Sausage Ragù over Creamy Polenta

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 C chopped carrot
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 lb Italian sausage
15 oz tomato sauce
¼ C sugar
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
creamy polenta
Optional garnish: grated Parmesan and chopped parsley

Directions
Small dice (or chop) onion. Mince garlic. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, salt and pepper; cook until tender, stirring occasionally (5-7 minutes). While onion mixture is cooking, slice sausages.

Remove onion mixture to bowl, add sausage to pan and cook until browned. Return onion mixture to pan, Add tomato sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to boil; reduce heat, simmer at least 10 minutes. Season with additional salt or pepper to taste.

Serve over creamy polenta; if desired, garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Stuffed Cabbage (Polish - gołąbki)

Maybe not a recipe that will especially entice a lot of people, but...I had 1/2 a cabbage leftover from another recipe, and I'm always interested in trying something new (especially something that combines more vegetables with the meat), I figured I'd give it a shot. After perusing a variety of recipes and noting consistently common ingredients in all, this is an amalgamation of two different recipes, choosing the ingredients based on flavors I know I like personally. I really don't know how 'traditional' it may be.

Sauce Ingredients
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 C mire poix (1/2 C onion, 1/4 C carrot, 1/4 C celery - all finely diced*)
½ C brown sugar
¼ C red wine vinegar
¼ C lemon juice
2 T cornstarch, dissolved in ¼ C water

* I'm not a fan of celery, so I tend to go light on the celery and throw in a little extra onion and/or carrot.

Stuffed Cabbage Ingredients
½ large (or 1 small) head cabbage
1 lb ground beef (or combination beef & pork)
1½ C cooked rice (cook in chicken stock for extra flavor; I used a whole grain, wild rice blend)
2 eggs
½ C bread crumbs
½ C caramelized onions
¼ C brown sugar
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp each salt & pepper

Directions
Prepare cabbage...  Use a pairing knife to remove core. For the most tender leaves, freeze the cabbage the day ahead. With or without freezing, bring a large pot of water to boil; boil cabbage until leaves are tender and pull apart easily (approx. 5 minutes, or slightly more if not frozen). If ribs are still too tough, trim thickest parts.

Mix sauce...  In saute pan, cook mire poix with a little oil until onions are translucent and carrots have softened. Dissolve cornstarch in water; combine mire poix, cornstarch and remaining ingredients in saucepan, bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for ½ hour.

Prepare filling... stir together ground beef, cooked rice, bread crumbs, caramelized onions, brown sugar, thyme, garlic powder, salt & pepper. (Add a little extra bread crumbs or a little of the sauce if mixture is too soggy or too dry...should be a relatively firm meatloaf consistency.)

Assemble...
Pre-heat oven to 375˚.
Pour a thin layer of sauce to cover the bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place generous ½ cup of meat filling near the rib end of a cabbage leaf; roll toward the outer leaf, tucking in sides as you go. Place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all meat mixture is rolled in leaves and placed in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over rolls. To retain moisture during cooking, spread remaining cabbage leaves over top of rolls. Cook 1 hour. 

Stuffed Cabbage rolls -- and the extra sauce -- can be served with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.

Caribbean Rice & Beans

My Culinary Arts students cooked up a Caribbean feast, including these Caribbean style rice & beans using a recipe from the Food Network. We also made Caribbean jerk chicken with tropical fruit, and pholouries with mango chutney. They did a great job -- and my World Literature students, who were in the middle of our Caribbean Literature unit -- benefited deliciously from the C.A. students' efforts!

Broccoli-Onion-Bacon Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon
1 sweet onion, halved & thinly sliced
2 C broccoli florets
5 eggs
1½ C milk 
½ tsp dried basil, crushed
4 C sourdough bread, 1" cubes
4 oz Muenster or Swiss cheese, ½" cubes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add onions to skillet; cover and cook on medium-low heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, cook broccoli in lightly salted water about 3 minutes, until fork tender. Drain.

Uncover onions, increase heat to medium and cook until caramelized (about 5 minutes).

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs,milk, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in bread, broccoli, onion, cheese and bacon. Transfer to 2 quart baking dish; cover and chill 2-24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325°. Bake casserole, covered, 20 minutes. Uncover; bake an additional 20-30 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I only had a small, sweet onion when I made this recipe, so (in case you notice in the picture) I added some scallions. Not exactly the same flavor as a sweet onion, but I knew I'd like it anyway.

Meat & Vegetable Pie

MHS: This recipe was part of the Culinary Arts course (Spring 2012)

 INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, diced

2 Tbls fat

2 C cubed, cooked meat

1½  Tbls flour

1 C milk

1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 C cooked peas

1 C sliced, cooked carrots

1 C sautéed mushrooms

salt & pepper

2  9” pastry crusts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a 9” pie pan with bottom crust.

Cook peas and carrots.  Sauté mushrooms. Layer cooked vegetables into pie crust.

Melt fat in skillet or sauté pan and add meat; brown well. Remove meat and onion from skillet, layering over cooked vegetables in pie crust (leave fat and any browned bits in the pan).

Add flour, milk and Worcestershire sauce to remaining fat. Blend well. Reheat slightly if needed to thicken into a gravy-like sauce. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables; season with salt and pepper.

Cover with top pastry crust, sealing edges. Prick with fork or slit with knife to create steam vents. Bake until crust is brown, 30-35 minutes.

Obviously, lots of variations are possible with this recipe. In addition to using different meats, other vegetables could be added or substituted for endless flavor combinations. Herbs and/or spices added to the meat, vegetables or sauce could also alter and enhance this pie. Have fun with it!

Corny Mac & Cheese

(Maybe not the best picture...but we couldn't wait to dig in!) :)

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can cream style corn
2 C milk
2 Tbls cornstarch
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp each: nutmeg, salt, pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
4 C elbow macaroni
2 lbs grated cheese(s)*
½ C butter
1 egg, beaten
Toppings (optional): extra cheese, crushed croutons or potato chips, crumbled bacon, chives, crisp fried onions, etc.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Optional: Pulse the corn in a food processor if a smoother consistency is desired.

Cook and drain the macaroni; cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Add cornstarch to cold milk and stir until well mixed. In a saucepan combine corn, milk and cornstarch, and onion powder; bring to a simmer. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper and cayenne; continue to simmer and stir until the mixture thickens (2-4 minutes).

Pour this over the macaroni and stir to combine. Add cheese(s) -- reserve some cheese for topping, if desired -- butter, and egg, stirring until well combined; butter and cheeses should melt and get creamy. (Mmmmm!) Pour the mixture into a large casserole or baking dish (or a large skillet). -- I had to use two...one for now, one for later!

Top with extra cheese, croutons, bacon, herbs, etc. as desired. Bake on top rack until golden (typically about 30 minutes).

* A combination of cheddar and mozzarella works well for a basic, creamy mac & cheese. I used smoked gouda recently for my nephew's birthday dinner. Variations are delicious...choose cheese according to your taste! :)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken works great, but so would pork, ham...

1 (10 - 11 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 C water
3/4 C uncooked long-grain rice
2 C fresh or frozen vegetables
½ tsp onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ C shredded cheddar cheese

Stir together soup, water, rice, vegetables and onion powder in a casserole baking dish. Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until done. Uncover and top with cheese for the last 5-10 minutes.

Bacon-Chicken Mac & Cheese

With chicken, bacon, mushroom soup, onion, garlic and dill...there are lots of flavors in this dish! A cream of chicken or cheddar soup would work as well if you want a more 'purist' version. The dill could also be omitted, though I think it's a nice touch (and only add a pinch if you're using dried instead of fresh). With the bacon, butter and cheeses, I found it plenty salty without adding the salt the recipe calls for.

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
2 slices bacon
8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 Tbls butter
1 Tbls flour
1½ C milk
1/3 C cream of mushroom condensed soup
3 oz shredded Italian cheese blend
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chopped fresh dill
(½ tsp salt)
½ C shredded colby-Jack cheese

Cook pasta (omit salt); drain.

Cook bacon an a large nonstick skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon and set aside. Cut chicken into ½" chunks; add chicken to skillet and sautée in bacon drippings until well done.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine soup and milk; gradually add to saucepan, stirring with whisk. Bring to boil; cook until thick (2-3 minutes).

Remove from heat and let stand 3-4 minutes. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler. Spoon Mac & Cheese into an 8" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and browns slightly.

Sausage & Spinach over Polenta

1¾ C chicken broth
1¾ C water
1¼ C cornmeal
¾ C shredded mozzarella (3 oz)
12 oz fully cooked sausage
(turkey, pork, anykind...)
1 tsp oil
1 medium onion, cut in thin wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
10 oz. spinach, coarsely chopped

For polenta...
In a large saucepan, heat 1¼ C chicken broth and 1¾ C water just until boiling. Slowly stir in cornmeal, ¼ C at a time. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in ½ C shredded mozzarella. Spread evenly in a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare sausage and spinach...
Bias cut sausage into ¼" thick slices. Heat oil in a large skilled; add sausage, onion, garlic and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender and sausage is heated through.

In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and remaining chicken broth. Add to skillet mixture; cook and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and add spinach, a little at a time, stirring constantly until all is wilted. Serve over polenta.

I like garlic, but I could do with a little less in this recipe; let the other flavors come through a bit more. 2-3 cloves, or 4 small cloves...

Quick and Easy Skillet Lasagne

I don't know if this should really qualify as lasagne! But if you're craving the flavor and don't have the time, try this...

1½ lb ground beef (or turkey, etc.)
28 oz jar of marinara sauce
2 C cooked rotini pasta
1 1/3 C French's French Fried Onions
1 C ricotta cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella

Brown meat in a large skilled; drain away grease. Stir in sauce, pasta and ½ of the french fried onions. Heat to boiling, stirring often. Spoon ricotta cheese over meat mixture; top with mozzarella and remaining onions. Cover; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Polenta with Spicy Baked Shrimp & Tomatoes

1 24 oz pkg polenta
(or about 4 C prepared polenta)
2 lb shrimp
4 Tbls olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbls lemon juice
¼ C vermouth (or red wine)
1 C chopped onion
1 26-28 oz can plum tomatoes
2 Tbls fresh basil (or ½ Tbls dried)
2 Tbls fresh parsley (or ½ Tbls dried)
1 Tbls fresh oregano (or ¼ Tbls dried)
1 Tbls fresh thyme (or ¼ Tbls dried)
salt & pepper
8 oz crumbled feta


Coat 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread polenta on bottom of baking dish.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add shrimp, 3 cloves minced garlic, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Cook until shrimp just begin to turn pink. Remove from pan. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth. Add tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir shrimp in and gently spread over polenta. Top with crumbled feta. Bake 30 minutes at 375°.

Spicy Shrimp and Tomato mixture is also delicious over pasta. :)

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potato & Apple Casserole

4-5 sweet potatoes/yams
3 apples*
1 Tbls lemon juice
¼ C butter
1/3 C honey
¼ C apple juice
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp coarse ground salt

* Go tart or sweet to suit your taste. I love using honeycrisps, but granny smiths add a tart zing too.

Heat oven to 400°.
Roast potatoes on a baking sheet 45 minutes, until firm-tender; cool.
Remove potato skins, cut potatoes into ¼" thick slices. Peel, halve, and core apples; cut apples into ¼" thick slices.



Toss apples in a bowl with lemon juice.

Grease a casserole dish using some of the butter (or coat with non-stick cooking spray). In a small saucepan (or microwave safe bowl), combine honey, remaining butter, juice, allspice, and salt. Heat and stir until butter is melted and combined.

Heat oven to 375°.
Place potato and apple slices in casserole dish, in alternating rows or layers (see photo); drizzle honey mixture over the rows, or use it between layers. Bake 40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Using a bulb baster (or spoon) baste wtih honey mixture from bottom of casserole several times during baking.

Turn on broiler. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat source until edges of apples are golden (2-3 minutes). Mine got a little extra toasted! ...still tasted great!

Maple Roasted Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

1 lb skinless chicken pieces
1 lg or 2 sm sweet potatoes
1 small onion
8 oz baby carrots
1/3 C maple syrup
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" chunks. Cut the chicken pieces into 1" chunks too, if you like; or leave them whole, on the bone. (Whole pieces will take longer to cook through. If you're in a hurry...cut it up.) Cut onion into 1" pieces.
In a shallow baking dish or roasting pan, combine chicken, sweet potato, onion, carrots and maple syrup. Toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast chicken mixture 40-45 minutes, stirring once half way through cooking and turning chicken pieces (if whole). Easy and delicious! :)

Cut a large piece of chicken in half to test that it's cooked through; there should be no pink.

Sweet Potato Casserole

The Pecan Crumble Topping is fairly traditional. For something more non-traditional with sweet potatoes, try some of the other stir-ins and toppers.

Casserole Ingredients

4 lbs sweet potatoes
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter
1/4 C milk or cream
4 eggs
1.5 T lemon juice

1 T vanilla
* optional ingredients (see below)

Pecan Crumble Topping Ingredients
1/2 C flour

2/3 C brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 T melted butter

1/2 C chopped pecans*

     * I have nut allergies, but I've substituted honey roasted peanuts here.

Instructions

Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Boil in lightly salted water (enough to cover) 20 minutes or until tender. 

While potatoes boil, prepare Pecan Crumble Topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter. Combine with chopped pecans (or honey roaasted peanuts).

When potatoes are tender, drain; return to pan. Slightly mash potatoes. Stir in butter, milk, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and any of the optional "stir ins" (below); mix well. Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish. 

Top with Pecan Crmble Topping or any of the "toppers" (below). Bake @ 350°, uncovered, 30-35 minutes until heated through.

Stir In Options:
3/4 C peanut butter, OR...
3 Tbls orange peel, OR...
3 tsp red curry paste, OR...
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Toppers:
1 C pineapple tidbits and 1/2 C crumbled blue cheese, OR...
1 C mixed peanuts and toasted coconut, OR...
2/3 C crumbled bacon and 1 tsp rosemary, OR...
2/3 C sautéed, thinly sliced onion and garlic

You can use a stir in and a topper, or either one on it's own. Get creative! :)

Italian Roast Vegetables

This is easy, tastes delicious.

4-6 C cut mixed vegetables
2/3 C +/- Italian salad dressing
1 C shredded parmesan

Cut up--in fairly large chunks--whatever vegetables you like: potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers (red, green, yellow), broccoli, cauliflower...you could even throw in string beans, snow peas or corn (baby corn would be great...loose kernels could work too though).





Pour salad dressing over veggies in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly. Pour all the veggies into a casserole dish lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 375° until veggies are tender-crisp, roasting lightly on top (almost an hour - depends on the size of your veggie chunks). Stir once or twice during cooking to re-coat vegetables with dressing. When veggies are almost finished, top with shredded parmesan for the last 10-15 minutes.

I use baby potatoes (or fingerlings). I sometimes mix a little extra cheese--grated fresh or from a shaker jar (like you'd put on spaghetti)--in with the dressing and vegetables before cooking instead of or in addition to the cheese topping at the end.

For a variation, try ranch dressing; try a different kind of cheese.

Creamy Ham & Potato Casserole

I know this one is from a magazine (I have the page I ripped out). But the bottom is missing... I'm guessing it's from Sunset which is the only one I subscribe to, but I'm not positive. Wherever it's from, it's good. :)

Creamy Ham & Potato Casserole
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbls butter
2 Tbls flour
2 Tbls Dijon-style mustard
1 3/4 cups milk
4 oz cream cheese, cut up
1 C Gruyere cheese, shredded (4 oz.)
1 Tbsp. fresh chives or green onions
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, cut in thin wedges
8 oz. cooked ham, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely crushed bagel chips
Thyme and/or Italian parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
2. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender; stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and mustard. Add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the Gruyere cheese until cheese is melted. Stir in chives.
3. In bowl combine potatoes, ham, and sauce; toss gently to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
4. Bake, covered, 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; stir carefully. Sprinkle with crushed chips and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand, 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with herbs. Serves 6.

I used store-bought seasoned croutons instead of bagel chips. Taste fine, but they won't stay crispy as long...like for leftovers. :)

Scalloped Potatoes with Carmelized Shallots

I admit right off: I used 1/2 shallots and 1/2 the sweet yellow onions (since they've been on sale...and they're delicious...and I had lots. :)

3 Tbls unsalted butter*
1 1/2 lbs shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
4 lbs potatoes
1 Tbls freshs thyme leaves
(and sprigs for garnish if desired)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 C heavy cream or half-and-half
1 C Gruyere cheese, shredded

Preheat oven: 375°
1. Melt 3 Tbls butter in skillet over medium low heat; add shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, 25-30 minutes until golden and tender.

2. Grease/spray a 3-quart casserole dish. Peel and thinly slice potatoes.

3. Place potatoes, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss lightly to coat potatoes. Transfer to casserole.

4. Heat cream in a saucepan until it just comes to a simmer; pour over potato mixture. Bake 30 minutes.

5. Sprinkle Gruyere over top; bake 20 minutes more or until potatoes are tender and top of casserole is brown and crusty.

* I do buy and use unsalted butter. However, when the recipe--like this one--calls for salt and other salty ingredients...I'm not adamant about it!