Pantry Clear Out Recipe 2 - Shells with Butternut Squash, Leeks and Spicy Sausage

In my research for the Pantry Inventory Reduction Task this week, I saw a recipe from Marcella that uses butternut squash and onions, and another using spicy sausage, but I wanted squash and sausage, plus I wanted to use leeks instead of onions.

The Colonel got wind of my pasta use-up exercise and I am sure was dreaming of red sauce, which is his favorite pasta. Good old spaghetti and red sauce. While I like that occasionally, I love to do different things with my noodles.

This is an All-In-One meal, with your veggies and meat. Mangia!

Shells with Butternut Squash, Leeks and Spicy Sausage

Adapted loosely from Marcella Hazan

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)

Salt

2 leeks, cut lengthwise and then sliced into ¼” slices

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed

12 ounces pasta shells

1/2 cup freshly ground Pecorino Romano

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the squash, season lightly with salt and cook over high heat, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the squash to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the leeks and sausage and cook over high heat, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through. Return the squash to the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the reserved cooking water and the cheese and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the sauce is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, sprinkle with the parsley and serve right away.

Pantry Def Con 3 Inventory Situation - Tagliatelle with Goat Cheese Pesto

It's long past time to use up some pantry items. I long ago lost all control over any sensible organization in our cramped pantry with the extra book shelf crammed in for more shelving space. I had a vision of shelves for Canned Goods, Grains, Pastas, Dried Things, Condiments, Spices, etc. but it's just not user friendly. Ditto the tiny fridge. It's not micro-NY studio small, but it's definitely not a standard size fridge. I think this place was designed ideally for two roommates. The bedrooms are on opposite sides of the unit, and each has a bathroom either in it, or directly adjacent. It would be ideal for roommates in that regard, as you have no shared bedroom walls. But I think the designers figured a roommate scenario also equates to a lot of take out and beer and no actual in-unit cooking, hence small fridge area and small pantry area. Just my observation....

I made a list of the pastas on hand and sat down with the Bibles: Marcella Hazan's Marcella's Italian Cooking, Patricia Wells' Trattoria, Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian and Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. The goal was to find recipes that would use maximum pantry items and minimize the shopping list. The results were five Pasta/Rice/Canned Goods recipes, plus a slow cooker Beef Osso Bucco for next Sunday (Used Meat section had beef shanks). The missing sixth day dish is leftover Beef Short Ribs from Valentine's Day. If there's any left after making sammies with the ribs.

First up, a creamy recipe from Marcella that requires only the purchase of basil and goat cheese to turn out. If I had made this a couple of weeks ago, I might have been able to use our "garden" basil, but Colonel Farmer has done the spring planting, and we'll have to wait for a new crop.

I also had chicken strips from the Used Meat section, so we grilled some to go with the pasta, along with an arugula salad with Parmesan and a lemon dressing.

Mangia!

Tagliatelle with Goat Cheese Pesto

Marcella Hazan

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups fresh basil

1 ½ teaspoons chopped garlic

3 tablespoons pine nuts
4 tablespoons goat cheese

Salt and black pepper
12 ounces Tagliatelle

Wash the basil  and then pat it dry. Put basil, garlic, pine nuts and a pinch of salt in food processor, and chop briefly. Add the oil and keep blending until the mixture becomes creamy. Transfer to a bowl. Add the goat cheese and black pepper to taste. Mash the cheese into the mixture with a fork until smooth.  

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve a couple of tablespoons of cooking water. Add the cooking water to the sauce and stir to combine. Drain pasta and toss it with the sauce. 

New Hampshire Primary Night - Cod Cakes and Cole Slaw

We survived New Hampshire primary night, and were not surprised about the top three winners on the GOP side. Bush coming in 4th was a bit of a surprise, not to us, but probably to his campaign, who had put a lot into the Granite State, knowing that Iowa wasn't going to award any delegates to JEB! But 4th place with the kind of moola Bush has backing him means he can last a while longer.

Not trying this

I haven't been thematic about meals on the primary dates. I mean, we lead off as a nation with Iowa, which really needs to stop, if not so much for the fact that demographically they're more white than Frosty The Snowman, but for the famous Loose Meat Sandwiches. Yech.

The Good Wife had a recent episode with Peter campaigning in Iowa and doing the "Full Grassley" (visiting all 99 Iowa counties before the caucuses, as Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has done each year since 1981), and he managed to choke down only three loose meat sandwiches before spilling his mouthful back onto the plate once he thought the cameras were off. Unfortunately, the cameras were not off. They are never off.

So, no Iowa inspiration. Of course, they do those fried pork tenderloin sandwiches also. Or is that Indiana?

But Sam Sifton had a recipe for cod cakes in the Sunday NY Times magazine the weekend before the Granite State primary, so bring on the theme. Eastern Seaboard, ahoy!

I served these with cole slaw and leftover Drunken beans.

http://chimangiabenevivechronicles.blogspot.com/2013/09/drunken-beans.html

We're watching the South Carolina GOP debate tonight. BBQ would have been a good choice, or Shrimp and Grits, but I'm saving energy for the big Valentine's Day Suzanne Goin Short Rib fest tomorrow, which is my V-Day gift to The Colonel. Exactly 365 days since last serving it to him. Tradition, tradition....TRADITION!!

http://chimangiabenevivechronicles.blogspot.com/2015/02/get-shorty-braised-beef-short-ribs-with.html

Mangia!

Cod Cakes

Sam Sifton - NY Times

4 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 lemon, cut into eighths

1 pound cod fillets, or other white flaky fish

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ribs celery, trimmed, peeled and diced

1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste

1 ‘‘sleeve’’ unsalted saltine crackers, crushed, or 1 heaping cup panko bread crumbs

½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped

¼ cup neutral oil, like canola

Fill a shallow, wide pan with high sides with about an inch of water, and set it over high heat. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 section of the lemon to the water, and allow it to come to a bare simmer. Place the fish into this poaching liquid, and cook, barely simmering, until the flesh has just begun to whiten all the way through, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Using a wide spatula, carefully remove the fish from the water, and set aside to cool.

Empty the pan, and return it to the stove, over medium-high heat. Add the butter, and allow it to melt, swirling it around the pan. When the butter foams, add the celery, onions and garlic, and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent, then transfer them to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, salt, pepper and seasoning salt (or paprika and hot-pepper flakes), then add this mixture to the bowl with the sautéed vegetables, pour the crushed saltines or bread crumbs over them and stir to combine. Add the parsley, and stir again.

Flake the cooked fish into the binding sauce carefully, keeping the flakes as whole as you can manage, then gather them into small balls, and form them into patties, 4-6 for a main course, 6-8 for an appetizer. Place them on a sheet pan or platter, cover loosely with plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.

Set a large sauté pan over high heat, and add to it the neutral oil. When the oil is shimmering, remove the fish cakes from the refrigerator, and carefully sauté the patties until they are golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes a side. Work in batches if necessary. (A small smear of mayonnaise on the exterior of the patties will give them a crisp crust.) 

Creamy Cole Slaw

Adapted from Food Network

1 head green cabbage, finely shredded

2 large carrots, finely shredded

3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons grated Spanish onion

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons celery salt

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired.

Red Meat Detox.... 'Cause We're Doing Another Used Meat Section Beef Run This Week - Salmon Niçoise

Just trying to have one somewhat healthy meal this week as we work our way through the post-Super Bowl red meat offerings at your butcher's Sale Section. I love Nicoise salads and saw this recipe using salmon instead of the usual tuna. Do be sure and take the time to fry the capers. They're marvelous that way! Little briny, vinegary, crunchy bits of goodness.

The Colonel said this was one of the best meals I've made for him. And it wasn't even chili dogs!

Mangia!

Salmon Niçoise

Bon Appetit

8 ounces small purple potatoes

Kosher salt

4 ounces haricots verts, trimmed

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup drained capers, patted dry

1 pound skin-on salmon fillet

Freshly ground black pepper

4 anchovy fillets packed in oil

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar

1 lemon

½ medium shallot, finely chopped

4 cups frisée or mâche

¼ cup niçoise olives, pitted

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1". Bring to a boil, season with salt, and cook until fork-tender, 15−20 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Return water to a boil and cook haricots verts in same saucepan until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water. Chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry.

Return water in pot to a boil and cook eggs, 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to bowl of ice water and chill until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add capers and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until capers burst and are crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer capers with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Let oil cool; set aside.

Preheat oven to 425˚. Rub salmon all over with reserved caper oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until medium-rare (fish will be slightly translucent in the center), 10−12 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, mash anchovies, mustard, and sugar in a large bowl to form a coarse paste. Remove peel and white pith from lemon. Working over bowl, cut between membranes of lemon to release segments. Squeeze remaining juice from membranes into bowl; discard membranes. Whisk in shallot, then slowly whisk in remaining ¼ cup oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Using a fork, break salmon into large flakes; discard skin. Halve reserved potatoes and eggs crosswise.

Arrange frisée on a platter; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with half of dressing. Top in separate piles with potatoes, haricots verts, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and salmon. Drizzle salad with remaining dressing and top with fried capers.

Chicken with Carmelized Sumac Onions, Preserved Lemons and Israeli Couscous

My newest cookbook is Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's visually stunning and, as I already love Mediterranean cooking, it provides a lot of great inspiration to try out new spices. I will enjoy it in the coming months.

In this case, I was inspired to use sumac, while using a couple of pantry items like Israeli couscous and preserved lemons, when I came across this recipe at Food52.

The recipe calls for leaving oil in the pan after browning the chicken. You can do this, but it will leave you with really unctuous couscous. We enjoyed that, but if I prepare this again, I'd wipe out the pan and cut back the oil quantities by half.

I made some rice with peas and cumin seeds and served warmed pita bread.

Mangia!

Chicken with Carmelized Sumac Onions, Preserved Lemons and Israeli Couscous

Food 52

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken (I used some lovely big chicken legs, with drumsticks attached to the thighs)

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons grapeseed oil (or another high-heat oil, like peanut)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium to large yellow onions, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled then mashed or pressed

3 teaspoons sumac

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons allspice

2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon

1 cup pearled (Israeli) couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed

Sprinkle the chicken with the 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Set a Dutch oven or braisier over medium-high heat, pour in the grapeseed oil, and when hot, brown the chicken pieces really well. Then, remove and set them aside but don’t rinse out the pan.

Reduce the burner to medium and let the pot cool down for a couple minutes. Then add the olive oil to the pot, along with the onions, garlic, and an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Caramelize the onions, stirring occasionally and adding some of the chicken broth if the pan gets dry.

Preheat the oven to 400° F. While the onions are cooking, combine the sumac with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cinnamon, and allspice. When the onions have caramelized, sprinkle three-quarters of the spice mixture over them and stir well to combine. Add the chopped preserved lemon and stir to combine. Sprinkle rest of spice mixture over the reserved chicken and then nestle the pieces into the onions.

Make a well in the center of the chicken-onion pile and pour in the uncooked Israeli couscous. Add the chicken broth, cover the pot tightly, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional five minutes. Taste and season with more salt if need be. Serve warm.

Taking A Break From Beef - The Other White Meat - Hoisin Pork Stir Fry With Mushrooms and Spring Onions

There were lovely big spring onions at the store. I picked up several along with regular green onions for a veggie platter, and we ended up in a check out line with a clerk who was very confused by the "green onions on steroids". After unsuccessfully looking for a code for a few minutes (I told her what they were, and spring onions was how they were labeled in Produce), she rang them up as regular green onions. Score! And no, I do not feel bad about this. The Kroger Company has made a lot of money off me over the years.

I had some BOGO pork tenderloin in the deep freeze, so it seemed like stir fry time! We had been having a lot of beef over the holidays so it was nice to change things up a bit. But still...meat.

I went with a variation on my typical Asian stir fry sauce/marinade, this version using hoisin sauce. I am still working my way through a big bag of dried mixed mushrooms, so I threw those in as well. Serve with rice.

Mangia!

Hoisin Pork Stir Fry With Mushrooms and Spring Onions

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, sliced into pieces 3 inches by 1 to 1 1/2 inches
2 large red bell peppers, sliced into 3/4 inch wide slices crosswise
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms, or a couple of handfuls of assorted dried mushrooms, chopped roughly (I used a stir fry blend I have on hand of shiitakes, woodear, oyster and chanterelles. Reconstitute for 30 minutes in very hot water to cover)
8 large spring onions, cut into 2 inch pieces with a few inches of green part
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces water chestnuts
2 tablespoons peanut oil.

Marinade
6 ounces hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 inch by 4 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

Combine marinade ingredients, reserve 1/4 cup and toss pork with it. Marinate overnight or at least 2 to 3 hours.

Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or large deep saute pan. Add peppers, mushrooms and onions and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the pork and the garlic and continue stir frying for about 5 minutes or until pork is cooked but still faintly pink in the middle. Add remaining marinade and water chestnuts and stir to combine.

Martha Rose Shulman's Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup

Here's another Martha Rose dish, this time using farro. Farro and barley are similar, but barley is much more common and easier to find. I recently made an Amazon "run" to pick up unusual ingredients and farro was among the items. Preserved lemons was another thing, along with sumac, which I have never used, and more pomegranate molasses. More on those later.

This seemed like a healthy dish to have after the excesses of the holiday season. Plus, I had a need to use up a ton of baby carrots and celery sticks leftover from veggie plates.We had gone through just enough stuff in the fridge to make room for soaking overnight.

This hit the spot on a chilly night, along with some fresh garlic bread. Mangia!


Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup
Martha Rose Shulman

1 ½ cups red beans, kidney beans, pintos or borlottis, rinsed and picked over for stones

¾ cup farro, rinsed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

¼ cup diced pancetta (optional)

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced (more to taste)

1 bouquet garni with a few sprigs each of parsley and thyme, a bay leaf and a Parmesan rind

1 small carrot, peeled and diced

1 small stalk celery, diced

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned and sliced thin

 Salt

6 sage leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice

1 tablespoon tomato paste (I went heavy on this, using more like 3 tablespoons)

 Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

 Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Combine beans and farro in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 quarts water. Soak for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or casserole over medium heat and add half the pancetta, if using, and half the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and stir in half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add beans and farro, along with the soaking water. Add another 1 1/2 quarts water and bouquet garni and bring to a gentle boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet and add pancetta. (If not using pancetta, add the remaining onion and the carrot, celery and leeks now.) Cook, stirring often, until pancetta releases some of its fat. Add the remaining onion, and carrot, celery and leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the remaining garlic and the sage. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, add the tomatoes and juice, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir into the beans and farro and mix well.

Add the tomato paste and salt to taste. (You will need a generous amount.) Continue to simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until beans and farro are very tender and the soup thick, almost creamy. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove bouquet garni.

Stir in the parsley and additional chopped sage if desired. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan over each bowl.