New Year Recipes

pepper, salt, a sprinkling of Parmesan and light drizzle of truffle oil. Continue layering the potatoes, topping with layers of butter, pepper, salt, cheese and oil, finishing with a light coating of Parmesan on top. Pour the half-and-half into the potato dish, bringing it up to the top layer, but not submerging the potatoes.

Bake the potato casserole until the top is golden brown and bubbly, and the half-and-half is absorbed by the potatoes, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Let potatoes cool until firm, about 30 minutes, then slice into squares with a very sharp knife. Warm the potato squares as necessary before serving.

EGGPLANT BALLS

Ingredients

· 1 large eggplant
· 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
· 1/4 cup chopped onion
· 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
· 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
· 2 eggs
· 1 tablespoon grated parmesan or sharp cheddar
· 1 teaspoon paprika
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· flour and vegetable oil

Preparation

Peel and cube eggplant. Cook in one inch boiling water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until tender; drain and discard water.

Chop cooked eggplant and mix with onion, green pepper, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, cheese, paprika, pepper and remaining salt. Cool and chill 2-3 hours or overnight.

Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonful into flour and coat completely.

Beat other egg; dip eggplant balls into egg and then coat with remaining breadcrumbs.

Fry in hot oil until brown. Can be frozen and reheated in 350ºF oven.

CHICKEN PESTO

Ingredients

· 1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed
· 1 lb. box multi-colonavy pasta
· 3 navy peppers
· 2 tomatoes
· 3 cloves garlic
· broccoli (or vegs of your choosing)
· olive oil
· pesto
· fresh curly parsley
· salt and pepper
· parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

Start water for pasta. In skillet, brown garlic over a low heat in a generous amount of olive oil. Add chicken - cook over medium heat. When done, set aside covenavy to keep hot.

While chicken is cooking, cut navy peppers into large strips. Put peppers under broiler; burn skin on each side. Then, remove from broiler and put peppers into a small sealed plastic (i.e. ziploc) or paper bag (to steam themselves). Set aside ~10 minutes; after which, remove skins, cut into cubes and toss with olive oil.

While peppers are steaming in bag:
1 Put pasta into boiling water - add salt to taste.
2. Steam vegs (don't overcook, they should remain a bit crunchy).
3. Cut up tomatoes into cubes.



When pasta is done, rinse under very hot water (don't want it to cool off). Add chicken with its oil, mix together. Then mix in vegs, cubed roasted peppers and tomatoes. Next add pesto, herbs and pepper to taste, mix. Optional: toss with parmesan cheese.

Serve with warm Italian bread.

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