Southwest Skillet Ragu

Hello friends! One of these days my goal is to get back to regular posting. I swear just when I think things will get back to normal, something else comes up that keeps me incredibly busy. This time it’s a move!! My boyfriend and I have lived in the same apartment for over 6 years now, and while we love a lot of things about it, when we got word of another place opening up, we jumped on the chance to take it. This time we will be renting the 2nd floor of a two-family house which has a lot more character than the generic apartment we live in now, and I think has a lot more potential for customization… also, I’ll be getting my own office/study/craftroom space which I am super excited about, and there’s space for a decent sized garden!!!! Anywho, our move out/move in date is January 1st, and that is rapidly approaching. With work keeping me busy much of the week, I’m using most of my spare time packing and getting ready for the move. It’s amazing how much we’ve accumulated in the 6+ years we’ve lived together.

With all the craziness around here, I’m searching for quick and easy meals that require few pans, and minimal cleanup. Okay, that’s what I’m always searching for, but even more so these days. This meal fits the bill perfectly. Two dishes, few ingredients, and all around comfort, this dish is a winner. Goulash is such a comforting food to me (it’s one of the first I started making on my own when Ron and I moved into our apartment), and this take on it with the southwest flavors of chili powder and cumin is really yummy. Definitely recommended.

Southwest Skillet Ragu

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni

1-1.5 lbs ground beef or turkey

1 large onion, diced

1 red (orange, yellow or green) bell pepper, chopped

8-12 oz white button or baby bella mushrooms, quartered

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with juices

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more for serving

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place a pot of water to boil, salt the water, and cook pasta according to directions. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water when done. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp of olive oil, and add the ground meat. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes, remove the meat from the pan and set aside, and drain off most of the grease. Leave a small amount just to coat the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the onions, and 1/2 tsp of salt, and cook about 5-6 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Add peppers, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and 1/2 tsp of salt and cook 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

4. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Add back browned meat, and simmer for about 5 minutes more until the sauce has thickened.

5. Add the pasta and cheese, and stir until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the pasta cooking water until the sauce is to your desired consistency. Serve, topping each serving with more cheese if desired.

Source: The Kitchn

 

 

Sausage Cacciatore

So Ron’s birthday went wonderfully 🙂 We had these bacon, egg and grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast, which were really awesome!! For lunch I made chicken quesadillas, and then for dinner Ron requested the three cheese, rosemary and pepperoni pizza, and we ordered some buffalo wings as well. For dessert I made these chocolate chip cookie dough brownies in lieu of cake. He decided all he wanted to do all day was sit on the couch and watch Top Gear, so that’s what he did. I fully support people doing exactly what they want on their birthdays. Want a big party? Awesome! Want to be a super-lazy couch potato? Equally awesome!!

Anyways… this Sausage Cacciatore is a great Monday night meal (unless you are doing Meatless Monday- then it definitely doesn’t qualify). Its pretty easy- saute some sausage and vegetables, cook up some pasta, toss it together, and you’re done! The portion sizes are generous, and the flavors are great! I just love the combination of peppers and mushrooms!!

Sausage Cacciatore

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 links sweet Italian sausage

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 cup beef or chicken stock

1/2 tsp marjoram or oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp sugar

3/4 lb (12 oz) pasta (I used rotini, but you could use any kind of similar shape such as medium shells, or penne)

Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat, add sausage links and brown on all sides. Remove from pan to a cutting board.

2. Add the olive oil to the skillet, and add the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Slice the Italian sausage into 1/4-inch slices, and add back to the skillet. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), stock, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover the pan, and let simmer 20-30 minutes., until the sausage and vegetables are cooked though, and the flavors have had a chance to meld together.

3. While the sausage mixture is simmering, place a pot of water on the stove to boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions.

4. When the sausage mixture is done, season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix with pasta if desired, or serve over the top. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Source: Lauren’s Latest

Pan-Seared Cod with Mushrooms

Happy happy Friday everyone! I am so glad it’s the weekend, and this weekend is super-special because it if my boyfriend Ron’s birthday! He is turning the big 3-1.  Now he can officially say he’s in his 30’s. He doesn’t care at all- it seems to me that guys just don’t care as much about their age as women do. We are going to have a low-key birthday, as he’s not a big party person. I told him that I would cook him whatever he wanted, and so far the menu that he has chosen includes wings, quesadillas and pizza! I fully expect to gain about 50 pounds this weekend 🙂 This dinner was the opposite of pizza and wings! Although it is somewhat rich due to the butter and olive oil, the fish and mushrooms are so good for you that I think it evens out. I loved the combination of the buttery-lemony sauce with the mild flaky cod and earthy mushrooms! Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, so that combined with the seafood made this dish a winner in my book… and even though I didn’t have the proper spatula to flip my fish and it ended up breaking up a but, I still think this dish was really pretty and impressive looking… and it only used one skillet, and you all know how I feel about that!

Pan-Seared Cod with Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb mushrooms (I used a combination of shiitake, oyster and cremini)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of dried red chile flakes

2 skinless fillets of cod, about 1 lb (You can substitute other firm white fish such as snapper or hake)

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbsp cold butter

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Fresh cilantro, parsley or chives (for garnish)

Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Place a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat, and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the mushrooms, salt, peppers, and a pinch of red chili flakes, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mushrooms to a warmed serving dish.

2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Wipe down the skillet, and add remaining oil. Place again over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering add the fish. Cook about 3 minutes on first side without moving. Flip carefully, and cook until fish is done, about 2 more minutes. Remove to the serving dish with the mushrooms.

3. Place the skillet back on the heat, increasing the heat to high. Add the vegetable broth and cook about 2 minutes, until it is reduced by half. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the fish and mushrooms. Garnish with cilantro, parsley or chives if desired, and serve with lemon wedges if you’d like.

Source: Serious Eats

Good Stuff Melts

Last winter, Ron and I visited my brother and his fiancee (Jeremy and Michelle) down in the Washington, D.C. area. We were able to fit in a lot in the two days we were there, including seeing a lot of the amazing monuments around the city, visiting the National Cathedral, and visiting the Museum of American History. We also were able to eat at some great restaurants, including Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery. Despite being extremely crowded, and having to eat standing up at a small counter, it was well worth the visit. Our burgers were awesome, the toasted marshmallow shake was incredible, and the village fries (fries tossed with rosemary, thyme and sea salt) sold there were some of the best I’ve ever had.

Several months later I received The Good Stuff Cookbook from Jeremy and Michelle. It is one of those cookbooks where I seriously want to make pretty much every recipe in the cookbook. There are recipes for the amazing salads, burgers, fries, and shakes sold at the restaurant, among other things. I really want to make the village fries at some point, but I have to gear myself up for actually frying something in my kitchen. The burgers seemed a little more approachable, and while there are some additional steps for the burgers, such as making homemade sauce, toppings, and then the technique of wrapping the burger is wax paper before eating, they really are not hard to make at all. These are definitely the best burgers I’ve made myself, in my kitchen, and I can’t wait to try the other recipes as well.

Good Stuff Melts

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

20 oz. (1.25 lbs) ground sirloin

4 potato buns

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups Spanish onions, thinly sliced

4 slices Muenster cheese

4 slices Cheddar cheese

Perfectly Roasted Wild Mushrooms (recipe follows)

About 1/2 cup Good Stuff Sauce (recipe follows)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Make patties by rolling 5 oz. ground sirloin into a ball, and then flattening it into a patty. Place the patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

2. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add oil. Add the onions, and stir around so that they are coated with the oil. Cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned and caramelized. Remove the onions from the pan, and place them in a bowl.

3. Season the patties with salt and pepper, and place the patties in the now empty skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes* on one side, and then flip and cook for 3 minutes. Then place a slice of each cheese, some mushrooms, and some caramelized onions on each patty, and cook for about 2 minutes more. Cover with the lid, and cook for 30 seconds more, until the cheese melts.

4. While the burgers are cooking, toast your potato buns. Heat the broiler, butter the buns, and place them face up on a cookie sheet. Place under the broiler for just a few seconds. Check every few seconds as they go from perfect to burnt quickly.

5. To assemble the patty melts, place a patty on a bun bottom, put on some of the good stuff sauce, place the top on the bun on, and wrap in a square of wax paper. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. This will allow the bun to absorb some flavor from the patty and the toppings. Eat and enjoy!

*The amount of time you cook it depends on how well-done you like your burger.

Perfectly Roasted Wild Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

12 oz mixed wild mushrooms (i.e. shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle)

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 bunch fresh thyme, chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, until the liquid is released. Add 3/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and cook about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned.

2. Add the butter, thyme, and garlic and cook about 5 minutes more. Add remaining salt and pepper.

*The directions here are a bit different than what the cookbook says to do as it has you cook the mushrooms over high heat the entire time. I did that, and my mushrooms burned, even cutting down the cooking time. That said, maybe it was my stove misbehaving and not the directions. In either case, I don’t think cooking the mushrooms on a lower temperature will do any damage, it might just take a little longer.

Good Stuff Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 large egg*

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Add the egg, mustard, vinegar, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend for 30 seconds in a food processor, or 10 seconds in a blender.  With the motor running, slowly add the oil, in a thin, steady stream, until the mixture is smooth. Stop to taste and adjust thickness if needed. If too thick, add a little hot water, and blend. If too thin, blend for a bit longer. Stop here and you have a basic mayonnaise!!

2. Now add the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, and salt. Blend until combined. You can refrigerate this in an airtight container up to a week.

*This does contain raw egg. If you are skeeved out by this, or have a weak immune system, you can skip making the homemade mayonnaise portion and just use pre-made (I recommend Hellman’s). To do this, just mix 1 cup mayonnaise with the ketchup, molasses, rice vinegar and salt until combined.

Source: barely adapted from The Good Stuff Cookbook

Mushroom and Shrimp Noodle Bowls

I subscribe to a lot of food magazines- Cook’s Illustrated, Bon Appetit and Every Day with Rachel Ray among others. While I find some of the things in Rachel Ray’s magazine a little hokey (such as the nicknames for certain foods), and there are months where I’m not really compelled to make any recipes, there are other times where I get one of her magazines and I want to make everything, and this is what keeps me a subscriber. That, and I’ve yet to make a recipe of hers and not like it. This past issue (the April issue) was one of the later. There were so many recipes I wanted to try, and up first were these mushroom and shrimp noodle bowls. Making this recipe also gave me an excuse to buy five-spice powder, an ingredient that I’ve never cooked with before. I loved the complexity it gave this dish, and while it still would have been tasty without it, it gave it a little extra something that added more interest to these noodle bowls. There are many variants of five-spice powder, so depending on the mixture you buy it could contain star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, fennel (these five are common ingredients), anise, ginger, nutmeg, tumeric, black pepper, orange peel or galangal. Therefore, your noodle bowls may have variation in flavor depending on the brand of five-spice powder. I bought a blend at Whole Foods (the only blend I could find), and theirs contained orange peel, tamari powder, lemon peel and organic spices (which spices are not specified). Regardless of what may or may not have been in the mix, I loved the flavors in this dish.

Mushroom and Shrimp Noodle Bowls

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper

1 lb spaghetti (regular or whole wheat)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 mixed mushrooms (i.e. shiitake, cremini, hen-of-the-woods or maitake)

1/4 head savoy or napa cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 small red chile pepper, thinly sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/4 cup tamari, soy sauce, or liquid amino

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook spaghetti until al dente.

2. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry 3-4 minutes until any liquid evaporated, and they become browned. Add the cabbage, scallions, chile pepper, garlic and ginger. Season with pepper. Stir-fry, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and the five-spice powder. Stir-fry, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the shrimp turn pink. Add the chicken or vegetable stock and the tamari or soy sauce, lower the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through.

4. Serve the mushroom and shrimp mixture over the pasta. Either mix together, or place the pasta in bowls and ladle the shrimp-mushroom mixture over the top.

Source: Every Day with Rachel Ray, April 2013

 

Pasta with Mushroom-Sausage Ragu

It’s hard to know what to say on a day like today when such a terrible event has occurred. I’ll just say that my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston, and their loved ones.  It’s hard to think of much other than Boston at a time like this, but I still wanted to share a recipe with you tonight, as I feel like there needs to be a sense of normalcy to provide comfort and peace, at least for me.

This recipe is a very comforting, and fairly healthy one. The mushrooms and onions, combined with the turkey sausage make a wonderfully hearty, but light topping for the pasta. Ron and I both loved this one.

Pasta with Mushroom-Sausage Ragu

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta (a short shape such as penne, ziti, or shells)

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp 2% milk, divided

1 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

6 oz. portobello mushrooms, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

8 oz. Italian turkey sausage, hot or mild, removed from casings

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Over high heat, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente.

2. Combine the cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) with 1 Tbsp of the milk in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook about 9-11 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated, and the mushroom-onion mixture is lightly browned. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and cook a minute more. Remove the mixture from the pan, and place in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Place skillet back on the stove, and add the remaining Tbsp of olive oil. Add the turkey sausage, and cook, breaking up the sausage, until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.

5. To the sausage, add a cup of milk and the tomato paste, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the cornstarch slurry, and cook about a minute until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add back the mushroom mixture, and 2 tsp of fresh thyme. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes if desired.

6. Serve over the pasta, or do as I did, and mix together with the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining thyme over the top.

Source: Apple a Day (who adapted it from Clean Eating, March 2013)

 

Beef and Mushroom Stew

It is finally starting to feel like fall here in Connecticut and I couldn’t be more excited!!  Fall and spring are my favorite seasons…. and in the past few years fall has really been gaining an edge over spring!  Yesterday it was chilly enough to wear a cardigan (yay!), and sleep cozily under my comforter!  With fall comes some of my favorite things- Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, Chrysanthemums, pumpkin carving, Halloween!, scary movies (my favorite kind!), cool sweater weather, and all kinds of soups and stews!  I don’t make soup and stew as often as I’d like for dinners as my boyfriend is not the biggest fan, but I try to sneak them in occasionally.  I do make them often to bring to work for lunch though, so hopefully I’ll be posting some good ones this season!  Recently I was perusing Pioneer Woman’s website and I came upon her recipe for beef and mushroom stew- it seemed to me like a simplified recipe for beef bourguignon focusing just on the beef and mushroom aspect of it, and I just had to try it, so I added it to my menu for last week!  It was definitely a wonderful fall meal!

Beef and Mushroom Stew

from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat

4 tbsp flour, divided

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

2 whole shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, cremini or white button, halved

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 can beef consomme (about 5.25 ounces)

5 ounces water

Salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Pasta or rice for serving, or crusty bread (I used egg noodles)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the flour over the meat, and toss to coat.

2. Place a heavy pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil.  When melted, sear the meat in batches. Turning to brown all sides. Once brown, remove to a plate, and continue browning meat until all is seared.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the wine, consomme and water.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir together.  Bring the stew to a boil, and then add the meat back in.  

4. Reduce the heat to low.  Add the thyme to the stew. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

5. Mix the remaining 2 tbsp flour with a little bit of water, and add to the stew.  Cook the stew another 10 minutes to allow it to thicken a bit.

6. Turn off the heat, and allow the the stew to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

7. While the stew is resting, cook your pasta or rice (if using).

Notes:

• PW’s recipe calls for beef stew meat which is what I bought for my stew and it was okay, but a little tough.  She actually says that most stew meat is usually sirloin, but mine was not, so I’d suggest seeking out sirloin and cutting it into chunks yourself if your local store doesn’t carry sirloin stew meat.
• In PW’s recipe she left the mushrooms whole, but I decided to cut them in half so that there would be more mushrooms per bite!  Cremini mushrooms, since they are meatier, would be best for this recipe, but I used white button mushrooms as they were on sale, and they were delicious as well.