Tag: sausage

Meat · Pasta

Italian Sausage Zucchini Orzo

Belinda

This Italian Sausage Zucchini Orzo recipe is easy to make in one pot with a zesty tomato-basil sauce.

1lb Italian sausage (spicy, mild or sweet)
1 medium onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups beef or chicken stock
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
4oz (about 2 large handfuls) fresh baby spinach
Fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Cook the sausage and veggies.
Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sausagemeat and cook until browned, using a wooden spoon to break up and stir the sausage occasionally as it cooks.
Stir in the onion, zucchini, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and continue cooking for 5 to 6 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
Simmer.
Add the orzo, tomato sauce, beef (or chicken) stock and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer, stirring the pasta frequently so that it does not stick and burn on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low or whatever temperature is needed to maintain a low simmer. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the orzo is al dente.
The sauce will become fairly thick, but if you believe it needs more liquid, just add in more stock as needed to finish cooking the pasta.
Add the final ingredients. Stir in the heavy cream, basil, Parmesan and baby spinach until the spinach begins to wilt.
Season. Taste and season with salt, pepper and/or additional basil if needed.
Serve warm, garnished with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan, and enjoy!

Appetizers · Baking · Holiday Food · Meat · Nuts

Stilton, date and walnut sausage rolls

Belinda

These cook-from-frozen sausage rolls make entertaining a breeze. Love the combination of salty sausage meat and stilton with sweet dates. Give them a go and watch them disappear in seconds.
Recipe c/o Delicious Magazine

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Makes 24
2oz (50g) walnut halves
18 oz (500g) puff pastry, chilled
Plain flour for dusting
1lb (350g-400g) pork sausage meat or 6 good quality free-range pork sausages, skins removed
(5oz)150g stilton cheese, rind removed and crumbled
3.5oz (100g) (about 5) pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten
Butter for greasing

Heat the oven to 400F/200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
Spread the walnuts out on a baking tray and toast for 6 minutes. Remove and leave to cool, then coarsely chop.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 16″ (40cm) x 11″ (26cm) rectangle, then cut in half lengthways to make two long strips.
Put the pork sausage meat, walnuts, stilton, dates and parsley in a mixing bowl, then mix together with your hands until well combined. Divide the mixture in half and shape each half on a sheet of cling film to make 2 long sausage shapes the same length as your pastry.
Lay one sausage down the centre of each piece of pastry, brush 1 edge of the pastry with a little beaten egg, fold over the pastry and press the edges together to seal. Mark along the edge with the tines of a fork. Cut each strip across to make 12 rolls (see Make Ahead) or chill, spaced slightly apart, on buttered baking sheets, loosely covered with cling film, until ready to bake.
Brush with a little more beaten egg and bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.

Make ahead
Layer the unbaked sausage rolls in lidded freezer-proof boxes, separated with pieces of non-stick baking paper, and freeze for up to 1 month. To cook from frozen, brush with lightly beaten egg and bake on lined baking trays for 25-30 minutes until golden and puffed.

Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Meat

Cauliflower Pizza Bake

Belinda

Recipe from “FOOD 52”
This is what happens when you combine the caramelized, golden-edged goodness of roasted cauliflower with melty pockets of mozzarella, crispy pepperoni, and your other favorite pizza toppings. Serve it to cauliflower lovers, or even the haters. Trust me, it’ll make you see cauliflower in a whole new way.

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SERVES 4

1/2 pound (about 2 links) uncooked Italian sausage, removed from casings and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small, bite-sized florets
1/2 cup pizza sauce, divided
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for finishing dish
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup black olives (I like to use the sliced, canned kind)
1/4 cup slivered or halved sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (drained of oil before using)
2 to 3 ounces pepperoni
4 ounces fresh mozzarella (sold in rounds or logs), torn into bite-sized pieces
A big handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Heat oven to 425 F.
Place a parchment-lined sheet pan in the oven while it heats. The hot pan will help the sausage to get nicely browned, fast!
Working quickly, transfer the sausage to the preheated sheet pan in a single, even layer. (Careful, the pan will be hot!) Drizzle the sausage with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the sausage is starting to brown (set a timer).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cauliflower florets with 1/4 cup pizza sauce, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss. You want the pizza sauce to lightly yet thoroughly coat the florets; add another tablespoon of sauce, if needed.
Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the bowl and toss again.
When the timer for the sausage goes off, add the cauliflower mixture to the sheet pan, stirring a few times to coat the cauliflower in the sausage fat. Arrange pepperoni evenly across the top.

Roast for 15 more minutes, until the cauliflower is crisp-tender and the pepperoni has browned. (Taste a piece of cauliflower; if it isn’t approaching tender, return to the oven for a few more minutes before proceeding to Step 6. Season with a little more salt and pepper, if needed.)

Remove sheet pan from oven, and spoon 1/4 cup more sauce over the cauliflower mixture; add a little extra, if desired, for a saucier version. Arrange bites of torn mozzarella over (and in between) the cauliflower florets (avoid putting it directly on the bottom of the sheet pan).
Roast in the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce is warmed and cheese is melted.
Cool for about 5 minutes, then grate more parmesan on top and scatter the basil. Serve warm.