Archive for ◊ July, 2010 ◊

10 Jul 2010 45 Minute Pasta with Turkey Sausage
Author:  |  Category: Main Dish, Pasta, Poultry, Teaching Boys to Cook Series  | Tags: , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

I think this is the fifth pasta recipe in my teaching-19-year-olds-how-to-cook series. We’ll have to move onto another type of food shortly.  In defense of pasta though, it  reheats really well; so one batch could feed a college student for 3 or 4 days. Pasta is almost a universally liked food, so the roommates, friends, study groups (wishful thinking…) will like it too.  It’s not too expensive.  It’s relatively easy and foolproof and most substitutions usually work out fine.  Yep, pasta is a good starting point for a new cook!  If they know how to cook five or six good pasta dishes, they should be set right? So far we’ve done one veggie, one chicken, one cheese, one beef, this sausage one…

I’ve been making this pasta dish for a number of years. I think I found the original recipe on Epicurious.com. The original recipe had some cannelloni beans in it, but the kids just picked them out so I no longer add them (but I am leaving them in the recipe in case they grow up and decide beans are a good thing to eat). I was thinking that a few mushrooms in place of the beans might be a good idea so maybe next time I will try that.  If you don’t have a shallot, just leave it out.  I don’t expect college kids to have shallots on hand in their apartments, but maybe they will surprise me.

The real problem with this recipe, for 19 year olds in California, is that it calls for 1 cup of red wine. OOOPS.  We made it with the red wine yesterday, but when they are out on their own I have advised them to use chicken broth (not that I have tested that). Ohdearrrrr…, my recipe is contributing to the delinquency of my minors!

ANYWAY, as written below this is a really GOOD 45 minute refrigerator-to-table recipe. It’s good enough for company. I’ve served it more than once to guests, and some of those guests have gone home with the recipe. Serve with a salad, some bread (easy, Easy, EASY if you have any of those Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbooks), and dessert (of course!).

45 minute Pasta with Turkey Sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot chopped (if you have it)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb Italian Sausage (or Turkey Italian-style Sausage), casings removed
1 cup of red wine (or any kind of broth–or even water)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 lb. Penne Rigate Pasta (thin tubes, although bow ties, elbows or any other pasta shape would work, too)
1 can Cannelloni beans (optional, or substitute 1 cup sliced mushrooms–add after onion is sauteed)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add in chopped shallot (if using) and onion. Saute until limp (clear looking). If using stir in one cup of sliced mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes. Add in sausage, or turkey sausage (be sure to remove the casings first). With a wooden spoon or spatula (or even kitchen scissors), break up large hunks of sausage into small bite-sized pieces. When most of the redness of the sausage has gone, stir in 1 cup of red wine, broth, or water. Increase heat to high and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. During this time, make the salad or the veggies and cook the pasta. To cook the pasta bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook for the time instructed on the package. Drain pasta when done, reserving about a cup of the pasta water. When sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, stir in drained pasta and drained cannelloni beans (if using), grated cheese, and chopped (or dried) basil and simmer for 3 minutes. IF the sauce seems too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water. You want the pasta to be perfectly coated and a little bit saucy (your personal preference will dictate how much pasta water to add, if any). Serve immediately, pass more Parmesan cheese at the table, if desired (I always desire!).

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today,

10 Jul 2010 Turkey Reuben Burger
Author:  |  Category: Breads, Sandwiches, Teaching Boys to Cook Series  | Tags: , , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

Finally, a real alternative to a hamburger, a Turkey Reuben Burger (or Sandwich)! It’s tasty. It’s filling. It’s not that hard to prepare…and you’ll moan at first bite, really! (Oh my, I just thought how great this would be with some sweet potato fries…) Trust me on this one, this recipe has to go in your “Make it NOW” file! The original recipe is from “Cuisine Tonight: Sandwiches and Salads” but I’ve changed the ingredients and the method a bit to make it easier and…, tastier!

This recipe was also the latest in my teaching the nineteen year old’s how to cook series. I told them the only trick to this recipe is to shape the patties into the shape of the bread, and to make each patty thin, but complete (no holes for the cheese to leak out.) They both were impressed with themselves for making these impressive burgers, and they were both impressed with how tasty they were. I also mentioned this might be a good recipe to experiment with–it would be easy to make a cheddar stuffed hamburger with grilled mushrooms or onions instead of the coleslaw….

Turkey Reuben Burger

For the coleslaw

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon horseradish (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 half freshly grated green apple (peel before grating)

For the burger

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 grated green apple (peel before grating)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 slices of Swiss Cheese

8 slices of Marbled Rye or Cornmeal Rye bread, toasted

Make the coleslaw first and then set aside for flavors to develop. Whisk the mayo, relish, ketchup, lemon juice, horseradish, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine shredded lettuce, chopped onion, and grated apple together in another bowl. Add dressing the the lettuce-onion-apple mixture. Cover and refrigerate until needed (Make as close to serving time as possible. You want the cabbage to retain some crunch). In another bowl combine turkey, apple and salt and pepper. Mix with a fork to combine (See the pictures below for a visual of the next steps).

Using approx 1/4 of the turkey mixture, on a piece of wax paper, form two VERY THIN patties, roughly the same size and shape of the bread you are using. (These TWO patties will make ONE burger, so don’t make them too thick!).

Heat a skillet and spray it with Pam. Keep the pan on medium heat. Take one of the patties, with the wax paper still on it, and turn it upside down onto the hot pan. Remove the wax paper. Place two slices of Swiss cheese on top of the patty in the pan.

Tear the cheese to fit inside the patty, leaving an approx. 1/4 inch border, then put the other thin patty on top of the first patty and the Swiss cheese.

With a fork, seal the edges so no melted cheese can escape. Sear burger 2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side (or until the ground turkey is no longer pink).

Toast the bread. Place 1/4th of the coleslaw mixture on one slice of bread. Top with the cooked turkey patty.

Top with the second slice of bread. Cut in half and serve. (Half a burger may be enough for one serving) Yummmm.

This recipe will probably make four burgers, but this all depends on the size of the slice of your bread. The bread I had was huge, so from this batch I only got 3 sandwiches (which, when cut in half, made six-girl sized servings…, but the boys wanted both halves, so only 3 boy sized servings).

 

10 Jul 2010 Hamburgers Italiano
Author:  |  Category: Grilling, Main Dish, Red Meat, Sandwiches, Teaching Boys to Cook Series  | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

The boy child cooks again! He likes all things sausage. So I gave him this recipe to try, a twist on the basic hamburger. It’s a pretty darn good burger, a very nice blend of beef and sausage accented with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. I taught him how to make his own “bun”, too, which often tastes better than those sesame covered packages ones. Toast two slices of good bread (in our case sourdough from Le Boulanger, although I love Trader Joe’s Cornbread Rye). Cut toast to fit the size and shape of the hamburger patty, slip the patty between the two slices of toast, and he was all set–after loading up on ketchup. I had him use a hamburger mold to form the patties. It’s a good tool for a beginner cook. I’ll have to add that to the growing list of kitchen essentials. I had him use a timer to cook the patties, too. It’s a skill to cook a patty all the way through. A timer helps.

Hamburgers Italiano

3/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. thinly sliced fresh basil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 T. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper

Break beef and sausage into small pieces in a large bowl. Add cheese, basil, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Using a fork, lightly mix ingredients together. Divide meat into 4 or 6 portions (we make 6, about 4.5 oz. each) and flatten to 3/4 – 1 inch thick. Place on hot grill. Grill for 2-4 minutes on first side, and 3-4 minutes on second side. Drain on paper towel if you want, then place on bun, or toast cut to fit the burger, or a toasted English muffin. Add condiments and veggies as desired.

Thanks for visiting the kitchen today!

10 Jul 2010 Bacon Cheeseburgers
Author:  |  Category: Grilling, Main Dish, Poultry, Sandwiches  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

Once again, I forgot to take a picture of this recipe…, so I lifted this image off the Internet. To make you hungry!

We’ve eaten a lot of burgers this week (I hope my iron count went up, and my cholesterol was unaffected…) Each one of the three recipes I have posted makes a very different tasting burger. They are all good! This is an easy way to make a bacon cheeseburger. I like bacon cheeseburgers!

Enough burgers now though. My kids have passed Hamburgers 101. They have the basics. They know what can be done. I hope they have fun creating their own signature burger one day. I wonder what they will come up with. I can’t wait until they invite me over for a backyard BBQ one day… Ah, the sweetness of a mom’s daydreams!

All-in-the-patty Bacon Cheeseburgers

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped finely
4 tsp. yellow mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper

Break beef into small pieces into a large bowl. Add cheese, bacon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Using a fork, lightly mix ingredients together. Divide meat into 4 or 6 portions and flatten to 3/4 – 1 inch thick. Place on hot grill. Grill for 2-4 minutes on first side, and 3-4 minutes on second side.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »