Clean Eating's Eggplant & Sausage Pasta - Less Clean for Your Porky Goodness

Big, gloriously coloured eggplant have arrived in our local market. I'm always a bit leery of Italian eggplant (as opposed to the Japanese eggplant I usually buy). Too often, I seem to end up with a vegetable that has a thick, bitter skin. I'm not usually a huge fan.

But, when the vegetable is fresh from the farm, I can't pass up the opportunity to try out a new recipe. I got this one from Clean Eating magazine.

I cannot rave about this dish enough. It has all sorts of delicious balances - sweet (raisins), salty (sausage), savoury (tomatoes and eggplant) and sour (vinegar).

Eggplant and Sausage Pasta

(adapted slightly from Clean Eating Magazine)

Ingredients

1½ tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, cut into ½" cubes
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz pasta (I used Kamut & Spelt pasta)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large, fresh sausage (I used a herb and garlic pork sausage), casing removed and meat crumbled
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups chopped tomatoes
¼ cup raisins
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup chopped parsley
kosher salt, to taste
½ cup low fat ricotta cheese


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Spread ½ tbsp olive oil on a large baking sheet. Toss eggplant with ½ tbsp olive oil and spread over baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to manufacturer's directions. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat remaining ½ tbsp oil in a dutch oven. Sauté onion and sausage until onion is browned and sausage in cooked through. Stir in oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic. Sauté for an additional minute. Add in tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Stir in eggplant, raisins, capers and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and 3 tbsp parsley. Add pasta into pot, tossing to coat.

4. Serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Sausage Simmer with Lemons and Fennel

As we edge closer into spring, the season for Jerusalem artichokes (remember, also known as sunchokes) is drawing to a close. I really adore these knobbly little tubers. I love their texture, but mostly I love their artichoke-like flavour.

When cooking them, I like to leave their skin on (just scrub it a lot). They tend to fall apart if you don't.

Oh, and please keep in mind my earlier warning about gas. I don't want to turn you off these tasty babies, but they're definitely not for a romantic evening for two.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Sausage Simmer with Lemons and Fennel

(adapted from Nigel Slater - it's his week this week)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 good quality, herbal pork sausages
1 onion, peeled and cut into eighths (you want nice big hunks)
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
½ lemon, cut lengthwise into 6-8 pieces
6-10 button mushrooms, halved
2/3 lb Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 cups chicken stock or water (approx)
½ tsp (heaping) fennel seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides, then remove from pan and reduce heat. Add in onion and get colour gently for 15-20 minutes until onion is soft enough to crush.

It's all about building flavour levels here.

2. Add in garlic, mushrooms, lemon and Jerusalem artichoke halves. Let brown slightly, then return sausages and any accumulated juices to pan. Throw in fennel seeds and a decent grinding of black pepper.

3. Add enough stock to cover artichoke mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until artichokes are tender (they'll still be a bit toothsome, don't expect them to go the consistency of potatoes). Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve over a bed of steamed greens.

Nigel calls this a recipe for deepest, darkest winter, but I think the fennel and lemon brighten the whole thing up so nicely that it's a great recipe for the transition in Canada that some call Spring, but I like to call The Melting Season.

Pork Fest Continues

It's safe to say that I come from a family of sausage lovers. Herb flecked and balanced with fat and meat, the fresh butcher's sausage is one of my favourite things.

I do not have the equipment to make my own sausages. No casings, no meat grinder, no stuffer. But, I can, (and you can too) make my own sausage patties.

They're super easy and a great way to impress yourself on a Saturday morning. I actually made these on my birthday as my perfect way to start being 31.

I won't reprint the recipe here, because I think you should go over and check out this blog anyway:

Herbed Sausage Patties Recipe

The general gist: ground pork (I buy an organic heritage one), salt, brown sugar, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, ancho chili powder, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Mix those in a bowl.

Divide the mixture in half, and shape each half into five palm sized patties.

You're not going for perfection here.

Fry the first five up in a cast iron skillet. I promise you'll get a better crust on them if you go the cast iron route!

It takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat when juices run clear and enjoy!

We froze our leftovers for breakfasts throughout the week.

Healthy and Not

Yesterday Phil and I got the chance to have lunch and dinner with different sets of old friends. Lunch was my favourite kind: soup and bread (homemade pecan oat, recipe coming tomorrow).

Nona's Soup with a parsley and green onion pistou (plus the bread!)

Dinner, on the other hand, was flecked with these glorious babies... oozing their slick paprika laced fat:

Mmm. Chorizo sausage for paella.

There is nothing better, in my opinion, than great food with great company. And red wine and paella on a Tuesday night? Glorious. Thanks to everyone for having us over/hanging out with us!

A casserole for a party

So, remember that whole legumes + pork kick I'm on?

Yeah, that hasn't stopped yet. I've been dying to try this recipe for the better part of a year, but couldn't because dried flageolet beans weren't readily available at my local grocery store. They taste a lot like navy beans, so feel free to substitute those!

Though this recipe takes a while (especially if you let the beans soak in their cooking liquid overnight), I think it's well worth it. Creamy, porky, yummy.

For the record, I apologize in advance for the weird formatting here. The source for the recipe wasn't formatting friendly!

Fine Cooking's Flageolet Bean Gratin with Sausage

(Cooking.com)

Recipe Ingredients

1 pound dried flageolet beans

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh sage

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 teaspoon salt

For the Gratin:

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, finely diced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound French-style garlic sausage or sweet Italian sausage

2 cups homemade bread crumbs

Homemade or low-salt canned chicken stock if needed

Directions
1. FOR THE BEANS: Pick over the beans. Soak if desired and drain. In a large, heavy-based pot, cover the beans with 8 cups cold water. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, sage, and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Simmer gently until the beans have softened, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Add the salt and continue cooking until the beans are quite tender, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Allow the beans to cool in the broth. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld. 2. FOR THE GRATIN: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the garlic and any stems from the herbs. In a frying pan, heat 4 Tbs. of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; cook until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans with the onion mixture. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. The mixture should be highly seasoned. Transfer the beans to a shallow 2 1/2 qt. casserole. 4. In a hot frying pan, brown the sausages well on all sides. Let the sausages cool before cutting them into 1 1/2 -inch thick slices. Arrange the sliced sausages over the beans, then push them down beneath the surface of the beans with a wooden spoon. 5. Bring the reserved cooking liquid to a boil and pour enough of it into the casserole to barely cover the beans (add chicken stock if there isn’t enough). Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and, with a wooden spoon, push them down a bit to absorb some of the liquid. Drizzle the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil over the top. Cover with aluminum foil, set the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for 30 min. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the surface is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 15 minutes longer.      The recipe claims to serve 6. I'd base closer bets on 8.

Sausage and Lentil Simmer

This morning, we were met by the first round of flurries to hit Toronto this winter. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I was going to want dinner to be something warming.

Inspired by the picture on the cover of Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries (one of my all time favourite cookbooks - the man clearly has a love affair going on with food), I decided the theme of tonight's dinner was going to be sausages.

More specifically, these gorgeous farmer's sausages from St. Lawrence Market.

You can't see it, but the sausages are all linked together!

This is a haphazard affair; a rustic dinner perfect for those cozy nights in with a bottle of red wine.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
some sausages (really, as many as you want - I used 2 sets of 6 small links)
 ½ large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup dried brown lentils
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
pepper to taste.

Directions

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides. It's not important to cook them through, as they'll do that in the process of cooking the lentils. Remove sausages from pan.

My first batch of sausages I forgot to add the oil. Big mistake. The casing split.

Sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add lentils, tomatoes (with their juices), water and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. Nestle sausages into the pot, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer on low for 45 minutes - an hour until lentils are tender.

Ready to be served.

Season with freshly ground pepper. You shouldn't need salt with all those sausages!

And there you have it, an easy, comforting weekend meal. I recommend it for your next apres-ski!