Sausage and Greens

My blog program has been acting up lately so I haven't posted because I haven't had the time or want to deal with it. I actually tried to post yesterday but the formatting got totally screwed, so hopefully I can muddle through it today.

This year is the first year my husband and I have had a real garden. It's our first home and the first time we've had space to do anything more than some potted tomatoes and herbs. We have mountains of zucchini that are nearly ready for harvest and lots of tomatoes and herbs. We also have collard greens, and lots of them. They were actually a mistake, my husband hates greens and I meant to plant broccoli. So I have been trying to find ways to use them so my husband will eat them and enjoy it.

I found this recipe for a sausage and collard green pasta a few weeks ago and I tried it on myself. I love collard greens and pretty much any type of greens for that matter, so this was right up my alley. The pairing of the sausage gave the dish enough flavor so that the greens were not too bitter or overpowering. I'm going to try this dish on my husband tomorrow, hopefully with good results.

Ingredients:

1 bunch collard greens, about 1 lb. stems removed, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into half inch slices ( I remove the full vein out because I think the texture is better)

3 T olive oil

1 T minced garlic (I used 2 cloves and will use 3 next time)

1 t hot pepper flakes (she says this is optional, but I think it is a must)

5 links hot turkey Italian Sausage 12 oz. ( I would say 1 link per person is about right, so I'll use 2)

Pasta (she uses 3/4 of a box or about 6 servings, I will probably use 1/2 a box)

salt-pepper to taste

Grated parmesan

Directions:

Bring small pot of water to boil, add sausage and cook at low boil 10 minutes

Let sausage cool and slice

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add sliced collards and boil 5-7 minutes, until tender

Remove collards from water, keep water in the pot and bring back to a boil

When water comes to a boil, add pasta and a small amount of salt and cook 9-10 minutes

Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain pasta

While pasta cooks, in large skillet, heat 2 T olive oil and add sliced sausage and brown until well browned on both sides

Remove sausage and add remaining T olive oil and garlic and red pepper and cook 2 minutes, scraping bottom of pan to get browned sausage bits

Add collards and saute 2 minutes, then add pasta and enough cooking liquid to moisten dish, and cook 2 minutes more

Taste and season with salt and pepper

Serve hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Dinner For One

So one thing about not having my husband home for meals is that I don't feel the need to go to the grocery store as often. I'm basically living off pantry staples and frozen foods, which is good because it's time for some new stuff.

For instance, last night I had the ends of all my pastas mixed together( farfalle, penne, black rice elbow macaroni...) aglio e olio with sauteed chicken and broccoli. It was nice and colorful and totally decent tasting. Also, aglio e olio is one of the easiest dishes ever. You actually feel like you're cooking something, but it takes just a few minutes, and the outcome is always superb.



Aglio e olio is basically garlic and red pepper flakes fried in oil...mmmmmm. It's so easy to make, you don't really need a recipe. You just heat 2T olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add one clove chopped garlic and a few pepper flakes and saute until the garlic is golden and remove from heat.
Cook your pasta per package directions and reserve 2T of the salted water. Add salted water to the garlic oil, drain pasta, and toss everything together. Voila! That's pretty much just a one serving recipe, but you can multiply it to fit your needs.

Grilled Ravioli

I totally forgot to post this! I recently made grilled ravioli and it was amazing. I posted my ravioli recipe a while back. I left out the butternut squash and used ricotta and mozzarella instead (about a cup of each.) I boiled the ravioli as normal, then drained them on a towel, sprayed them with olive oil and stuck them on the grill for 4 minutes on each side at medium heat. I just sprinkled a little parmesan and called them done.
HOLY MOLY!!!! It's sinful and great and oh boy, you better make these, but not too often or you know you'll get a huge A*#.
Enjoy

Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown butter

This ravioli is another versatile recipe. You can change the main vegetable and have a completely different dish. Instead of butternut squash you can substitute spinach, mushrooms, yams, cabbage, artichokes, etc. Also, you don't have to make the fresh pasta, I use won ton wrappers in this recipe. The won ton wrappers keep really well in the fridge and allow you to have an Italian or Asian meal. I also found this link of fun things to do with leftover won ton wrappers.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack won ton wrappers (48)
1 butternut squash ( about 2 lbs, or you can get pre cut at places like Trader Joes)
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T green onions, chopped ( white part only, reserve greens for the sage butter)
1 egg
1/4 c ricotta
2 T grated parmesan
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t cinnamon
Pinch salt and pepper

For Sage brown Butter:
1/2 c salted butter ( I use a light margerine and it browns fine, but purists prefer real butter)
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 T green onions, chopped greens only)
1/4 c pine nuts

1/4 c shaved parmesan for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400
Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds
Drizzle 1 t olive oil, salt and pepper on each half of the squash
Put the squash on a cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes
Saute onions and garlic in remaining t of olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium, set aside to cool
When squash is fork tender, remove from oven and scoop into a bowl
Mash with a potoato masher and put in refrigerator for about 10 minutes to cool
While squash cools, heat 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot
Heat butter over medium in a small sauce pan
When the butter is melted add sage, onions and pine nuts and cook until golden brown
Once squash is cool add garlic mix and remaining ingredients and stir to combine
Spoon 1 T mix into wonton wrapper and and fold diagonaly, brush with water to seal
Drop by batches of 12 into water and cook for 3-5 minutes or until ravioli float to the top
Serve in shallow bowl with a drizzle of brown butter and shaved parmesan

I think 8 pieces are a good serving size. If you have any left over you can freeze the uncooked ravioli for up to a month or you can freeze leftover mix for about 3 months.

I'm Strong to the Finish Cause I Eats Me Spinach

I love spinach. It's one of the best foods ever. And, seriously, so diverse. You can have spinach salad, spinach lasagna, spinach frittata's for breakfast, spinach bars for appetizers, savory spinach pie...well maybe that's not the best dessert, but this could be. Fresh or frozen are great ways to eat spinach. I'm not a fan of the can, but if you are, by all means. So this recipe for Pasta Florentine calls for fresh spinach. I used frozen because I happened to have it on hand. Still super yummy. I also used quinoa linguine which ups the protein and lowers the carbs.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tbs butter or margerine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 quarts water
1 package pasta
2 lbs fresh spinach (chopped)
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 c pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Saute pine nuts in olive oil until lightly browned
Remove & set aside
In same oil, saute garlic for 3 minutes, set aside
Cook pasta until tender & drain
Reheat oil containing garlic
Add spinach & saute until wilted ,about 3 minutes
Stir in butter
In large bowl, toss pasta, spinach, pine nuts & cheese
Add s&p and serve

Sometimes I add a little pancetta or italian sausage but it's great the way it is. Also, for a mediterranean flair, substitute the romano with feta and add a few tomatoes and maybe some kalamata olives.