Showing posts with label Sausage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sausage. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Baked Eggs with Sausage


I can't believe I have not added this recipe to the blog yet.  This is an old family favorite.  My first introduction to this dish was by Cory's mom.  She made a simpler version than this but the idea of baked eggs with cream is the same.

My recipe is different in that I add cooked sausage, some sauteed onions and a pinch of parsley.  I feel that the flavor profile is more to my liking with a few more ingredients to layer the dish and make it a "one pot"breakfast.  The meat and eggs are served together.  It works well served with my favorite Gluten Free Biscuits.

This dish is gluten free but would need to be modified for an individual if they were eating a strict Paleo diet.  I don't have any issues with cheese so I have included this in the recipe below.  Leave it out if you don't eat cheese.  I also make mine with Ghee and Coconut Milk.  If you don't have any dairy issues then replace these two items with grass fed butter and heavy cream.

I use Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods. You can use any sausage you want , and that fits into your style of eating.  We are trying to cut out pork from our diets and so the chicken works best for us.

Making this dish in small ramekins allows for my kids to eat these in the morning before school starts.  This recipe makes 4 but you can easily double it and have a few extra for school day mornings.  We microwave them for a few seconds until warm.

I have an assortment of ramekins that I use for single serving dishes like this egg dish.  You can see in the picture I have used a Pyrex glass dish and a wider fluted dish.  The recipe is the same for each size.  What will happen is that the the thinner dish will be, well, thinner and the smaller ramekin will create a thicker dish.  They taste the same.  I do this all the time and I have never had to alter cook times or ingredients.  I like the wider dish for when I am having guest over because I think it looks pretty.

The cook time will vary depending on if you want your yolk runny or hard.  Our family is at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to yolks and how they are cooked. Our girls love over easy eggs. They want the yolk as runny as possible.  This would be the 10-12 minute bake time.  Cory and I like our egg yolks hard.  We bake them an additional 10 minutes to make sure they are firm.  Bake your eggs somewhere in between the two times to achieve the perfect center for you and your family.

This is a dish that is great for any time of the day: breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

ENJOY!


Baked Eggs with Sausage
Makes four servings

2-3 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 large chicken sausage, diced and cooked
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter or ghee
8 tablespoons cream or coconut milk
salt and pepper
pinch of parsley for each ramekin

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Spray ramekins with cooking spray.  Add water to a large baking dish.  Enough water to go up half way on the ramekins.  See top picture--it has the dish I used, the water added and the two sizes of ramekins that I use.

2.  Remove casing from sausage and fry with onions until done.

3.  In each ramekin divided the sausage/onion mixture equally.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Add1/2 of the tablespoon of butter to the bottom of the ramekin and the other half will be used on top of the raw egg.  Crack the egg on top of this mixture.  Add the parmesan cheese, coconut milk or cream.  Finish the dish with the second half of the butter from the tablespoon.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Add more parmesan cheese if you would like.  (There is no right or wrong way to layer this dish.  I just like to layer the ingredients in this order.)

4.  Add the ramekins to the baking dish with water.  Carefully put pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Check eggs. Additional minutes may be required based on how you like your eggs baked.  See comments above.

5.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.  I usually take a knife and fork and diced it all together and eat with a gluten free biscuit or slice of toast.

Written by Sherron Watson

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Kuri Squash with Sausage and Rice

 

I am really enjoying the cooler weather that we are having in Maryland.  The leaves are slowly changing, our windows are open and the air smells clean.  

I remember hearing, as a kid, grown-ups say, "I can smell Fall in the air."  This always seemed like a strange saying to me.  As an adult I now know what it means.  I walk outside and the first thing I do is inhale a deep long breath of fresh air.  

The season is changing and it feels wonderful.

I went to Whole Foods last week and they have a huge display of squash.  I love seeing the varieties with all their own shapes, sizes and colors.  My eye was drawn to this bright orange Kuri Squash.  The orange is vivid.  The shape ranged from round to teardrop.  I chose the one pictured above. When I cut into it I was overcome with a flowery scent.  I could tell it was a squash but the aroma coming from the Kuri squash was strong.  I felt that it would work great with a filling of some kind.

I had some left over sausage from an earlier dish and thought it would make a good filling combined with some rice.  I made rice, added a few sauteed onions and the sausage.  

Simply delicious.  I scooped the squash pulp and sausage filling onto a platter and served it for lunch. We all thought it was a pleasant change from our favorite Acorn Squash.  The dish is subtle in flavor with a nice combination of texture from the soft squash, firm sausage pieces and confetti like rice. 

All in all, a wonderful Fall dish to add to your menu.  I hope that you can find Kuri Squash in your area. 


Kuri Squash with Sausage and Rice
Makes two halves.

1 whole Kuri Squash, cut in half and seeds removed
4 tablespoons of butter or Ghee (2 in each half)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil, for sauteeing onion and garlic
2 cups  COOKED rice
1 cup COOKED sausage (I use chicken sausage)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons coconut milk (2 in each half)

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  Prepare squash to be baked by cutting in half, removing seeds and placing in baking dish.  Add salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of butter to each half.  The butter will melt and be used when you add the rice/sausage mix.

3.  Bake squash for 35 minutes.  Check the squash and see if it is still firm, if so, bake a bit longer.

4.  While squash is baking prepare the filling.  Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the cooked rice and cooked sausage.  Taste mixture and salt and pepper accordingly.

5.  Remove baked squash from oven and fill the centers with the rice.  The butter that has melted should be soaked up by the rice.  Add the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and sprinkle with the parsley flakes.

6.  Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Serve scooped on a platter (see picture) or serve a half to each person.

Written by Sherron Watson

Friday, June 20, 2014

Tortellini and Sausage Soup




I love making homemade pasta for my family.  I made these little tortellini's in March for a magazine shoot.  We were sharing ideas for taking our lunches to school or work.  

I shared several kid friendly recipes but I also wanted to have an easy adult recipe.  I make ravioli's all the time and decided to make these cute little "belly-button" filled pastas to add to a broth-based soup. I kind of get tired of eating creamy soups and this was nice to have a soup base that was slurp-able.  Although I don't recommend slurping your soup at work--just sayin'.

I know that filled pasta is tricky for those that eat gluten free.  I have found, at Whole Foods, they carry a gluten free filled pasta in the cheese section.  I have not tried it yet but my friends have and they think it is wonderful.  The texture and flavor are both good.  If you don't have a recipe that you use at home I would suggest this as an alternative for this recipe. 

If you want to make your own gluten free wrappers for the tortellini, here is a recipe you can try.  I am working on my own version of a gluten free pasta to make stuffed raviolis and tortellinis. That recipe will come out next week--so check back.


Making homemade pasta is fun and the filled versions are not hard to master.  Time consuming?  A little bit but if you plan the time then it won't be a problem.  The kids love to help make pasta so this is a fun family friendly activity to do together.

Make the homemade pasta only if you want and desire to experience that part of the soup.  Otherwise use your favorite store bought filled pasta.  Do what fits your schedule and family dynamics.



Tortellini and Sausage Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

2 large sausage links, I use the ones from Whole Foods--usually a spicy variety.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced small
4 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup fresh baby spinach 
2 cups uncooked tortellini (fresh or frozen/store bought or homemade)
Salt and pepper,to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil, optional
grated parmesan cheese, optional

1.  In a medium frying pan add olive oil. Turn heat to medium.

2.  Cut sausage links into 1 inch pieces.  Cook in oil until done.

3.  Remove sausage pieces to a paper towel and set aside. Add diced onion and bell pepper to oil (add more oil if needed).  Cook for 3 minutes, add garlic.  Continue cooking for 1 more minute. Be careful to not burn the garlic.

4.  In a medium stock pot, add broth, diced tomatoes and the vegetables from above.  Bring to a boil.

5.  Add tortellini and cook until pasta is cooked through.  Time will vary based on whether you are using fresh or frozen pasta.

6.  When tortellini is done, add sausage pieces and fresh spinach/kale.  Stir and let set for 5 minutes.  The spinach will wilt in the hot broth.  

7.  Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese or store in air tight containers for up to one week.

This was an image for the lunch article I wrote.  This little cup held about 1 1/2 cups of soup.

Written by Sherron Watson


Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Scotch Eggs




Not what you were expecting?  Don't fret, there are better pictures below.

I couldn't resist.  I took these pictures in a matter of seconds because I was juggling this little project, a homeschool assignment for Isabella and working with limited napping time for Finnley.  I guess what I am trying to say is there was a bit of stress associated with these pictures and when I opened them in Photoshop, all I saw staring back at me, were two large eyes.  I laughed out loud and went with the moment.  Drew the eyes that were magically looking at me on the screen.  I think it works.

Enjoy the laugh!

I have been wanting to make these again for a long time.

I made them for the first time 2 years ago when I returned from a trip to NYC. We stopped into a little pub off Broadway and found ourselves ordering three of these.  I thought to myself, " what a perfect combination--egg and sausage".  

It took me a while to get mine to look like theirs and taste just as good.  My first few attempts I deep fried them.  Although I like the very crispy exterior I didn't like the idea of frying them.  I decided that I would give it a shot in the oven and bake my little googly eyes--I mean--scotch eggs.

It worked.  I was really happy with the results.  The inside egg was perfectly cooked through--no ring around the yolk-and the sausage with breading had a nice texture.  I will say that when they are reheated the next day you will lose that bit of crunchy-firm outside.

These make the perfect quick breakfast to take camping.  I make them the day before. Wrap them in foil, toss in the cooler and when ready to use, lay them on an open grate above the fire.  Turning them every few minutes until heated through.  Easy?  YES and I like it that way when camping.



Baking and frying gluten free recipes that call for breadcrumbs used to be a problem for me until I figured out a solution that works well in my kitchen.  I have purchased the little plastic containers in my local grocery store labeled: gluten free bread crumbs.  I don't like them.  They always seem to bake very hard and the texture feels like I am eating sand.

This is what I do.  I use a brand of gluten free bagel-style crackers with the flavor of garlic and onion.  I add the box to my Vitamix, zap it a few times and I have perfect bread crumbs that are seasoned perfectly.

I store any leftovers in an air tight baggie in the freezer.

Looking at the above picture you can see little specs of the breadcrumbs catching the light from my window.

I would be really interested in knowing how you make your gluten free breadcrumbs or a brand that you find acceptable.  I am always open to new ideas.

ENJOY!


Scotch Eggs
Makes 4

1 pound seasoned pork sausage
4 large eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  In a small pot, place eggs and enough water to cover the eggs.  Turn heat to medium high and cook for 8 minutes.  Eggs will not be hard-boiled at this time.  The yolk will still be very soft.

3.  Cool eggs and peel.  Be very careful when peeling because of the soft center.

4.  Divide the pork into four portions.  Place one portion in the palm of your hand and flatten. Place an egg in the middle and gently wrap the sausage around the eggs. Seal any open edges.  The whole egg should be wrapped in sausage.

5.  Place the bread crumbs in a small bowl.  Roll the sausage-egg in the crumbs and place on a baking sheet.  Spray the eggs with your favorite cooking spray.

6.  Bake the Scotch Eggs for 20 minutes, rotate dish, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Baking times may vary because of oven temperatures.  You want your egg to be golden brown on the outside and firm to the touch.

Written by Sherron Watson




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