Sausage and Bean Ragu on Quinoa Macaroni

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) pasta is made from a combination of the quinoa grain and corn, hence the yellow color of the pasta. You can find it with the gluten-free and other "alternative" pastas at most grocery stores.

I bought the turkey Italian sausage at Market of Choice, who got the meat from Shelton's, but I believe Market of Choice makes their sausages in-house. Don't quote me on that though. Anyway, they were good!

After making this recipe, I'm pretty sure there is a misprint in the amount of pasta called for. I checked online, and lots of other people think the same thing. My magazine cut-out called for 16 ounces of pasta, which was two boxes. It seemed like a lot, but who am I to question Cooking Light? So I cooked all the pasta and set it aside while I made the rest of the meal, and then at the end you are supposed to add the pasta back to the skillet and stir it all together. Heh. That was not going to happen. I ended up tossing it together in a super huge bowl and the pasta soaked up every bit of sauce there was left (it ended up simmering longer than it was supposed to because I was running around the house trying to find my camera to take the picture!). Therefore, my end result was a big bowl of mostly pasta and not much ragu to speak of whatsoever. It was still really tasty, but I can't wait to make it again with the right amount of pasta and see what that's like. For your benefit, I will write up the recipe with half the amount of pasta, as it should be.

Sausage and Bean Ragu on Quinoa Macaroni
adapted from Cooking Light - March 2006 Issue
Serves 8

Notes: If you can't find quinoa macaroni, use whole wheat macaroni. I couldn't find bulk turkey Italian sausage, so I bought links, removed the casings, and broke them into pieces as I added them to the pan.

1 (8-ounce) package quinoa macaroni
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound turkey Italian sausage, bulk or links (remove from casings if links)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Romano cheese (I just used Parmesan)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, but leave out the salt and oil.

In a large nonstick skillet, add the oil and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you stir. Stir in the wine.  There won't really be much to deglaze, since you are using a non-stick skillet, but scrap the bottom with the wooden spoon anyway, just for kicks. Add the broth, fennel seeds, pepper, beans, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  It will still look kind of thin and liquidy, but the pasta will soak a lot of that up.

Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss gently to combine.  Alternatively, if you don't think the pasta will fit in your skillet, you can put the pasta into a large bowl, pour the contents of the skillet over it, and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top, or put a little cheese on top of each individual serving as you dish it up.

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Baked Delicata Squash stuffed with Turkey and Wild Rice

We had two delicious Thanksgiving dinners this year (one at each of our parent's houses), and we took home full sets of leftovers from each.  That's a lot of turkey!  Besides the usual sandwiches, I used some of it to make an improvised turkey soup with mushroom broth, dried shiitakes, and wild rice, which was delicious.  I ate it for lunch every day this week!  

I still had more though, and we have lots of winter squashes lying around, so I decided to bake a delicata squash and fill it with a mixture of shredded turkey, wild rice, parsley, and cheese.  I got the basic idea from a recipe in Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals (she used butternut squash and chicken).  Miller has you microwave the squash, to save time, no doubt, but I since prefer baked squash, I looked to a recipe I like over at allrecipes.com for baking instructions (It's called "Delicata Delish", and it lives up to it's name, even though, oddly enough, the picture on their website looks like stuffed zucchini rather than delicata).

I love squash, so of course this meal was a hit with me!

Stuffed delicata squash with turkey, wild rice, and fresh herbs
adapted from Robin Miller - Quick Fix Meals, and allrecipes.com - Delicata Delish
serves 2

Notes: I made a lot of changes to Robin Miller's recipe, mostly because I was just using it as a guide to use what I had on hand.  I used wild rice instead of brown, turkey instead of chicken, I left out the cumin and sour cream, and used havarti instead of goat cheese.  But I always try to give the source of where I get my ideas from, so there you go.  There are lots of ways to modify this meal.  You could use almost any winter squash (except spaghetti).  Swap out the turkey for cooked chicken.  Any kind of rice will be fine, leftover from another meal, or made fresh that night.  You could use a wide variety of cheeses and whatever fresh herbs you have.

1 large Delicata squash, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons salted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 heaping cup shredded turkey
1 tablespoon of fresh minced parsley
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese, such has havarti

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place the squash cut side up in a baking dish.  Fill with about 1/4 inch of water.  Put 1 tablespoon of butter in each half and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a fork pierces the flesh easily in several places.

Meanwhile, put the rice, turkey, and parsley into a pot and heat, just to warm through.  You could also use a microwave.

When the squash is done, remove from the oven and turn the broiler on.  Divide the mixture between the two halves, it will be heaping.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top.  Broil for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese, and serve.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon Cream Sauce

Every year (ok, so that means the last three or four) it seems I only get around to cooking Brussels sprouts once, and I always make this recipe.  I think it's because they are just around for a short time, and I really love this meal, so I never want to try anything else!  

The recipe is from Cuisine at Home, and it's actually written up as a holiday side dish.  I've never made it for a holiday meal though, just a regular weeknight meal, usually with some kind of starch to go with it (tonight, we served it over polenta).  It's basically roasted Brussels sprouts, red onion, and sliced sausage, with a tangy dijon cream sauce drizzled over it.  Sometimes I even skip the sauce; it's good, but roasted veggies are always really good on their own too.  

You could use any type of sausage you want, just as long as it's already fully cooked.  This recipe calls for kielbasa.  This time, I used some delicious chicken apple sausage from Applegate Farms.  I love their deli meat and sausage.  

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon Cream Sauce
adapted from Cuisine at Home - December 2005
makes 6 cups

Note: This is how I prep Brussels sprouts: Wash and pat dry.  Remove outermost leaves if they are damaged or dirty. Slice off about 1/4 inch of the very bottom stem.  

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
2 cups red onions, cut into wedges
8 ounces fully cooked sausage links (such as kielbasa, chicken and apple, etc), sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 F.  

On a baking sheet, toss together the sprouts, red onion, sausage, oil, salt and pepper.  Spread out in a single layer and roast until the sprouts are tender but still crisp, about 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, add the cream, mustard, honey, and vinegar to a saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.  

To serve, drizzle the sauce over the roasted sprouts.  Serve as a main course over creamy polenta or with a slice of crusty bread, or as a side dish, or just have it by itself!

Grits Gratin with Arugula, White Beans, and Garlic

Last week, when we made the Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo, I went out to the store to try to find another kind of sherry.  We only had really dry sherry, and Mark Bittman explicitly said not to use dry sherry for that recipe, but to use a sweeter one (Amontillado, or Oloroso were the two he suggested, but I couldn't remember those names at the store of course).  Well, I came home with a bottle, only to be dismayed when Joe pointed out that I had purchased a very nice bottle of sherry VINEGAR.  Crap.  I wasn't even in the right part of the store.

In the end, we used the dry stuff in the Chickpea recipe and it turned out just fine.  I picked a recipe this week that specifically called for sherry vinegar - since I bought such a nice one, might as well make the most of it!

First, you need to make Polenta, so that's the first recipe.  Next, combine your polenta with garlic, white beans, and arugula (or spinach, if you are like me and can never find arugula when you need it, but see it all the time when you don't!) and you'll get a really warm and yummy meal!

Grilled or Fried Polenta
adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Serves 4

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole
Salt
1 cup coarse cornmeal

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, two cups of water, and a large pinch of salt.  Once it is just boiling, slowly pour in the polenta while whisking to break up clumps.  Turn the heat down to low, simmer, whisking often, for about 10-15 minutes or until thick.  Add more water if the mixture becomes too thick.  When it's done it should taste soft and smooth (not crumbly), and be the consistency of thick oatmeal.  Pour into a loaf pan and smooth out the surface as best as you can.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes (he says it can sit there all day, so that gives you an idea of how far in advance you can make this).

Grits Gratin with Arugula, White Beans, and Garlic
adapted from Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Serves 4-6

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups arugula leaves (our store didn't have any, so we used spinach)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked white beans
2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
1 recipe Polenta, made with grits and molded according to Grilled or Fried Polenta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Lightly oil a shallow 2-quart gratin dish or oblong baking pan (we had to use a 2 qt. square baking pan because that's all we had).

In a large, deep skillet, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and starting to color.  Turn off the heat.  Add the arugula, beans, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir gently a couple of times.  Spread the contents of the pan onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Drizzle with the vinegar.

Turn the grits out of the pan and slice into 1/2 inch slices (I had to clean the knife off halfway through, it got all gummed up with grits).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Carefully lay them on top of the arugula, overlapping if necessary.  Drizzle with the remaining two tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.  Serve with lots of black pepper.

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans

Tonight's meal used up the rest of the Chorizo from earlier in the week, and two items that have been dwelling in my pantry for a long time which I never thought I would use together:  a can of pumpkin and a tiny jar of pimientos.

When I was thinking about what to make this week, I randomly pulled out my most used Rachael Ray cookbook, 365: No Repeats, and turned to this recipe, which was dog-eared, so I guess at some point I wanted to make it.  I haven't made a Rachael Ray recipe in ages, but I have liked every single thing I've made out of this cookbook.  Whenever I am craving really hearty comfort food, this is a good cookbook to turn to.

By the way, if you are making a recipe that calls for instant polenta, and you have polenta but it's stored in a plain plastic tub and you can't remember if it's instant or not, but you just want to use it anyway, it will be ok!  When it's still grainy and uncooked after 2 minutes, don't freak out, just add a bit more liquid and let it cook longer.  Completely hypothetical situation, of course.  

Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans
adapted from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats
Serves 4-6 (her portions are pretty big, so if you are a light eater, it will serve 5 or 6)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound Chorizo, casing removed, chopped (we used Spanish Chorizo, and I'm guessing either would be fine because she didn't specify which one)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 pimiento peppers or roasted red peppers, chopped (I had a 4 ounce can of diced pimientos so I figured that was good enough)
3 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons butter (I forgot to add this!  Oops!)
1 14-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup quick-cooking or instant polenta
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded Manchego (Spanish sheep's milk cheese) or sharp or smoked Cheddar (we always have sharp cheddar so we used that)
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (I had the curly kind)

Get all your ingredients ready to go before you start because this recipe comes together fast.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chorizo and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the onion, cook 3-4 minutes more.  Add the black beans and pimientos and cook for another couple minutes to heat through.  Set aside (we thought this mixture was sitting in too much oil for our liking, so we used a slotted spoon and put the mixture into another bowl).

Add the chicken stock and butter to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir in the pumpkin.  Add the polenta and stir until it masses, about 2 minutes.  Off heat, add the thyme, salt, pepper, and cheese.  Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed.

To serve, spoon some polenta onto a plate or rimmed soup bowl, top with the Chorizo mixture, and garnish with parsley.

Smoky Couscous, Chard with Tahini

Feeling very sleepy and in need of a bubble bath.  Therefore this blog is going to be short.  Here are a couple pictures of what we cooked tonight.  Whole wheat couscous with cauliflower, smoked paprika, and almonds (Mark Bittman).  I'm too lazy to go get the cookbook to see if that is the actual title of the recipe.  The smokiness of the paprika was awesome, but I think couscous is not my favorite grain.  It's just too small!  But the paprika sure made the dish pretty huh?

To go with that we made our stand-by of chard with tahini.  I LOVE it.  There are many variations of recipes for this.  I think we started with a Mark Bittman version (surprised?).  Basically start by sauteing some garlic in oil, then add a ton of chopped greens and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of some kind of liquid (water, stock, etc).  Cook it down for about 5-10 minutes, then stir in some tahini so you get this kind of thick sauce.  Put it on the back burner with a lid on until the rest of your dinner is ready, then stir in a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.