Zuppa Toscana, February 24, 2016

We went from no snow at all this morning to probably 6 inches this afternoon. On such a snowy day, it's lovely to have hot soup for dinner. Luckily, I had a copycat of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana slated for tonight. I served it along with some Texas garlic toast and clementines. Very simple, very satisfying. You can make this healthier by subbing veggie crumbles for the sausage and skim milk for the cream. To make it vegetarian, just use all veggie broth with veggie crumbles replacing the sausage.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. hot sausage

1 lb. regular sausage

56 oz. chicken broth 

14 oz. beef broth

16 oz. whipping cream

6 or 7 potatoes, sliced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bunch green kale, chopped

Brown the sausages. In a soup pot, mix broth and cream. Heat until almost boiling, stirring often. Add everything but kale. Cover & simmer on low about 45 minutes. Add kale and cook another 5-10 minutes, to wilt kale. Serves 4-6. 

Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash, August 6, 2015

When I make breakfast for dinner, it's usually pretty straightforward---eggs (fried, scrambled, or omelet), sausage or bacon, toast, fruit. However, the other night, I went to a bit more trouble and made a sausage & sweet potato hash with fried eggs (that, sadly, I cooked too hard---ah, well), toast, and cantaloupe slices. It was fab! I might try the hash with chorizo next time. I served it with some jarred tomatillo salsa, which was a great complement.

Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

1 lb. breakfast sausage, browned

2 bell peppers, chopped (I used one green and one red)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tsp. cumin

Salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Cook the peppers, onions, & garlic in the sausage grease (plus extra oil, if needed) until tender. Add sausage & sweet potatoes, along with the cumin, salt, & pepper. Cook about 5 minutes. Serves 4-6. 

Sausage Rolls, July 28, 2015

My darling got in fairly late last night, so I made sure to have something good for her to munch on immediately when she got in, a platter of baby carrots (Bunny Luv, my favorite brand), cauliflower, & broccoli with garlic anchovy dip. After she finished some more work, we settled in to the rest of the meal, sausage rolls and corn on the cob (cooked in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes). I have traditionally made pigs in blankets with hot dogs and bread dough, so it was fun to mix it up a bit with smoked sausage & puff pastry. I would definitely try that again! It was a great summer meal and pretty dang easy! The dip is very, very garlicky, so beware if you're not a huge fan of the stuff. We both really love it! And don't be afraid of the anchovies. You can definitely taste them, but it's certainly not super-fishy. I was inspired for these recipes by Pippa Middleton's Celebrate cookbook, but have altered them. The cookbook is full of great seasonal menus & recipes, as well as a whole bunch of fun ideas and gorgeous pictures.

Garlic Anchovy Dip

4 cloves garlic

2 oz. can flat anchovies, drained

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

Whizz the garlic and anchovies into a paste in a mini food processor. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Serve with veggies!

Sausage Rolls

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

4 smoked sausages (the size of hot dogs)

Ketchup, mustard, apricot jam/mango chutney/orange marmalade (optional)

1 egg yolk

A little bit of water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface & roll out to make it slightly larger. Cut into 8 rectangles. Spread 4 with a little bit of whatever condiments you like or leave plain---I put apricot jam on one for Jeannene to try (she loved it), then had ketchup & mustard on the table for dipping. Center a sausage on those 4 rectangles. Mix the egg yolk and water. Brush the edges of the pastry with the mixture, then top with a second pastry rectangle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Press edges together & crimp with a fork to seal. Prick the top pastry of each and brush with the rest of the egg mixture. Bake about 20 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned. Serves 2-4. 

Sausage & Potato Stew, January 26, 2015

Jeannene decided she'd like to come to the gym with me in the evening to check it out, so I made a simple meal that was easy to get ready by the time she got home from work, just a pot of sausage & potato stew and some Pugliese bread. We like to swim and we're wimps about the cold, so it seemed like a good idea to have something that would warm our bellies, too. This stew fit the bill perfectly!

Sausage & Potato Stew

1 lb. breakfast sausage (turkey sausage would be great, as would veggie crumbles, but I would add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, if you use those)

1 tbsp. flour

4 medium red potatoes, diced (peels left on)

1 onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

32 oz. chicken broth (I like the low-sodium variety)

Salt & pepper

Thyme (a generous pinch or two)

Cook the sausage in a stock pot until browned. Drain off the fat and toss the sausage with the flour, stirring to coat well. Add the rest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium heat, cover, and cook about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes or so. Serves 4-6. 

Breakfast Casserole in the Morning, Creamy Split Pea Soup & Cabbage-Carrot Salad in the Evening, January 3, 2015

I'm trying to get into the habit of making us something nice for breakfast on Saturday mornings. I'm not at all a morning person, so that is one strike against this working. We also tend to hit the door shortly after we get up, so that's another strike. But, yesterday, I succeeded in making a really yummy breakfast casserole for our brunch. I put it together Friday night before bed, so all that was left for me to do yesterday was bake it. With a Harry & David's pear, it was a splendid thing.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. sausage, browned and drained

6 slices bread, torn into pieces

4 oz. chopped green chiles

2 cups shredded Cheddar

6 eggs

1 c. milk

Salt & pepper

 Mix sausage, bread, chiles, and cheese. Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Mix with sausage. Place in a greased 13x9. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole and bake 50 minutes. Serves 8-10. This can be made with turkey sausage or veggie crumbles, whole grain bread, reduced-fat (but fat-free is not so hot) cheese, and skim milk for a more healthful breakfast. 

We had a simple soup and salad dinner. I love split pea soup, while my wife is not as enthusiastic as I am about it. All I can say is that she's lucky it wasn't lentil soup, which she abhors and I adore. Actually, she ended up liking the soup, after all. The salad, a cabbage and carrot combo, was a little bit sweet and very refreshing, a nice counterpoint to the stalwart flavor of the soup. Both of these recipes are inspired by recipes from the Monastery soup & salad cookbooks by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. They are marvelous cookbooks and I strongly suggest getting yourself a copy of each!

Creamy Split Pea Soup

40 oz. chicken or veggie broth

1 c. dried split peas

1 onion, chopped very finely

1 carrot, peeled and chopped very finely

1 bay leaf

Salt & pepper

A handful of chopped parsley

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. flour

2 c. milk (skim is fine; vegans can probably use soy milk)

Put the broth, split peas, onion, & carrot in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook about half an hour. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook another 15 minutes, covered. Remove th bay leaf. Mix the oil and flour into a paste, then stir into the soup. Add milk and, stirring the whole time, bring the soup to a boil. Serves 4-6.

Cabbage & Carrot Salad

2 c. shredded green cabbage

2 c. shredded red cabbage

3 carrots, peeled & grated

1/2 c. golden raisins

1/3 c. olive oil (very good quality, please)

5 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp. orange juice

2 tsp. sugar

Salt & pepper

Mix vegetables and raisins. Whisk the rest together until it thickens and blend with the salad. Serves 4-6.

Sausage & Rice Casserole

Some nights are made for cozy dishes like casseroles. When my sweetheart arrived home from work, the kitchen was all full of good smells from dinner and candles glowed cozily in the living room. The temperature has taken a definite downturn and it feels unquestionably of Autumn beyond the confines of the house. This sausage and rice casserole is my adaptation of one from the classic River Road Cookbook, put out by the Baton Rouge Junior League and relied on by cooks throughout the South. I served it with lima beans & a green salad. Easy peasy.

Sausage & Rice Casserole

1 lb. sausage (I used Bob Evans pork sausage, but you could sub any sort of sausage---even turkey sausage or veggie crumbles)

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. rice (I used jasmine; brown rice would be great, as would wild rice, but cooking times would need to be adjusted)

2 c. beef broth (I actually used 1 can of the 98% fat-free, reduced-sodium sort with enough added water to make up 2 cups)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (again, 98% fat-free, reduced sodium is just fine)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (healthier is just as tasty, again)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the sausage. Drain. Add veggies & cook until tender. Meanwhile, bring the rice and broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 14 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir into sausage mixture. Add soups and stir well. Spoon into a greased (I use cooking spray) 13x9 casserole and bake half an hour. Serves 6-8.