Ann Marie’s Kitchen presents:

Caesar salad

Spaghetti squash with roasted chicken in tomato sauce

Crusty Bread

And of course------ Something Chocolate!

Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Red bell pepper-diced

Sweet corn-roasted in oven at 400 for 5-10 minutes

Croutons

Parmesan cheese-shaved--use fresh, blocked variety found in the gourmet cheese section

Caesar dressing-your favorite bottle variety or *see recipe

Fresh pepper

Assemble:

Rip the leaves of the lettuce in a large bowl

Add bell pepper, corn and croutons

Toss with dressing*

Top with fresh pepper and shaved cheese

*Caesar Dressing

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped capers (optional)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk*
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt

In a medium bowl mix together the anchovy fillets, capers, mustard, egg yolk, and garlic. While whisking vigorously add the vegetable oil in a slow, steady stream. Whisk in the red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Stir in the heavy cream and season, to taste, with the salt.

Will keep for several days stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Information:

It is also called vegetable spaghetti, this oval-shaped yellow squash is a relative newcomer and a novel one: When cooked, the flesh of spaghetti squash can be pulled apart to form strands that resemble spaghetti. It has a mild taste and crisp texture, but requires more time and care to prepare than other squashes. In addition to a low calorie count--an 8-ounce serving contains only about 75 calories--spaghetti squash has a crunchy texture that makes it a particularly satisfying vegetable to eat. You can cook a whole spaghetti squash by baking, boiling, or microwaving.

I like to microwave it…..

Procedure:

Cut off top of squash, slice from top to bottom, scoop out the seed section.

Place the cleaned sections in a glass dish with a ¼ inch of water. 

Brush squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Cover dish with plastic wrap, leaving space on each side for venting purposes.

Microwave for 10-12 minutes on high.  You can with a fork for doneness; it should shred apart.

It is ready for serving---or----

I like to place the squash in a skillet with olive oil, a dash of red chili flakes, salt, parsley and any other flavor you may desire……This is called infusing the squash with extra flavor.  Toss in skillet for 10 minutes. 

Use as you would for any dish with pasta or serve as the base of a salad and top with roasted vegetables and shaved Parmesan cheese.

The meat from a whole roasted chicken.  (You can roast your own chicken or purchase one already cooked from the local deli section of your market.)

Place chicken in a saucepan with your favorite tomato sauce.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over squash.

Top with shaved Parmesan Cheese.

Shells: (You can purchase these already made from your local bakery)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 eggs plus 2 yolks
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Marsala
1 egg white, beaten
Oil, for frying

Filling:
1 pound whole milk ricotta, drained
6 tablespoons super fine sugar
2 tablespoons candied orange rind, chopped
1/4 lemon, juiced
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios & melted chocolate, optional

Shells: Place the flour on a work surface and make a well. Place eggs, yolks, butter, Marsala in the well and combine them with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour, little by little. Knead the dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. Let rest, covered with a damp cloth, about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll the dough very thin and cut into 4-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Grease 3/4-inch cannoli tubes and roll the dough around them, sealing the overlap with beaten egg white. Deep-fry them at 335 degrees F until golden brown. Cool and carefully slide them off the tubes.

Filling: Drain the ricotta overnight in a cheesecloth-lined colander in the refrigerator. The next day, place ricotta, sugar, orange rind, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla scrapings in the food processor and blend until very smooth. Just before serving, pipe the filling into shells.  Dip in chocolate and pistachios