Sausage and kale gnocchi bake

September 23, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

Now Fall is peeking around the corner (my favorite season) I will now start posting more substantial recipes for comfort and warmth.
This easy-to-make, quick-to-cook recipe from “Delicious Magazine” is the ultimate in midweek comfort food.

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7 oz curly kale
1 lb potato gnocchi
1 medium-sized onion
Olive oil for frying
3 good-quality pork sausages or mild Italian sausages
7 oz passata
Large handful fresh basil leaves
4 oz fontina cheese or mozzarella

Heat the oven to 400F/200°C/ fan180°C/gas 6.
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil.
De-stalk and shred the kale (if necessary), then drop into the water with the gnocchi and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse both under cold water.
Finely chop the onion.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then crumble in the meat from the sausages (discard the skins).
Add the chopped onion and fry for 7 minutes or until just soft.
Add the passata and basil leaves and simmer for 3 minutes.
Toss the kale and gnocchi through the sausage mixture, then transfer to a 1.5 liter ovenproof dish.
Tear over the cheese and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Meat · Pasta

Creamy French Onion Sausage Pasta

February 21, 2019 Belinda

If you love French onion soup, sausages and pasta, this is the recipe for you!

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2 tbsp olive oil
1lb spicy or sweet ground sausage
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 onion, diced
1 tsp sea salt
1/ ground black pepper
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed french onion soup
2 1/2 cups beef broth
2 cups egg noodles
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add in the onions, sausage, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Brown the sausage and mix well.
Pour the condensed french onion soup, cream cheese, beef broth, and egg noodles into the pot and stir. Boil until noodles are fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the sour cream and grated parmesan cheese and stir.

lentils · Meat

Easy, tasty bollito misto

February 21, 2019 Belinda

This is a really gorgeous recipe from Gordon Ramsey. It’s simple to make and full of flavor.

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Serves 4-6

Olive oil
6 Italian fennel sausages (or Toulouse sausages)
8 oz Chorizo sausages, halved lengthwise
4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
2 fennel bulbs cut into large chunks
4 celery stalks trimmed and thickly sliced diagonally
4 carrots peeled and sliced diagonally
8 oz Puy lentils
2 fresh Bay Leaves
1 tbsp roasted and ground fennel seeds
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 cups chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add a little oil. Cook the fennel sausages for 3–4 minutes until colored on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the chorizo pieces, cut side down, and cook for 2–3 minutes until they start to release their colored oil and begin to crisp up. Turn over and color on the other side for a minute or two. Remove and set aside with the sausages.

Add the garlic, celery, carrots and ground fennel seeds to the pan and stir for 2 minutes until the garlic is tender. Stir in the lentils, then return the sausages and chorizo to the pan with the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Stir well.

Add 2½ cups of the stock, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes until the sausages are cooked through, the lentils are tender, and the stock is well flavored. If the stock level drops too low while the lentils are cooking, top up with a little of the remaining stock.

Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and serve the bollito misto in shallow bowls, garnished with the chopped parsley.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Meat · Whole30 compliant

Sausage and cabbage skillet

January 8, 2019 Belinda

A super-easy Paleo/Whole 3o friendly recipe from the blog “Real, Simple, Good”.
I happen to adore sausages and if you’re doing the Whole 30, just make sure you have W30-compliant sausages. (No added gluten or sugar)

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Serves 4

4 large sausage links or bratwurst, uncooked (check ingredients for Paleo/Whole30 compliance.
8 pieces bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups shredded cabbage (pre-bagged mix with carrots, etc. is ok)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

(Skip this step if you’re using pre-cooked sausages)
Add enough water to submerge the sausages to a medium pot. Bring the water to a boil and then turn it down to a gentle simmer. Add sausages to the water and boil for 15 minutes.

Prep the bacon, onion, bell pepper, garlic and cabbage as noted.
In the pan over medium heat add the bacon to cook. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bacon is just getting crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside on a plate.

(Also skip this step if you’re using pre-cooked sausages)
When the sausages are done, remove the sausages and pat them dry with a paper towel.

In the same pan as you cooked the bacon in over medium heat, add in the sausages. Cook sausages to brown on the sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove sausages and place on the plate with the bacon.

Add in the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the same pan. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions and peppers start to soften.

Add the shredded cabbage/slaw mix to the pan. Cook and stir frequently, until everything is combined and slaw is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Turn down heat to low.

Add in the mustard, apple cider vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to mix.
Finally, add the sausages and bacon back to the pan, stirring everything to mix. Serve and enjoy.

Gluten Free · Meat

Warm pan of garbanzo beans, chorizo, spinach and goat cheese

May 31, 2015February 8, 2016 Belinda

I just love healthy and flavorsome food that is easy to prepare.

Serves 4 to 6
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups baby spinach
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half moons
3 roasted red peppers, preferably packed in oil, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 chorizo sausages, chopped
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
One 14oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup goat cheese (chèvre) crumbled

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide saucepan. Add the spinach and toss to coat. Heat the spinach until it begins to wilt, about 4 minutes, then add the red wine vinegar and a pinch of kosher salt. Remove the spinach into a bowl.

Add the onion, the roasted red pepper, and the garlic to the pan. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the chorizo. (If the chorizo is not cured, make sure to cook it through, about 5 to 7 minutes.) Add the paprika and the cayenne. Add the chickpeas, then stir everything together. Taste and correct the salt, as needed.

Stir in the reserved spinach, then the chives and the parsley, and finally top with the chèvre. Lightly stir through. Serve warm with crusty bread

Meat · Pasta

Creamy spinach and sausage spaghetti

May 13, 2015February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is a real comfort dish, the soothing creaminess of the spinach paired with whatever flavor sausage you prefer. Thank you to Delicious Magazine for this recipe. I love sharing recipes I find online!

Serves 3 to 4

12 oz spaghetti (or other pasta)
1 medium red onion
2 garlic cloves
4 good quality sausages
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
6 oz frozen spinach, defrosted
3oz crème fraîche
1 good sized lemon
Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add the spaghetti and cook for 9-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving a 4 tablespoons of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, finely slice the onion and garlic and roughly chop the sausages into bite-size pieces. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and gently fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and sausages and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mustard and spinach. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the crème fraîche.

Zest the lemon, then stir into the sauce along with the pasta and reserved water.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then divide among 4 bowls and serve topped with a grating of parmesan.

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Grains · Meat

Stuffed roast peppers with goat cheese, chorizo, rice, tomato, zucchini and orange

May 12, 2015September 7, 2022 Belinda

This started out as a vegetarian recipe and still can, if you eliminate the chorizo. I happen to think it adds a layer of flavor that raises the bar. If you don’t like goat cheese they work really well with feta cheese too.

This recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled

1¾oz wholegrain long-grain rice
1 red and 1 yellow pepper
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
8oz Spanish chorizo, diced very small or crumbled.
1 courgette, diced
2½oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin ( roast my cumin before grinding it)
1 tsp ground coriander
¾oz toasted flaked almonds
½ orange, zest only, finely grated
3 heaped tbsp roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley (or cilantro)
3½oz mild goats’ cheese, rind removed and cheese cut into chunks (or feta cheese, but make it the Greek one)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F
Cook the rice in a pan of boiling water for 25 minutes, or until just tender, then drain.
Meanwhile, cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and discard the seeds. Place, open-side up, on a baking tray (cut a sliver from the base if necessary to help them sit flat). Bake for 15 minutes.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan and over medium heat, fry the chorizo for 5 minutes, then add the onion and courgette over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Tip into a large heatproof bowl and stir in the almonds and orange zest.

Add the rice and parsley and season with a little salt and lots of pepper. Mix together.

Fill the peppers with the rice mixture. Dot with the cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the peppers are softened and the filling is piping hot.

Do-ahead · Meat

Hot mustard lentils with beets and spicy sausage

February 8, 2015September 7, 2022 Belinda

All my favorite ingredients on one plate. Such a lovely mixture of flavors and textures and so good for you too.

Serves 4

1lb 2 oz raw beets (beetroot)
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp caraway seeds
1lb of lamb Merguez sausages or another spicy sausage of your choice
2 x 8oz pouches of the ready-cooked Puy lentils
3 oz watercress, stalks removed
FOR THE DRESSING
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Colmans English mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 350 F. Top and tail the beets, then peel and cut into wedges.
Put the beets in a roasting tin, drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil and toss with the onion, garlic and caraway seeds. Roast for 45 minutes until the beets are tender and the onion is sticky and charred.
In another roasting pan, put in 2 tbsp olive oil and the sausages. Put these in the same oven about 10 minutes later, roasting for about 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. (Alternatively, broil the sausages until golden brown on all sides)

Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients. While the beets are still warm, toss with the lentils and dressing.
Add the watercress and serve with the sausages.

Meat · Pasta

Sweet Italian sausage and kale pasta with lemon cream sauce

January 10, 2015February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is a wonderful recipe for those cold winter nights. It’s full of strong, earthy flavors, offset by the unctious,bright lemon cream sauce. This is a recipe from the wonderful Saveur magazine.

SERVES 6

¼ cup good quality olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 tsp crushed red chile flakes ( or more if you can take it!)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
2½ cups half and half
⅓ cup grated Parmesan
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound dried penne pasta
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Heat oil in a 6-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and red chile flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces until browned, 16 to 18 minutes.
Add the chopped kale, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add the half and half and bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally until reduced by a third, 7 to 8 minutes.
Stir in Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper; set aside and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes.
Drain, reserving ¼ cup cooking water; add both pasta and water to the reserved sauce and cook about 5 minutes more. Serve garnished with parsley.

Breakfast · Do-ahead · Egg based · Holiday Food · Meat

Bacon, sausage and cheese muffins

December 6, 2014September 7, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

Well, as it gets towards Christmas, I start thinking of lovely cozy breakfasts in front of the fire. Yes, even in Southern California we have fireplaces and use them a lot. These are steamy bites of savory goodness and are very addictive, so make double what you think you’ll need.

1 cup cooked, chopped bacon
1 cup cooked crumbled sausage meat. I use mild Italian.
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated sharp or mature cheddar cheese
1/2 small yellow onion (diced)
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon. Chop into small-medium bits. Set aside. Using the same skillet, cook the crumbled sausage meat. Set aside.
Chop the onion (you can use other veggies if you choose).
Grease tin cups in a 12 muffin tin pan with butter or shortening.
Whisk together the eggs and milk, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, sausage, onion and bacon, leaving just a handful of bacon and cheese for the topping.
Fill the muffin tip cups evenly with the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining bacon and cheese atop of the egg mixture for presentation purposes!
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, eggs should be completely cooked through (you can test with toothpick). To remove the muffins, run a small butter knife around the cups to loosen and pull up. Serve warm.