You are browsing the Blog for sausage.

← Previous Entries

Lumberjack Mushroom Penne (+ a cookbook review)

October 31, 2012 in pasta

Oh man. This pasta.

It might be my favorite pasta in the history of pastas. And just wait until you see the ingredient list. It’s so simple.

I’m participating in a blogging book tour (hosted by Ginny of Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo) for the cookbook A Family Farm in Tuscany. I chose to make this pasta which in Italian is called Penne alla Boscaiola - that just sounds delicious, right? Like I said, it’s so simple! It’s just a basic red sauce but with a ton of mushrooms. My kids don’t eat mushrooms but they gobbled this up and asked for seconds.

I cannot even get over how much I loved this. I, sadly, am low-carbing it until my husband comes homes (I know!) so I only allowed myself one serving of it. It KILLED me to heat up the leftovers for the kids the next day. The smell of the sweet Italian sausage I used with the mushrooms and the sauce was too much. I can’t wait to make it again so I can eat my weight in it.

The book is an absolutely gorgeous cookbook with photos of Fattoria Poggio Alloro as well as recipes. It’s written by Sarah Fioroni who is the chef, cooking instructor, sommelier, and the manager of the farm. The first 40 pages of the book is all the history of the farm and of San Gimignano, the small city where the farm is located. It’s fascinating and made me really want to visit! The recipes in the book are divided by month and showcases the ingredients that are in season during that time. (This recipe is from the October section – imagine that!) The recipes all use simple, fresh ingredients and all of them sound delicious. There are recipes for pasta, cakes, soup, crostini, mousse – you name it, it’s in here.

A Family Farm in Tuscany is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers.

One year ago: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Three years ago: Apple Custard Pie

Print
Lumberjack Mushroom Penne

serves about 8

Ingredients

1/2 cup red onion, cut into small dice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups fresh white mushrooms, cut into small pieces
10 ounces ground pork sausage
3 cups tomato puree
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
3 pinches salt, or to taste
4 to 6 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook the onion with the olive oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot for about 5 minutes. A the mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes. Use your hands to break the sausage into smaller chunks and add to the pot. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sausage is cooked. Ad the tomato puree, warm water, red pepper, and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
  2. In another large pot, bring water to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling, add salt and the penne pasta. Cook pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes, using the package instructions as a guide. Remove and drain.
  3. Put the sauce in a large frying pan and add the pasta. Stir over medium-high heat for 3 minutes and serve. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
http://fakeginger.com/2012/10/31/lumberjack-mushroom-penne-a-cookbook-review/

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , ,
12 Comments »

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Linguine

June 12, 2012 in pasta

Anyone else not feel like cooking these days?

Actually, I have zero motivation for anything besides this:

That’s what summer is for though, right?

We’ve been eating a lot of sandwiches, a lot of hot dogs, and a ton of take-n-bake pizza. Which explains why I haven’t been posting around here. But a girl can only survive on pizza for so long before she starts craving a home-cooked meal.

This is the perfect summer meal! It’s so fast and so light and so full of fresh veggies!

Instead of a typical pasta sauce, the cherry tomatoes are cooked quickly and then mashed to get all the juiciness out – then you add some pasta water and it creates a nice little sauce that coats the pasta well but doesn’t feel heavy at all.

Two years ago: Tempura Fried Asparagus

Print
Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Linguine

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

½ pound whole wheat linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound Italian chicken or turkey sausage
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups arugula leaves
2 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Instructions

  1. Cook linguine according to package instructions. Set aside ½ cup of cooking liquid before draining.
  2. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings and add to pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes, continuing to break up the sausage. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and pepper; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover and use a wooden spoon to mash the tomatoes. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add drained linguine, reserved pasta water, and arugula; toss together. Serve with shaved Parmesan on top.
http://fakeginger.com/2012/06/12/sausage-tomato-and-arugula-linguine/

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , , , , ,
11 Comments »

Pasta Fagioli

November 10, 2011 in pork

My husband has been gone for a couple weeks now and while I’m the first to admit that it pretty much sucks, there are some good points to being alone.

  • My grocery bill is less than half of what it is with him home! I knew he ate a lot but holy cow.
  • I can get up at 4 am and no one yells at me!
  • To go with the above, I can sleep on the couch so that I can get up at 4 am without my children hearing and no one yells at me!
  • I can read all 3 books of The Hunger Games (again) without anyone asking me why I’m reading books meant for teenagers (again).
  • Real Housewives marathons. Enough said.
  • Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches are officially considered dinner.
  • I can make instant coffee and not feel guilty because I know he won’t ask for espresso unless he sees me prepping the machine.
  • There are no PTs to wash every night!
  • I can cook whatever I want, whenever I want! (!!)

And that last one is the reason I made this soup.

I don’t generally like soup as a meal. I mean, I like soup but soup by itself? That’s not a meal! It’s a side dish that needs a sandwich next to it. My husband is the same way so we very rarely ever have soup. But with him gone I decided to take a chance on a soup that I’ve heard such great things about.

Oh my goodness y’all. This is the best soup I’ve ever had! It’s got sausage, beans, and pasta which makes it so hearty and served alongside a roll or 2, this was the perfect meal for a cold night. And the best part is that overnight the pasta absorbed just about all the liquid and it became more of a pasta dish than a soup. Not gonna lie, I had 2 bowls for breakfast.

Print
Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled & chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 lb hot Italian sausage (casings removed if necessary)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 – 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 can cannellini beans
1 cup ditalini (or other small pasta)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the sausage to the pot, crumbling as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes and stock.
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
  4. Stir in the beans and ditalini. (Add an extra cup of stock or water at this point if it’s boiled down too much.) Simmer for 6- 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
  5. Serve piping hot with Parmesan cheese. (I really liked the sharpness of the green onions with this as well.)
http://fakeginger.com/2011/11/10/pasta-fagioli/

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , , ,
39 Comments »

Gnocchi with Sausage with Spinach

October 12, 2011 in pasta

I try not to take many chances in my cooking. And by that I mean that I don’t make “chick food”. Because my husband is not shy and will tell me when something is not manly enough. I’ve learned through the years that if it doesn’t include a large piece of meat or isn’t covered in cheddar, it’s going to be called girly.

But sometimes a recipe calls to me. Like this one. I pinned it forever ago and every time I go to plan a week of meals, I click through and stare at it. Because gnocchi with a fun sausage (I used sundried tomato) and spinach is the kind of thing my dreams are made of.

So I finally took a chance and made it. Verdict? My husband loved it! He said it was weird but he ate it and then ate leftovers the next day! I loved it, the kids loved it, it was an all around winner.

Another bonus? It took no time at all to come together! The gnocchi only requires a few minutes in boiling water and I used a fully-cooked chicken sausage so all I had to do was brown it. Seriously awesome.

Print
Gnocchi with Sausage with Spinach

Ingredients

1 package pre-made whole-wheat gnocchi (about 3 cups)
¼ cup gnocchi cooking water
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
3 links fully-cooked sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups baby spinach
¼ cup Parmesan

Instructions

  1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water before draining.
  2. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken sausage. Allow the sausage to brown and heat through, stirring occasionally. Add in garlic and baby spinach, toss and continue to cook until spinach is wilted.
  3. Add cooked gnocchi into the skillet with the sausage and spinach, top with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and the reserved cooking water. Mix together. Top with Parmesan.
http://fakeginger.com/2011/10/12/gnocchi-with-sausage-with-spinach/
Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , ,
11 Comments »

Brie Stuffed Apples & Holiday Morning Strata

December 6, 2010 in apple, breakfast

I recently joined a couple other bloggers in the Side Car Series over at Kitchen Play. The Side Car Series is a fun project where bloggers all take the same product and come up with different ways to use it. This month is sponsored by Woolwich Dairy Inc. and the theme is holiday!

Woolwich Dairy is a goat dairy so I was stoked when I was asked to participate. I love goat dairy products because they are so much easier on our bodies than cows dairy but also because it’s just plain delicious.

This assignment was right up my alley and I knew almost immediately what I would be making for one of my recipes. I mean, what do you do with brie? You bake it and serve it with apples, of course! But what if you put the brie inside of an apple? Oh yes, I went there. I took big, beautiful Honeycrisp apples and stuffed them with brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and cranberries and then topped them with brie and a drizzle of honey.

The apples turned out so delicious! I was ridiculously excited when I cut into one and a cinnamon-y brown sugar syrup came pouring out. The best part, of course, was how the brie had melted down into everything and became so sweet.

Print
Brie Stuffed Apples

Ingredients

8 large Honeycrisp apples
1 cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
6.5 ounce round Woolwich Dairy Goat Brie
2 tablespoons honey
1½ cups boiling water, for the pan

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Working with 1 apple at a time, take a paring knife and cut 1” circle around the stem of the apple and pop that cut section out. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and core of the apple. Do all 8 apples and place them in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and cranberries. Stuff the apples with the mixture. The brown sugar is going to become a sweet cinnamon-y syrup in the oven so stuff the animals good or the mixture will sink too much.
  4. Take the round of brie and cut off one side of the rind. Using your fingers pull off small pieces and place them on top of the apples, completely covering the opening. Drizzle the honey over the tops of the stuffed apples.
  5. Add the boiling water to the pan without disturbing the apples and bake 35 – 45 minutes or until apples are tender and slightly wrinkly. Remove from baking pan and serve hot.
http://fakeginger.com/2010/12/06/brie-stuffed-apples-holiday-morning-strata/


The second recipe was a little more difficult for me because I generally don’t eat a lot of cheesy foods around the holidays. A cheesy holiday breakfast recipe though? I can do that!

A strata is great for holiday mornings because you can prepare it the night before and then the next morning all you have to is bake it when your kids are opening presents or looking for reindeer tracks. It’s also great for holiday mornings because you get to say, “Oh honey, I have to work on breakfast” and you can force your significant other to do all the last minute wrapping. That’s my plan at least.

This strata is perfection! The best way to describe it is to say it’s like a savory bread pudding. I loaded it with sausage, onions, and mushrooms and then layered in some Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar that became gooey and wonderful in the oven.

Print
Holiday Morning Strata

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 pound breakfast sausage
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 loaf French bread, cubed (about 8 cups)
9 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
6.7 package of Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar, shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sausage, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once sausage is no longer pink and onions are translucent, transfer the mixture to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but about 1 teaspoon of the fat from the skillet. Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook until brown on both sides. Add mushrooms to the sausage mixture.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until one solid color. Whisk in milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
  3. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with oil. Add half of the cubed French bread to the baking dish. Top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle evenly with shredded Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar. Add the remaining bread cubes to the top. Pour custard over the entire dish and press down with hands or large spoon on the bread gently to make sure everything is coated.
  4. Put the strata in the refrigerator overnight to allow the bread to absorb the egg-mixture. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the dish for 50 – 60 minutes or until the strata is puffed and golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
http://fakeginger.com/2010/12/06/brie-stuffed-apples-holiday-morning-strata/

I was compensated for creating these recipes but my opinions on the product were not paid for.

Submit to StumbleUpon

Tags: , , , , ,
12 Comments »

← Previous Entries

Switch to our mobile site