Misc: Spaghetti Squash w/ sun dried tomatoes by Recipe Cottage

SEARCH RECIPES:

LOCATION: Recipes >> Misc >> Spaghetti Squash w/ sun dried tomatoes


	Spaghetti Squash w/ sun dried tomatoes

		1 good-sized Spaghetti Squash 1 to 2 oz sun dried tomatoes ( pile pieces into one overflowing cup,) softened in a bowl of boiling water for no more than two minutes. 2 to 4 shallots (more or less to taste), chopped 2 to 4 cloves fresh garlic (more or less to taste), chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped. 4 or more halves of red peppers (pimentoes - type sold in glass jars) or you might consider using fresh red peppers. 1/4 to 1/3 C good olive oil 1 to 3 T balsamic vinegar 2 bunches fresh basil leaves 1 t cumin, plus some lemon pepper & oregano Split squash lengthwise with a heavy knife (careful!!), scrape out and discard seeds. Easiest cooking method is in the microwave, but bake it if you wish. For the microwave, place 'inside up' in rectangular glass dish, add 1/4 cup of water in the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for about 10 minutes, or until just 'al dente'. While it's cooking, let's make the 'sauce.' Saute garlic and shallots in olive oil with bell pepper till just tender - don't brown. If you're using fresh red peppers, add these now. Coarsely chop red peppers (if using canned ones) and tomatoes, add to pan with cumin, lemon pepper and oregano. Add basil leaves and balsamic vinegar at the last minute, and cook only till the basil just wilts. To assemble, scrape the squash halves 'across' (as in horizontally) to free the 'spaghetti' - try and keep it fluffy, place in serving dish. We use a large shallow pasta bowl. Pour the sauce over the squash and fold in - serve immediately. Keeps well, rewarm in microwave. >From alg@cs.cornell.edu Tue Aug 27 13:07:50 1991 During the summer I take a few bushels of Italian plum tomatoes, salt them lightly and dry them in a dehydrator for 12-24 hours. They are wonderful in salads, biscuits , omlets, deviled eggs, quiche and as a topping for fish or chicken dishes. They are also good straight from the jar as a snack. They have a very intense tomato flavor that perks up almost any dish. One quart of dried tomatoes represents about 1/8 of a bushel (or about 1/4 of a paper grocery sack) of fresh tomatoes. Refreshing the tomatoes: The dried tomatoes should be refreshed by soaking them in hot water before you use them in most recipes. Bring 1-2 cups of hot water to a boil and add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of tomatoes. Let the tomatoes soak for several minutes; as few as 2 minutes if they are thin and as much as 8 minutes if they are fairly thick. After soaking you may wish to slice or chop the tomatoes. If your dinner recipe calls for water, use the water from soaking the tomatoes instead. Otherwise save the water and add it to your vegetable water for stock. Some Recipes: Potato Salad: Based on recipe in Sun Dried Tomatoes! Approx 6 servings: 6 cups peeled and sliced potatoes (6-8 potatoes) 1/2 cup olive oil or less (use some of the oil from the marinated tomatoes) 1/4 cup or more white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar is ok) 1 tbl capers 1 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, refreshed in hot water and cut into slivers 1/4 c. diced pepperoni or prosciutto ham (optional) salt and pepper to taste optional items: 1 red pepper diced 1 green pepper diced 1/2 c. sliced scallions including greens Cook the sliced potatoes. Method 1) boil in salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Method 2) place in a covered dish in the microwave with 1/4 cup of water, cook on high about 10 minutes, add salt and pepper, stir and cook on high another 6-10 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Mix the oil and vinegar together and pour them over the warm potatoes. Let cool at room temperature. The potatoes will absorb much of the dressing. Pour off extra dressing, leaving about 3 tbl in the bottom of the bowl. When the potatoes are cool, add the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, several hours is better. If you are storing this for over 24 hours, add the parsley about 30 minutes before serving. Cheddar and Tomato Biscuits: Approximately 12 large biscuits 3 cups flour 1 tbl baking powder 6-10 tbl butter, margarine or shortening 3/4 - 1 c milk 1/4 - 1/3 cup dried tomatoes, refreshed in hot water and sliced or chopped 1/2 - 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (or substitute parmesan for some or all cheese) Sift the flour and baking powder togeter. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two forks. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of milk and mix together. If there is still flour in the bowl add more milk. Biscuit dough should form a loose ball and be stickier than pie crust dough. Mix dough quickly and stop as soon as it's mixed. Add tomatoes and cheese. Drop very large spoonfuls (a heaping serving spoon) of dough onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve warm or cold. Spinach ala Marianne: Clean 1 lb of fresh spinach. Place in a covered sauce pan with water still clinging to the leaves. Heat 1-3 tbl of olive oil (from marinated tomatoes) in a small frying pan. Peel several cloves of garlic, slice them into two or three pieces and smash them with a heavy coffee cup or by pounding them with the flat of a wide knife. Coarsely chop the slightly crushed garlic. Heat some water and refresh 1/4 cup of dried tomatoes. Cut into slivers. Add garlic to the hot oil and brown it. Remove from heat. Cook the spinach. If the spinach is fresh and young, cook it until just wilted. If the spinach is older, cook it a bit longer. Pour the oil and garlic over the spinach. Sprinkle the tomatoes over it and add a small amount of salt and pepper. Toss the spinach to mix. Italian Baked Hamburgers with Cheese (i.e. Calazones) 8 servings 2 loaves of pizza dough or thawed frozen bread dough 1/2 lb ground beef (ground round or other low fat ground beef) 1/4 - 1/3 cup dried tomatoes 1 cup shredded mozerrella cheese 2 cups spinach (wash it and cook it; chop coarsely) 1-2 cloves garlic 1 tbl (or less) olive oil parmesan cheese salt and pepper Refresh the tomatoes in hot water and chop them. Crush and saute garlic in olive oil. Add the ground beef. Cook. Drain off excess oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take each loaf of pizza dough or bread dough and cut it into 4 pieces. Pat, roll or stretch each piece into a 6-9" circle. Filling the calazones: Be sure to keep all filling at least 1/4" from the edge or else you will have trouble sealing them. Place 1-2 tbl of meat on half of the dough. Add some tomato bits and spinach. Top with 1 tbl cheese and a bit of parmesan. Dip your fingers into warm water. Wet the edge of the dough. Stretch half of the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Either use your fingers or a fork to seal them. Or you can roll the bottom edge up over the top edge, twisting them together like a rope around the edge. This method in slightly more time consuming, but the calazones generally don't leak. Place calazones on a baking sheet that has been greased or covered with cornmeal. Let them rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes. Brush lightly with oil. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Chicken Vegetable Packets: 4 servings 2 cups assorted julienned vegetables (zucchini, carrots, red bell peppers, yellow squash) 4 boned and skinned chicken breasts 1/4 cup dried tomatoes 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 tsp dried basil 4 tsp minced garlic salt and papper to taste parchment paper or aluminum foil Cut four 12" circles from the kitchen parchment paper or cut similar sized pieces of tinfoil. Fold each circl in half, then unfold. Place 1/2 cup of vegetables in the center of each circle, next to the fold. Top with a chicken breast and some of the rest of the ingredients. Refold the paper over the chicken so that the cut edges meet. Fold and roll the edges up all the way to seal. Place the packets on a backing sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes unti lthe parchment paper is browned and puffed. Cut open and serve. Chicken Scallopine: From Sun Dried Tomatoes! 4 servings 4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned 4 slices fontina or Swiss cheese 4 oz prosciutto, chopped 1/4 c. dried tomatoes, refreshed in hot water and chopped 4 tbl Parmesan cheese 2 tbl olive oil (from marinated tomatoes) 2 tbl minced shallots 1 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup white wine Pound chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper until about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside 2 tbl prosciutto and 1/2 c. tomatoes for the sauce. Divide the remaining prosciutto, tomatoes, fontina and Parmesan into 4 portions and place each portion in the center of a chicken breast. Roll up the breast into a cylinder and tie with a string. Heat the olive oil, add the chicken and brown. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the shallots and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the wine and stock and scrape up and drippings in the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, cover and cook over low for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep it warm. Cook the sauce over high heat unti lit thickens. Add reserved prosciutto and tomatoes and heat for about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. PASTA WITH SHRIMP IN TOMATO SAUCE 1/3 cup dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, reserve oil and slivered 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 1 lb large (31-35 lb)shrimp, shelled, deveined 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, including tops 1 1/2 Tbs chopped, fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp white pepper 1 cup chicken broth 3/4 cup dry vermouth 1 cup whipping cream 10 oz linguine (could substitute Angel hair) garnish: grated parmesan cheese and/or fresh basil sprigs Add 2 Tbs oil from tomatoes, heat in wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shrimp when oil is hot. Cook, while stirring, until shrimp are opaque when cut (about 6 minutes). Remove from pan. Add onions, chopped basil, tomatoes, pepper, broth, vermouth and cream to pan. Boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups (about 10 minutes). Return shrimp to pan and stir until just heated through. Meanwhile, cook linguine/angel hair in 3 Qts boiling water until just al dente (about 8 minutes for dired linguine). Drain, arrange on 4 plates and spoon sauce over. Garnish with basil, cheese to taste. Julie's Sun-Dried Tomato Mousse 1/2 to 1 Cup olive oil fresh basil 6 oz cream cheese several cloves garlic, pressed Sun-dried tomatoes, revived and diced 4 oz goat cheese Throw everything in the food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve with breadsticks, sliced sourdough baguettes, etc. Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad 1/2 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp oregano 1/2 cup Flavored vinegar 2 tsp dried mustard powder (or apple cider) 2 Tbsp dried basil 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp thyme pepper to taste Cook 1 lb of pasta (any type) and let cool. Thaw one container of frozen chopped spinach, soak 1 cup of chopped dried tomatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes. Combine all those and add vinaigrette. Whir the above vinaigrette in a blender for a minute, and combine with the other ingredients. Best at room temperature. Stuffed Mushrooms 16 large fresh mushrooms 4 Tbsp olive oil (or oil from marinated tomatoes) 6 Tbsp finely minced onion (very optional) 1/4 Cup dried tomatoes, refreshed and minced 4 Tbsp dry white wine (or substitute water from refreshing tomatoes) 1/2 Cup grated cheese (Parmesan, Swiss, etc) 2-3 slices dry bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) 1/2 Cup (maybe less) minced fresh parsley 1/2 tsp dry tarragon 2 Tbsp cream (optional) salt and pepper to taste 4 Tbsp butter Remove stems from mushrooms and mince them finely. Brush mushroom caps with 1 Tbsp oil (optional). Place caps in a baking pan. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add the minced mushroom stems and continue to saute until lightly browned. Add the minced tomatoes and wine. Boil rapidly until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from the heat. Set aside 3 Tbsp of cheese. Mix remaining cheese with the bread crumbs, tomato mixture and herbs. If the mixture is too dry, add up to 2 Tbsp of cream (or water). Season with salt and pepper. Fill the mushroom caps with a heaping spoonful of stuffing. Top with a dot of butter and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot.