Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream

I'm back! I have been cooking a little more lately. I am trying to get used to my new small, outdated kitchen! I'm starting to figure out some new tricks to make it work. Anyway, this is the first meal I made in said kitchen and it was quite delicious. I bought this cookbook last winter and have yet to make anything from it, so I decided to break it open. It is full of great recipes I have tagged to try over the next few months so look out for more yumminess! The only thing I would change about this recipe next time I make it is to make it with bacon. I think the smokiness from the bacon would be perfect! If you don't eat pork try turkey or chicken sausage or turkey bacon. Either would be great substitutes!


 Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream
Courtesy of Barbara Fairchild


Ingredients:
-2 tbl olive oil
-1 lb of sweet italian sausages, casings removed (i used regular sausage)
-1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
-1 c chopped onion
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with added puree
- 1/2 c heavy cream
-1 lb farfalle (bow tie pasta)
-1 c (packed) chopped fresh basil
freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and crushed red pepper. Saute until sausages are no longer pink, breaking into chunks with fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 c pasta cooking liquid.(I did not reserve pasta water and it was fine). Return pasta to same pot.

Add sausage mixture to pasta; toss over medium heat, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve passing cheese separately.

Sage Sausage Balls with Balsamic Apricot Dip

I havent updated in a while so I thought it was time to post a few things that I have made over the past few weeks and by the fast few weeks I mean last weekend and yesterday. I haven't been cooking much lately but  I have planned a few yummy meals for this week so hopefully I will get back in the swing of things. I have made these sausage balls several times now. They are perfect to bring to an office party and a great addition to your tailgate spread. I made these for the Alabama/Ole Miss game the other weekend (roll tide!!). I always get lots of compliments when I make them...especially for the sauce. The sauce is definitely the superstar in this recipe. It's also a perfect compliement for chicken strips!

Recipe:
Courtesy of foodnetwork.com

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 1/4 pounds regular sausage

3 tablespoons dried sage

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, eyeball it

1 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

1 cup Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls

Preheat a small pot over medium heat and the oven to 425 degrees F.

Add oil and onion to pot. Saute the onion for 1 minute.

In a mixing bowl, combine sausage and sage.

Next, add balsamic vinegar to onion and reduce by half, 1 minute. Remove vinegar from heat and combine with apricot  preserves and spicy mustard. Stir until mustard is fully incorporated. Dip will be glossy and brown in color.

Add 2 tablespoonfuls of apricot dip to bulk sausage and mix. Form meat into bite size nuggets, coat in bread crumbs then place on nonstick cookie sheet. Recipe will make 20 to 24 pieces. Bake about 20 minutes, until evenly browned, turning occasionally. Serve with toothpicks for dipping.

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

This dish is simply delicious! I made this for the first time last night and it was such a winner that I even brought leftovers to work today (I never bring leftovers so this is a big deal). I stumbled across this recipe the other day when I took a break from watching CNN at work and spent some quality time with the food network channel. What I originally liked about this dish was that it seemed "quick and easy" which to me, are ideal adjectives when it comes to cooking on a weeknight.

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes
Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

1 jar of roasted bell peppers (red and orange)

1 lb or Orzo

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

1 tbl kosher salt

2 tbl olive oil

2 10 oz packages of reduced- fat sausage

4 garlic cloves minced

3 plum tomatoes chopped

1 tsp of red pepper flakes (eyeball)

2 tbl of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of ricotta salata cheese crumbled for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and the water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. When the pasta starts to plump and rise to the top (about 8-10 minutes) then you know it's ready!

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add your sausage and cook until done. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the peppers, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes and cook until warm for about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the sausage mixture, parsley, season with salt and pepper and toss. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Top with ricotta salata or a cheese of your liking.