Butternut Squash Soup With Italian Sausage

My friend Sally gave me a butternut squash from her garden. I love butternut squash soup. Chris likes it, but is not as much of a fan as I am. I knew I needed a recipe that would add extra flavor.

I found the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Italian Sausage on the 
Easy Weeknight Recipe site.

This was a hit! I made a couple of edits to the recipe. The original recipe called for garlic and beans. I opted to omit those. I did add some frozen chopped spinach for color. 

We both went back for seconds, and I have enough left over to freeze for another meal.

I roasted the squash along with eggplant from my sister's garden for baba ghanoush.

Ingredients-
2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 pound ground Italian Sausage, 
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped into 1-inch cubes, and roasted
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 can (7.25 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method-
Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a Dutch oven or stockpot set over medium heat. 
Add onions and peppers; cook for 2 minutes. 

Stir in the sausage and cook for 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage into crumbles as it cooks.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage mixture from the pot and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the pot set over medium heat; add squash to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. 

Then, stir in the chicken broth; add bay leaf, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and continue to simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. 

Start checking around the 10-minute mark.

Note: The larger the chunks of butternut squash, the longer it will take for them to soften.

Remove from heat. 

Discard the bay leaf. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. 

You can also blend the soup in a traditional blender and return it to the stockpot.

Set the pot over medium heat. 

To the soup, add the tomatoes, spinach, and previously prepared sausage mixture; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through.

Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly.

Eggplant Rollatini

I picked up a couple of small eggplants at Coles Farm Stand. Seeing one of us is not a fan of eggplant, I thought the addition of prosciutto would be appreciated. It was appreciated, and the dish was delicious.

Ingredients-
Vegetable Oil
1 eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup Grana Padano
10 slices prosciutto
Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method-
Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Spread some flour on a plate. 

Season the eggplant slices with salt, and dredge them in the flour. 

Fry, in batches without crowding, until they’re tender and golden, about 3 minutes per side. 

Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Grana Padano, the parsley, and the egg. 

Lay the eggplant slices out on your work surface with the top end toward you. 

Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese onto each slice of eggplant. 

Place a slice of prosciutto onto each one. 

Roll up tightly, and place seam-side down in a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Pour tomato pasta sauce over eggplant rolls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Lunch Time! Zaalouk - Eggplant and Tomato Salad

I'm making this week's lunches a breeze. I'm using eggplant from my sister and beautiful tomatoes from Cole's Farm Stand to create a simple Moroccan Salad, inspired by a recipe from the New York Times. It's a quick and easy dish, similar to baba ghanouj, that will have lunch ready for the whole week.

Lunch is ready for this week.

Zaalouk - Eggplant and Tomato Salad

Ingredients-

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large eggplants (about 1 ¼ pounds), chopped into 1½-inch chunks

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound), grated chopped

3 garlic cloves, grated

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro parsley

1/2 tsp honey (optional)

1/2 tsp lemon, juiced (optional)

Method-
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium and add the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and fresh cilantro.

Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and cover the pan. 

Cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally to make sure that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, about 25 minutes

Remove the lid and crush the vegetables with the back of the spoon. 

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, honey and lemon juice, if desired.

Serve warm or cold, garnished with chopped cilantro parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

Rib Eye Steak with Salad and Pita Chips

What's easier than a salad. 

The steak was done on the stove top, 4 minutes per side. I use the post on Natasha's Kitchen as a guide to pan searing steaks. Click here. We all need a little support now and then.

Now about those pita chips...

A couple of weeks ago I make Chicken Souvlaki. We used pita bread and what was not used we put in the freezer. Some how I stumbled on this recipe for homemade pita chips from the Cookie + Kate site. Nice!

Pork Schnitzel and Corn Fritters

Two of our favorites for dinner. Crispy Pork Schnitzel and Corn Fritters

I made the Crispy Pork Schnitzel recipe from The Bold Appetite a couple of weeks ago. We both loved them so here were are again.

The fritters are a Jacques Pepin recipe. We get our corn from Cole's Farm Stand. The corn is picked about 100 feet from the stand. I am not sure how much longer they will be picking so we are trying to enjoy it while we can.

Crispy Pork Schnitzel

Ingredients-
5 thinly sliced pork cutlets
1 1/4 cup unseasoned panko bread crumbs
1 1/4 cup unseasoned Italian bread crumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
oil

Method-
Set up your breading station: a bowl of flour, a bowl of beaten egg, and a combo of both breadcrumbs. 

Season each bowl with a heavy sprinkle of salt.

Coat each cutlet in flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally, the breadcrumbs. Be sure to press the breadcrumbs in to ensure complete coverage before setting the breaded pork aside. Either cover and place in the refrigerator for later or move onto frying.

In a large, deep pan or skillet, add about 1/4 inch of oil and heat it to 350°F over medium-high heat. 

Fry the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they’re a light golden brown.

Once cooked through, remove the chops from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. 

Corn Fritters

Ingredients-
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sparkling water
1 cup shucked corn
vegetable oil

Method-
Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Slowly add the sparkling water, only enough to make a batter.

Stir in the corn.

Heat oil in a sauté pan and add a spoonful of batter to the oil.

Let it sit for a few minutes, until you see bubbles on the top, then flip the patties and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes.

Put a baking rack to cook and season with salt as soon as they come out of the pan.

To see Jacques Pepin prepare this recipe, click here.

Take out Thursday

Today was a good day to have an appointment near Luzzi's Cheese Shop. It's one of my favorite spots for incredible cheeses, cold cuts, and delicious prepared foods. Naturally, I couldn't leave without picking up something for tonight's dinner.

I bought a package of two chicken cutlets and their Roasted Potatoes. I added some of our Marinara Sauce and sliced Mozzarella to make Chicken Parmigiano. I also made a side of sauteed Zucchini to add some color to the plates.

Delicious and a super easy clean up.

Eggplant Rolatini

Tonight, I'm making Eggplant Rolatini with an eggplant from Cole's Farm Stand. I got a perfect one—just a single eggplant was all I needed to make a delicious dinner for two, plus an extra portion to freeze for later.

I adapted the recipe from Lidia Bastianich's Lidia's Italian American Kitchen.
I adjusted her ingredient amounts to work for a smaller crowd, and couldn't resist adding some sliced prosciutto. Why not, right? The salty, savory prosciutto pairs beautifully with the creamy eggplant and rich tomato sauce.

Ingredients-

1 1/2 cups Ricotta

Tomato Sauce

Course Salt

½ cup olive oil

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

All-purpose flour

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Cheese

1 1/2 tbsp chopped Parsley

Sliced Proscuitto

4 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cut into  1/4 x 1/4 inch sticks

Method-

Spoon the ricotta into a large, fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter. Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Drain the ricotta in the refrigerator at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

Make the tomato sauce.

Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants. 

Remove strips of peel about 1-inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact. 

Cut the eggplant lengthwise into1/4-inch thick slices and place them in a colander. 

Sprinkle generously with the coarse salt, tossing to expose all slices, and let drain for 1 hour. 

Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain thoroughly and pat dry.

Pour ½ cup each of the olive and vegetable oils into a medium skillet over medium-high heat. 

While the oil is heating, whisk 2 of the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in a wide, shallow bowl. 

Spread the flour in an even layer in a separate wide, shallow bowl or over a sheet of wax paper. 

Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking the excess off. 

Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly. Let excess egg drip back into the pan.

When a corner of a coated eggplant slice gives off a lively sizzle when dipped into the oil, it is ready for frying. 

Add as many of the coated eggplant slices as fit without touching and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes. 

Remove the eggplant to a baking pan lined with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. 

Adjust the heat as the eggplant cooks to prevent the egg coating from cooking too fast or overbrowning. 

Add oil to the pan as necessary during cooking to keep the level more or less the same. 

Allow the oil to heat before adding more eggplant slices.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Stir the drained ricotta, 2/3 cup of the grated cheese, and the parsley together in a mixing bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Beat the remaining egg in a separate small bowl and stir it into the ricotta mixture. 

Pour some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. 

Sprinkle lightly with 2 tablespoons of the remaining grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

Lay one of the fried eggplant slices in front of you with the short ends towards you. 

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling over the narrow end of the slice and top it with a slice of Prosciutto and then a mozzarella stick. 

Roll into a compact roll and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. 

Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and filling, placing the rolls side by side.

Ladle the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant rolls to coat them evenly. 

Sprinkle the remaining grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top of the eggplant and tear the basil leaves, if using, over the cheese.

Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the edges of the casserole are bubbling and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes.

 Let rest 10 minutes before serving.