Cooking During Stolen Moments» Sausage

Mediterranean Hash

Kate — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:41:54 +0000

Have you ever bought an ingredient just because it was on sale and looked really good? I hate to admit it, but I have a tendency of falling into that trap, especially when I break the cardinal rule of never grocery shopping while hungry. That’s exactly what happened earlier this month when I made a quick stop to pick up some yogurt and milk and my eyes landed on a container of Feta cheese. Although I had no idea how I’d use it, I couldn’t resist!

So, I’ve had this container of Feta sitting in our refrigerator while I tried to decide on a great way to use it. Finally, I decided on something a little different that just sounded so good to me for some reason. It turned out exactly as I hoped. The Feta added a perfect little kick to the dish.

I used sliced Chicken & Spinach sausage because I had some on hand, but I think the meat could definitely be swapped for something else. Chicken would great.

Mediterranean Hash

2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter
1 lb. chicken sausage, sliced (or substitute with another meat of your choice)
2 c. frozen spinach, thawed
1 t. salt
1 t. Rosemary
1/2 t. pepper
1 6 oz. can sliced black olives
1/2 c. crumbled Feta cheese

1. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, just until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add butter and cook until melted. Stir in sausage, spinach and seasonings. Cook for 5 more minutes, then add potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until potatoes and browned and crisp.

3. Remove from heat and stir in olives. Top with Feta and serve immediately.

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Italian Sausage Risotto

Kate — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:32:07 +0000

I fell in love with risotto when I made it a few months ago. We’ve had that one particular side dish several times since then. But each time I made it, I kept thinking that I really wanted to make it into a main dish. I toyed with several different ideas until I settled on this one.

Italian Sausage Risotto just made sense to me on so many levels. First of all, we love Italian sausage. Secondly, the classic flavors of a meat or marinara sauce also go over big every single time they hit our table. So, toss all those things together and this is what I ended up with. It was a winner! The creaminess of the rice blended with the sweet-spicy flavors of the sausage and sauce perfectly.

Italian Sausage Risotto

1 lb. Italian sausage, bulk or links with the casings removed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 c. rice (I just used a medium grain)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
3 – 4 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 t. Italian seasoning

1. Combine sausage, onions, peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender. Stir in green onions and rice.

2. Slowly pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce and 3 c. chicken stock. Stir in seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and slowly simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

If needed, slowly stir in the remaining cook of chicken stock while cooking. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Italian Sausage & Cannellini Beans

Kate — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve always said that if I had to choose a favorite bean, I’d definitely pick the garbanzo bean. I do love them and hummus has got to be my number 1 favorite snack. But lately, I’ve really taken to cannellini beans. I love their creamy texture and the way they absorb flavors. Every dish I’ve tried them in has turned out great. In fact, if it weren’t for the flavor from the Italian sausage, I could have totally eaten this dish without any meat.

And that worked out well for my husband since he happily ate my share of the meat after I couldn’t stop eating the beans. It’s not often we don’t have a starch with dinner, but this definitely did need any extra. Although if your family needs some extra carbs with dinner, you could definitely serve if offer rice or pasta.

In addition to that versatility and great flavor, you gotta love that this dish cooks up in a hurry and in one dish!

Italian Sausage & Cannellini Beans

1/2 red onion
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 lb. Italian sausage links
1 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. fresh spinach, washed and drained
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 c. dried cannellini beans, fully cooked)
1 c. chicken stock

Dice red onion, slice red pepper and mince garlic. Refrigerate until using. Slice Italian sausage links; refrigerate until using.

+ 10 minutes cooking time Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped veggies and Italian sausage slices; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until sausage is starting to brown. Stir in spinach and seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Cover skillet and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until sausage is fully cooked.

Return heat to medium-high. Stir in rinsed beans and chicken stock.

Bring to a slow boil, stirring until frequently, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

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Cajun Chicken Noodle Soup

Kate — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

At the end of summer, I had this idea to host a soup party in the fall or early winter. My vision was to set out a buffet of about 8 different soups, some assorted breads and lots of bowls. I thought it would be so fun. I still think it would be fun. But, the difference between end of summer and now is one little newborn baby. She has this ability to put a cramp in organizational skills. Making the soups and breads wouldn’t be a problem. It’s just the drawing up of a guest list, deciding on a date and sending out invitations that’s proven problematic. So, the soup party has been put on hold until next year.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on increasing my soup repertoire. I want to have a fantastic lineup of soups for next year, so I’m doing what I can in the name of research. Oh who am I kidding? It’s soup, people. I never need an excuse to simmer up a pot of soup.

We all absolutely loved this soup. Even the kids were drinking up the remaining stock from their bowls. That usually doesn’t happen! I think the Cajun seasoning is what makes this soup so good. It gives it just the right kick without being over-powering. And there is just something about noodles cooked in stock that we all love.

Cajun Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 green pepper
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
1/2 lb. sausage (smoked, chorizo or andouille)
1 T. oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 c. chicken stock
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. Cajun/blackening seasoning, more or less to taste
2 c. mini bow-tie pasta (or other pasta shape)

Dice onion, garlic and green pepper. Peel carrots and slice. Slice celery. Place all the veggies in a baggie or covered bowl and refrigerate until using. Cut sausage in half lengthwise and slice; refrigerate.

+ 20 – 30 minutes simmer time Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add veggies and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Add sausage and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and add chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. Skim foam from the surface as needed.

+ 15 – 20 minutes simmer time Remove chicken and shred. Add back to the pot along with the Cajun seasoning and noodles. Increase heat to bring the soup back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust Cajun seasoning as needed before serving.

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Apple Sausage Balls

Kate — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:32:11 +0000

You know those classic sausage-cheese-bisquick balls? We love those things around here! Whenever I make a finger-food dinner for us to eat while watching a movie or playing some games together as a family, those are always on the menu. And they are a standard for an appetizer when we have company over too.

As great as they are though, I decided I wanted to play around with the basic recipe a bit and see if I could create something new. My goal was to make them without bisquick (or without having to make a homemade bisquick alternative) and to give them a great autumn flavor. Knowing how well apples and sausage go together, I decided to start from there.

I was so pleased with the final result. These Apple Sausage Balls definitely have that fall-ish flavor I was after. They’d be great for holiday entertaining, either served with a brunch or as an appetizer. I’m thinking I’ll make up a batch to take to my parents’ house when we go for Thanksgiving.

Apple Sausage Balls

3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 lb. bulk pork sausage (original or maple flavored)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 T. maple syrup
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/8 t. allspice

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the pork sausage, cheese, maple syrup, apple and allspice.

2. Using your hands, combine everything together until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Roll into evenly sized balls, about the size of a golf ball.

3. Place sausage balls on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked.

These are great to make ahead, which makes them even more perfect for entertaining in my opinion. The sausage mixture can be mixed together and formed into balls up to a day ahead. They can also be frozen either before being baked or after. Perfect!

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Italian Stuffed Squash

Kate — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:24:03 +0000

I am huge fan of Italian Sausage. I love its strong or subtle flavors (depending on if I use the hot or sweet variety). I’ve also believed it can make any dish taste better. Adding it to my spaghetti sauce or lasagna is a no-brainer for me. But I really like adding it to other dishes that might seem less obvious.

So I’m a huge fan of the recipe contest Johnsonville is running right now. The “Pastaville” Italian sausage contest is all about using that sausage in unexpected or different ways. They are encouraging home chefs to replace the protein in familiar recipes (or create a brand new recipe) with Italian sausage. Then, when you hit on a winning combination, submit that recipe for your chance to win $10,000. And best of all, you can enter as many different recipes as you’d like. There are endless possibilities here!

As much as I already like substituting Italian sausage in other dishes, I also like playing around with it to create new dishes. This Italian Stuffed Squash was definitely a hit. The sausage adds a great punch to the usual vegetable-stuffing ingredients.

Italian Stuffed Squash

3 links Johnsonville Italian Sausage (flavor of choice)
1/4 c. diced red pepper
1/4 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 T. diced parsley
4-6 yellow or green squash, depending on size
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Cut and remove the casings from the Italian sausage links and crumble into a skillet. Add the red pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the sausage is fully cooked. Drain. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Once cooled, combine the sausage mixture with the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

3. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers with a spoon. Discard or reserve for another purpose. (I froze mine to add to the pot next time I make a homemade stock.)

4. Spoon the filling into the cavities in the squash in generous portions. Drizzle the squash halves and filling with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until squash is completely tender and lightly browned.

Are you a fan of Italian sausage? Make sure you stop by Pastaville and enter some recipes. A chance to win $10,000 and making some super yummy meals in the process…what’s to lose?

Disclaimer: I was provided with some free product coupons and a pasta kit gift for sharing about the Pastaville contest. However, all opinions and the recipe are my own.

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Lazy Pierogi

Kate — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:33:57 +0000

When my mom was visiting a few weeks ago, she ran to the grocery store for me and picked up all the ingredients I needed for lazy pierogi. There’s nothing like pure comfort food during those early, new-baby days.

My mom occasionally made lazy pierogi for us when I was growing up and I’ve been making it ever since. I believed that’s where the recipe started, but I learned its true history while having my mom in the kitchen while I made this dish.

My mom’s aunt had 6 children, so unlike her sisters who made pierogi regularly each year, she always opted for lazy pierogi instead. She’d proclaim that having 6 children made “lazy recipes” a necessity. That’s definitely something I can relate to!

Lazy pierogi is very similar to regular sauerkraut filled pierogi, but it takes advantage of store made egg noodles as opposed to the more labor-intensive homemade dough. Additionally, you get to skip the rolling, stuffing and sealing steps. Yet you end up with something that tastes just like traditional pierogi without all the work.

I like to make lazy pierogi into a full, one-dish meal by adding sliced Polish Sausage, as in the recipe below. However, you can easily omit that and serve it as a side dish. It goes great with so many different things!

Lazy Pierogi

1/2 c. butter
1 onion, diced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. Polish sausage, sliced *Optional
1 30 oz. jar, bag or can of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/3 c. sour cream
1 lb. egg noodles, cooked and drained

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender and mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the Polish sausage, if using, and sauerkraut. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Stir in the sour cream. Pour in the noodles and stir to coat. If desired, add a bit more butter and cook a little longer, just until some of the noodles start to crisp.

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Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

Kate — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:02:18 +0000

I have always been a huge fan of Red Beans & Rice. One of my favorite restaurant meals ever was a huge bowl of spicy, creamy red beans and rice with a honey-slathered chunk of corn bread. Since I’d hate to ruin that memory, I haven’t ordered red beans and rice since then from any restaurant.

However, I’ve made it more times than I can count. It’s actually one of my favorite recipes to tinker around with because I always feel like it turns out just half a step away from perfection. The challenge comes in finding that perfect combination of ingredients, spices and proportions. Easier said than done though!

So, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t think this recipe is perfection. But it is the closest I’ve come to recreating that meal I had long ago. Plus, it’s just darn tasty! The texture is smooth and creamy without being too dry or too runny, which is key for me. The spices I have listed are just an approximation as I’m a dump and taste kind of girl. But definitely adjust to taste for your family’s preferences.

Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

1 T. oil
1 lb. smoked sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
4 c. fully cooked red beans (from dry or canned)
2 c. beef stock
2 T. flour + 3 T. water
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 c. cooked white or brown rice

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot. Add sausage, onion and garlic. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until onion tender and sausage is starting to brown. Stir in seasonings and cook for an additional minute, until very fragrant.

2. Pour in red beans and beef stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer. Simmer as little as 15 minutes, just to heat through and combine flavors or let simmer all day for fully developed flavor.

3. Before serving, remove about a cup worth of beans with a slotted spoon. Mash and return to the pot. Bring back to a boil. Stir together the flour and water until smooth. Slowly pour into the pot while stirring constantly. Boil for about 5 minutes, until thickened enough to cover the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked rice.

On another note, please keep those Adult Brown Bag Lunch Ideas coming! I’m planning to round-up all the ideas over the weekend and I’d love to have lots of ideas to share with everyone that is looking for them.

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