Hot From The Kettle ®
The original Green Bean Casserole recipe was created by an employee of the Campbell Soup Company called Dorcas Reilly in 1955. The recipe consisted of Canned Green Beans, Canned Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Canned Fried Onions.
What foodies like me often forget is that the era of the New Frontier celebrated convenience and new technology;
Ingredients :
1 1/2 - 2 pounds frozen cut green beans (use fresh trimmed green beans when in season)
2 Tbs unsalted butter
10 oz sliced baby bella (the little portobella) mushrooms (see variation below)
3 Tbs minced shallots (if shallots are not available, finely diced onion works well)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Purslane
Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.
*Recipe Courtesy of Ryan DePersio owner of Fascino in Montclair, NJ
1 lb peekytoe crab meat
1 tb of sour cream
2 tb of lemon juice
1tb chopped tomato confit (Substitute Sun Dried Tomatoes)
5 leaves of basil julienned
salt and pepper to taste
10 zucchini flowers
Here's one of Grandma's more interesting staples - Peach Dumplings! What is a peach dumpling? It's not dessert; it's actually dinner.
In my experience, people either love them or hate them. I've been at the table with quite a few people who simply could not accept the sweetness of the peach for dinner.
Personnaly, I love peach dumplings and would gladly devour them as either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The warm peach, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar bread crumbs, and drizzled with butter is just heavenly.
Executing the dough takes a little bit of practice. If you attempt these, you must make sure to rice and not mash the potatoes, as the dough will become too "gummy." Also, do not attempt a short cut by using a stand mixer.
Recipe courtesy of Lou Palma - straight from Sant’ Agata via Montclair!
There are no quantities in this recipe. But because there’s no meat or eggs, you can taste until you’ve got the mixture to you’re liking. According to Lou, "you’re going for the right color."
Ingredients:
Stuffed Christmas Peppers
Cheese peppers, brined in vinegar
Old Italian bread, soaked and drained
Cured black olives, pitted
Capers, rinsed and chopped
Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
Vinegar peppers, chopped
Recipe courtesy of Chef Tre Ghoshal at Market in Montclair, NJ. 
Recipe courtesy of Chef Michael Couso at Richie Cecere's in Montclair, NJ. Chef suggests pairing this vegetable with Grilled Pork Chop with Apple Bacon Demi Glaze.