In addition to all of the things that we do to protect the Neponset River, many NepRWA staff happen to be excellent cooks & bakers.  We hope you enjoy the following recipes, which were served at our holiday party in 2017:

Chris’ Baked Goat Cheese & and Roasted Cranberry Appetizer

1/3 cup unsalted almonds
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon thyme
10 ounces goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and pour the almonds into a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar and honey. Add the cranberries and thyme to the bowl and stir until they are covered by the liquid. Set aside for 5 minutes.

3. On a cutting board, chop up the almonds. Set aside 1/2 tablespoon chopped almonds and roll the goat cheese in the remaining almonds. Use your hands to mix the almonds into the goat cheese and form the goat cheese into a disc. Place the goat cheese in the center of a pie plate.

4. Pour the cranberry mixture around the cheese. Sprinkle the set aside almonds on top of the goat cheese.

5. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or bread.

Nancy M’s Chicken Cutlets w/ Artichokes, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Peppers (for a crowd)

5lbs boneless chicken breasts
4 eggs
Garlic powder (to taste)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Italian style breadcrumbs
Canola oil for frying
1 TBL butter
2 large onions – sliced
3 peppers (red, orange, yellow) – sliced
15oz jar marinated artichoke hearts – cut up
10oz jar sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Clean and thin slice 5lbs. of chicken.

2. Mix eggs, garlic powder, and parmesan.  Dip chicken in mixture to coat.

3. Press chicken in bread crumbs and cook in skillet with oil. Cut up chicken after it cools down.

4. Saute onions, peppers, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes in a tablespoon of butter.

5. Mixed the sauteed vegetables and chicken together. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top and place in oven to melt, 5-10 minutes at 350.

Annie’s Truffled Mac & Cheese

1 box of pasta (elbow or other favorite)
Truffle Flavored Olive Oil
2+ cups of shredded cheese (Consider mixing different types. Trader Joe’s has blend of mozzarella, asiago, parmesan, fontina, and Provolone.)
Baby Bella mushrooms (at least 2 cups chopped)
3 TBSP Butter
4 TBSP Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
Sour Cream
Fresh Thyme
1 Garlic Clove
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add a sprinkle of salt and a splash of the truffle olive oil. Once water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente (7 minutes for elbow pasta, check box for instructions for other types). Drain and set aside.

3. While this is happening, sauté the mushrooms. Wash and chop up mushrooms in to small pieces. Heat 2 TBSP of truffle olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add 1 minced clove of garlic and 3+ stems worth of thyme leaves to the oil. Add to mushroom to the pan, stirring and adding more oil as needed. Keep this on low-medium heat until the cheese sauce is done.

4. Make the cheese sauce. Start by melting 3 TBSP of butter and one TBSP of truffle olive oil. Slowly add up to 4 TBSP of flour until the mixture forms a smooth roux.

5. Slowly add 2 cups of whole milk to the mixture, then add 2 cups of shredded cheese to the mixture, whisking the whole time. Add a generous spoonful of sour cream the end. Add more milk/ cheese to get the consistency to where you want it.

6. Finally, add a TSP+ of salt, a TSP+ of pepper, a TSP of mustard, and more truffle olive oil to taste.

7. Stir the mushrooms into the cheese sauce.

8. Add the mushroom/cheese mixture to the pasta and stir a lot. Add more thyme!

9. To make the bread crumb mixture, combine ½ cup panko with a bit of truffle olive oil, more thyme, and parmesan cheese.

10. Top with the bread crumb mixture and sprinkle more cheese. Add whole thyme stems on top for flavor. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Kerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/4 C graham cracker crumbs (or ginger or chocolate wafer)
4 8oz packs of cream cheese, softened
1 1\2 C sugar
5 lg eggs
1/4 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
16 oz can pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 325.

1. Generously butter bottom and sides of 9” spring-form pan.

2. Sprinkle bottom and sides with graham crumbs. (Alternatively, create crust on bottom with graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press firmly on bottom of pan.)

3. Beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in flour, salt, pumpkin, and spices. Pour into pan.

4. Place pan in water bath to half way up side of pan. Bake for 90 min or until firm at sides and soft in the middle. Turn off oven and let cool for 30 min with oven door open.

5. Finish cooling at room temp on a rack before refrigeration. Serve with whipped cream.