Recipe(tried): Chicken with Bell Pepper and Onion Confit, Broccoli and Spinach Gratin, Tomatoes Caprese Salad, Ruth's Rugelach

Good Morning,

Here is another delicious sounding recipe from Bon Appetit magazine that I have decided to make. Yesterday's meal was superb and a keeper!! It was a fun recipe to make and it did not take too long to assemble.

The great thing about all of these recipes is that they are from excellent restaurants all over the U.S. If you can't be there, this is the next best thing....

Happy Cooking!!! Gina

The Menu:

Chicken with Bell Pepper and Onion Confit
Broccoli and Spinach Gratin
Tomatoes Caprese Salad
Ruth's Rugelach

The Recipes:

Chicken with Bell Pepper & Onion Confit
Fringale, San Francisco
Bon Appetit, Sept. 2001
serves 4

3/4 cup plus 7 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, very thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Heat 3/4 cup oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add onions and saute for 3 min. Add bell peppers, garlic, thyme and sugar and saute 5 min. Reduce heat to med-low and cover and cook til vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally and cook for about 15 min. Drain confit and discard oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Puree 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture, lemon juice and 5 Tbsp. oil in blender til smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made a day ahead also.

Preheat oven to 400. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Coat in flour, shake off excess. Saute chicken in skillet until golden about 1 minute per side. Transfer skillet to oven and bake chicken until cooked through, turning once, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, rewarm bell pepper confit over med heat. Stir sauce over low heat just until heated through. Spoon bell pepper confit onto 4 plates. Slice the chicken diagonally and place atop bell peppers. Drizzle sauce around chicken and serve.

Broccoli and Spinach Gratin
serves 6-8

3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 med. onion, chopped
3 tbsp. flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, drained and thawed
2 cups fresh raw broccoli, chopped coarse
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
8 oz. grated cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet and saute onion and garlic, when wilted and golden, add spinach and broccoli and blend well. Cool and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan and when melted add the flour to form a roux. Add to the veg mixture along with the cheeses, eggs and salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into a casserole dish. Bake 45 mts.

**To dress up this dish, remove dish from oven after 30 mts. and arrange sliced tomatoes on top, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake another 15 mts. YUM!!

Tomatoes Caprese Salad

2 ripe red tomatoes
4 basil leaves, cut in long strips
1 ball buffalo mozzarella cheese
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Slice tomatoes and slice mozzarella. Layer alternately and sprinkle the basil over. Sprinkel with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour covered.

Ruth's Rugelach
Makes 32 delicious cookies. These freeze well also.

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar for topping
Filling:
Stir together: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup seedless raisins, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts.

Cream butter and cream cheese. Beat in flour little by little. Knead dough til all flour is incorporated. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.

Divide dough into two balls. Wrap up 1 ball and refrigerate and roll out the other ball into a circle about 1/16 thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 pie shaped wedges. Sprinkle filling onto the top and roll up each wedge starting at wide end. Sprinkle with sugar and bake on cookie sheet for 15-18 mts. at 375.