Sausage and Peppers

I have made sausage and peppers many different ways but this recipe is my very favorite. I have to say that I have never tried a Lidia Bastianich recipe I did not like. This is a very flexible and forgiving recipe....I  sometimes add potatoes, sometimes leave out the mushrooms, use different colored peppers. If I do not have the pickled cherry peppers I have subbed peppadews and even a few slices of pickled jalapeno peppers. The recipe still comes out really well. If I do not add potatoes we sometimes have these on crusty Italian rolls with mustard or with potatoes we eat them on a plate with crusty bread to sop up the delicious juices. I also like to add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to the baking dish. This time I used Italian frying peppers and red peppers as that was what I had on hand.

Sausage and Peppers
Lidia Bastianich/Lidia's Italian -American Kitchen

Those of you who have been to Italian-American street fairs in New York City will certainly be familiar with this dish, usually served as is or packed into a crusty hero roll. It is a great dish for a crowd, as part of a buffet or as the centerpiece of a dinner, served family-style.

You may be surprised to see that there is no stock or wine in this dish. I prefer to let the sausages and vegetables simmer in their own juices. The flavors blend and mellow a little, but still stay intense. The key to making really wonderful sausage and peppers is to carmelize each ingredient separtately, then to pile them into a baking dish and finish them in the oven.

16 links sweet Italian sausages, with or without fennel seeds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pound white, shiitake, or cremini mushrooms (or a mix of them)
3 large yellow onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
6 pickled cherry peppers, stemmed and seeded, but left whole
2 medium yellow and 2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips

Poke the sausages all over with a fork. Divide 1/4 cup olive oil between two large, heavy skillets and heat them over medium heat. Divide the sausages between the skillets and cook, turning occasionally, until the sausages are well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. About halfway through browning the sausages, whack the garlic with the flat side of a knife and toss half the cloves into each skillet. Transfer the browned sausages and garlic to a 13x9-inch baking dish, leaving the fat behind.

While the sausages are browning, prepare the mushrooms. Trim the stems from the shitakes, if using. Trim the stems from the white and cremini mushrooms if you like. Cut any mushrooms with caps larger than 2 inches in half; leave smaller mushrooms whole.The mushrooms can be omitted.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scatter the onions and cherry peppers over the fat in one of the skillets, and the mushrooms over the fat in the other. Cook the onions, stirring often, until browned and wilted but still quite crunchy, about 8 minutes. Cook the mushrooms until they have absorbed the fat in the skillet and have begun to brown, about 6 minutes.

Slide the mushrooms into the baking dish. Spoon the onions into the baking dish, leaving behind some of the fat in the skillet. (If there is not enough fat left to coat the bottom of the skillet, pour in enough olive oil to do so). Add the peppers to the skillet and cook, tossing frequently, just until wilted but still quite crunchy, about 6 minutes. Slide the peppers into the baking dish, toss all the ingredients together well, and place in the oven.

Bake uncovered, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but still firm and no trace of pink remains in the sausages, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Baked Fish with Herbed Breadcrumbs

I saw this recipe in the November issue of Everyday Food and thought it looked good. It was delicious... I tweaked it just a tiny bit. I am sure it will also be wonderful exactly as written.
There was beautiful fresh haddock on special at my fishmongers and what better time to try this easy recipe. The magazine recommends serving this with roasted broccoli... I served it with roasted asparagus...very easy ....very quick for a busy week night!
Baked Fish With Herbed Breadcrumbs and broccoli...
adapted from Everyday Food/November 2009
Serves 4
1 pound broccoli , trimmed and cut into florets
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 Portuguese roll, torn into large pieces
2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
4 fillets, boneless, firm, white- fleshed fish, such as Haddock, Cod , or Halibut
1 1/4 pounds total and each 1/2 inch thick
lemon wedges for serving
1. Pre-heat oven to 425* with rack in upper third. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli. 2 Tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Roast until broccoli is tender, tossing halfway through( I used a little over a pound of asparagus instead...as that was what I had on hand)
2.Meanwhile in a food processor pulse bread, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 of a teaspoon pepper until coarse crumbs form. Transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl and stir in butter with a fork.
( I added one clove of raw garlic and about two or three tablespoons of Italian parsley to the mix, I really did not measure I just tore off a little handful of parsley leaves)
3.Coat another rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tablespoon oil. Arrange Fish on sheet and season with salt and pepper. Top each filet with enough breadcrumbs to coat, pressing firmly to adhere. Bake until fish is opaque, throughout and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Serve fish with broccoli and lemon wedges.
Sometimes the simplest things are the best. I really loved these crumbs and I made extra and put them in the freezer, minus the butter of course. You could use leftover baguette or whatever you have on hand but the Portuguese roll was just perfect for this. Just be careful not to over cook the fish. 8 minutes was just fine in my oven. I thought it needed some extra color so I added the parsley and was glad I did...

Jim Lahey's Pizza Patate

Oh this is easy...oh so easy. And very delicious. You throw some flour and yeast in a bowl mix it up a few times and let it sit for two hours and you have Jim Lahey's pizza dough. Jim Lahey of the original No-Knead bread fame....Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery. Of course, the potatoes were meant to be sliced ever so thin with a mandoline. Lets just say I need to buy a mandoline... but there was something very satisfying about slicing 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes with my chef's knife in very thin slices. It only took me 15 minutes and the task was well worth it. No cheese on this pizza just potato, salt water soaked potatoes, onions, pepper and rosemary. It was wonderful. I served it with a simple salad of mixed baby greens and a very simple vinaigrette. But even better... the three slices that were left over, we heated in the toaster oven for breakfast the next day and ate with bacon and over easy eggs...that was really delicious. This is meant to be a very thin crust, crispy, pizza. I was a little hesitant making this dough. It calls for a lot of yeast and it was new. But it was a lovely dough and behaved just as the recipe said it would. This makes two pizzas and I made a very simple Margarita with the second piece of dough. Very easy on the sauce...some freshly made mozzarella, pepper and basil. It was pretty darned good on a rainy Halloween night. But the Patate was the star of the show. We just loved it. I got this recipe from the very last issue of Gourmet magazine. It is in the book review section. I am very sad it is gone. It has been a good friend to me since I was 17 years old and starting reading it. The end of an era...



This recipe makes enough dough for two 13 x 18 pizzas. If you do not want to make two pizzas at once then you can make the full recipe and refrigerate half the dough in a lightly oiled freezer bag for one day or freeze it for up to one month,well wrapped. Thaw the still wrapped frozen dough over night in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before shaping the pie.
Basic Pizza Dough
Jim Lahey/My Bread
3 3/4 cups( 500 grams) bread flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons (10 grams) instant or other active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt or fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon plus a pinch (5 grams) sugar
1 1/3 cups(300 grams) room temperature ( about 72*F) water
extra virgin olive oil for the pans

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar
Add the water and using a wooden spoon or your hand mix until blended, at least 30 seconds.
The dough is a bit stiffer than most of the other doughs in this book, not as wet and sticky.
Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about two hours.
2. Oil two 13 by 18 inch rimmed baking sheets. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape half the dough onto an oiled pan in one piece. Gently pull and stretch the dough across the surface of the pan, and use your hands to press it evenly out to the edges. If the dough sticks to your fingers, lightly dust it with flour or coat your hands with oil. Pinch any holes together. Repeat with the second piece.
The dough is ready to top as you like.
( I did use the scale to weigh my ingredients...I found that had I used a measuring cup I would have used too much flour in this case)
Pizza Patate
From: My Bread/Jim Lahey
Potato Pizza
Potato Pizza is an Italian classic you don't see very often in the United States. I soak the potatoes in salted water first. That causes them to cook more quickly and makes them firmer.


1 quart/ 1 liter lukewarm water
4 teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
1 kilo/about 2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled
1 cup(150 grams)diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) freshly ground black pepper
about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 recipe(400 grams) Pizza Dough(recipe above)
about 1 tablespoon (2 grams) fresh rosemary leaves

1.Pre-heat oven to 500*F ,with a rack in the middle.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the water and salt, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes very thing(1/16 inch thick) and put the potatoes directly into the salted water so they do not oxidize and turn brown. Let soak in the brine for 1 1/2 hours(or refrigerate and soak for up to 12 hours) , until the slices are wilted and no longer crisp.
3.Drain the potatoes in a colander and use your hands to press out as much water as possible, then pat dry. In a medium bowl, toss together the potato slices, onion, pepper ,and olive oil.
4.Spread the potato mixture evenly over the dough, going all the way to the edges of the pan; put a bit more of the topping around the edges of the pie , as the outside tends to cook more quickly.
Sprinkle the pie with the rosemary.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is starting to turn golden brown and the crust is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Serve the pizza hot or at room temperature.
(I used a chefs knife to slice my potatoes, this was not a problem for me...it took me about 15 minutes to peel and thinly slice the 2 pounds of potatoes)

Things that go bump in the night.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Nutella - Swirl Poundcake

I saw this recipe in the October issue of Food and Wine magazine and seeing as I had a jar of Nutella handy I decided to make it. I actually baked it over a month ago and I am still unsure if I loved it or not. It is a very rich cake. If you are a Nutella "Nut" you will love it. When I took it out of the oven after baking I found the cake to be on the "greasy" side...probably from the Nutella as well as the two sticks of butter in the recipe...I was not happy with it at that point. I felt the Nutella was too "oozy"... make sense ? I thought this cake would taste better after an overnight in the fridge. For my tastes, this is a cake that is better cold , right from the fridge. The Nutella firmed up...the cake firmed up. It was good. Very, very, rich though....a cake to be enjoyed in very thin slices. The pics you see here are of the cold cake .
I am not sure if this one makes it to my tried and true files...but it was a fun project and a delicious experiment for a Nutella loving someone I know.


Nutella - Swirl Poundcake
Food and Wine Magazine October 2009
from:Cake Keeper Cakes Published 2009 by the Taunton Press.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2. 4 large eggs, at room temperature
3. 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4. 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
7. 1 1/4 cups sugar
8. One 13-ounce jar Nutella


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.
3. Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix.
4. Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.

Home Made Burger Buns...

Buns Rising

I saw the recipe for these home made burger buns on my friend Lori's Blog, All That Splatters recently and knew I had to try them. Just click on the link and you will find the recipe. They did not disappoint! Very easy and quick...and a very nice flavor.
Everything Buns

They were quite easy to throw together quickly and were literally done from start to finish in about an hour. I made some plain, some with French Thyme salt and white sesame seeds, and some with a mix of "Everything"that included poppy seeds, black and white sesame seeds, minced onion, and Maldon Salt...they were really great. The leftovers rolls were wonderful toasted for breakfast the next morning for egg sandwiches. I have frozen the ones we did not eat. I got 12,approximately 4 ounce rolls from the recipe....yes... I did use my scale!
Thanks Lori for turning me on to this recipe!

French Thyme Salt and White Sesame

Oven Baked Risotto....Thanks Mary

I was reading my friend Mary's blog the other day and she inspired me to make oven baked risotto that very night. She served hers with Tyler's Chicken Marsala and so did I. I decided to do an adaptation of the recipe that Mary posted. I had some butternut squash that needed to be used and some pancetta and some beautiful tiny sage leaves out on my deck. It was a great dinner....so thank you so much Mary and your beautiful blog, ONCE UPON A PLATE for your "Divine Inspiration". If you have never visited Mary you must...you are in for a treat when you do!

Baked Risotto:Pancetta, Sweet Potato and Sage
adapted from Donna Hay

INGREDIENTS

400g (14 oz) sweet potato (kumara), chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, extra
4 slices pancetta 40g (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
1/4 cup torn sage leaves
1 1/2 cups arborio (or risotto) rice
4 1/2 cups (36 fl oz) chicken stock
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Unsalted butter for drizzling

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees C (355 Degrees F). Place the sweet potato and oil on a baking tray and toss to coat. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden and tender. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the extra oil and pancetta and cook for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage and cook for 1-2 minutes or until crispy. Set aside.

Place the rice and stock in a 22 x 30cm (8 1/2 x 12 in) 10-cup (80 fl oz) capacity baking dish and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 40 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente.

Add the parmesan, salt, pepper, sweet potato and pancetta and stir to combine. Top with sage, drizzle with butter and serve immediately.

*my notes: I had half of a small butternut squash leftover that needed to be used ,so I peeled and cubed that and roasted it with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper in a 350* oven until it was soft and slightly caramelized. I set that aside until the rice was done.

I sauteed about 2 ounces of pancetta that I had diced in a bit of olive oil and then added one big shallot finely diced. When the shallot was soft I added the rice and sauteed the rice until it became white and chalky. The I added about 1/2 cup of dry white wine and stirred until the wine was absorbed , I added 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock stirred and put it in the oven at 350*. I used a 5 qt.Le Creuset that was covered. I opened the pot several times to stir and check on the liquid and I added some more broth. So in the end it was probably close to what the recipe suggests. While the
rice was cooking I used about 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter and sauteed whole sage leaves in the butter until they were crisp.
I set the butter and the sage aside.

When the rice was done I stirred in the cheese, the squash, and and poured the browned butter and sage leaves into the risotto.
It was done in about 35 minutes.

The method comes out much less "al dente" than a hand stirred risotto...which I love and find very comforting to make.You may need to check it during baking and see if it is getting too dry and just add some more broth accordingly. This is a great method for a busy night when dinner needs to get on the table. I had this entire dinner prepared and served in 45 minutes...

Chicken Marsala
adapted from Tyler Florence
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

My notes: I left out the prosciutto...well because I forget to buy it and I also used pancetta in the risotto. I also used a dry Marsala wine from Italy. I used Wondra flour for dredging the chicken.
And Baby Bella mushrooms.