STUFFED SHELLS, CITRUSY LENTIL SOUP AND AMBROSIA DESERT

 

 Stuffed shells, citrusy lentil soup and ambrosia dessert

 We have just passed the fall equinox, and it is time for more serious cooking than salads and anything tasty from the grill. Not quite time for heavy comfort food, but tasty warming dishes seem to be what we crave for chilly evenings when each day gets shorter.

          Baked pasta dishes are everyone’s favorites and lentils get a lift from a citrusy update. Fortunately, fresh peaches are still in the market and provided us with an easy cooked desert, with ingredients borrowed from the popular Southern ‘Fruit Ambrosia’ dish.

                                              Pork-Ricotta stuffed shells     

          Cook 12 jumbo shells in boiling salted water for 9 minutes, drain and leave in cold water.  In a large bowl combine the following for the stuffing: ½ lb. ground pork, ¾ cup Ricotta, ½ cup panko, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 beaten egg, 2 tsp. Sicilian or Italian seasoning, ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley, 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, 2 tblsp. heavy cream, ½ tsp. lemon pepper and 1 tsp. kosher salt.

           Spread ½ cup Marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8x8x2 baking dish. Dran and stuff shells with the stuffing and arrange in a layer on top of the sauce. Mix 2 cups of Marinara with ½ cup heavy cream and spread over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese.

          Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, after allow to cool for 10 minutes, garnish with chopped Italian parsley and serve warm with a green salad. Leftovers can be reheated in microwave.

                                      Citrusy lentil soup with linguica

          Sauté 1 chopped large onion with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter in a 3–4-quart pot on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced celery stalk, 1 tsp. each turmeric, coriander and cumin, cook for 2 minutes then add 4 cups low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup rinsed lentils. Cook for 40 minutes with occasional stirring, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, Remove the casing from 1 linguica, dice in bite size pieces and stir in the soup adjusting the thickness with additional broth if needed. Stir in the juice of ½ large lemon and the grated zest of a lemon and serve hot. Flavor of the soup will improve on reheating.

                                                    Peach ambrosia

          Late season peaches, unless you have your own peach tree, can be a disappointment by having lost that wonderful juicy taste. This recipe evolved from a half-mealy textured batch of peaches but naturally would be even better with juicy ripe peaches.

          Combine ¾ cups orange juice, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, zest from ½ lemon, 4-5 cloves in a non-corrosive pot. Quickly pit and chop 4 large peaches in bitesize pieces and stir into the juice. Stir in ¾ cups sugar, bring to boil and cook on medium heat until the fruit is soft. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

          Serve in small bowls with a scoop of caramel-sea salt or other ice cream. Sprinkle with sweetened coconut and enjoy.

          Our dry September is likely to lead to an early turning of the leaves this fall. To quote the French novelist Albert Camus:” Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower." 

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)