Leftover Makeover - Strozzapreti With Fast Sausage Ragu

I don't know about your house but around here, two frozen Italian Sausage links do not a dinner make. When I'm faced with odd amounts of ingredients leftover from other recipes (1 chicken leg, anyone?), I try and challenge myself not to let them go to waste.  I've found using them as a springboard for new meal ideas is a great strategy. That's why when pasta night rolled around (we need our fix about once a week), I took to the web to find a Sausage Ragu recipe worth trying. Not surprisingly, I landed on a familiar place for inspiration, Lidia Bastianich's  website. 

Our fast-cooking Sausage Ragu over Strozzapreti Pasta, Photo: NK 

Our light adaptation of Lidia's Rigatoni with Sausage Tomato Sauce would provide us a great opportunity to use some of the pantry and freezer items we had on hand (it's never a bad idea to have cans of whole tomatoes at the ready for sauce making). As with many ragu recipes, Lidia's is rather long-cooking. As such, we've tweaked the preparation considerably to make this more along the lines of a 45 minute cook time (down from an hour and a half). What does this mean for you? Well, for one, you can make this on a weeknight when you've got a little time to spare. Do certainly try the longer technique when you have time, but we managed to achieve fairly well-developed flavor and richness with minimal effort, and that's just how we like to roll on work days. Purchasing fresh herbs like Basil (we also added minced fresh Parsley to mix) and using good quality canned Tomatoes and Italian Sausage is the key to achieving a very flavorful sauce fast. And, if you don't happen to have a bottle of wine open, you now have an excuse! Weekday be damned! 

Now for pasta talk; we used a fun but hard to find pasta shape called Strozzapreti. It looks like a longer version of Cavatelli and interestingly, the name means Priest Stranglers… eek! Of course, any short, spiral pasta would be a worth vehicle for this satisfying sauce. Buon Appetito and enjoy! 

Strozzapreti With Fast Sausage Ragu
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Serves 4-5 as an entree
Ingredients:
3/4 Pound Strozzapreti or other short or spiral pasta
1/2 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage - about 2 links
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more for drizzling
1/2 Cup White or Red Wine, whatever's on hand, divided
1 large Garlic Clove, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper or to taste
1 Cup Yellow Onion or other Sweet White Onion, diced
7 Basil Leaves, cut into ribbons then minced + sprigs for garnish
3 Cups (24 ounces) Canned Whole San Marzano or Plum Tomatos, crushed by hand or gently with a potato masher
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Italian Parsley, minced
1/2 Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, freshly grated


Method:
1. Remove the Sausage casings and discard. Crumble the Sausage meat into a medium bowl. Now pour half of the wine over (1/4 cup) and stir to be sure the meat is evenly moistened. 

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle the Olive Oil. Add the Onions and cook until they start to soften, roughly 5 minutes. Now add the Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper Flake, stirring well. When everything is sizzling, pour in the Sausage Meat, breaking up any chunks. Stir well. 

Photo: NK

3. To the skillet, add the remaining 1/4 cup of Wine and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, as the wine cooks down and the Sausage begins to brown, approximately 10 minutes. 

4. At this point, you'll want to start preparing your pasta in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain it and set it aside. You can also make it in advance of the sauce if easier, just save some pasta water or a bit of oil to help unstick it if necessary.

5. Once Sausage has browned, pour in the tomatoes and all their juices and stir well with the other ingredients in the skillet. Add the Salt and Basil ribbons and turn up the flame to bring the sauce to a bubble. Allow it to warm about 5 minutes, stirring, until fully heated through. (Note: here is where if you have more time, you can certainly simmer this sauce longer. You'd simply need to add a half cup of water, stir, and then partially cover the pot to vent. Lower the flame to keep the sauce at a gentle bubble and cook about an hour.)

Photo: NK

6. Turn off the flame and scatter the Parsley throughout the sauce. Add the drained Pasta to the skillet and toss to incorporate until sauce is well distributed. Finally, add about half of the grated cheese to the skillet and toss until incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.


7. To serve, plate the pasta and sauce and drizzle each serving with a little Olive Oil. Next, optionally garnish each bowl with a few Basil Leaves. Pass the remaining grated cheese around the table. 


Enjoy! 

Date Night Dinner in Minutes - Meyer Lemon & Cream Spaghetti

Meyer Lemon & Cream Spaghetti, Photo: NK 

There's absolutely no reason an elegant dinner can't also be easy and fast. Whether you're up for treating yourself to a fantastic home-cooked meal or preparing to entertain a special someone, it's always nice to have a perfect (and perfectly simple) recipe in your back pocket. To that end, we'd like to introduce you to this sensuous plate of Meyer Lemon & Cream Spaghetti.

With just a few easy to find ingredients (regular Lemons work just fine if you can't find the milder, more floral Meyer variety) it comes together very quickly and is, I assure you, impossible to mess up. Just be sure to have your mise en place set up before you begin because the process, though simple, is very time sensitive. The dish you'll create is absolutely scrumptious and very worthy of a company meal. It makes for a fantastic vegetarian pasta course and works in every season. 

Meyer Lemon Cream Spaghetti
Lightly adapted from the Best of the Best Cookbook
Recipe by Todd Porter & Diane Cu, Bountiful
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2-3 as an entree

Preparing the cream sauce, Photo: NK

Ingredients:
1/2 Pound Spaghetti
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tablespoon Meyer Lemon Zest (or Organic Lemon)
3 Tablespoons fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons finely minced Italian Parsley
1/2 fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus more for serving
Salt

Method:
Note: Before you start, chop, measure, and prepare all your ingredients before you begin the cooking process! 

Beautiful Meyer Lemons, Photo: NK

1. Boil Spaghetti according to package directions in well salted water. 
2. When the Spaghetti is about halfway finished, you'll want to start the sauce. In a large sauté pan, whisk the Oil, Cream, and Wine. Turn the flame to medium-high so that the mixture comes to a simmer. Leave it simmering about 3 minutes, whisking now and again.

3. Once the Pasta is finished, drain it and add it to the sauté pan. Toss in the Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, and Cheese. Blend by gently yet thoroughly tossing. Add the minced Parsley and toss again.Taste the pasta for Salt and add a sprinkle if needed. You can also include extra Lemon Juice or Cheese if desired. 

4. Serve right away and enjoy! 

Bring The Steakhouse To Your House - Real Wedge Salad

Around our house, a decadent night on the town might very well include a visit to a great steakhouse. We can only justify such indulgence once or twice a year, but when we do, our favorite destinations include Peter Luger in Brooklyn and Keen's in midtown Manhattan. A good porterhouse with all the accoutrements and well made cocktail (usually an Old Fashioned or a Dirty Martini) is pretty much our idea of heaven. The Iceberg Wedge Salad is one of those classic steakhouse sides (much like the Tomato and Onion Salad from our last post), and frankly, whomever first thought up this dish was something of a genius. 

A Steakhouse Classic: Real Iceberg Wedge Salad, Photo: NK

Take a lowly head of Iceberg Lettuce and add some Blue Cheese and Bacon, and boom - you have a salad that costs a few dollars to make that finer restaurants can charge 15 bucks for! But oh, it really is delicious - something that's totally greater than the sum of its parts. That's precisely why when steak night rolled around at our house, we new we'd up the ante by recreating the Wedge at home. Our version definitely hit the spot and we succeeded in bringing that special night out feel to our home cooked meal. You can too, and it only takes minutes! Enjoy! 


Classic Wedge Salad With Bacon & Blue Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
Serves 4 

Ingredients: 
1 large head of Iceberg Lettuce, outer leaves peeled off and discarded 
1/2 Cup Fat Free or Regular Sour Cream
1 small Shallot, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped Chives plus more for garnish
1/3 Cup Buttermilk 
2 teaspoons White Wine Vinegar
4 Ounces Mild Blue Cheese, crumbled
8 slices Thick Cut Organic Bacon (we like Coleman brand), cut into bite-sized bits 
Sea Salt 
Black Pepper 
Optional Garnish of Parsley

Method:
1. Cut the head of Lettuce into equal fourths and place each on a serving plate.

2. In a medium bowl, combine Sour Cream, Chives, Shallot, Buttermilk, Vinegar and about 3 ounces of the Blue Cheese (reserving an ounce for sprinkling on top of the salads later). Mash the Blue Cheese into the dressing mixture. If you prefer a thinner consistency add extra Buttermilk teaspoon by teaspoon. Taste and add Salt and Pepper as desired (remember that Bacon will add a bit of saltiness). 

3. To serve, drizzle each portion with Dressing, sprinkle with some extra Chives, and scatter with 1/4 of the Bacon pieces. Serve and enjoy! 

Saying Goodbye To Summer - Two Simple Starters

We are counting down the days until fall is upon us, and there aren't many to go. Still, I can't help but feel that for me, there's really nothing like summer. When that pleasant warmth is in the air, the living really does seem easy, and as far as food, everything just tastes a little bit better. I'm sorry to see the season go. 

One of our favorite summer vistas, Photo: NK 

The number one thing I love about cooking and eating in summer is that the absolute simplest ingredients really seem to shine and require minimal fuss. This also means that entertaining becomes even more of a breeze. Picking ingredients at the height of freshness and ripeness is the key to cooking in any season (and Autumn's no slouch when it comes to amazing seasonal produce). 

So we're sending off Summer 2014 by highlighting two ingredients that peak in the month of September- Tomatoes (as we discussed in a recent post) and beautifully fragrant Honeydew Melons.We'll show you a pair of INSANELY simple serving ideas for these late season gems. 

Get them while you can because soon we'll be talking pumpkin everything! 

Here goes:

Tomato & Onion Stack, Steakhouse Style - This is how they serve the Tomato and Onion Salad at the iconic Brooklyn Steakhouse, Peter Luger. It's so easy to recreate at home using a bottle of their famous steak sauce, available in most grocery stores. 

Tomato & Onion Salad a la Peter Luger, Photo: NK

HOW TO:

Easy! Slice up super ripe Beefsteak Tomatoes and then cut equally thick rounds of Vidalia Onion or other White Onion. Layer as pictured, adding a very light sprinkle of Salt and Pepper a few times throughout. To finish, drizzle with Peter Luger Steak Sauce. I like to embellish this simple side with a quick sprinkle of Basil Ribbons, but the folks at Peter Luger serves this as-is and it's just great. Enjoy - and keep an eye out for our forthcoming post, Bringing the Steakhouse to Your House, where we explore the enumerable wonders of the Iceberg Wedge Salad. 

Next…

Honeydew Melon & Mint Appetizer  - (*pairs deliciously with a dry Rose)

A quick Melon starter. Unexpected and refreshing! Photo: NK 

HOW TO: For this incredibly easy and striking nibble, I like to slice long, thin wedges of Honeydew, and then slice them in half once more. Slice up some thin ribbons of Mint and sprinkle throughout. If your melon is perfectly ripe as it should be, this will be a light and refreshing way to kick off a meal. No one ever expects to see melon as a starter, but it's always a hit. If you prefer to be more traditional, throw some Prosciutto alongside this on the platter for a classic sweet/salty combo.  

And there you have it - two starters, both easy and delicious, as a farewell to a great season. May fall bring you many great meals ahead. Be sure to check back for plenty of seasonally inspired autumn eats. 

See you soon!