Tortellini with Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms

From Andie Evans
Makes 8 main-course servings
Time: 50 minutes

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
1 lb. spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
1 8-oz. package sliced fresh crimini mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. chicken broth
1 16-oz. package dried tortellini with pesto filling or fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
1 5-oz. package fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage and mushrooms; saute until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.

Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

425 calories per serving

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

From Andie Evans

Makes 44 cookies

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

• Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Make sure to stir the glaze each time before applying. Dip the top of the cookie in the glaze, let the excess drip off and then flip and rest on cooling rack. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

Walnut Meltaways

From Andie Evans
Makes 4 dozen cookies

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. AP flour
1/2 c. ground walnuts
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus more for serving

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour and then the ground and chopped walnuts. Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a ball. Wrap separately in plastic and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Working with half of the chilled dough at a time while keeping the rest in the fridge, roll the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2-inch apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Transfer the sugar coated cookies to a rack to cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.) Sift additional powdered sugar over the cookies, if desired, before serving.

To make Joe-safe, use dairy-free butter.

Crown Roast of Lamb

From Andie Evans
Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 racks lamb, 6 to 8 ribs each, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 lbs each
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 to 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 to 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

If you're using American lamb, there's some prep involved. First remove the thick slab of fat (save it for stew) and the hard crescent-shaped piece of fat (throw this away, it's totally inedible). If you're using New Zealand or Australian lamb, these pieces have already been removed.

To french the racks of lamb: Make a cut on the fat side of the ribs, perpendicular to them, about 2 1/2 inches down from the rib ends. Cut through the fat down to the rib bones.

Turn the rack on end, with the bones facing up and push a knife through the flesh between each rib, using the initial cut as a guide for the knife. Cut down the side of each rib to remove the excess fat in between each rib. Using strong kitchen twine, wrap the twine around each rib at the base, nearest the meat and pull to remove all of the remaining fat and sinew from the rib bone. (Have the ribs placed so they curve upwards, it'll help to not be fighting gravity.)

Bend each rack into a semicircle and using kitchen twine tie them together at the base and center, in order to hold the racks together. The rib ends should be pushed outward to create the look of a crown.

Rub the lamb with the olive oil. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and coriander and press all over the lamb. Place the roast in a Bundt pan with the center of the pan coming up through the middle of the roast.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. This is approximately 8 to 12 minutes per pound. Remove from the oven, transfer the roast to a rack, cover with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for 20 minutes. While the meat is resting add the sherry vinegar, mustard and rosemary to the juices that accumulated in the Bundt pan while cooking. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Cut the string away from the roast and place cooked stuffing, rice or barley in the center if desired. Serve the warm sauce with the roast.

Vanilla Poached Pears

From Andie Evans

Makes 4 servings

1 750-ml bottle white wine, Riesling or Viognier

1 c. water

5 oz. vanilla sugar (approximately 3/4 cup)

1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped

4 firm Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled leaving the stem intact

Directions

Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.

Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.

Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.