2 for 1...Italian Sausages and Peppers

His

and

Hers

  We agree to disagree. Ever have one of those nights? You want one thing for dinner and they want something else. We had agreed on the italian sausage, except he wanted subs and I wanted pasta. So I decided he was going to have pasta as a side. And that was that! Besides, I had purchased two of the more expensive jarred marinara suaces and was dying to try one of them. I chose to try the Alessi. I almost always choose the Bertolli sauces which are often on sale. The Alessi is twice the price at a little more than $7.00 a jar. I don't think I will be buying the Bertolli anymore. Wow is all I can say. Definately worth the money. Don't get me wrong I often make a large pot of sauce either from my garden fresh tomatoes or from organic canned tomatoes, and then freeze in dinner size portions. But in a pinch this sauce is great. I give it 5 stars. A little fresh basil thrown in at the end, magnificent. So here is our simple compromise.

I love these Italian Sweet Sausages.

Though I really do miss my Italian Deli (in another state).

GRRR!

Shells and my new favorite sauce.

Chop peppers, onions, and garlic.

In a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat brown sausages.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium.

Saute vegetables for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add sausages back to pan with the vegetables

and worchestershire

sauce.

Cover and turn heat to low.

Let cook for about another 20 minutes.

(Giant pan, no lid.)

Nicely sauteed vegetables.

Italian Sausages and Peppers

Ingredients

1/2 each tri-color bell pepers plus 1/2 green bell pepper (for a total of 2 whole bell peppers),

sliced julienne style

3 - 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/2 medium onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce

1 package sweet italian sausage

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and brown sausages on all sides. Remove sausages and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onions and garlic. Saute until just tender. Add peppers,  worchestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste to pan, saute 5-8 minutes to soften peppers. Add sausages back to pan and cover. Cook over low to medium low heat for 20 minutes longer, until peppers have wilted and sausages are cooked through.

Serve on toasted hoagie rolls or over pasta.

Serves 4

I know this is too simple and ridiculous to post, however I wanted to point out an easy way to please everyone with one meal. Normally I would have put the sauce into the pan with the sausages and peppers, except Michael didn't want sauce on his hoagie. It's all about the compromise. 

Michael and Carla

Pork Schnitzel and Vegetable Rice Pilaf

 

  I know about the picture, it is not a very good one. My thoughts on the opening for this post had been varied. So I setttled on postponing writing it. This picture was taken as an afterthought. It was storming outside, even though all the window's in the house were opened it is still a pretty sorry picture. So, yes I know. We as of yet, do not have a fancy schmantsy (slang and don't lie, some of you have used it) camera, just our faithful Nikon Digital. However, I do have something to say about these two cookbooks. First of all I checked them out at the library for the IHCC's  latest cookbook challenge, which obviously is Mark Bittman. You see, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to spend the money on two cookbooks I might not really like use. No, I've NEVER done that before!     Yes, you guessed it. I will be hunting these down around town at the various used book stores we have here. You see, I can't even decide which one I like better. The Best Recipes in the World  is a lovely compilation of his TV Show that ran on Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) TV, back in the day. (Yes I know. It was only 4 years ago, however the older we get, 4 or 5 years feels more like 9 or 10.) I used to watch it and I loved it. Hey, I'll go around the world any way I can get there. I also liked his show with Mario Batalli and Gwyneth Paltrow; Spain...On the Road Again , Todd English's show; Food Trip with Todd English , and Jose Andres' show Made in Spain . Yes, I got off track there. However you get the point. Back to this cookbook. Let's say you want a recipe for a Pork Roast. Here you will find regional ways to cook it form Mexican to Scandinavian and try a new flavor profile you might not have otherwise tried. Then there's the second one  How to Cook Everything . In this one for example, if you want to make Beef Stew, you have 8 different add-ins that will change up the flavor profile to your tastes. More like he gives you "method" ideas so you can "run" with it. Still, I couldn't decide so I will purchase them both in the near future. Why all of the rambling on about these two books you are wondering? I don't think enough people know who Mark Bittman is or don't think he has any credentials. Okay, enough of my rambling.

  For this week, it is again Potluck (your choice) at I Heart Cooking Clubs and this is my submission. Since my daughter's wedding back in 2006, when we stayed at a lovely hotel on a lake in Sebring, Florida and Michael ordered a Pork Schnitzel Platter, I had never had it. I was reeled in by this dish. So simple and unadulterated. The squeeze of lemon is all you need. So this is one of my go to recipes for any cutlet cut of meat or poultry.

Pork Schnitzel with Vegetable Rice Pilaf

How to Cook Everything

Pages 364-365

Vegetable Rice Pilaf Ingredients and Pork Schnitzel Ingredients

Pork Schnitzel
Adapted from How to Cook Everything
Courtesy of Mark Bittman

Ingredients
1 cup flour
3 cups bread crumbs,(preferably fresh) We prefer Panko

3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1 pound thinly sliced veal, (can also be made with chicken, turkey, or pork)about 1/8 inch thick
2 tablespoons butter plus 2 tablespoons olive oilor all oil or all clarified butter
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
1 lemon, quartered, for serving

Directions
Prehaet oven to 200 degrees. Set out the flour, bread crumbs, and eggs on plates or in shallow bowls and have a stack of parchment or wax paper ready. Season the eggs liberally with salt and pepper.Dredge the cutlets, one at a time, in the egg, then the flour, then the egg again,then dredge in the bread crumbs. Stack the breaded cutlets between layers of wax paper and, when all the cutlets are breaded, transfer the stack into the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a pinch of flour dropped into the pan sizzles. Cook in batches if necessary, making sure not to crowd the pan, adding more fat to the pan as needed.Turn cutlets as soon as they're browned, then cook the other side. The total cooking time should be about 5 minutes or less. As each piece is done, transfer to an ovenproof platter and place into the oven.
Serve as soon as possible. Garnish with the parsley and lemon wedge on the side.
Serves 4


Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Courtesy of  Recipe Addict

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup onion, small dice
1 medium carrot, small dice
1 medium celery stalk, small dice
1/4 cup sugar snap peas, sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup peas
1 cup long grain rice
3 tablespoons orzo
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
fresh chives for garnish, chopped


Directions
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and sugar snap peas until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. In remaining oil saute rice and orzo until just golden. Add chicken stock, scallions, and salt and pepper. Turn up heat to high, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow rice to simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes covered. Peas will steam in residual heat. Fluff with a fork and serve, garnished with chopped chives.
Serves 4

 


Michael and Carla

Braised Chicken Stew or Pollo Guisado

  My mother was the first person to make this dish from one of her cookbooks, Daisy Cooks by Daisy Martinez . She made it one night for dinner for the four of us and I was hooked. I've been making it ever since. It has become a staple recipe for both of us.

  Well low and behold I saw a version of this delightful  Chicken Stew Recipe in my April 2010 issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray. This is a very pared down version of the original recipe.

These are the ingredients. The little bag in front is the homemade Sofrito recipe my mom and I had made and frozen. I use this for many different recipes and I prefer it to the bottled version.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Then in a large frying pan brown the chicken in the Achiote Oil .

Add sofrito, cooking for about 3 to 5 minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 35 minutes or until chicken is done.

Braised Chicken Stew (Pollo Guisado)

Adapted from Daisy Cook's and Everyday with Rachel Ray April 2010

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds chicken (thighs or legs)

salt and pepper

achiote oil

adobo
1 packet sazon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup sofrito (link above)
1/2 cup alceparrado or olives (pimento stuffed) and 3 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon each cumin, oregano, marjoram, and cinnamon
1 bay leaf
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
2 large potatoes (cut into bite size cubes)
chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.In a heavy skillet or dutch oven, heat the achiote oil over medium heat.Brown the chicken pieces on each side, about 5 minutes per side.Add sofrito and remaining ingredients to the pot and turn the chicken pieces to coat with the sauce.Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 35 minutes or until chicken is done.Remove bay leaf.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley.
Serves 4

I am submitting this recipe to Ivonne at Cream Puffs in Venice for Magazine Mondays.

Michael and Carla

Spring Chicken and Risotto

  Spring is here, though it feels like summer already. Although we haven't had much in the way of April showers, we do have May flowers. Something to smile about after a rough week.

  You may have noticed that we've been participating in the I Heart Cooking Club challenge lately. We are going to be participating in more challenges as we go along. Starting this week we will be joining Reeni at

Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice forSide Dish Showdown which is featuring Spring Vegetables for the month of May. Also, we will be joining Ivonne at Creampuffs in Venice for Magazine Mondays . You can visit their home pages and read about these wonderful challenges by clicking on the appropriate links.

That being said, I am sending this lovely recipe for Risotto with Spring Greens over to Reeni for the Side Dish Showdown and Ivonne for Magazine Mondays. Michael was making simple herb roasted chicken with the herbs we grow in our garden, so I wanted something to compliment it. I thought this risotto I had marked in the June 2009 issue of Oprah Magazine sounded perfect.

Minimal ingredients. Arborio rice, boullion, spinach, shallot, green onion, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, butter and salt.

Start by heating your stock in a small sauce pan. In another pan saute shallot in olive oil until soft. Add rice and saute, stirring to coat with the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour a ladleful of hot stock into the rice mixture and stir until stock is absorbed. Continue doing this, 1 ladleful at a time for approximately 14 minutes. Stirring all the while until the rice becomes creamy. Then add your greens and continue to add the stock for another 2 minutes. Add butter and salt.

I topped this with fresh scallions.

A variety of fresh herbs from our garden was mixed with extra virgin olive oil.

Then brushed under the skin.

And on top of the skin.

So simple, yet so delicious.

Risotto with Spring Greens

Adapted from Oprah Magazine June 2009

Ingredients

8 cups unsalted chicken stock, preferably homemade(I made vegetable stock from a base-see photo)

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 cups Italian Arborio or carnaroli rice
2 cups chopped fresh spring greens, such as spinach, chard, turnip greens, or arugula
4 ounces prosciutto, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (I omitted)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Add chicken stock to a pot and bring to a simmer.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté shallot until just soft. Add rice and sauté, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour a ladleful of hot chicken stock into the mixture; stir constantly until the stock evaporates. Pour another ladleful in and stir until stock is absorbed. Keep doing this for 14 minutes longer. Add just enough hot chicken stock each time to keep the rice from sticking. Slowly, the rice will become creamy.
After that 14 minutes, when the rice is getting softer but is still not entirely cooked in the center, add greens. Continue adding stock for another 2 minutes, then add prosciutto. Stir another minute and continue adding chicken stock until the rice has just the right texture: Each grain should retain its shape, but the overall risotto should have a velvety creaminess. Add butter and salt.
Season to taste with pepper, and serve with lots of grated cheese.
Makes 4 Servings
Note: I cut this recipe in half
 

Michael, Whiskey Willie (mom and dad's baby boy on the left), and Angel.

(we hope to be adding Willie to our family in the near future)

We will forever miss them so.

Michael and Carla

Greek Style Frittata - This Would be Great for Mothers Day

   It is time again for this weeks IHCC theme from Mark Bittman. It's Breakfast in Bed since this coming Sunday is Mothers Day. With that being said, I have to let you all know that this is surely going to be one of the saddest Mothers Days for Michael and I. We will be going to a double memorial service this coming Thursday for his parents. Suffice it to say that I will not be posting again until next Monday. I do want to wish all of the moms out there a Happy Mothers Day.

  

  This is the breakfast I wish I were cooking this coming Sunday for our mothers. You can find it in How to Cook Everything on pages 804 and 805. It is one of his variations of the Tomato and Cheese Frittata.

Simple ingredients.

Greek Style Frittata

Recipe Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups cooked, chopped spinach

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 teaspoon chopped oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

6 to 8 eggs

Directions

Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Beat the eggs with some salt and pepper.

Pour eggs into skillet adding spinach, oregano and feta cheese over top.

Cook undisturbed, until the eggs are barely set, 5 to 10 minutes.

(You can set them further by putting the pan into a 350 degree oven for a few minutes-which I did-, or you can run it under the broiler for a minute or two.) Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Makes 4 Servings 

  The two things I did (wrong): I only made one serving=2 eggs and I used the smallest skillet I have. Which did not allow my frittata to puff up as it should have. The next time I make this (and I will) I will make the full recipe and freeze the remaining slices. I also would have gone with an addition of some diced, sauteed onion.

  I have to say this was just wonderful. I often make this as either an omlette or a scramble. I love the combination of spinach and feta in anything.

Michael and Carla

Pernil, A Puerto Rican Style Roast Pork Shoulder

  It's that time of the week again! IHCC's cooking with Mark Bittman and this weeks challenge is Spice Caravan. Some of my favorite spices to cook with are my fresh ground chili peppers. I began thinking that the fresh ground chilies didn't really qualify as a spice, which is why I looked it up , so I added the link for all of you nay sayers.

  I have made this dish often, it is one of our favorite ways to cook a pork roast. Any leftover meat can be used in any numerous ways, as the flavor profile is very basic. Not bland in any way mind you, just that it adapts to many other recipes very well. Cuban sandwiches come to mind, as well as tacos, fajitas, carnitas, or even any type of casserole you could imagine. The recipe I have always used in the past is from Daisy Martinez, however I have to say I like Mark Bittman's Pernil far better. The difference is the addition of the chilies. The only adaption I made to this recipe was that I added a little orange juice and I replaced the ancho clili powder for a combination of guajillo and chipolte chili powders, as Mark suggests in his book How to Cook Everything (pg. 755) and on his webpage, the chilies are optional or interchangeable. If you've never made a pork roast this way, I suggest you give it a try. The ingredients are few and this is a "let the oven do all the work" recipe.

The few ingredients you will probably already have on hand are; garlic, onion, oregano, chili powder of your choice, cumin, salt and pepper, wine vinegar, and oil. And the pork of course. I did forget to put the cumin in the photo, however when I was mixing my spices I did remember to add it in. (Mark's website version includes the cumin in the mix). I also added some fresh squeezed orange juice as the original recipes usually call for sour orange juice (which I can not find up here).

Combine all ingredients and rub the mixture into the pork. Let this marinate for 1 to 24 hours.When ready to cook, heat oven to 300 degrees. Add a small amount of water to bottom of pan. Roast pork for about 3 hours, turning every 30 minutes or so, basting with the pan juices, until well done (internal temperature should read at least 150 but no more than 160) and very tender. The skin will be crisp. Let the meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into it.

We seved this with red beans and rice. This is truly an all time favorite in our house. I think Michael likes the pressed pork sandwiches we make the next day even better.

Pernil

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

1 pork shoulder, 4 to 7 pounds (or use fresh ham)

4 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ancho or other mild chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil as needed
1 tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
1/4 cup of orange juice
Lime wedges for serving


Heat oven to 300 degrees. Score meat's skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.
Rub this mixture well into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Roast pork for several hours (a 4-pound shoulder may be done in 3 hours), turning every hour or so and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, raising heat at end of cooking if necessary.
Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.
Makes 6 to 10 servings

This is our submission for IHCC's Mark Bittman's Spice Caravan Challenge.

Michael and Carla