Sundried tomatoes are one of my favorite ingredients. Ever since college, when I first started making versions of sundried tomato pasta, I have been a huge, huge fan. So, whenever I see an alluring package of little, flat dried tomatoes, I have to buy them and use them. They are good in everything from pesto to foccacia to meatballs … and many things in between.

This past weekend, some good friends visited from New York and I wanted to make a few good dishes for them. But, the dishes needed to be mostly cook-ahead — I wanted to enjoy the company, not slave in the kitchen while they were there. On the menu was this spread: a high-flavor mix of white beans, sundried tomatoes, garlic and basil. Not only is it really tasty, but it’s also a cinch to make.

To make this, you start with some hot olive oil. Toss in some crushed garlic, chopped basil and chopped sundried tomatoes and let it simmer for a few minutes to bring out the flavor. I love the scent that is produced while the mixture is cooking. It’s positively intoxicating. Now, the sundried tomatoes I use are dry-packed. They’re simply my favorite — and I may or may not actually snack on them from time to time. Just sayin’.

Next, you toss the beans with the sundried tomato mixture — just enough to coat them. I use Great Northern beans in this recipe because I like the meaty taste of them. But if you prefer, you could use a different white bean.

Finally, everything gets poured into a food processor. Oil, tomatoes, garlic – the works. You whirl it around a bit until the beans are totally pulverized and it’s got an even, thick texture. Remember, this is a spread so it’s supposed to be pretty thick.

Transfer it to a bowl and serve it up with some thin slices of French bread. If you want, you can put some pretty basil leaves on top and drizzle it with a little (very good) olive oil, just before serving. Make sure you have a knife or spreader handy so everyone can help themselves.

What do you like to make when guests visit? Share in the comments!

Sundried Tomato Spread
serves 8 or more
Click here for the printable version on Tablespoon.com

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add garlic, basil and sundried tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Simmer for five minutes.

Add the beans and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until well combined.

Serve with thin slices of French bread.

Sometimes, the best dishes come out of error. While busy testing recipes this weekend, I had a thought to try serving the Key Lime shrimp that I was playing with over a quinoa dish. But once I tried to make said dish, my trusty supply of quinoa was nowhere to be found. (I later discovered it in the only cabinet that I didn’t check.) Not willing to be deterred, I grabbed Israeli couscous and used that instead.

You’ve probably already noted that there are no shrimp to be seen in this photo. No, I am not spreading the recipes out over two days. No, they weren’t so good that I didn’t photograph them. Quite the contrary – I intended for them to appear together but the recipe was an epic fail.

But that’s okay. The couscous – originally an afterthought – turned out to be a wonderful star of a dish. The creamy avocado goes so well with the soft, fluffy couscous. And the red peppers add a bit of sweetness and crunch to the dish. It’s subtly flavored, and so, so good. Will devoured a big bowl when I made it.

Eat this within a day of making it, since the avocado won’t last beyond then. But chances are that it won’t last that long anyway.

Avocado and Red Pepper Israeli Couscous
serves 4, as a side dish
Click here for the Printable Version at Tablespoon

1 3/4 cup water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup diced red pepper
2 tbsp key lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the water and olive oil in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 12 minutes or so, until the water is fully absorbed.

Add the avocado, red pepper, lime juice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Have leftovers? You can save this in a tightly covered container for up to one day.

A few years ago, I read a blog post where the author declared their undying love for sunchokes, aka Jerusalem artichokes. I’d never seen or heard of this … thing (not knowing what it was, I couldn’t decide if it was a vegetable or what). Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I discovered sunchokes for sale in a new local Whole Foods store. Of course I bought them right away and rushed home to cook them, right? Well, no. Actually, I made a mental note to purchase them next time and picked up my beloved daikon radishes instead.

Last week, I found myself back at the same Whole Foods and grabbed about a pound of sunchokes to try.

Sunchokes are a root vegetable that looks a lot like a potato with a hint of a knobby ginger root. Raw sunchokes are said to have the texture of water chestnuts, though I felt like it was little more like a raw radish (the red, round kind). When you cook them, they get creamy and smooth. The taste? They don’t have any overwhelming taste when raw (read: kind of bland) but when roasted, they take on a slight sweetness with hints of potato and artichoke heart. Actually, my husband and I agreed that the taste bears a stunning likeness to Terra chips.

I think the true test of a new food (and yes, this was a new food to me) is whether you would eat it again. I definitely will. And as with most veggies, they taste great when roasted. These will likely hit my table again this weekend.

Easy Roasted Sunchokes
serves 2

This recipe is a cinch to double or triple to serve more people.

1 lb sunchokes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Rinse the sunchokes under cold water, scrubbing lightly to remove any dirt. Cut into quarters and place onto the baking sheet. Don’t over-crowd them though, they need their space.

Drizzle the sunchokes with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring once or twice.

In a way, it’s kind of good that I didn’t know what it was when I first tried it because I might have been more reluctant to give it a shot. Really, it could have stopped me from enjoying this delightful vegetable. Yes, it’s true: Back when I was younger, I was admittedly less adventurous with eating.

Thankfully, I have wonderful friends who convinced me to try all sorts of new things. And most of the time, I ended up loving them. Except for the octopus … never again.

Anyway, this is about this beautiful, pearly colored radish. If you’ve never tasted one before, then you don’t know what you are missing. It’s unlike anything else: a little sweet, crisp and with this amazing freshness to it. Oh, I can’t say enough good things about daikon.

This Daikon Salad is easy peasy to make and only takes a little bit of chilling before it’s ready to enjoy. And enjoy you will! Try this salad alone, with shredded carrots and peanuts or even in a wrap with grilled chicken. It’s also delish served alongside dishes like pad thai or chicken satay.

So, how did the family like it? Well, Will adores it and could eat a whole batch himself (a boy after my own heart! I could too). However, Paige wasn’t a fan and my husband wouldn’t try it. But that’s okay: more for Will and I!

Are you a daikon fan?

Easy Daikon Salad
serves 4
Click here for the printable version of this recipe on Tablespoon.com.

2 cups julienne cut daikon radish (I used my food processor to cut it)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sweet rice wine (mirin)
OPTIONAL: crushed peanuts

Place the daikon in a colander/mesh strainer over a bowl or the sink and sprinkle with salt. Mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and then rinse well with cold water. Drain.

In a small saucepan, combine the seasoned rice vinegar, sugar and rice wine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves (this will only take a few minutes).

Transfer the daikon to an airtight container and pour the rice vinegar mixture over. Shake or stir well to combine. Chill for 20 minutes before serving.

This can store for up to a few days in the fridge, if it lasts that long. If desired, serve topped with crushed peanuts.

It’s really hard to believe that I went for so many years without ever tasting a single sweet potato. My mother didn’t like them, and by extension neither did I. As far as I can remember, I think I had my first one at about age 19 in the fry form (cause seriously, anything in the fry form has to be good, right?).

Since then, I have discovered that I adore the naturally sweet and moist flesh. It’s just so good. And sure, the traditional casserole is delicious, but it’s the sweet potatoes themselves, seasoned and roasted, that I really love. And as luck would have it, Shawn and our kids do too.

I’m fortunate to have a very adventurous eater in Will, who’s now nearly four and a half. He’ll try absolutely anything, and has even been the catalyst for me trying a few new things (anchovies? those were Will’s idea). Paige tends to be less adventurous on her own, but she adores her big brother and will eat anything he does.

What’s great about this recipe is that it’s really quick and easy to make. Prep takes just minutes and it’s out of the oven in about a half hour. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Do you have kids? What kind of eaters are they (adventurous, cautious, etc)? Share in the comments!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
serves 4

1 very large sweet potato or two smaller ones, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray it with cooking oil spray and set aside.

Cut the sweet potato into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes and place into a large boil. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cinnamon, paprika and salt. Pour over the sweet potatoes and stir to coat. Pour the potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring/turning once or twice.

Serve hot from the oven, with a sprinkle of sea salt (if desired).

What I am cooking with: a large metal mixing bowl, a silicone spatula from Williams-Sonoma for stirring, Circulon 11-by-17-Inch Metal Cookie Pan and a metal slotted spoon for turning the potatoes

Today is a special day. It’s Sarah’s Cucina Bella’s birthday!

It was four years ago today that I sat down at my computer, opened a Blogger account and started writing Cucina Bella. Back then, I didn’t think much about how long I would be writing this blog for. Perhaps it would be weeks, perhaps months–but I never imagined that it would be four virtually nonstop years. And now, I can’t imagine stopping.

That first day, I agonized. First, it was over what to name my space. I wanted to find just the right name, something that fit me and my style, my personality and my cooking. Finally, I decided on Cucina Bella … it sounded rustic, but trustworthy. And, since my kitchen was the first space in our house that we completed, it seemed perfect.

Then there was the matter of the first post. It was one of the most frightening writing experiences ever. I’ve always been a bit of a worrier, playing out thousands of scenarios in my head before anything even happens. This was so different. My thoughts were just on fire. What if I did it wrong? What if I made an error? What if it was just awful?? I wrote and rewrote, hesitating at every word. Was it enough? Was it right? Was I proud of it? But the worst was the actual hitting of the publish button. After years in the publishing industry, I was used to having layers of editors and paginators between me and the published word … but with blogging, there are no layers. There is just you. And to me, that was scary.

I didn’t even tell anyone I was blogging for at least a month … and then it was literally years before my family found out and started to read it. I think I really wanted to find my footing in this really uncertain world. And I did.

So much has changed since those first entries. My infant son, who was just a few months old, is now a four-year-old boy. I landed an amazing publishing job, had a daughter and decided to go back to freelancing. I’ve landed other fabulous jobs since then.

And on a grander scale, food blogging has changed a lot since 2005. Back then, there were far less food blogs out there. It was a smaller community, where many people knew each other. These days, there are just too many to know every food blogger. I am constantly discovering great new ones. Aren’t you?

Oh, four years. Thank you all for reading! I hope you keep coming back for many years to come.

After the jump, check out my recipe for Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Mash–perfect for any night of the week and totally kid-friendly.

Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Mash
serves 4

This acorn squash is sweet and rich. Best of all, it’s super easy. My son eats as much as he can get out of the shell — so that’s a testament to how kid-friendly this is. Serve it in the squash shell, and it looks pretty impressive too.

2 acorn squash
4 pats of butter, divided
4 tsp maple syrup, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside. Place the squash cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the squash over. Place 1 pat of butter and 1 tsp of maple syrup in each hollow. Return to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.

Remove the squash from the oven. Use a fork to scrape the flesh from the shell gently. Mash together with the liquid in the center. Serve inside the shell.

Remember recently when I told you about the fabulous Eggplant Parmesan that I made using Maris’ awesome (and healthier!) recipe. It was so good that I bought more eggplant at the farmers market. I also picked up some green tomatoes to try out an idea I have for a healthier fried green tomato recipe.

Unfortunately, it was an unbelievably busy week (I was working on a big project, which went live today) and before I knew it, my lovely green heirlooms were ripening. Yea, whoops. So I had to get creative. Using the method from my Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes, I drew out the sweetness in the tomatoes in the oven. Then I used the method for roasting the eggplant from Maris’ recipe to roast lovely eggplant.

Roasted veggies … yum. I could have easily tossed them with pasta and a spritz of lemon and called it a day. And that would have been absolutely delish. But no, I wanted bigger, better … I wanted pie.

Fortunately, I always keep frozen pie crusts around just in case (what, doesn’t everyone?). My fav is the Oronoque Deep Dish crust. It works equally well for sweet apple pies as it does for savory pies like this one.

So, back to the dish at hand … Into a deep pie crust went a thick layer of ricotta, followed by eggplant, tomato and mozzarella … and another layer of eggplant, tomatoes and cheese for posterity.

Seriously, how can you go wrong with that combination? The result was a satisfying dish that my kids loved — they scarfed down bite after bite. And as an added bonus, it reheats really well.

What would you have done with the eggplant and tomatoes?

Psst! Did you notice that live links are now showing up in pink? Hopefully that modification will make viewing and clicking a little easier here. Special thanks to Maddie from Better in Pink for making it happen.

Tomato and Eggplant Pie
serves 6

1 deep dish frozen pie shell
1 cup ricotta
1 large egg
1/2 grated Romano cheese
1 batch roasted tomatoes (click here for the recipe)
1 lb eggplant, roasted (use the method in this recipe)
3/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the frozen pie shell (in its tin) on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the ricotta, egg and Romano until smooth. Spread into the pie shell, making one even layer.

Layer one-half of the tomatoes on top of the ricotta mixture. Then, top with one-half of the eggplant slices (you may have to overlap them slightly). Top with 1/4 cup of mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, eggplant and 1/2 cup of cheese, reserving one tomato slice for the top of the pie.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let sit five to 10 minutes before slicing. Use a really sharp knife to cut into six even slices.

Oh, dear roasted tomatoes, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways …

I could wax poetic about these slow roasted plum tomatoes for hours on end. They are sweet and tender, soft and perfect. And, yes, I ate the whole batch myself. In a day. They were just that good.

Tomatoes are part and parcel with summer. They scream of cool salads on hot summer evenings and sweet bites to snack on. But this summer wasn’t prolific with the ‘natos here. Late blight robbed Connecticut of most of the tomato crop. It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that I finally spotted boxes of tomatoes. So, the first time I spotted plum tomatoes, I bought a bunch and rushed home to slow roast them.

Oh, were they fantastic. So fantastic that I bought more plum tomatoes in New Jersey and made them again.

You start with bright, brilliant, fresh tomatoes, sliced thinly and layered on a baking sheet. I let mine overlap slightly so I can fit the maximum amount on the tray.

Then they cook slowly, at a low temperature, shrinking as the juices evaporate. If you are lucky, some firm up like sun-dried tomatoes with really concentrated sweetness. Those ones I like to swipe from the tray before they can even get to the fridge. But once in the fridge, they get that little extra boost from the drizzle of balsamic vinegar … oh, it’s fab.

Here’s to hoping there are some sundried tomatoes at the farmers’ market this weekend …

Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes

6-8 plum tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried basil
dried oregano
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil (alternately, spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray).

Slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and place on the baking sheet in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with olive oil (go light!). Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Cook for 2 1/2- 3 hours until the tomatoes are shrunken and darker in color.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, transfer to a storage container and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar (seriously, I do mean a little). Close the container and shake lightly. Store in the refrigerator.

NOTE: These tomatoes have many uses. Eat them alone. Put them on crackers with a sliver of cheese (think Romano or asiago). Chop them and add to pasta. Spread pesto on bread and lay a tomato and fresh mozzarella on top.

It’s hard to believe that summer vacation is past tense and summer, the season, is soon coming to a close. I had really high hopes for this summer. There were thoughts of visiting lesser known museums and parks around Connecticut, spending lots of time on the shoreline and a daytrip to Mystic (for Will to see the boats and me to eat lobster rolls). I wanted to create a summer to-do list of things to see, eat and do … but none of that happened.

Summer got off to a slow start though, with car troubles and job troubles. But we rebounded and made the most of the time we had. It was wonderful to go camping (Will’s favorite memory from that: Roasting marshmallows – me too!). While we didn’t spend as much time beaching it as I would have liked, we did have a few glorious beach days. Sometimes, quality is better than quantity. There were weekends dotted with berry picking and farmers markets. Afternoons on the swings and running around the yard. Gardening. It was a relaxing summer overall, and I am happy with all the great things we did. For the uber-do-it-all summer, there is always next year.

One thing that was languishing on the mental list though was eggplant parmesan. It’s been years – YEARS – since I last had it. In fact, I remember clearly the (pretty much only) two times I ate it. The second time, my mother tried to pass it off as chicken parm, but the eggplant had big, noticeable seeds. I was horrified and swore it off.

But I have become more open to retrying things in recent years. Last year, I gave eggplant another shot and found that I sort-of liked it. This year, I wanted to do better.

So, when I saw the recipe for eggplant parmesan on In Good Taste, a delicious food blog written by my friend Maris, I had to make it. The eggplant is baked instead of fried, but it still has a hearty layer of breadcrumbs (minus the egg and oil!). I was concerned that the cheese in the recipe wouldn’t be enough for me, but it was the perfect amount. In fact, Will and Paige both gobbled up big portions.

It does take a little while to make, but you could easily prep the eggplant ahead of time. Serve it up with a big green salad (I’d suggest my basil vinaigrette to dress it!) and some buttery garlic bread. It’s perfect comfort for the end of a cold day (and geesh, is today cold here in New England, or what??).

Click here to head over to In Good Taste for the recipe. You won’t be disappointed.

It all started with the cabbage I’ve been growing. It was taunting me and I knew it was time to finally — finally — use it. Then the beets in the back of my fridge gave me a nudge. Before I knew it, I was writing a list of ingredients and trying to figure out how much dressing I would really need.

The result was the salad you see above. It’s light and refreshing, unexpected but delicious. The raw beets add a nice punch of color, flavor and snap. The vinaigrette is neither too acidic nor too meek. It adds just the right balance to the other flavors.

When I made this, it was to share. I intended it for our camping trip, another family’s camping trip and my newest neighbor. The recipe made plenty, and since it wasn’t a mayo-based dressing, this slaw stood up better to the challenges of chilling in a cooler. It remained crisp and perfect. I imagine this would be great for a backyard barbecue too (Labor Day is coming!).

Perhaps the greatest endorsement though? I gave Will and Paige each a taste before packing up our portion of the slaw. Paige stood next to me, chewing and then opening her mouth to demand more on repeat until I finally laughed and said we really needed to go. She just couldn’t get enough.

Vinaigrette Beet Slaw
serves 12

1 large green cabbage (10-12 inches in diameter)
1 small red cabbage (4-6 inches in diameter)
1 lb beets, scrubbed, peeled and ends removed
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used purple basil, but regular basil works just as well)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt

Special equipment: Full size food processor

Using a large, full-size food processor, shred the cabbages and beets. Transfer to a very large bowl (you need room to stir) and use a large spoon to mix the cabbages and beets together.

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, parsley, basil, garlic and salt. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir well. Then transfer to airtight containers until ready to serve (be sure to evenly distribute the juices at the bottom of the bowl between the storage containers. Chill.

Stir well before serving.