Sausage-Stuffed Bell Pepper

It's that time of year again when I seriously low-carb it. The South Beach Diet has worked well for me in the past, so I'm breaking out the books and low-carb recipes once again. I am of the firm belief that eating low-carb does not have to suck, neither does it mean that you have to deny yourself. Some smart substitutions and good-quality ingredients can make for meals that satisfy the diet requirements as well as your taste buds. :)

Sausage-Stuffed Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

• 2 bell peppers - I used orange for roasting and yellow for stuffing 
• ¼ cup cherry tomatoes 
• 3 basil leaves, torn
• ½ Vidalia onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed 
• ½ lb. sweet Italian sausage 
• 2 cups marinara sauce 
• ¼ cup Farmer’s cheese 
• 3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella 
• 3 tablespoons shredded provolone 
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated parm 
• 2 basil leaves, minced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
•  Olive oil 

Directions:

1. Roast 1 bell pepper and the cherry tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan and roll the whole bell pepper in the oil to coat. Salt liberally.
2. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and roll them around in the oil too. Roast for 20 minutes, then take out and flip the pepper over and stir the tomatoes. Add some torn basil leaves to the cherry tomatoes and put back in the oven, flipping the bell pepper every 10- 15 minutes from then on. 
3. Remove the tomatoes after another 10 minutes have passed, leaving the bell pepper to roast another 10 minutes or so. I like to do the bell pepper a good 45 minutes or so until the skin is dark and blistered. 
4.  Put the bell pepper in a paper bag, fold the top securely and let steam for 20 minutes. Remove, peel, and chop, removing the seeds. Set aside. 
5. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat, add chopped roasted bell pepper cook for 3 minutes or so, until nicely softened. Then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the sausage and break into small pieces with the blade of the spatula. Brown. Add roasted cherry tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes. Pour in the marinara sauce and beef both as needed to thin. Cover let simmer 10 minutes. 
7.  Mash together the farmer's cheese with the mozz, parm and provolone. Add the minced garlic and fresh basil. 
8. Cut the bell pepper in half, hollow it out and spoon the sausage and sauce mixture in the bell pepper halves, top with cheese. Place in baking dish with hot water partway up the peppers. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and cook another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Notes:

• I had more sausage and sauce mixture, probably enough for two more bell pepper halves, though I will probably use the extra (about a cup) for spaghetti squash. 
• You can use ricotta in place of the farmer's cheese, but I'd drain it in cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

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Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast is my favorite meal, usually because by the time I wake up, I am ravenous and anything I find to eat is going to taste delicious. It is a rare day that I skip breakfast, and I usually enjoy a substantial meal in the morning rather than a few bites of something light. I'd rather have eggs and potatoes for breakfast than something sweet and fruity, although the occasional plate of waffles and syrup suits me fine. In general, give me something packed with protein, carbs, cheese and sometimes a bit of grease, and I'm satisfied for hours.

I also love one-dish meals, with everything mixed together - easy to make, easy to serve and totally delicious. This breakfast casserole is very forgiving because you can toss in a variety of vegetables - I often include sauteed mushrooms and green pepper. You can use 2 cups of egg substitute in lieu of the whole eggs, and frozen hash browns work in a pinch if you don't happen to have any leftover baked potatoes. Use whichever sausage you like best, maple breakfast sausage, a spicy chorizo, or my favorite, a bulk pork sausage heavy on the sage.

Any way you cut it, it's a deeply satisfying dish and a great breakfast for those days you need something solid in your stomach.

Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage - I like Bob Evans Savory Sage sausage
  
• 1/2 medium onion, choppped
  
• 2 large russet potatoes, baked*
  
• 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
  
• 8 eggs**
  
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• pinch salt
  
• pinch pepper
  

 Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 in. x 8 in. baking dish.
   
   
2. Brown the sausage in a large skillet until browned. Break up any large clumps of sausage. Add the chopped onion when the sausage is mostly cooked through and cook until the onion has softened and all the pink is gone from the sausage.
   
   
3. Shred the leftover baked potatoes with a box grater into a large bowl and beat together the eggs and milk in another bowl or a measuring cup.
   
   
4. Layer half the shredded potatoes in the baking dish, followed by half of the sausage and onion mixture and then half of the cheese and repeat with the remaining potatoes, sausage and onion and cheese.
   
   
5. Season with salt and pepper
   
   
6. Pour the egg-and-milk mixture evenly over the other ingredients and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until the eggs are set. You can bake it longer if you want it to come out golden brown.
   
   
7. Let cool 5 minutes and then serve. I added a bit of sriracha on mine.
   

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Sausage and Pepper Roll

Saturday night Pizza-and-Movie Nights are a common occurrence here, and the girls generally like to have their own personal pizzas so that they can each have whatever toppings they want without the bother of their sister's loathsome choices touching their own.

So, on those nights, I generally make a huge ball of dough for their pizzas plus my own, and often have a small ball of dough left over. If I don't make a 4th pizza right then, I just stick it in the fridge and use it the next day, usually on another pizza, though occasionally I like to do something a little bit different with it. Strombolis are one of my favorite uses for extra dough, though I don't always feel like going to the deli and asking for 3 slices of capicola, 3 slices of soppressata, 3 slices of the large sandwich pepperoni, and so on.

This is basically a version of a stromboli , though here in central NY, they tend to call it a sausage roll. Most strombolis here are certain to have pepperoni, capicola and cheese in them whereas these sausage rolls are a lot like a Gianelli's sausage and pepper sandwich, which is de rigueur for politicians to grab at the New York State Fair, but this one is all rolled up in pizza dough and baked to golden-brown deliciousness.
 
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Sausage and Pepper Roll (Stromboli)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 T RapidRise Yeast
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• Italian seasoning (optional)
• garlic powder(optional)
• onion powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup hot water (between 120-130 F)
• 1 T olive oil

For the filling:

• olive oil
• 1 sweet Italian sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 vidalia onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 T minced sun-dried tomato
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheese - I used 1/2 cup mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup was a blend of provolone, asiago, parm and romano
• olive oil
• basil leaves
• shredded parm

Directions:

1. Make the dough: Preheat the oven to 450. You want the kitchen to be good and warm.

2. Put 1 cup of the flour in a large bowl along with the yeast granules, salt and Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder.

3. Mix very well with a whisk, breaking up any clumps.

4. Test the temperature of the water (very important when you are using RapidRise yeast). When it is about 125 F, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until all of the water is incorporated.

5. On a well-floured surface, dump out the dough. At this point it is a wet, scary-looking, shaggy mess. Don't worry. You still have 1/2 cup of flour nearby.

6. Knead the dough and work in the extra flour one small handful at a time. It takes a good 4-6 minutes to get the right amount of flour in. Because there is oil in it, the dough will still be slightly tacky, though not sticky. If it's sticky, keep adding flour.
   
   How I like to knead: I fold over half the dough and press it in, then I turn the whole ball of dough a quarter turn, and keep on folding and pressing, adding more flour to the counter and to the dough as it absorbs. You may need more or less flour depending on the humidity.

7. Once the dough is slightly silky, shape it into a ball, re-flour a bit of the counter, set the ball on it and dust it with more loose flour then cover it with a cloth. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, longer is better, you can even make this a day ahead and let it have a long, slow cool rise in the fridge, but this dough works well the same day too.

8. Crumble the Italian sausage and cook in some olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to brown.

9. Add the onion to the sausage and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Then add the bell pepper and cook until soft. 

10. Toss in the minced sun-dried tomato and Italian seasoning and cook until the veggies are all soft and sausage is all browned.

11. Add the marinara sauce and stir to coat. Cook another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

12. When you are ready to shape the dough, remove the cloth. It ought to have risen nicely - if it did not, chances are the kitchen is too cold or the yeast died.

13. Punch it down.

14. Lower the oven's heat to 400 F.

15. Oil a pan with olive oil (or cooking spray).

16. Place the ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper on top of a 15 x 10 in. cookie sheet and starting in the middle of the ball, flatten it gently. DO NOT PULL or STRETCH THE DOUGH That will just rip holes in it. With your fingertips, press down, gently flattening the dough until it is a large rectangle the fits your cookie sheet.. Take your time. If the dough seems stiff and unyielding, let it rest in a warm place for 5 - 10 minutes and then continue shaping.

17. Let it sit in a warm spot and rise 10 minutes.

18. Now to assemble: Leaving an 1 inch border around the dough, lay down a layer of 1/2 the shredded cheese. Next, add the browned Italian sausage, onion and pepper mixture. Finally, top with the remaining cheese.

19. Very carefully, roll it the long way pretty tightly, pinching the seams.

20. Brush the top with olive oil - I make a garlic-infused olive oil, but any olive oil is ok.

21. Bake in a preheated 400-degree F degree oven for 12 minutes. Take out and brush the tops with a bit more olive oil and sprinkle the tops with shredded parm. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

22. Remove to a wire rack to cool, and let sit for a good 5 minutes before slicing.

23. Top with fresh basil and a wee bit more shredded parm if you like.

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Spicy Corn and Linguiça Chowder

My week of soups got delayed a little bit by a last-minute invitation to a family gathering on Friday and my kids' insistence on a Chinese Food Weekend, so my big plans for a new soup a day had to be taken off the back burner and refrigerated.

Today's Spicy Corn and Linguiça Chowder was completely worth the wait. I can't wait to try out the other soups. :)

Spicy Corn and Linguiça Chowder

Ingredients:

• 3 ears corn
  
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• large white onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound linguiça sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces - For a little more spice, I'd use chouriço.
• 1 small hot red pepper, finely diced
  
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt and pepper
  
• Smoked paprika for garnish
  

Directions:

1. Husk the corn and remove all the silk. With a sharp knife, slice the corn from cob. Set the corn aside in a bowl.
   


2. Break the cobs in half and place them in a large soup pot. Add the cream, stock, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and 1/4 cup of the chopped onions to pot. Simmer over very low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
   


3. Strain the mixture through a sieve set over a large bowl, pressing on the solids very well with the back of a large ladle to squeeze out every drop of creamy corny goodness.
   


4. Set the creamy corn stock aside. You can even refrigerate it for a few days if you like.
   


5. Cook the linguiça in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through, nicely browned, turning occasionally. Remove the sausage and set aside.
   


6. To the rendered fat from the sausage, add the remaining chopped onion, minced hot pepper and the red bell pepper and sauté 5 minutes.
   
   
7. Add the flour and stir well, cooking for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the creamy corn stock until smooth.
   


8. Add the browned sausage and potatoes. Cover and cook about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
   


9. Add the fresh corn and cook 10 minutes. Taste and then season with salt and pepper. For extra spice, a few drops of hot sauce would work out well, too.
   


10. Ladle chowder into bowls. Garnish with smoked paprika and serve.
    

Notes:

• You can easily prepare this a day or so ahead. Just cover and refrigerate it, then reheat in the microwave or over a low burner before continuing, thinning with additional chicken stock if necessary.
• I made the creamy corn stock three days ago and then just refrigerated it until today. It worked out great.
  

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Red Beans and Rice

This is my adaptation of a classic Cajun recipe. I took some shortcuts by using canned kidney beans instead of cooking a mess of beans with a ham hock. I also added canned tomatoes which I know is a somewhat nontraditional addition to this dish, but my God, it is so tasty! The purists may scoff, but really, they should try it.

I did use the Holy Trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking though, that special Cajun mirepoix of celery, onion and green bell pepper, so perhaps I get a few points for effort if not a gold star for authenticity.

Either way, this is a hearty, spicy dish that helps warm me up on a blustery day.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Creole/Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced (I used an entire package of Gaspar’s)
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Water
• Tomato paste
• Red wine
• Thyme
• 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  

Directions

1. In a large, deep skillet, saute onion, celery and green pepper until soft.
   


2. Add garlic and sauté for 5 minutes more.
   


3. Push the sautéed veggies to the sides of the skillet and dump in the sliced andouille.
   


4. Sprinkle with creole seasoning.
   


5. Cook until the sausage is browned, stirring frequently.
   


6. Add the can of diced tomatoes, juice and all, add some more creole seasoning, mix well, lower heat and simmer, covered.
   


7. After 30 minutes or so, add 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a bit of wine (1/4 cup or so).
   


8. Mix well, and add 1T thyme. Let cook down some more.
   


9. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more creole seasoning to taste. You may add more tomato paste and water for the consistency you like.
   


10. Add the drained kidney beans, cover and let simmer a while longer.
    


11. Serve over rice.
    

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Scraping the Pantry

Ok, you know by now that I love to cook and bake - why have a food blog if I didn't? I also really enjoy grocery shopping. If I go to the super Wegman's, I can spend ages just in the produce and deli sections marveling over some of the more exotic ingredients and imagining what I'd make with them.

As much as I enjoy a fridge packed full of fresh ingredients, somewhat perversely I also look forward to the end of a really long grocery cycle; I like to see how long I can stretch things before I have to resort to a trip to the store.

My pantry is pretty well stocked, and although my fridge is small (only some 18 cubic feet), I still manage to lose items in there from time to time. For example, yesterday I found a celery root I'd forgotten about in the vegetable crisper. Still good! Raiding the pantry and the fridge and using whatever I can find to create new meals has been good practice for me when it comes to creative substitutions and figuring out what works, and what really, really doesn't work.

Does anyone else do that or do you start to freak out when you can see bare shelf space in the fridge?

I'm at that point now. I had an unexpected, not-so-cheap car repair last week that has eaten into my grocery budget. Then there's the holiday. I'll be driving 5 hours to spend Thanksgiving with the parents, so yesterday I didn't see why I should go to the store when we won't even be home for part of the week.

So, that brings me to scratch-together meals:

• Between my fridge, freezer and pantry, I found that I had everything I need for my butternut squash soup.
  


• I still have some multigrain bread from this weekend to accompany it, but it would be easy enough to bake another loaf;
  


• This weekend I made my Sandra Lee type coffee cake, which didn't last long. In theory, I could make another, since I still have all the necessary ingredients.
  



• For snacks, over the past few days I've finished the last straggling tablespoons of peanut butter scraped from 2 jars - spread on apples from the 1/2 bushel of Northern Spies which I'd bought at an orchard roadside stand several weeks ago.


• I'm thinking I could do something with the leftover sausage, apples and sauerkraut, yes? My SIL gives me a quart of homemade sauerkraut every year and I think I have, um, four quarts of it still. It's great stuff, but I crave it only rarely. It should probably get eaten up though.
  
  How about sausage-apple-kraut piroshki? I have some wonton wrappers I could use.


• I can probably make a curried split pea & carrot soup.


• I could make a mushroom quiche using some of the dried mushrooms I have (porcini, morels and chanterelles), but the only cheese I have:
  
  
  
  • a half a block of mozzarella that I'm saving for pizza;
  • about 13 ½ string cheese sticks;
  • 2 little triangles of Laughing Cow cheese;
  • a ½-inch bit of a block parmigiano reggiano still clinging to the rind (so now it's difficult to grate without losing some skin, too);
  • ¼ pound of Cabot horseradish cheddar;
  • whipped chive cream cheese;
  • fat-free cream cheese which I picked up by accident - the Price Chopper brands of the cream cheese use blue boxes that are kind of similar, so I grabbed the wrong one by accident. I need to find a use for the fat-free stuff; perhaps I can substitute it for some of the regular cream cheese when I make a cheesecake;
    
  
  
  Now, I bet that horseradish cheddar might work well with the mushrooms.
  


• Can you make welsh rarebit out of horseradish cheddar? I've certainly got some beer that could go into it.

See? So many possibilities. All that limits us is a lack of imagination... or spices. :)

This butternut squash soup recipe is entirely a result of my warped and unpredictable cravings. A few years ago I'd seen a recipe for a curried butternut squash and turkey sausage soup. The idea of a savory and spicy butternut squash piqued my taste buds' interest. So, after some experimentation, I came up with this recipe. I've made it for people on two occasions, and it was well-received, so it's not just my crazy taste buds that like it!

Butternut Squash Soup with Corn, Chouriço, and Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup jasmine rice
• 1 unpeeled butternut squash, halved and seeded
• olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 chouriço sausage, casings removed, broken into crumbles, I use Gaspar's
  
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 14-ounce cans chicken broth or homemade chicken stock, warmed
  
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
• smoked Spanish paprika, (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour water into 9x13 baking dish until it's an inch high.


2. Place the butternut squash into the prepared baking dish, cut side up.


3. Bake in preheated oven until a fork can pierce the flesh easily, about 45 minutes.


4. Meanwhile, place the jasmine rice and 1 cup of water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
   


5. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy, about 20 minutes.
   


6. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.


7. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and shallots and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes.
   


8. Push the vegetables to he sides of the skillet, making a hole in the middle. Mix in the crumbled chouriço; cook until crumbly and evenly browned.
   


9. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the cooked rice and corn and mix well.


10. Scoop out cooked squash and place in a blender or bowl of a food processor. Pour 1 cup of the warmed chicken broth into the blender or bowl of a food processor with the squash. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
    


11. Stir the pureed squash into the sausage mixture until well blended. Add more broth until you reach the consistency you like. Season with pepper, and salt to taste. If desired, stir in the heavy cream.
    


12. Simmer soup over medium heat until heated through, about 15 minutes, but do not boil.


13. To serve, I like to sprinkle a bit of smoked Spanish paprika on it.
    

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Yellow Split Pea and Andouille Soup

I have a thing for spicy sausages: andouille, chorizo, chouriço (yes, there is a difference between those two). I also really love thick, creamy soups. Put the two of them together and add a loaf of freshly baked homemade bread and I'm in heaven.

Yellow Split Pea and Andouille Soup

Ingredients

• 2 andouille sausages cut into 1/2-inch slices
  
• 1 red potato, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups yellow split peas, rinsed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• Heavy cream to taste (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Sauté sausages in heavy large pot over medium-high heat about 4 minutes.
   
2. Add potato and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Dump in split peas,stirring well, then pour in the broth.
   
4. Bring the soup to a roiling boil.
   
5. Reduce heat to low.
   
6. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 60 minutes.
   
7. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
   
8. Ladle into bowls and serve with a tablespoon of heavy cream if desired.

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Quinoa and Rice with Corn and Chorizo

Quinoa is a wonderful grain with a light nutty flavor. I often include it in my mixed-grain pilafs. This was a spur of the moment, "the pantry is empty" recipe that ended up tasting delicious. I've made it several times since I first tossed everything together.

Quinoa and Rice with Corn and Chorizo

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup red quinoa
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t (heaping) chili powder
water
1 chorizo, diced
3/4 cup frozen corn
dried, minced onion, reconstituted
chopped avocado
shredded cheese
chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a sturdy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent.
Add the garlic and the rice and two kinds of quinoa. Stir well, be sure that everything is coated.
Dump the Rotel tomatoes, chilies and juice into a measuring cup and add enough water to make 2 1/2 cups.
Add the spices to the rice and onion mixture, stir well, increase heat to high and add the tomato and water mixture.
Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let sit at least 10 minutes before removing the lid. The longer it sits, the better.
In a medium-sized skillet, saute the diced chorizo in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned.
Add the corn and reconstituted onion, stir well and cook until it's as browned as you like. I like the corn to have a bit of color.
When it's done, add the chorizo mixture to the grains, stir well. Serve in a bowl topped with cheese, avocado and cilantro.

Notes: This recipe uses my basic pilaf technique:

• I saute the aromatics (chopped onion or shallot) in olive oil over fairly high heat until it just starts to sweat and turns translucent, then add the garlic and then almost immediately the grains.
  
• Up the heat to high, stirring pretty frequently, making sure that the grains are nicely coated. You can saute them longer until they're slightly browned and give off a nutty smell, and then add the liquid.
  
• Cover immediately with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil I like to use a pot that has a glass lid so I can see exactly when it's come to a nice boil - then lower the heat and let simmer for 13-15 minutes. This is where the glass lid comes in handy. You can see the surface of the rice if there are holes, like small craters where the hot air has forced through but there is no more liquid bubbling, it's perfect.
  
• Turn off the heat, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before you remove the lid to fluff the rice.
• I use this for mixed-grain pilafs and when I was a dairy eater, would add grated cheese and a pat of butter at the very end when I would stir in the last ingredients.
  
• One of my favorite mixed-grain pilafs uses 1/2 cup of rice, 1/4 cup of bulgur and 1/4 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of liquid.

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