I've spent the weekend planning my Thanksgiving Day and other menus for next week when we'll have family in town. Today's recipe is going to be featured one day for lunch or dinner. It's a new favorite, possibly the best new dinner I've come up with in awhile. It's not innovative - folks have been making sausage and broccoli sauces forever. But mine is a red sauce.
Here's what to love about it: it's, like, the easiest weeknight dinner that you will ever make; it's possibly the most comforting meal, ever, AND, AND, AND it's really good leftover! One day at work I was liveblogging my lunch with an off-site coworker who either thought I had an overabundance of enthusiasm about my lunch or advanced to the nearest Whole Foods to buy the ingredients to make it for her own family.
If I bring it to work, I end up nukeing it to reheat. Otherwise, I employ my tried and true method of reheating pasta: heat 1-2 T water in saucepan or skillet, then add pasta and stir in. Cover and cook over low-medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until well heated. You need it thoroughly reheated but be careful as overcooking will turn it to mush. Taste for seasoning, adding parm, salt or pepper as needed. I had a friend in college who swore by her mom's fried spaghetti - a story that still makes me cringe.
Here's that recipe.
Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage*
2 cloves garlic
1 8-ounce package baby broccoli, cut into 2-inch long pieces
1 fourteen-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
8-12 oz penne or quinoa pasta (I use quinoa pasta for this all the time)
2-4 T freshly grated Parm or Grana Padano
METHOD
Heat a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and garlic and saute for 6-8 minutes, breaking up the sausage and allowing it to brown all over. Add the entire can of tomatoes and juices to the pot, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Prep a large bowl of ice water.
Add broccoli and boil for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to the bowl filled with ice water. Add the pasta to the same pot of water and cook until al dente. When the pasta has about 2 minutes left to cook, drain the baby broccoli and add to the saucepan.
Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring completely. Add freshly grated Grana Padano and serve.
* A note on the sausage: I've been buying the Niman Ranch bulk sausage locally at Plum Market. Whole Foods also carries it sometimes. I like both because they're of the leaner variety.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Spicy Italian Sausage and Broccoli Sauce for Pasta
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Homemade Tagliatelle and Ragù Bolognese
I've made Bison Bolognese several time since presenting the recipe in February 2011. I cannot say that it has been met with universal enthusiasm. The main offender was the addition of Italian sausage. My kin can snuff out a fennel seed like truffle hogs. "Death seeds" are considered outside the limits of justifiable cooking and are not tolerated. And you thought your family was picky.
I love Bolognese so I've been searching for a new recipe. It didn't have to be bison, either. I regularly pick up the 96/4 lean ground beef at Trader Joes. It's as lean as you get and it's still quite flavorful. I even drain the fat from it when using it to make Tacos. Anyway, I read a lot of recipes and settled on one from a food blog called Food Nouveau. I only changed it a teeny bit. I should mention that her recipe is a blend of two others - one from Josée Di Stasio, a Canadian cook and TV host, and the other from The Geometry of Pasta.
One interesting point of fact: nearly every Bolognese recipe that appeared to be worth its salt called for the addition of a cup of milk. Some recipe authors claim it helps tenderize the meat.
Making the new Ragù also meant making some fresh pasta to go with it. I hadn't made fresh pasta in eons. In the process, I re-wrote my standard pasta recipe which was based on the commercial amounts I used to turn out at Cafe Nola. The pasta recipe will generously serve a family of four. Here are those recipes:
Ragù Bolognese
Print recipe only here
Serves 4, generously
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, finely
chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely
chopped
2 stalks celery, finely
chopped
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
3 slices pancetta (cut into 1/2-cm cubes)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 # lean ground beef (I like the 96/4 variety)
1/2 cup white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
1 cup lowfat or nonfat milk
1 15-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, diced (you will use both the liquid as well as the tomatoes)
1/2 cup beef stock
METHOD
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the pancetta and cook for a further 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened and pancetta is golden.
Increase the heat to high and add the meat a third at a time, stirring and breaking lumps with a spoon between each addition. Adding the meat gradually allows the water to evaporate – which is key if you want to brown your meat and not boil it. After the last addition, when no pink can be spotted in the meat and no lumps remain, set a timer for 15 minutes. You want your meat to caramelize and even become crispy in spots. More water will evaporate and flavors will concentrate. You want golden bits of meat to stick to the bottom of your pan – this flavorful crust will then be deglazed with white wine. Watch over your pan as you don’t want your meat to burn. When you see some caramelization happening, lower heat to medium to each the end of your 15-minute sautéing time (on my stove, that’s after about 8-9 minutes).
Over medium heat, pour the white wine into the sauce pan. With a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom and sides of your pan. Push the meat all around to make sure you scrape it all off. By the time you’re finished, the wine will be evaporated (2-3 minutes).
Add milk, diced tomatoes (with liquid), beef stock, another pinch of salt and a good grinding of pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower to the lowest heat and let simmer, half-covered, for 4 hours. Stir once in a while. If your sauce starts sticking before the end of your cooking time, add a bit of stock or water. In the end, the sauce should be thick, more beef than sauce based. Adjust the seasoning one last time, then stir into a drained bowl of cooked pasta and serve.
Fresh Pasta
Print recipe only here
Serves 4, generously
INGREDIENTS
3 cups flour
4-5 eggs
1 t salt
1 T olive oil
2-3 T semolina, for dusting
METHOD
Measure flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor, or in a mixing bowl or onto a clean counter.
Add eggs and olive oil and pulse until combined and takes on the appearance of wet sand.
NOTE ON THE EGGS: All flour has a different moisture content. My best estimation is that you can safely add 5 eggs to this recipe. If your eggs are particularly large, try four. You can always pulse in another if the dough feels dry.
If working without the Cuisinart, make a well, add the eggs and oil, whisk together and incorporate flour. It should resemble the mixture in the photo below.
Turn out onto a floured counter and knead, incorporating more flour as needed, until smooth.
Wrap in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes.
Dust two baking sheets with semolina. Cut dough into four even pieces. Keep three loosely wrapped in the plastic wrap. Lightly flour a work surface and flatten one of the pieces of pasta dough, pressing flour into both sides.
Using a pasta machine set to the widest setting (#1 on my Atlas) feed the flattened dough through the rollers. Fold the dough over onto itself and roll through, on the same setting. Do this a total of 4 times, dusting with flour as necessary.
Change the setting to the next widest (#2). Feed the pasta through, fold over and feed through again. Run it thru #2 for a total of three times.
Change the setting to #3. You no longer need to fold the dough, unless the surface appears rough or uneven. Run it through this setting 2-3 times. Let the dough rest for a minute or so. Or pick up another chunk of dough out of the plastic wrap and begin to roll that one out, starting at the widest setting.
Run the dough through the rollers until the desired thickness is achieved. I use #6 as my final for tagliatelle, and #7 (the thinnest setting) for lasagna. Run the pasta through each setting at least twice. At the thinner settings, let the dough rest for a minute between rollings to allow it to relax a bit.
At #6 the pasta can be fed through the cutting rollers or cut to the width you prefer by hand. Once you cut it into the desired shape, spread it out on the baking sheet. Allow to dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Cook in a large pot of well-salted water (and a splash of oil) for one minute. Drain gently, toss with sauce and serve.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Bison Bolognese: Better than the sauce you think it is
Bolognese is not a meat sauce in the way you might think. It's not a tomato sauce with meat added, nor is it saucy. There's a bit of tomato used, really just for color and flavor. It's broth that is used to cook the meat. Bolognese cooks for a long time, allowing everything to reduce and intensify.
Because of the long cooking time it's critical that you use a very heavy pot to cook it in. An enameled cast iron saucepan (Le Creuset) is your best bet. Plan for at least 3 hours for it to simmer. I started prepping for the sauce at 1:30 pm yesterday. By 2pm the simmering had begun, and we had a hearty meal (with our new favorite salad) at 6:30. I did turn it off and covered it between 5 and 6pm since I was out of the house.
I based the recipe on one from the wonderful Angeli Caffe Pizza, Pasta, Panini cookbook, just reducing fats and mushrooms. Angeli Caffe's Bolognese recipe is an inspired variation of Marcella Hazan's. I used bison instead of beef since we love it. The finished sauce won't change a bit if you substitute beef.
Bison Bolognese
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 stalk celery, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 pound ground beef or bison
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2-3 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken or beef broth
14.5-ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
1 pound fettucini or pasta of your choosing
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
METHOD
Set porcinis in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Prep all veggies. They need to be totally minced so they will just melt into the sauce. Chop and chop some more.
Set a 3-quart Dutch oven or heavyweight saucepan over a medium high flame and add olive oil. When warm, add carrots, onion and celery and sauté until the veggies are a bit soft and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.
Add ground beef and sausage. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt to draw out the moisture from the meat. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon, stir well and cook until the meat is cooked through
Turn the heat up and add the wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the alcohol is cooked off. Add the parsley, sage and bay leaf. Add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir well. Bring to a simmer.
Remove porcinis from their soaking liquid, reserving liquid, and chop coarsely. Add to sauce.
Turn down to lowest flame possible and simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours*, stirring from time to time. If the sauce dries out add 1/2 cup of water or porcini liquid whenever necessary. At the end, however, no liquid should remain. Taste and add salt as needed.
At dinnertime, cook and drain the pasta and toss with tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Bolognese and Parmesan and mix well. Serve immediately.
* If you cannot maintain a sufficiently low or gentle simmer, pop the sauce into a preheated 250 oven.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Lunchtime Linguine with Clam Sauce
I love pasta, and this is a favorite sauce. It's decidedly lowbrow, what with the canned minced clams and all. You could obviously class it up and get yourself a pound of littlenecks and do whatever it is that is done to littlenecks to cook and serve them. For a quick sauce, the canned clam version really is quite good. Just make sure they're minced.
I remain confused about the minced clams, namely why minced clam pieces are larger than chopped clam pieces when mincing should always produce smaller pieces. A chopped garlic clove, for example, may only yield 3-4 smaller pieces, whereas mincing the same clove increases the number of pieces (and reduces their size) by a factor of 10. Anyway, don't buy canned chopped clams. They're weird.
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Print recipe only here
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound thin spaghetti or linguini
1 can Snow's minced clams
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
pinch crushed chili peppers
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
METHOD
Fill a large sauce pan with water. Add 1 t kosher salt and bring to a boil.
In a small skillet heat 1-2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and crushed chilis and saute until the garlic bubbles and is fragrant. Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan along with the clams and white wine. Bring to a gentle boil. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
When the pasta is just about cooked through, season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Drain the pasta and pour it into a bowl. Top with sauce, chopped parsley and Parmesan. Serve and enjoy.
Monday, March 31, 2008
On Top of Spaghetti
That I love my kids' school is a great comfort. That I can sign them out for lunch mid-week is a great joy. That my oldest recently chose, instead of a restaurant, to come home and eat spaghetti with me is probably the biggest reason I'm writing this blog. My kids like my food, and I like the idea of having it all on record for them.
I love having a big lunch followed by a smaller dinner. Spaghetti and Meatballs is an easy lunch to prepare since I make three pounds of meatballs a few times a year and reserve them in the freezer. They cook up very nicely straight out of the freezer - I just add my house tomato sauce and some shaved Grana Padano (a super nutty Parmesan-type cheese). Here's how...
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Print recipe only here
YOU WILL NEED:
1 # lean ground beef (96/4)
1 # lean ground pork
1 # lean ground veal
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan
Fresh parsley
I pick up the beef at Trader Joe's and the pork and veal at Whole Foods.
Making Meatballs
In a large bowl, lightly beat:
2 eggs
Add and incorporate:
2-3 T milk (nonfat is fine)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
In 1-2 T olive oil, sauté over medium heat:
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
Sauté for a few minutes, until onions soften. Set aside to cool.
Add to the mixing bowl:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2-3 t finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1-2 t kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Add the meat and onions to the mixing bowl and combine everything well. It's easiest to roll up your sleeves and get into it with your hands.
Form the meatballs to desired size and transfer to a baking sheet (reserving some to cook fresh that day). When your baking sheet is full wrap it well in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. In 24 hours, transfer the meatballs from pan to a Ziploc freezer bag.
To cook frozen meatballs:
Preheat a nonstick pan on medium heat. Briefly sauté a clove or two of garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. Add frozen meatballs and brown all over. Add 1-2 cups tomato sauce (see below) or tomato puree and simmer uncovered - or loosely covered - until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
To cook fresh meatballs:
Same instructions. Simmering time will be more like 5-10 minutes.
Essential Tomato Sauce
Print recipe only here
YOU WILL NEED
Food mill or Cusinart
28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes. I only buy Muir Glen.*
Olive oil
Fresh garlic
Chili flakes
METHOD
Puree tomatoes in a food mill. If you don't have a food mill, you can spin them in a food processor.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2-4 T olive oil over medium heat. Add:
2 cloves garlic, smashed a bit
pinch chili flakes
Let the garlic brown gently on both sides.
Add the pureed tomatoes to the saucepan.
Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. The sauce will change in color from red to an orange.
Add kosher salt, to taste and serve. You can also add another tablespoon of good olive oil right here at the end. It finishes the sauce quite nicely.
*Whole peeled tomatoes that you puree yourself is not the same thing as canned pureed tomatoes. Don't buy the latter - this sauce depends absolutely on whole tomatoes. (I think the product difference is that the canned puree is cooked and more concentrated.)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Molto Penne
I’m half Italian. That’s how I have always justified my love for bread and pasta. But let's consider the traditional Italian meal. Pasta was never the main event. It is the first in a succession of courses (fish or meat, fruit and cheese, side dishes, dessert, etc.) and preceded by antipasti* and an aperitif.
This made me reconsider sitting down to a heaping portion of pasta (even though the pasta course served the purpose of filling eaters up a bit before more costly meats came to the table). Since I’m not in the position to serve multi-course meals, I usually now incorporate a protein (usually chicken) into my pasta dishes. It’s still a carbohydrate-heavy meal, but at least you’re forfeiting some carb calories in favor of proteins.
Chicken Penne Pomodoro
Print recipe only here
Serves four
YOU WILL NEED:
* Food mill (a Cuisinart can substitute in a pinch, but I’m really not an advocate)
* Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about ½ to 1 breast per person, depending on appetite)
* One can (28 oz) of whole peeled tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)
* 1 # penne pasta (I like Barilla)
* Fresh basil - 4-5 leaves
* Garlic - 2-3 cloves, sliced
* White wine
Morning Prep:
1. Marinate a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, lemon or whatever else you like in there.
Evening Prep:
1. Preheat grill.
2. Boil water for pasta, adding a generous amount of kosher salt to the water.
3. Run tomatoes through food mill, set on a medium size extractor. Mine comes with three discs. I use the middle one for all tomatoes
4. Trim basil. Here’s how: stack about 4-5 leaves on top of each other. Roll the whole thing up. Take your thinnest, sharpest blade and make thin cuts, crosswise. This is essentially a chiffonade, but not quite as thin.
5. Grill chicken breasts. When cooked through, transfer to a cutting board and let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
For the sauce:
In a saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. After a minute add:
Sauté the garlic until fragrant. Then add the pureed tomatoes.
Cook for about 5 minutes until the color darkens. Then add:
Cook, uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta (12-16 oz).
When the pasta has about 5 minutes left of cooking time, slice the chicken and add to saucepan. Then add the basil to saucepan. Taste sauce for seasoning, adding kosher salt and pepper as needed.
Drain pasta and pour into a serving bowl. Pour sauce on top and stir to combine.
___________________________
*I’m throwing this out to those of you who speak Italian. I’ve heard both antipasti and antipasto. Is this a plural/singular difference like cannoli/cannolo (“Only one CANNOLO!?!? or panini/panino? Can anyone provide an explanation?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Rice Penne Pasta with Lemon and Artichoke Hearts
About a year ago you couldn't say the word PROTEIN to me without it eliciting a negative response. Chefs were saying it, physical trainers were saying it, my doctor was talking about it, my husband was complaining that we didn't eat enough of it.
It made me realize how stubborn I am about what I like to eat, and how deep my affection (read: addiction) for carbs was.
Anyway, a year has passed and I'm pleased to report that I've loosened up a bit and made some necessary dietary changes. For the most part I try to eat about equal parts lean protein and carbs. I'm not completely reformed (and I do find it hard sometimes) but I do feel a lot more energetic and look a lot better when I reduce the amount of bread I eat and increase the amount of lean protein.
All that aside - here's a great rice pasta recipe (you could always add chicken to round it out). It's got a great kick from the chilis and the lemon. My friend Kristine tipped me off to the best choice for rice pasta - Tinkyada. It has the best texture when cooked of any I've tried.
Print recipe only here.
You will need:
* 1-2 lemons
* 1 good sized jar of artichoke hearts (people have different opinions on a proper packing: water or oil. I usually get the marinated ones and hope for the best flavor)
* 1 pkg rice pasta
* Chili flakes
* 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed a bit
* Olive oil
Method
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Rice pasta will cook a lot longer than regular wheat pasta.
2. Heat 1 T olive oil in a saute pan. Add a pinch of chili flakes and the garlic cloves and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is nicely browned all over and the chili flakes bleed some of their color.
3. Turn off the flame and allow to cool a bit. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
4. When the pasta has just a couple of minutes left to cook, add the juice from one or two lemons (depending on how juicy they are. You want to have about ¼ cup of lemon juice in the pan. Add the artichoke hearts and put over a low-medium flame to heat through. Add salt and pepper and any fresh herbs to taste (fresh parsley is nice here).
5. Drain and rinse the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the sauce on top and stir to incorporate. Test again for seasoning and serve.
Chicken Pesto Pasta
The first time I had pesto (circa 1985, before its rise to popularity on the American table) it had been made for my dad as a gift by an Italian colleague. Having no clue what to do with it, he heated it up in a small saucepan before tossing it on pasta. I think it might have turned brown.
Pesto is something we enjoy year-round in our house. It's easy to stockpile pine nuts (well, Trader Joe's makes it easier than many purveyors); buy the raw ones so you can roast them yourself) and parmesan and I try to keep fresh basil on hand at all times since I use it for a variety of foods.
Pesto is sort of an à la minute preparation.
Makes enough for about 12-16 oz pasta, serving four
Print recipe only here.
Morning Prep:
1. Marinate a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, lemon or whatever else you like in there.
Evening Prep:
1. Preheat Grill and oven or toaster oven to 350.
2. Boil water for pasta, adding a spoonful of kosher salt to the water. A cooking school teacher once told me that pasta cooking water should be as salty as the sea. That seemed extreme, but I do remember each time I cook pasta.
3. Roast a scant ¼ cup pine nuts in the oven or toaster oven for about 1 minute or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
4. While the water is heating, trim haricots (top and tail). Fill a medium sized bowl with ice and water.
3. Grill chicken breasts.
4. When the pasta water comes to a boil, throw haricots in and blanche - no more than a minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon and toss in the bowl of ice water. (Honestly, I usually just put the beans in a strainer and run cold water over them.)
5. Get chicken off the grill and allow to cool slightly.
6. Put pasta in boiling water and prepare pesto:
In a cuisinart:
* 2 oz fresh basil
* pine nuts, cooled
* 1-2 cloves garlic (pressed through the Susi)
* 1/2 t kosher salt
* 1/3 cup grated parmesan (I use Grana Padano)
Pulse cuisinart until throroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
With motor running, add through the tube:
* ¼ cup good olive oil
7. Slice chicken
8. Drain pasta and put in a serving bowl. Add chicken, haricots vert and the pesto and toss to coat. Read Full Post
