Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout

It was rainy and cold the other day and just the kids and I for supper. I was hankering for Butternut Squash Bisque, but didn't really want to make it without Curtis being here and I didn't know how well the kids would eat it. I searched for something more kid friendly and found this. It was a winner. Both kids loved and even wanted to eat the ragout (pronounced ragu) next day for lunch.

I changed up the recipe a little. The original recipe called for 6 oz of spinach. I don't have spinach. I have lots and lots of arugula in my fridge. Curtis ended up making it home for supper and I experimented with the arugula for our ragout. In the bottom of the bowl, I placed some coarsely torn arugula leaves. I topped it with the hot soup and then tossed it to help wilt the arugula. It was wonderful. I am pleased to have found a soup I can use arugula in. It added to the flavor and used a lot (you can use as much or as little arugula as you want).

Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Ragout
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mild bulk Italian sausage
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 c chicken stock
1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 c elbow macaroni
1/2 - 1 c per serving of coarsely torn arugula
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add sausage and saute until brown, breaking up sausage, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), broth, beans, 1 c basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until tender, but still firm to bite, about 10 - 15 more minutes. Mix in 1/3 c cheese and remaining 1/2 c basil. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, put torn arugula leaves in bottom of soup bowl. Ladle ragout into bowls and gently toss with arugula. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Olive Oil Salt Bread

With our soup the other night, I thought we needed some bread. However we had no bread in the house and it was too late for me to make my honey whole wheat bread. I remembered seeing a recipe for olive oil and salt bread in my Mark Bittman cookbook so I checked it out.

This is the perfect bread to go with soup recipe! It takes about the same time to bake as it does to make a good soup (45 minutes of baking time). The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to be taunting me that I can't make biscuits (it is basically a type of biscuit--baking powder helps it rise instead of yeast). We all really liked it. Curtis and I dipped it in a little olive oil (I had some orange infused olive oil that I used). J and M also really liked it. I also liked cooking it in my black (cast-iron) skillet. There's just something about putting a black skillet into the oven to bake in that makes me happy.

Be sure to sprinkle the top with coarse salt at the halfway point. The salt on top was my favorite part about it, I believe. You can change the the add-ins to whatever you want. I also thought about adding some sun-dried tomatoes or rosemary or oregano. You can make it to match your soup! This uses a food processor to make it. I am sure you can also make it by hand. Just mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and briefly knead on a lightly floured surface.

Olive Oil Salt Bread
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1/3 c olive oil
3 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt, preferably coarse or sea salt, plus coarse salt for sprinkling
1 c warm water

Add-in's:
1/4 - 1/2" grated Parmesan Cheese
2 T (or more) chopped black olives

Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade (the plastic one that came with the machine) and turn on. While the machine is running pour in the olive oil, then 3/4 c of the warm water through the feed tube. Process for 30 seconds. If the dough is too dry, add remaining water, 1 T at a time. If it is too wet, add a more flour, 1 T at a time. Process again if needed. The dough should be well-defined, not very sticky, and an easy to handle ball. Place the dough in a well oiled 8" oven-proof skillet or square baking pan. Press it until it fits the edges. Flip it over and press again. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375 degrees oven. Remove foil, sprinkle top with a little coarse salt, and bake another 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back when touched gently. Cool briefly and then cut and serve. This is best warm but will keep for up to a day.

Peanut Apple Salad

I love this salad. I know Curtis isn't a fan (which is why I took this to our church's fall festival potluck) but I didn't know what the kids would think. They both liked it. J ate every bit of it, but M stuck to just the apples. It was an easy sell--"It's just apples and peanut butter."

8 apples, diced (they don't need to be peeled)
1/2 c celery, diced
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c pecans or walnuts
1/4 c shredded coconut
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c milk
1/4 c sugar

Combine apples, celery, raisins, nuts, and coconut in a very large bowl. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the apple mixture. Toss to coat the apples. Serve. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

The other day I walked into my neighbor's house. It smelled absolutely wonderful. I asked her what she was making and all I caught was pork and tomatillo (I was too distracted by the aroma). When I got home I immediately put tomatillos on my grocery list and set about finding a recipe that had pork and tomatillos in it.

What I made didn't necessarily smell like what her house smelled like, but it was good nonetheless. The recipe reminds me of New Mexico Posole, but without the hominy (which is just fine with me!!). The tomatillos added a wonderful tartness that wasn't overpowering. We all liked and it will definitely be put on my list of repeatable meals.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew
adapted from Food and Wine.com

2 T oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3" (or smaller is fine too) chunks
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lrg celery stalks, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 Anaheim chile (also known as Poblano or any other mild green chile), seeded and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t mild chile powder (I found a New Mexico chile powder that is mild and has wonderful flavor)
1 T cumin
pinch of dried oregano
2 c chicken or beef stock
1 c carrots, 1/2" diced
12 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" dice
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1" dice

hot sauce
cilantro, chopped
tortillas
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a medium soup pot. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the celery and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the diced chile, garlic, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and tomatillos, cover an simmer over low heat until the pork is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the stew over moderate heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the shredded pork into the stew and season with salt and pepper. Serve and garnish with hot sauce, cilantro, tortilla chips and limes.

Pumpkin Torte

I have no idea why this is called a torte. It is not a torte, which is a type of cake that has lots of eggs and nuts, like almonds. While this contains some eggs, it has no nuts and is more like messy bar cookies than a cake. Possibly a better name may be Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars or Layered Pumpkin Bars or Goodness. Or the best name may be the Dessert that Won the Pumpkin Dessert Contest at our church's fall festival.

These are wonderful. They are full of all sorts of goodness and eating just one is close to impossible. The texture is dreamy and it is even a great Thanksgiving dessert (or before meal snack). Eating these are a bit of risk though: it contains raw egg whites (sorry to all those people I've served this to and have never disclosed this information before). You also get to use gelatin in this. Look for plain gelatin (under the brand of Knox) in the baking aisle next to the flavored Jello type gelatin. (Pictured is the graham cracker and cream cheese layer of the dessert).

This recipe is from my maternal Grandmother who claims she never made these. I know she did because she gave me this recipe after she made these for us one Thanksgiving. Make sure you move quickly when you get to the gelatin step--mix it quickly into the cold water and then quickly stir it into the hot pumpkin. If you take too long, it will congeal and get rather funky and inedible.

Best Pumpkin Dessert Bars

Crust
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c sugar
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

Filling
2 c pumpkin
1/2 c milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 T plain gelatin (Knox brand is what I've found)
1/4 c cold water
3 egg whites, beaten
1/4 c sugar
whipped topping

In a food processor (or by hand), mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 c sugar, and butter. Press into a greased 9 x 13" pan (I've found lining the bottom with tin foil makes it easier to dish--you can't lift it out of the pan, but it isn't as apt to stick to the bottom). Mix the eggs, sugar, and cream cheese in a blender until smooth and pour over the graham cracker crust mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook the pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, salt, 1/2 c sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan until thickened. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in cold water in a small bowl. Stir into hot pumpkin mixture. Set aside and let pumpkin cool to room temperature (if you continue before it is cool enough, the heat will deflate the egg whites).

Beat the egg whites and 1/4 c sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour pumpkin onto cream cheese/graham cracker crust. Allow to chill in refrigerator for several hours. Just before serving, top with whipped topping. Cut into bars and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers (but there probably won't be many).

Baked Eggplant Marinara

I first made this over a year ago and posted about, but didn't include the recipe, just a faulty link to epicurious. Here's the recipe. It's great. We mostly loved it, especially J. I tried to sell it to M by calling them little pizzas, but she didn't buy it. She told me she knew it was eggplant so she wasn't eating it.

These would make a great appetizer for a party--nice little finger foods that are really tasty. I also think they are pretty darn cute too. This is a good meal to have a child help you with--the coating of the eggplants works well as an assembly line. M had fun coating the eggplants with flour (I did the messy part of the egg and breadcrumbs).

Baked Eggplant Marinara
adapted from Bon Appetit

16 - 20 1/2" thick eggplant rounds (cute width wise) from 2 - 3 small eggplants
all purpose flour
1 - 1 1/2 c breadcrumbs
3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
1 c ricotta cheese (possibly less)
1 1 /4 c marinara sauce (probably less)
3/4 c mozarella or other Italian cheese, freshly grated (again, possibly less or more)

Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl. Coat eggplants in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture, patting to adhere, if necessary. Fry in batches in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat until all eggplant rounds are used. Put a dab of ricotta on each round, followed by sauce and mozzarella cheese (I put as much on top as I can fit or as I have ingredients for). Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until rounds are heated though and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Grits Gratin with Arugula and Bacon

While this didn't look quite how I had imagined it from the name, it was rather tasty. How can you go wrong with bacon, garlic and cheese in a dish? I estimated the amount of arugula I put in (by the handful). If you aren't using baby arugula, be sure to take the stems off and discard. You only want the leaves. I also think you could use as much as 8 cups of arugula. The balsamic vinegar is essential in this recipe. It gives the dish a nice sweet flavor. You can use either grits or polenta (I used polenta). My dish never got "golden and bubbling" like Bittman said it should and I still haven't figured out why, but it didn't make that much of a difference.

How did this go over? Well, M didn't like the polenta but ate the arugula, which surprised me. She informed me that she, "doesn't like to eat Brits." I guess that's good. :) Curtis thought it was wonderful, which is good because he normally doesn't eat polenta. I think I have succesfully found some ways that he'll eat polenta, which is good because I love it. This also is a different way to use up some of that large bag of arugula we got in our boxes this week.

Grits Gratin with Arugula and Bacon
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Grits (or Polenta)
1/2 c milk, preferably whole (but I used skim and it was just fine)
2 c water
large pinch of salt
1 c coarse cornmeal

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 slices thick bacon, chopped (if you are using thin bacon, use more)
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t sugar
4 - 8 c arugula leaves (stems discarded)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Recipe of grits/polenta
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated

To make the grits/polenta, bring milk, water and large pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the lumps from forming. Simmer over low heat until mixture is fairly thick (length of time will depend on type of cornmeal or polenta you are using--I used quick polenta and it only took a couple of minutes), stirring frequently. The polenta should be about as thick as thick oatmeal. Press into a loaf pan and let cool at least 10 minutes (or as long as a day). Slice into 1/2" thick slices.

Put 1 T oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and garlic and cook until bacon is crispy. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently in the pan. Spread in bottom of a greased shallow 2 quart casserole dish or a 9 x 13" baking pan. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Carefully spread the grits/polenta slices on top of the arugula, overlapping them a little if necessary. Drizzle with 1 - 2 T olive oil (and a little extra balsamic vinegar if you'd like, which I did), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven until the topping is golden and bubbling (or not), about 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.