Sweet Italian Sausage with Apple & Fennel Seed

     As I mentioned in my last post, J.T. and I just celebrated our 6 month wedding anniversary.  Over the weekend, we took a quick getaway trip to Orange Beach.  One thing that we were most looking forward to about the trip was the food – seafood to be exact.  I didn’t grow up eating a lot of seafood and neither did J.T.  We decided to be a little adventurous with our menu selections (he was definitely more adventurous than me).  Between the two of us, we ate flounder, stuffed crab, crab claws, shrimp, scallops, snowcrab, royal reds, and crawfish.  The best place we ate was The Gumbo Shack, located in Fairhope, Alabama and featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  They had the best gumbo I have ever tasted!  After stuffing ourselves with seafood for two days, we finished off our trip with a grass feed hamburger from Lulu’s.  J.T. could teach Lulu a thing or two about cooking a hamburger!  I enjoyed our time eating out, but I was ready for a home cooked meal after our vacation.  For our first meal back, I cooked Sweet Italian Sausage with Apple & Fennel Seed.  This hearty meal of sausage and white beans is a quick and easy supper for a cold weekday evening. 

 Recipe adapted from Poor Girl Gourmet

Ingredients

·         1 teaspoon fennel seeds

·         3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         1 medium sweet onion, chopped

·         4 links sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed, and cut into 1 – inch pieces

·         ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

·         ½ cup water

·         1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced

·         ½ pound great northern beans, cooked (or 2 – 15 ounce cans)

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Directions

1.      Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Toast the fennel seeds for exactly 2 minutes, stirring the seeds around the pan constantly.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

2.      In the same pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until they begin to turn translucent.  Add the sausage to the pan and cook until it is nicely browned, at least 10 minutes.  Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper flakes and pour in the water.  Scrape any browned bits up from the bottom of the pan.

3.      Add the toasted fennel seeds, apples, and beans.  Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.  The bright green apple skin should turn a pale green.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serves 4 large portions.  

Rosemary White Bean Soup

Recipe courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried great northern beans
  
• 3 onions, chopped (4 cups)
  
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary, 6 to 7 inches
  
• 1 pound mild pork sausage
  
• 2 quarts reduced sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cover the beans with water. Soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain.
   
2. In a medium skillet, brown the sausage, breaking apart with a wooden spoon. Drain off fat and set aside.
   
3. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté 15 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic, rosemary, and sausage. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Uncover and mash the beans lightly with a potato masher. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Serves 6.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Recipe courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

  

Ingredients

• 1 pound green lentils
  
• ¼ cup olive oil
  
• 4 cups yellow onions, chopped
  
• 3 cups celery stalks, medium-diced
  
• 3 cups carrots, medium-diced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• ¼ cup tomato paste
  
• 1 quart chicken broth
  
• 2 quarts water
  
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  
• 1 (13 ounce) package smoked linked sausage, sliced
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cover the lentil with boiling water and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes. Drain.
   
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Sauté the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and cumin until very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the red wine vinegar, sausage, and remaining salt. Simmer an additional 15 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Bangers and Mash

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh Italian turkey sausages (8 large sausages)
  
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
  
• Kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
  
• 1 ½ cups almond milk
  
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain or coarse mustard
  
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together olive oil, canola oil, almond milk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dry mustard, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper; set aside.
   
2. Once potatoes are fork-tender, drain and add to the whisked almond milk mixture. Beat the potatoes in the bowl with a handheld mixer on low speed until very smooth and creamy, adding extra milk as needed. Cover and keep warm.
   
3. Place sausages in a large skillet and fill with one-inch of water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cover; cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile spray a grill pan with canola oil and heat to medium-high. After sausages have cooked in covered skillet, cook sausages on grill pan for about 2 minutes per side, until browned and crispy. Transfer to a plate, wrap with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
   
4. To serve, mound a generous portion of potatoes on a dinner plate and top with sausages. Serves 4.
   

Recipe adapted from How Easy Is That?

 Tomato and Sausage Risotto

recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

 Ingredients

• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 cups)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.
4. Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach and remaining tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools).  Serves 4.

Sausage-Stuffed Potatoes + a Green Salad

recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 large russet (baking) potatoes (preferably organic; 3/4 pound each, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon water, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for coating potatoes
• 1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage (1 cup) or 1/2 pound of breakfast sausage, casings removed
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 5 cups salad greens (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Prick potatoes with a fork. Microwave, covered with a paper towel, on high power until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Cutting lengthwise, remove top fourth of each potato and scoop out centers (reserve for another use), leaving 1/2-inch-thick walls.
3. Whisk together mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon water, tomato paste, anchovy paste, and 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
5. Cook onion in oil with a pinch of salt in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.
6. In a medium-sized bowl mix together sausage, parsley, onion, and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise sauce with your hands.
7. Divide filling between potatoes, then coat skins lightly with oil. Bake in a 4-sided sheet pan until sausage is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
8. While potatoes bake, whisk 1 tablespoon mayonnaise sauce with lemon juice, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon water, and salt and pepper to taste.
9. Remove potatoes from oven and turn on broiler. Spoon remaining mayonnaise sauce over filling and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until charred in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
10. Toss greens with dressing and serve with potatoes.  Serves 2.

Sausage with Garlic Lentils

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound lentils
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 small onion, peeled and halved
• 4 large cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 fresh sausages, pork, chicken or lamb, hot or sweet
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cover lentils by 2 inches with water, add bay and onion and bring to a boil. Boil lentils 20 to 22 minutes until just tender but with a little bite left to them.
2. In a shallow pastabowl combine the garlic and about 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and let stand 15 minutes.
3. Place sausages in a small pan and add 1/4-inch water and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, a little drizzle. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high. Let the water simmer away 8 minutes or so, then crisp the casings 3 to 4 minutes more.
4. Remove bay and onion from lentils. Toss hot lentils with garlic oil, parsley and salt and pepper. Serve with sausages on top.