Tag: Sausages

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat

Grilled stuffed Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with Italian sausage, spinach and mozzarella

Belinda
 
Serves 4.  Great for a BBQ.  This is from a great food blog.

4 large Portobello mushrooms (get the biggest ones you can find)
12 oz. mild or hot Italian sausage
1-2 T olive oil (for browning sausage and onions and brushing on mushrooms before grilling)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup tomato sauce or marinara sauce
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
8 oz. coarsely chopped spinach leaves
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling on topPreheat gas or charcoal grill to high heat. Heat a small amount of olive oil in heavy frying pan, then crumble Italian sausage into pan and cook about 5 minutes, breaking apart with back of the turner as it cooks. When sausage is well-browned, remove to bowl.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil, then saute onions until they’re starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are starting to brown, a few minutes more. Add Italian sausage back into pan, then add red pepper flakes and tomato sauce and simmer 2-3 minutes while you chop the spinach.

Add chopped spinach and let it wilt and cook down, stirring so it’s evenly distributed in the sausage/onion mixture. Turn off heat and stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil and parsley.

Remove stems from mushrooms caps, being careful not to break them then brush both sides of mushrooms with olive oil. Put mushrooms on grill, inside facing down, and cook about 4 minutes, until mushroom is slightly browned and starting to soften.

Remove mushrooms from the grill. (I put them on a wooden cutting board.) Carefully stuff the inside of each mushroom with sausage/spinach/cheese mixture, then top each mushroom with about 2 T grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Carefully put mushrooms back on grill, stuffing facing up of course! Cover grill and cook about 5 minutes, checking often and removing from grill when mushrooms are cooked through, and cheese is melted and starting to brown, and stuffing mixture is hot. Serve immediately.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Meat

Pumpkin sausage meat muffins with cranberry glaze

Belinda

These are so cute and easy!
Makes 12 muffins.

1 cup finely chopped onion
8oz mushrooms, chopped finely
3 cloves minced garlic
1lb pork sausage meat (I used Sweet Italian sausagemeat)
1 cup pumpkin puree, either canned or homemade from roasted butternut squash
1 egg
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tsp each minced thyme, sage and rosemary
Freshly ground pepper and salt
1 tbsp Worcester sauce

1 cup cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
grated zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a standard 12 cup muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.

In a non stick skillet over medium heat, cook the onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, until vegetables are tender. Add to a bowl with the sausage meat, pumpkin, egg, oats,sage,rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper.
Toss gently to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin. Place in the oven, bake for about 20 minutes.

Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon onto the meatloaf muffins and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Gluten Free · Grains · Meat

Sweet Italian sausage with white beans and chard over pumpkin polenta

Belinda1 Comment

This is divine!!!   Serves 2 but can easily be doubled.

1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, kale or spinach or any other leafy green vegetable of your choice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz sweet Italian sausage pushed out of their skins, or the sausage meat
1 cup drained, rinsed canellini beans
1 cup canned pumpkin puree, or even better, homemade roasted and mashed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
a good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 oz grated Pecorino Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, prepare the Swiss chard. Cut off the thick stems and slice the leaves into 1″ ribbons. Rinse in a colander and set aside.
Add the garlic and crumbled sausage meat to the onions. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook till the sausage meat has turned from pink to light brown, add the white beans. Cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the Swiss chard(or spinach etc) with the water still clinging to it. Stir to combine then cover the pan and raise the heat to medium high. Let the greens wilt down while you prepare the polenta. Stir occasionally.
Whisk together the water/chicken broth and pumpkin puree in a medium saucepan. Season generously with salt and add the nutmeg. Place the cornmeal in a small bowl and pour a little of the pumpkin mixture over it, stir well (this will make it easier to incorporate the cornmeal into the heated pumpkin mixture, without clumping)
Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil. Whisk in the wet cornmeal until smooth, then reduce heat to medium high and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes.
When the polenta has thickened (if you draw the spoon across the bottom of the pan the line should remain visible for a short time) stir in the grated cheese and turn off the heat. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
Taste the sausage and bean mixture and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Divide the hot polenta between two plates and top with the sausage, white beans and chard.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Meat · Nuts

Grand Marnier and Apricot Stuffing with your Thanksgiving turkey

Belinda

As we’re getting near to Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of our favorite recipes. This makes enough for a 21lb turkey, but I do it outside the turkey in a separate dish.

1 cup diced, dried apricots
1 1/2 cups Grand Marnier
1 turkey liver and heart
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups coarsely chopped celery (I peel mine)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1lb bulk pork sausage meat (I like to use sweet Italian sausage, because of the fennel taste)
1lb herb stuffing mix
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups chicken stock
salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place the apricots and 1 cup Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Simmer the turkey liver and heart in water to cover in a small saucepan for 5 mins. Set aside to cool.
Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and saute for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Cook the pork sausage meat in the same skillet, crumbling with a fork, until it is no longer pink. Remove from the heat and add to the celery mixture.
Add the stuffing mix, apricots with liquid, and almonds. Finely dice the turkey livers and heart and add to the stuffing mixture. Stir to combine.
Heat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the stock in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the stuffing mixture and add the remaining 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier.
Stir well to moisten the stuffing.
Season with the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat · Pasta · Sauces

My special bolognese sauce

Belinda

Serves about 6

Olive oil and butter
1lb Sweet Italian Sausage, crumbled finely
1lb Ground pork
1lb Ground lamb
4oz small cubed pancetta
1 and 1/2 large onions diced finely
3 carrots diced finely
3 sticks celery diced finely
Garlic 3 cloves crushed,
Tomato paste (1/2 a small can)
1 x large jar of (San Marzano) marinara sauce
Whole milk  (1 cup at least)
1 cup Chianti (at least)
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground in mortar
fresh rosemary, chopped fine
salt and pepper

Chop fine all the vegetables and garlic and sauté in large pan of olive oil and butter.
Add the pancetta and ground fennel seeds and stir over moderate heat.
Add the sausage meat from the sausages, removing the casings and crumbling as fine as possible. Stir into vegetables and brown.
Add the pork and lamb and stir over a high heat to brown. Keep it all from sticking together.
Add red wine, milk and tomato paste and stir in Marinara Sauce. Stir well and lower heat and simmer for 1 and ½ hours.
Season and add parmesan cheese and cream if necessary before serving.
Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce and add more on top when serving in the bowls.
The milk is great and acts like cream and tenderizes the meat.