The Literate Chef

Posts Tagged ‘Italian sausage’

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With Thanksgiving but a Week Away…

In General Articles, Recipes, Thanksgiving on November 15, 2012 at 10:01 AM

…if, you are still planning your Thanksgiving menu, perhaps we can be of assistance. Last year we posted our traditional family Thanksgiving recipes; here we link them in this update, which we hope that you will find helpful.

Ready and Waiting for the Carving Knife

This year, as our long-time close friends, Marge & Dan, as well as their 3 children and their families will be joining us, we will have 22 at table. Accordingly, we will be doubling up on the Roast Stuffed Turkey with Dorothea’s Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing, and tripling up on the sides of Fresh Cranberry Sauce, Bourbon Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts Roasted with Hazelnuts.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Brussel sprouts with Hazelnuts

In addition to sharing this special meal with special friends, we will enjoy the added bonus of a double quantity of Turkey Soup after the feast is but a happy memory.

Turkey Soup with Cheese Tortelloni

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our subscribers and readers!

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Dorothea’s Homemade Italian Sauce

In Beef, Meat, Pork, Recipes, Sauces on March 10, 2012 at 3:55 PM

Dorothea’s Homemade Italian Sauce served Over Penne

By Grammy Betty

Ingredients:

3 35 oz. cans of San Marzano Tomatoes, mashed
3 small cans (8 oz.), of Del Monte Tomato Sauce
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
16 Grammy’s Meatballs – 2 lbs. prime (90% lean beef) chopped meat, 1 ½ lbs. used for Grammy’s Meatballs and the remainder reserved for adding to the sauce.)
2 small cans (6 oz.) of Contadina Tomato Paste

Preparation:

1.    Add the mashed tomatoes and their juice to a large (8 qt.) pot.
2.    Add the garlic, sugar and Del Monte tomato sauce.
3.    Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer.
4.    In the meantime, add the sausage to a skillet, pierce them with a fork, and cook over medium heat until done.
5.    Remove cooked sausage and add to the sauce, and remove all but 2 tbsps. of rendered fat and add to sauce.
6.    Add chopped onion to the scrapings and remaining fat  from the sausage, brown and deglaze the pan, add to the sauce.
7.    Make the 16 meatballs (see Grammy’s Meatballs for recipe) and add to the sauce.
8.    Brown the remaining ½ lb. of chopped meat, add in the tomato paste, stir and cook for 5 minutes or so, over medium heat, remove and add to the sauce.
9.    Simmer sauce uncovered, on a low flame, for approximately 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Due to the thickness of the sauce, it is best served over a pasta shape that will trap and hold the sauce, such as Penne, Ziti, Rigatoni or Shells (conchiglie). Add some chopped fresh basil to each bowl, and serve with grated imported Italian Cheese, and Dorothea’s Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce, on the side.

A good bottle of Italian red wine, such as a Rosso di Montalcino, the less expensive cousin of Brunello, makes this pasta dish just perfect!

Please see: The Secret’s Out!

Note: The unused sauce can be frozen in meal sized batches. Often it thickens after taken from the freezer. When this happens, simply add some water to thin the sauce to your liking.

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Dorothea’s Italian Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing

In Recipes, Thanksgiving on December 4, 2011 at 4:02 PM

Preparation time: 1 hour with 2 people preparing the stuffing. Makes about 6 qts., which is enough for a 20 lb. turkey with several cups leftover.

Ingredients:
2 14oz. bags of Herb Seasoned Stuffing
3 lbs. of Italian sausages, casings removed and discarded, meat crumbled up*
4 large onions, coarsely chopped – about 6 cups
2 lbs. Crimini mushrooms, sliced – about 10 cups**
¾ cup of chopped fresh sage
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme, stems removed and discarded
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tbsps. Bell’s Poultry Seasoning
2 tbsps. ground black pepper
8 cups of boiled water

Preparation:

1.    In a large non-stick skillet, fry the crumbled sausage meat on medium heat until all of the pink color is gone.
2.    Empty stuffing bags into an 8 qt. bowl or pot.
3.    Add 5 cups of boiled water and mix well.
4.    Remove the cooked sausage meat with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind in the skillet. Add the sausage meat to the stuffing and mix well.
5.    Melt 1 stick of the butter in the sausage fat and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes on medium low heat.
6.    Add the sage and thyme to the onions, stirring well and continue sautéing until onions are translucent. Transfer the onions to the stuffing and mix well.
7.    Melt the remaining stick of butter in the skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté on high for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms give off their liquid and it evaporates. Transfer the mushrooms to the stuffing and mix well.
8.    Add the remaining 3 cups of boiled water to the stuffing mixture, so that it is easily mixed.
9.    Add the Bell’s Seasoning and pepper and continue to mix well.
10.    Set the stuffing aside until ready to stuff the turkey.

Timesaving hints:
*If you can find it, buy loose sausage meat
**If you can find them, buy pre-sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

Please also see: The Turkey that Keeps Giving

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Chicken Scarpiello alla Chef Scar

In Chicken, Meat, Recipes on June 18, 2011 at 11:16 AM

Ingredients:

10 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
10 sweet Italian sausages
12 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2/3 cup of flour
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of dry white wine
3 12 oz. jars of marinated and quartered artichoke hearts with their liquid
5 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped

Steps:

1.    In a large stainless steel frying pan, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, add the sausages and brown them until substantially cooked, about 25 minutes. When done, remove them from the pan, let then cool and then cut them into ¾ inch pieces, set aside. Pour off the liquid fat, but leave the frond. Deglaze the pan with one-half  of the wine, pour it off the liquid and reserve for step 6. Clean the pan.
2.    While the sausages are frying, add the flour to a one-gallon sized zip lock bag and add the black pepper.
3.    Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and add them, 3 pieces at a time, to the bag. Seal it and shake it well, thoroughly coating the chicken.
4.    After all the chicken pieces are floured, add the olive oil to the cleaned frying pan and heat it on medium high, add the garlic and saute until dark brown then remove the garlic.
5.    Add the floured chicken pieces without overcrowding them and brown on medium-high for 6 minutes, then turn them and brown for 6 minutes more. (Note, Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in two batches, or use 2 pans for the chicken.)  When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan or pans and deglaze with the remaining wine.
6.    Return the chicken to the pan, bring the wine to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium, turn the chicken, add the sausage pieces and their reserved liquid and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
7.    Add the artichoke hearts and their liquid to the pan. Raise the heat to high and cook for 5 minutes turning the chicken once or twice.
8.    Add the oregano; let the flavors blend by cooking for another two minutes or so while turning the chicken and sausages several times.

Note: This recipe makes enough for about 6 people and can be prepared in advance and reheated.

See Related Article

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Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

In Pasta on April 17, 2011 at 9:37 PM

This recipe will easily serve 8 people with leftovers.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs. sweet Italian sausage (about 5 links)
1.25 lbs. hot Italian sausage (about 5 links)

2 bunches (approx. 2lbs.) broccoli rabe

Ingredients for Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

½ cup + 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
12 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely
½ cup of dry white wine
2 lbs. of orecchiette pasta

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Locatelli Romano cheese

Steps:

1.    Bring a large (8 quart with a removable strainer) pot of water to boil for blanching the broccoli rabe, as well as for cooking the orecchiette.
2.    Remove sausage meat from its casings and discard the casings.
3.    Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy frying pan on medium heat.
4.    Add sausage meat to the hot oil, continuously breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until it loses its pink color and is lightly browned-about 20 minutes. When sausage meat is cooked remove it to a bowl.

Lightly Browned Sausage Meat

5.    While the sausage is browning, rinse the broccoli rabe and discard the thick stems, cutting about 3 inches off the bottom. Then blanch the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for about 60 seconds.
6.    Remove the broccoli rabe, strain it and plunge it immediately into a bowl filled with ice and cold water to retain its dark green color. Reserve the blanching water for cooking the orecchiette, but remove about 4 cups to thin out the sauce later, if needed.
7.    When broccoli rabe is cool, chop it into pieces about 1 to1.25 inches in length.
8.    After removing the cooked sausage meat from the frying pan, add the ½ cup of olive oil to the pan, then add the chopped garlic and quickly sauté it on high heat. As the garlic begins to brown on the edges, add the hot pepper, then the broccoli rabe and sauté it for about 3 to 5 minutes so it does not lose it dark green color. Remove it from the pan and set it aside with the sausage meat.

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe

9.    Bring the blanching water to a boil once again, add the orecchiette and cook according to the directions on the package.

Completed Sauce

10.    In the meantime, turn the heat under the empty frying pan to high, add the ½ cup of dry white wine stirring up the solids on the bottom of the pan.
11.    Add back the cooked sausage and broccoli rabe to the pan mixing them together with the wine and solids; add some of the retained blanching water to thin out the sauce according to your preference. (I usually add about 2 cups.)

12.    When the orecchiette is al dente, drain it and mix it well with the sauce, adding more blanching water if necessary.
13.    Serve orecchiette, broccoli rabe and sausage in pasta bowls and sprinkle liberally with freshly ground black pepper and the grated cheese.

See Related Article at: Eat It! It’s Good for You

Mangia

 

 

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