aside.

2.    Layer the lasagna: Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the bottom of the pan with (about 5) broken lasagna noodles, half of the chicken, half of the peas, ¼ cup Parmesan, ⅓ cup water, and 1½ cups sauce. Repeat this layer once more. Top with a layer of broken noodles, ⅓ cup water, 1½ cups sauce, and ½ cup Swiss cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

3.    Making it pretty: Remove the foil, sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like parsley and thyme. Let stand 10 minutes or more before cutting and serving.

*Nutrition is for 12 servings using 1 lb. shredded chicken breasts. Rotisserie chicken is a great option because of the flavor, but if you wanted to avoid the extra fat I would just cook your own chicken and sprinkle it generously with some seasoning.

*The water gets added to help the no-boil noodles get cooked, so unless you're using a different kind of noodles, don't skip this. The noodles should soak up all that water during baking.

ENJOY IT!

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