Pumpkin Lasagne

I got a new job and will most likely have significantly less time to cook. Much like the rest of 2011 was with grad classes. I actually do get to cook but it's the blogging that is a little more time consuming.

Pumpkin Lasagne

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. hot Italian turkey sausage
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 cups fresh pumpkin or butternut squash puree (mine had been previously frozen,but not canned because it doesn't have enough moisture)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small can tomato paste
splash of white wine (optional)
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped into ribbons

1 package fresh lasagne pasta sheets
1 lb. grated mozzarella cheese

1 quart low fat milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
dash of nutmeg

In the following recipe I salted and peppered most layers of the recipe individually to taste. Add as much or as little as you personally like but taste as you go. Sausage and cheese can be very salty and varies by brand.

1. In a large skillet heat approximately one to two tsp of olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
   
2. Remove casings and add sausage to skillet. Break down with wooden spoon. Add crushed red pepper and fennel seed. Cook through.
3. Add pumpkin or squash puree and cinnamon. Heat through and add tomato paste to sauce. Add a splash of white wine and cook approximately 10 minutes until every is combined.
   
4. Add swiss chard to the sauce and stir/heat until completely combined and chard is wilted.
   
5. Add approximately 1/2 cup of low-fat milk to the sausage sauce. Mix to combine and keep heat low while you make the bechamel sauce.
   
6. In a medium saucepan melt butter.
   
7. Add flour whisking or stirring to combine to make a roux. Make sure to fully cook the flour.
8. Add the remaining milk a little at a time to make a white sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.
   
9. In 9x13 casserole dish coat the bottom with a few drops of olive oil.
   
10. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer in order pasta sheets (cutting to fit) sauce, bechamel, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired for serving.
    

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup water
1/2 lb. turkey breakfast sausage links, casings removed
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp real maple syrup
1 tbsp water
pinch of black pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, diced

1. Place sweet potatoes and 1/3 cup water in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Uncover, drain and set aside.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until it starts to become translucent.
   
3. Add sausage and salt and stir to crumble until sausage is done.
4. Add apple and saute until it starts to become soft.
   
5. Add sweet potatoes, water, syrup, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.
   
6. Cook until liquid absorbs.
7. Serve as a side dish or a one dish meal.
   

Pizza Dip

I know this is very out of character as a recipe for me. Something totally indulgent, unhealthy, with little to no nutritional value, but I was going to a party. This party was going to be full of non-adventurous eaters and perhaps vegetable haters (GASP!). So I went into the archives of recipes I had gotten from my parents when I moved out and found this gem.

Probably when I was in middle school this was one of the standard party fare recipes. My parents would make it for their Christmas party; we would bring it to our annual crab feast etc. I think it has to have been ten years since I last tasted this dip though. I have been craving it and I thought, what better way to get chance to taste it again than bring it to someone else's party. So I did.

One girl told me that she liked it especially because "You could put olive on a shoe and I'd eat it", or something similar (it was was late and I can't remember exactly). Another told me it tasted just like her mom's lasagna. Several people asked who made it. It was actually really nice to have people say nice things about my food. Maybe I'll bring it to next year's luncheon at school. Normally I run out of time and throw something together with the healthy food that's in my house and nobody eats is. (I made lovely white bean dip and people wouldn't even try it) I personally like my cooking for the most part so it's always a real blow to my ego. Don't worry though, I won't let last night's comments go to my head.

Normally we used to eat this on garlic melba rounds, but since I didn't think people would know what they were I went with Garlic Parmesan Triscuit Thin Crisps (honestly I forget the exact product). I usually don't like triscuits but these were pretty good. You definitely need a sturdy cracker or a spoon to put the dip onto the cracker (or bread slice, veggie dipper etc.).

Pizza Dip
1 block cream cheese
2 cups tomato sauce
(Italian Seasoning) - add a few tsp to sauce if bland, optional
1 bunch scallions chopped
1 small can sliced olives
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1. Spread cream cheese on bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.
2. Layer each subsequent ingredient in order.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
   

White Bolognese Rigatoni

This was delicious. That's really all I have to say about this meal. It was delicious. I halved the meat but kept the same number of veggies plus extra mushrooms to make it healthier. I also used light cream instead of heavy cream. I think it would be interesting to add a little tomato paste to this for more of a normal bolognese.

White Bolognese Rigatoni (Adapted from Heidi da Empoli)

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1stalk celery, finely chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 links hot Italian turkey sausage, removed from casings

1/2 lb. ground beef (90%)

3/4 cup Italian white wine

1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup simmering water

8 oz. white mushrooms, finely chopped

1/3 cup light cream

1/2 lb.rigatoni

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

1. Add a few tbsp oil to a large, deep sauté pan to lightly coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots, mushroom, and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.

2. Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top; pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water to loosen it if needed. Top with cheese.

Pork Ragout

This is a another Cooking Light recipe. I was making it and I decided that I wasn't a fan of the texture (or even the flavor for that matter).  Perfect excuse to use my new kitchen appliance (big grin). I received a lovely immersion blender for Christmas. I hadn't asked for one but surprisingly I've been thinking of different ways to use it now that it is here. I've already gotten some use out of my new wok, which I will be posting later on. All this recipe needed was a little insight (I'm not tooting my own horn) to wrap the flavors together. It was also too chunky for my taste so here it is, Pork Ragout my way adapted from Cooking Light.

Pork Ragout (adapted from Cooking Light)

1  pound  boned pork loin
1  (4-ounce) link hot Italian turkey sausage
1  cup  chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4  teaspoon   kosher salt
1/4  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4  cup  fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4  cup dry red wine
2  (15-oz) can Italian-style chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz  dry penne  pasta, cooked according to package instructions
1/4  cup  grated fresh Romano cheese (I also added some Parmesan)

1. Trim fat from pork; cut pork into 1/4-inch cubes.
2. Remove casing from sausage and break in to pieces. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. 
3. Remove sausage from pan. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Add pork, and saute 5 minutes. Add sausage, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
5. Stir in broth and wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. 
6. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. 
7. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. 
8. Using an immersion blender, blend sauce until reaches desired texture. Serve over pasta, and sprinkle with cheese.

The cinnamon added a sweetness without added extra calories. I think that it made all the difference between a sauce that was lacking something and bitter and a full-bodied flavor. I'm not trying to be cocky but it was really tasty once I took that one little risk. If could also have been a huge disaster.

Pasta Fagioli

I would call this a recipe makeover but all I did was adapt an already light recipe to suit my taste (not turn a decadent recipe into something light). Pronounced by many Italian Americans as pasta "fa-ZOOL", this is one of those recipes that will fill you up and keep you full all afternoon. It is 7 WW points per cup, but one cup is all you need to feel full and satisfied. With a salad you might feel hungry again in a little while. You can probably lighten up the recipe even more but for this time I made it the way I have in the past. It is very thick, bordering on a stew more than a soup so with just a little more broth or water you can stretch the recipe to feed more which would make the calories less per serving. I really enjoy this soup and plan to eat the rest of the pot as lunches for the entire week!

Pasta Fagioli (adapted from Cooking Light) Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
1 1/2 tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
4 oz. uncooked pipette pasta
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
Dried parsley
Crushed red pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add sausage and garlic; saute 2 minutes or until browned, stir-ring to crumble.
3. Add water, broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil.
   
4. Stir in pasta, 1/4 cup cheese, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and beans; bring to a boil.
   
5. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until pasta is done. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Garnish each serving with parsley and red pepper.

Sausage, Kale and Onion Pizza

This pizza was inspired by the one from American Flatbread that we ate this summer. As usual, I liked it and J was indifferent. It contained some seasoned sausage, kale and sauteed onions. I used mozzarella cheese and some Parmesan. The crust was whole wheat store bought dough.