Food for Thought-Sausage, Zucchini and Pasta

It's been more than a year since I've posted a recipe. I cook a lot and am always trying new recipes or putting my own ideas together. Some are certainly better than others, but this is a real keeper. I put this dish together for the first time last night, and it was so good, I had to share it.

Paul never complains about anything I cook, although he does sometimes say I cook too much or too many vegetables. His usual comment is, You cook it, I'll eat it. But last night he pronounced this meal delicious. I have to agree. I absolutely love one-dish meals. This went into a nice big pasta bowl and looked very colorful. I forgot to take a picture of it. Next time.

We liked it so much I can't wait to try it again. I'm sure I'll make some changes but this is how I did it last night. It was really easy. Most of the work was in the chopping of the vegetables.

SAUSAGE, ZUCCHINI AND PEPPER PASTA

• 8 oz. pasta, fusili, penne, ziti, bowties are all good
• 1/2 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage. (I used sweet and just increased the ground black and crushed red pepper flakes. It was just spicy enough.)
• red or yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian spices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup Marsala wine
• 2 peppers red, yellow or green, whatever you prefer, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup blanched green peas
• Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook sausage until brown. Remove from pan. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.
3. Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and transparent. Add the Italian spices, salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, 1/2 of the wine, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and saute until tender. Add remaining wine and chicken stock and cook until liquid has reduced to a thick sauce, about 20 minutes.
4. After sauce has reduced, add cooked sausage and thawed peas to the sauce and stir to heat through.
5. Toss pasta with the sauce to coat evenly. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Makes about 3 servings.

Italian bread and a salad and you've got an easy meal! Enjoy!

Food for Thought--Roasted Red Pepper Puree

It's been weeks since I've done a food post. During the summer I don't cook much, just mostly grilling and salads.

Fall has arrived and that gets me thinking about harvesting my basil for pesto. I've been really concentrating on buying my produce from local farm stands but yesterday at the grocery store I found red peppers in the "slightly used" section, as my mother used to call it. I don't like to buy produce already wrapped (I want to pick the three peppers I WANT not the three they want to package together) but this was different.

The price was about $1 a pound for these beauties. I bought about 9# of red peppers with the idea of roasting them and making puree to freeze. When I got them home I was surprised that they weren't really in bad shape. Some would have still been salad quality.

I've always roasted peppers over the gas grill but I recently found a recipe for doing it in the oven. So here's the directions and how mine turned out.

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a roasting pan with enough foil to later fold over the top. Place the peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until the peppers collapse, about 40-50 minutes.

2. Fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool. Remove the core, skin, and seeds from each of the peppers, reserving some of the liquid. I just put the peppers into a colander with a bowl below it to catch the liquid.

3. Place the pepper slices in the container of a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add a large pinch of salt and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, then taste and add more salt and/or olive oil if necessary.

After doing the batch in the pictures, I also roasted a few on the grill after cutting the tops off and coring them. I put them into a big paper bag to cool before peeling. I still like that way better but if you don't have a grill handy or just want to do it in the house, the oven worked fine. Next time I could core them first before putting them into the oven.

From my 9# of peppers I got about 2 1/2 quarts of puree.

Here are some ideas for how to use it:

• Add a couple of tablespoons to the cooking liquid of any simmering grain - rice, couscous, or quinoa, for example.


• Use in place of or with tomatoes in pasta sauce. For example, saute several vegetables and bind them with purée during the last minute of cooking.


• Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs, with or without cooked vegetables.


• Combine with basil, grated Parmesan, and garlic for a pesto-like pasta sauce.


• Emulsify with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make a beautiful salad dressing.


• Spread on crostini, bruschetta, or pizza before baking.


• Use as a finishing sauce for roasted eggplant, zucchini, or other vegetables.


• Serve as a condiment with grilled or roasted fish, meat, or chicken.


• Stir into soups or stews just before serving.


• Mash a couple of tablespoons of purée with a little olive oil, minced garlic, and cracked black pepper, into fresh, salty cheese - such as feta or goat - to make a dip for bread or vegetables.

Here's what I ended up with.

You will see that I use all sorts of glass jars recycled from my kitchen. I know I could use canning jars and I have boxes of them but I like to freeze different portions and this just works well for me.

Enjoy!

Food for Thought--Tomato Pie

Today's Food for Thought is provided by guest blogger Ella of Jar Jam Boogie

She wrote.....

Tomato Pie
From More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

Here's a great summer recipe that uses up your bumper crop of tomatoes. This is how it appears in the book, followed by my notes on what I do differently.

For the Crust:

2 c all purpose flour
1 stick cold butter
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 c milk or buttermilk or a combo of the 2

Combine baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives or your fingers till mixture resembles oatmeal. Add milk and mix just till it holds together, turn onto floured board and knead a few times, but don't overwork. Divide dough in half. Roll one half and line a 9" pie plate with it.

Add 2 lbs peeled fresh tomatoes (about 6 or so large tomatoes) or a 28 oz can and a 12 oz can well drained canned tomatoes and scatter over the top:

chopped fresh basil or chives or scallions (amount to taste)
1 and 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Drizzle with 1/3 c mayonnaise that's been thinned with a little lemon juice

Roll out remaining dough and cover pie, seal edges and crimp, cut a few steam vents and bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes till bubbly.

Cool slightly and serve hot, warm or at room temp.

Ella says:

What I do differently:

Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons sugar to the dough.
Use basil AND scallions or oregano or whatever I have on hand. You can use dried herbs, but it is NOT the same.
Sprinkle the tomatoes, if they're fresh, with a little sugar.
Add 1/4 c finely chopped red onion.

Put a layer of cheese down on the bottom first on the dough before the tomatoes (I used brie once on the bottom and cheddar on the top and it was heavenly). Then the tomatoes, basil and remaining cheese. I've skipped the mayo and don't notice it's absence.

It really is so fabulous hot out of the oven when the crust is not soggy and the cheese melted, but it's great even the next day zapped in the microwave. Store any leftovers in the 'fridge. Drain any juices in the pan before I put it away.

I would seriously recommend this author to you. Her fiction is OK, but the two collections of food essays are wonderful reading. They are Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. Check 'em out.

Sandy says:

Thanks, Ella! I'm not much of a pastry cook so I might use store-bought crust but I might try making a pie crust again for this recipe. It sounds fabulous!


Image from Google Images

Food for Thought--Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

Now that all our gardens are bursting with fresh tomatoes and basil (that's about all I plant) I'll be looking around for new ways to use them. My absolutely favorite way to enjoy tomatoes and basil is a basic Caprese Salad which is simply fresh mozzarella, basil tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I could literally eat that three times a day and have. In the hotels in Italy that feature buffet breakfasts there's always fresh mozzarella & tomatoes available, and I seriously had them for breakfast several times when I was there.

Today's recipe is simple but a bit elegant. It smells wonderful while cooking and keeps the heat in the kitchen down to a minimum. It also goes together in less than 30 minutes.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

2 tsp olive oil

Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1# medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups chopped plum tomato or whatever you have growing
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 tbls capers, drained (optional, I don't always use them)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or to your taste
4 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta (about 8 oz. uncooked)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato and basil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until tomato is tender. Stir in kalamata olives, capers, and black pepper. Combine shrimp mixture and pasta in a large bowl; toss well. Top with cheese.

Serves 4 Enjoy!

Food for Thought--Baby Spinach Salad

Baby Spinach Salad With Creamy Dijon Dressing

Prep: 10 minutes

This tangy dressing works well on any greens and can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Ingredients
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lo-fat or fat-free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, sliced, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 medium red onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 ripe diced peeled avocado

Preparation
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients (through Worcestershire sauce). Refrigerate dressing until ready to serve. (The dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
2. When you're ready to serve the salad, place the spinach in a large salad bowl. Top with the bell pepper, onion, and avocado pieces. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss together gently to combine.

Makes 5 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups salad and 2 tablespoons dressing)

Enjoy!

Food for Thought-Peanut Butter Cake

Thought it was time for a dessert. This is my mother's recipe and it probably dates back to the 1950's. I used to have a copy in her handwriting but somewhere along the way I typed it and discarded the original. Wish I still had it; she used to have beautiful handwriting.

This was also my father's favorite dessert so it seems appropriate since Father's Day just passed. Happy Father's Day a little late, Dad. Miss you!

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

This makes a very moist, dense cake. This is the original frosting recipe but you might use a chocolate frosting for something different.

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together:
2 1/8 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Add:
1/3 cup soft shortening
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk

Beat 2 minutes

Add:
2 eggs

Beat 2 minutes

Pour into greased pan. Bake layers 25-30 minutes. Square, oblong or Bundt pan 35-40 minutes. And you MUST test its doneness the old-fashioned way.....use a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, you're done!

FROSTING

Peanut butter
Canned evaporated milk
Sugar

Because it's an old recipe there were never exact measurements for the frosting ingredients. Just start out with a small can of milk and gradually add the peanut butter and suger to taste. Mix ingredients together until very smooth and thin. Drip over cake as thick as desired. Enjoy!

Come on, Dish!!

Last week's Food For Thought was a recipe for Chicken Francaise from my friend, Rich Epstein, Residential Properties' Coach Extraordinaire. When I sent Rich a link to my post I got this message back:

When I was a young, single man, I had one dish I used to cook for potential girlfriends. Having spent from 16 through most of college working in restaurants in various positions I picked up a few pointers. Only if I thought the girl had “girlfriend potential” did I make the meal my sister lovingly refers to as the “Classic Meal for Babes” which consisted of:

Stuffed mushroom appetizer.
Caesar salad.
Veal Francaise with a creamy dill sauce.
My mother’s recipe for garlic bread sticks.
Something store bought for dessert – not a baker.

I thought that was a pretty nice menu. It would have impressed me! Rich's email got me thinking back to the first meal Paul ever cooked for me. It was a freshwater salmon that he caught at Big Lake in Grand Lake Stream, Maine. He had spent Memorial Day weekend fishing at a buddy's cabin and brought the salmon home. I don't remember the recipe other than that it was done in foil in the oven. But I do remember thinking "this one's a keeper" the guy, not the fish!

So now I want to know who remembers that very first meal that your significant other prepared for you? Or how about the most romantic dinner ever prepared for you? Everyone must have a story. Come on, share! Leave me a comment with the details.


Image from Google Images

Food for Thought--Chicken Francaise

This week's Food for Thought is coming to us courtesy of my friend, Rich Epstein, Corporate Trainer and Coach Extraordinaire for Residential Properties Ltd.

CHICKEN FRANCAISE

1 lb. skinless-boneless chicken breast
1 egg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Bread crumbs (plain)
Grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick butter
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
2 tsp. parsley
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. chicken broth

Slice chicken as cutlets or strips. Beat together with fork, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Mix plain bread crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese (1 part cheese to 2 parts crumbs). Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then in bread crumbs mixture. Brown in oil. Set aside in baking dish.

For sauce: melt together 1 stick of butter and juice of 1 1/2 lemons. Add 3 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste), 2 teaspoons parsley, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 cup chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes; strain if desired. Pour over chicken in baking dish.

Bake covered 40 minutes and then uncovered 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve chicken over rice. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Food for Thought--Sweet & Sour Shrimp

This is a quick meal to prepare, about 15 minutes if the shrimp is thawed, but it seems like it took longer.

SWEET & SOUR SHRIMP

Total time: 15 minutes

1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbls chili sauce
1 tbls soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (or more to taste)
Cooking spray
2 tsp sesame or olive oil
1 medium red or green pepper, coarsely chopped
½ medium onion, sliced
¾ pound peeled & deveined medium-size uncooked shrimp

Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple chunks aside. Combine reserved pineapple juice, cornstarch, chili sauce, soy sauce & garlic; set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet or wok with cooking spray and add oil. Place over medium-high heat until hot. Add pepper and onion, stir-fry 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp, stir-fry 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

Stir cornstarch mixture and pineapple chunks into shrimp & vegetables. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened and bubbly. Serve immediately over rice. Great with steamed snow peas.

Serves 2-3. Enjoy!



Image from Google Images

Food for Thought----Pan-Roasted Salmon and Tomatoes

Married nearly 25 years, Paul and I have this agreement, I cook it, he eats it. Honestly, he's not a fussy eater and has always been a fairly easy person to cook for. He has a few things he doesn't like (such as green vegetables) but I pretty much just ignore that and cook what I want to and with few exceptions, he eats it. Never much of a fish eater, over the years he has come to appreciate fish a little more and not just what he's dragged out of a lake and thrown into a pan. Here's one of our favorites.

Pan-Roasted Salmon and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds salmon steaks, about 3/4 inch thick

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Dredge the fish in the flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the fish and brown about 3 minutes on each side. Carefully lift the fish out of the skillet and set it aside on a platter; sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 3 minutes

Reduce heat to low and return the fish to the pan. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork or the tip of a knife. Remove the fish to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Increase heat to high, add the basil, and reduce the sauce, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings Enjoy!


Image from Google Images

Food for Thought

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

PREP: 25 minutes
Grill: 9-12 minutes

1 medium eggplant ( about 1½#) cut lengthwise into 4 slices
1 T plus 1 t olive oil
½ t salt
¼ t ground black pepper
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices

1. Lightly brush eggplant slices with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In small bowl, mix mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and basil; set aside.

2. Place eggplant slices on grill over medium heat. Cook 8-10 minutes, until tender and lightly browned, turning once. Top eggplant slices with tomato slices and cheese mixture. Cover grill and cook 1-2 minutes until cheese melts and tomato slices are warm.

Make 4 main-dish servings

Enjoy!

Image from Google Images

Food for Thought--Perfect Pheasant

I've already told you that Paul is a hunter. He and Rosey, our Golden Retriever, annually bring home several pheasants for the freezer. The birds are pen-raised and released over the course of the season. Because they are fed corn they do not have a 'gamey' taste but are a cross between turkey and Cornish Game hens in my opinion. Over the years I have tried many different ways of cooking pheasant. Best cooked slowly and in moisture, here is one of our favorites. Pheasant in the slow cooker, with white wine and garlic, along with other seasonings. You could also substitute chicken or other poultry.


Perfect Pheasant
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 pheasants, cut into serving size pieces
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 tbsp. oil
4 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup Sauterne or dry white wine
1 tbsp. sugar
1 sm. can chopped mushrooms or 1 cup thickly sliced fresh
1 small can sliced black olives
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

PREPARATION:

Dredge pheasant meat in seasoned flour, shake off excess flour. Saute in shortening and butter. Remove pheasant to slow cooker or roasting pan. Mash garlic clove in skillet juices, add onion, wine, sugar, mushrooms, olives, and broth.

Heat to bubbling and simmer five minutes. Pour over pheasant. Heat in slow cooker/Crock Pot on low 5-6 hours or in covered roasting pan at 325 degrees for at least 1 1/2 hours. I prefer the slow cooker/Crock Pot method as it's a long slow cooking and mingles the flavors better. The meat will cook to the point of falling off the bone.

Serve with wild rice. Enjoy!

Image from Google Images

Food For Thought

Although I don't have enough time to really put into it, I love to cook! So I thought if I committed to posting a recipe a week, I might be motivated to try some new things and to share what I call "tried and true" recipes.

Like so many of you I have shelves and shelves of cookbooks. Maybe NOT like you, I hardly look at them any more. With the Internet there almost seems no need for cookbooks. Google an ingredient that's getting ready to become a science experiment in the fridge and get 100,000 hits of how to cook it! Lately when I am looking for an idea I find I need at least 3 different recipes to make one dish.

So here's my first offering. Might as well make it a simple one. Since fresh asparagus is plentiful and not too pricey right now we'll start with:

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Serves 6

1 1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, trimmed

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spread asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast the asparagus in the upper third of the oven until the spears are tender when pricked with a tip of the knife; about 10 to 12 minutes depending on their thickness. Move the spears around a couple times during roasting. Remove baking sheet from oven.

Immediately place the butter on a corner of the hot baking sheet to melt with tongs, transfer the asparagus to a serving platter. Pour melted butter over the asparagus and serve. Enjoy!

Image from Google Images