Sliced Italian Sausage Hoagies

I saw this on the Rachael Ray Show last week and it looked really yummy so I made it tonight.  I haven't been doing a lot of cooking because I really haven't felt up to it while pregnant so Cole was pretty excited when he walked in and saw a fully home cooked meal even though it was just Sausage Hoagies.  I subbed out turkey sausage for the pork sausage in the recipe.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/sliced-italian-sausage-hoagies/

For 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced (I omitted this since Cole isn't super in love with it)
• 4 frying peppers, such as cubanelle, and red frying peppers, thinly sliced (I used 1 red bell pepper and 1 anaheim-I was only making this recipe for 2 people)
• 1 hot chili pepper, thinly sliced, optional
• 1 onion, yellow or red, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used 2)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 pounds Italian sausage links, hot, sweet or mixed (I used 4 hot turkey sausages)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (1 1/2tbsp)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I just used stock)
• 1 cup chicken stock (I only used 1/2 to 1/3c)
• A few leaves torn basil (I didn't have any fresh on hand so I used dried italian seasoning and red chili flakes to get the desired spice we like)
• 4 Italian-style hoagie rolls, split and buttered
• 1/2 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese, halved (her recipes always call for so much cheese- I just grated up a little of what we had in the fridge and sprinkled it on the buttered rolls)

Directions:

Place the sausage in a skillet with about 1/4 inch of water and a drizzle of oil. Bring sausages to boil and allow liquids to cook away then crisp skins in the oil.

Remove sausages and add fennel, peppers, chili, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook to soften 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomato paste to fennel and peppers, and stir 1 minute or so. Add wine and stir another minute; add stock and basil. Reduce heat to simmer.

Slice the sausages on an angle and add back to pan and simmer until liquid reduces and you are left with veggies and sausage in a bit of thick sauce.

Place your buttered and cheesed rolls under the broiler for a few minutes till cheese melts and buns are slightly toasted.  Add sausage/pepper mixture and enjoy!  I served along side roasted potatoes.  In the original recipe, Rachael Ray serves this with Ritz Fried Delicata Squash Rings.



My modifications to the recipe yielded enough sausage pepper mix for 4 rolls.

Jambalaya

Michael Symon's recipe: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Jambalaya-Michael-Symon

This recipe isn't hard but takes some time.  Spicy and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Andouille Sausage or Polish Kielbasa (Sliced) - I used hot italian sausage
• 1/2 pound Chicken Thighs (Bone-In) -I used some drumsticks I had in the freezer
• 1/2 pound Shrimp (Peeled and Deveined with tails removed)
• 3 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Onion (small diced)
• 1 cup Celery (Small Diced)
• 1 cup Green Bell Pepper (Small Diced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
• 1 Large Jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed and then minced)
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Flakes
• 14 1/2 ounces Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cup Chicken Stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 cup White Rice
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Lemon (Juice and Zest)
• 1/2 cup Scallions (Sliced Finely)

Directions:

Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and place the shrimp in another mixing bowl. Mix together the smoked paprika and cayenne.  Add 1 tablespoon of this mixture to the chicken and 1 tablespoon to the shrimp along with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside the chicken and refrigerate the shrimp, as it is not used until later. Set aside the rest of the spice mixture.

Place a Dutch oven (or big soup pot) over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the sausage. Sear the sausage until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
-If you are using a raw sausage like I did, see Rachael Ray's trick to easily cooking sausage:
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/back-basics-braised-sausage/

Remove the sausage to a plate, then add the chicken with another tablespoon of olive oil. When the chicken is seared on all sides, remove it to a plate.  

Then add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Add the onion, celery, and green pepper with a large pinch of salt and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes.

Next add the rest of the smoked paprika mixture, the chili flakes, tomatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire and rice. Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot. Stir and add the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime, take your shrimp out of the refrigerator to take the chill off.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid and stir gently, then fold in the shrimp. Turn the heat off, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, add the lemon juice and zest and any additional salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into bowls and garnish with scallions.

A Spoonful of Bacon Helps the Kale Go Down

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I use hot)
• crushed red peppers (to taste)
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 slices of bacon in big cubes
• 3 big garlic cloves
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes (I used 5 medium yukon gold- I made half moon slices)
• kale (however much you want)
 

 

Directions:

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, set sausage aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and grated garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft (do the bacon for about 5 minutes before you add the onion)
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about 12-15 minutes- you want them fork tender but not mush.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through, let the kale wilt and serve. Delicious!

Chicken and Hot Sausage Stew

(about 6 servings)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 pound hot Italian sausage (or sweet if you don't like hot)
fennel seed
1 small bulb fresh fennel, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 pablano or banana pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can Italian tomatoes (28 ounces)
2- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
A few leaves of basil, torn
rice

Season your chicken with salt and pepper and cook through and remove.  
Crumble or slice your sausage and cook through and remove onto paper
towel to sop up extra oil.  Chop or shred up your cooked, cooled chicken.

Add the fennel, onion, peppers and (minced or grated) garlic to the pot
and season with salt and pepper. Let soften, 5-7 minutes, then stir in the 
tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and 2 cups stock, 
breaking up the tomatoes. Add the reserved chicken and sausage back to 
the pot, a few leaves of torn basil and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring 
occasionally over low heat.  (If you love SPICY food then add some cayenne
to bump up the spice level.  If you like moderately spicy food then this
recipe has the right kick for you already without more added.)

Be careful to not let this cook for too too long because I found the veggies kind
of lose their texture and fall apart.

Serve over rice (or whatever grain you please: noodles, polenta, etc)