​Butter goes into a skillet large enough to hold the breasts in one layer. They are sautéed for 3 minutes on each side then covered and cooked for an additional 5 minutes. The chicken is transferred to a hot serving platter and covered to keep warm. 
 
Into the skillet go the shallots for a brief sauté. Wine is added and brought to a boil. Both the corn kernels and mustard are stirred in followed by the cream and whisked until blended. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and add the chopped herb. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. 
 
This was a delicious summertime meal. The chicken remained juicy and tender in the quick cooking. The corn combined with the cream, shallots and mustard gave the sauce a delightful savory edge that played well against the sweetness of the corn. Too bad I didn’t try this dish sooner. 
 
As soon as the weather get cooler, my husband starts putting his request for fall/winter meals. He was craving stuffed peppers and it just happened that I had two red peppers from my Dreyer Farms CSA box. As the recipe called for just a pound of ground beef, I decided to make a few more stuffed peppers and went to Matts Farm Market and picked up Sun-Tanned Peppers (peppers are streaked red and green). 
 
For the recipe you’ll also need olive oil, fennel bulb or celery, a yellow onion, garlic cloves, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, dry white wine (could use chicken or vegetable broth), diced fire-roasted tomatoes, freshly ground black pepper, cooked white or brown rice, grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and shredded mozzarella (provolone or other semi-firm hard cheese would work).
 
The oven was preheated to 400° while I started cutting the peppers in half lengthwise and removed the seed and ribs. The peppers were then placed in a 9x13-inch baking dish. 
 
In a large skillet I added olive oil and finely chopped celery (what I had on hand) and onion in olive oil and cooked until tender. Next minced garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes are added and cooked until the garlic is fragrant. As it cooked, I used a silicone spoonula to break up the meat and stirred until it was no longer pink. White wine was added to the pan and the heat increased until the liquid reduced by half. This is followed by the tomatoes and their juices, salt and pepper and the mixture brought to a boil. The meat is distributed among the peppers and some additional wine is poured into the pan before it’s covered and baked until a knife can easily pierce the peppers. 
 
The cover is removed after approximately 35 minutes and shredded mozzarella is sprinkled on top and baked until the mozzarella melts and lightly browns. To serve, garnish with parsley if you like. 
 
This was a good recipe, however, my husband prefers his stuffed peppers with a slightly heavier tomato sauce. The fire-roasted tomatoes were a nice complement to the fillings’ ingredients.  I sent some extra peppers over to my son and daughter-in-law. My daughter-in-law said “the stuff peppers were so good.” 
 
Another recipe I prepared was Zucchini Butter Pasta, a recipe by Hetty McKinnon of The New York Times/NYT Cooking using zucchini from my CSA share. For the recipe you’ll also need extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, vegetable stock, fusilli or other short pasta, finely grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, fresh basil and toasted walnuts.
 
A few notes on ingredients, first, I used chicken stock as I keep a concentrated version in my refrigerator for when I need small quantities of stock. The sauce for this dish is made with shredded zucchini. Being lazy, I got out my Cuisinart and used the grater attachment. Some of the cooks commented using pistachios in place of walnuts and adding red pepper flakes.
 
The sauce begins by cooking the shredded zucchini and minced garlic with extra virgin olive in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; season with salt and pepper. The stock is added and the mixture is cooked until the zucchini is very tender and the stock reduced. Butter is added and stirred and seasoning adjusted. 
 
While prepping the sauce, you should have your pasta water started. Once the pasta is done, but before draining, reserve a cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, added back to the pot and stir in cheese and lemon juice, if needed, add some of the pasta cooking water; adjust seasoning. To serve, garnish with EVOO, toasted walnuts (I mixed mine into the pasta), torn basil leaves and Parmesan cheese. 
 
This was a wonderful pasta recipe. The sauce was light and the bit of lemon juice really brightened the flavors. One can ever have enough cheese and it made the sauce creamy. Overall, my red sauce loving husband and I enjoyed this preparation.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Corn and Shallots
“60-Minute Gourmet,” by Pierre Franey
The New York Times, August 7, 1985

Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large ears of corn
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh chervil or parsley


Preparation

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Cut the kernels from the ears of corn. There should be about 1 cup. Set aside.
3. Heat butter in a skillet large enough to hold the breasts in one layer. Add the chicken, cook 3 minutes and turn. Cover and cook 5 minutes longer.
4. Transfer chicken pieces to a hot serving dish. To the skillet add shallots and cook briefly. Add wine and bring to boil. Add the corn and stir in mustard.
5. Add cream  and stir to blend. Bring to boil and add the chervil or parsley. Pour and scrape the sauce over the chicken pieces and serve. ​

​Stuffed Peppers
By Lindsey Heuck
The New York Times/NYT Cooking


Time: 1-1/4 hours
Servings: 6 to 8


Ingredients
4 large, red orange or yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb (about 1/2 a small bulb) or celery
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 small)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound ground beef (at least 15% fat), turkey chicken or pork
3/4 cup dry white wine, chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14-ounce) dan diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup cooked white or brown rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan 
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus more for serving (optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella, provolone or other semi-firm cheese


Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pepper sin half lengthwise and carefully remove core, seeds and ribs using a paring knife. Arrange the peppers, cut-side up, in a 9-by-13-inch pan or other baking dish in which they fit snugly.
2. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the fennel and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red-pepper flakes and cook until he garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 3 to 5 minutes, until no longer pink.
4. Add 1/2 cup wine, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, scraping bottom of pan, until the liquid in the pan is reduced by about half.
5. Add the tomatoes and their juices, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the rice, Parmesan and parsley is using. Taste and adjust seasonings.
6. Divide the mixture amount the peppers. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup wine into the bottom of the dish.
7. Wrap tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a paring knife easily pierces the peppers.
8. Remove the foil and spoon any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the pan onto the peppers.
9. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly onto the peppers and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is melted and beginning to brown. Allow the peppers to cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, if using and serve hot.

​Zucchini Butter Pasta
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
The New York Times/NYT Cooking


Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 pounds zucchini (about 4 medium) coarsely grated
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound fusilli or other short pasta
1-1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
3 tablespoon lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
Big handful of basil leaves, torn
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped


Preparation

1. Heat a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and add the zucchini and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Add the stock, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stock has reduced and the zucchini is very tender but not dry, 15 to 20 minutes. (There should still be a small amount of liquid.) Add the butter and stir until it is melted and zucchini has mostly broken down to form a thick, chunky sauce, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta an cook until al dente. Reserve 1-1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
4. Add the drained pasta, Parmesan and lemon juice to the zucchini and stir to combine, add some pasta cooking water to loosen it up. Taste and season again with salt and pepper.
5. To Serve, drizzle with olive oil, and top with more grated Parmesan, the basil and walnuts.