Potato, Corn & Sausage Skillet Meal

Attention parents in a hurry:  this dish results directly from the urgent need to produce a tasty, kid-friendly comfort food meal on short notice and based entirely on ingredients on hand.  Do you ever find yourself in a situation like that?

With organic potatoes, no need to peel 'em, just scrub and dice.  Those peels have loads of flavor and nutrition.



Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Serves:  4-6

INGREDIENTS
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups potatoes, 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup onion, 1/4 inch dice (one small onion)
1 cup corn
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary or one teaspoon dried
5 fresh sage leaves, minced or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano, or one teaspoon dried
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until browned outside and just soft inside when poked with a fork. Remove potatoes to a bowl and add the sausage and onion and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until sausage is cooked.  Add the corn, rosemary, sage, and oregano, along with the cooked potatoes and cook, stirring, for more 3 minutes.

Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Herb-Infused Olive Oil

The flavors found in herbs and garlic are soluble in oil.  Heat speeds up the process, although this can also be done cold.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield:  2 cups infused oil








INGREDIENTS
2 cups olive oil
1 bunch fresh thyme, washed and dried
5-8 leaves fresh sage, washed and dried
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, washed and dried
3 garlic scapes, chopped (or 2 cloves garlic, chopped)
1 teaspoon peppercorns

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until a pinch of the herbs gently bubble when added.  Add te thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes or until a taste with a spoon (blow on it to cool it!) achieves the flavor intensity you like.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pour oil into a jar with a lid.  Infused olive oil will keep on your counter for a week or more, longer in the fridge although you'll need to warm it up to pour properly.

Use infused oil for dressing pasta and pizza, and for dipping bread.

Variations:  Try a wide range of your favorite herbs.  Other mild cooking oils can also be used, such as canola or safflower.  Strongly flavored oils (peanut, sesame) present more of a challenge:  your herb flavors might get lost, or conflict with the herbs.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Sausage and Veggie Skillet Meal

This simple dish proves the assertion that comfort food can be fast, delicious, and loaded with veggies.  

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves:  4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground Italian sausage meat

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mixture of oregano, basil, rosemary & thyme)

2 large carrots, 1/4 inch slices (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3-4 scallions, white and light green parts in 1/4 inch dice, dark green parts reserved for another use

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 to 2 cups corn kernels (about two ears) 

Salt

Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage, Italian seasoning, and carrots.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, then add the scallions, green beans, and garlic.  Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring, or until the sausage is just done and the carrots and beans are beginning to turn tender.  Add the corn and cook for 3 minutes, stirring.  Season to taste with salt and pepper

Serve as is, or over pasta or rice.  A glass of rosé would also be nice.

Variation: Make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage.  You could also add mushrooms regardless of whether you're using the sausage, add them with the green beans.

Tip:  Add leftovers to chicken or vegetable stock, along with a handful of rice or pasta, for a quick and hearty soup

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Homemade Pasta Sauce!

When nature hands you a ton of tomatoes, make sauce to freeze or can for the winter.  The mess you make here will be amply rewarded with summer flavor in February.








Here are two methods , one that requires peeling for a smoother, more traditional sauce, the second faster and a little bit coarser, but the same terrific flavor.

Prep time:  70 minutes
Cook time:  3 hours
Yield:  6-8 cups of sauce

INGREDIENTS
10-15 ripe tomatoes
3-4 TB olive oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
2 green peppers, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
1 bunch parsley, minced
1 hot pepper, minced (your favorite)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (or fresh)
1 TB fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS (Traditional method)
Fill a large stock pot halfway with water and bring to a boil.  Set a large bowl filled 2/3 with ice water nearby, and another bowl for the cleaned tomatoes.  Place whole tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, lift out and place in the cold water bath for another minute (or more).  Remove the skin, and squeeze out the seeds as best you can.  Place these cleaned tomatoes in the empty bowl.

Dry out your stock pot (or use another).  Heat the olive oil in the bottom over medium-low heat and cook the onion, peppers, carrots, parsley, minced hot pepper, garlic, sage, basil, oregano, and rosemary for 5 minutes, stirring.  Remove from heat.

Use a food processor or blender to process the tomatoes and the vegetables.  Start by adding about 1 1/2 cups of the tomatoes, and puree them to create a liquid.  Then add the vegetables and process again to a consistency you like.  At the risk of overgeneralizing, adults seem to like their sauce with lots of texture, kids tend to like it smooth.  Return this puree to the stock pot.  Process the rest of the tomatoes, and add to the stock pot.  Add the wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper, stir, and turn the heat to medium high.  Heat to bubbling, reduce heat to low, and cook for 2-3 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally.  The sauce will reduce and thicken.  This is a good thing.

Serve fresh over pasta, or freeze/can for later.

DIRECTIONS (Easier method resulting in a more rustic sauce)
Heat the olive oil in the bottom over medium-low heat and cook the onion, peppers, carrots, parsley, minced hot pepper, garlic, sage, basil, oregano, and rosemary for 5 minutes, stirring.  While these vegetables are cooking, cut up your tomatoes into 1" chunks, peels, seeds and all.  Add the tomatoes to the rest of the vegetables, stir, and bring back to a gentle simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or until reduced by about half.  Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool for an hour or more.  Add the wine, salt, and pepper (omit the bay leaf).

Use a food processor to process the vegetables, working in batches to not overwhelm your machine.  Process for a minute to achieve a good, relatively smooth consistency. 

Serve fresh over pasta, or freeze/can for later.

Note:  All types of tomatoes can be used to make sauce.  Paste-type tomatoes have lower water content and yield a thicker sauce.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Chili with Tomatoes 3 Ways

This rich version of classic chili features extracted tomato flavors.  The heat is mid range, add more or less cayenne and cumin according to your taste.

Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes
Serves:  8

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, 1/4 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large sweet bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup oven dried tomatoes
1/3 cup puree of oven dried tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground cayenne
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
3 cups (or 2 15 ounce cans) prepared beans
1 1/2 cups (or one 15 ounce can) refried beans
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large saute pan or stock pot over medium heat and cook the ground beef, onion and garlic, stirring, for 5 minutes.  Add the red pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until ground beef is cooked.

Add the tomato sauce, puree of oven dried tomatoes, cayenne, cumin, oregano, kidney beans, refried beans, and salt.  Stir to completely mix, then turn heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 30 minutes or until gently bubbling throughout. 

Serve with fresh cornbread, and laugh at the cold weather outside.

Variations:  Use fresh hot peppers in place of the ground cayenne.  Use ancho peppers in place of the sweet peppers.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Tomato and Herb Bruschetta

Juicy tomatoes and crisp, garlicky bread.  A match made in heaven.


Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes (toasting the garlic bread!)
Serves:  6-10 as an appetizer

INGREDIENTS for the toasts
1 baguette, thinly sliced, or other thinly sliced bread
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano

INGREDIENTS for the Bruschetta
1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, 1/4" dice (one large tomato)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
5 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Toast:  Preheat your broiler.  Arrange your bread slices in a single layer on a baking tray.  Mix the garlic and olive oil in a small dish, and with a spoon or pastry brush spread the oil over each slice. Slide this under the broiler.  Whole wheat bread slices will toast more slowly than white bread, so times will vary, but remove the toasts when they are lightly tanned and beginning to crisp.

While toasts are toasting, mix the bruschetta by placing in a large bowl the tomatoes, basil, sage (if using), rosemary (if using) and olive oil, and stir to combine.

Remove toasts from broiler.  Top each toast with a spoonful of the mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and a grind of salt.

Serve with a glass of Chianti and memories of warm weather.

Photos and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Skillet Baked Broccoli Tomato Quiche

  
Here's the latest installment in our informal series of quiches.  They all aspire to achieve the magic combination of attributes:  Ease of preparation (this one especially - it's a one skillet meal), delicious flavor, and of course lots of veggies.  Note - this crustless quiche is truly fast prep.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Serves:  6-8

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 broccoli stems*, shredded
1 onion, shredded
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
salt to tastepepper to taste
1 tomato, 1/2" dice (about 1 1/2 cups) with juice (or one 15 oz. can diced tomato)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium (8") oven-safe skillet over medium heat and sauté the broccoli and onion, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. While broccoli is cooking, whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl, then whisk in the milk, mozzarella, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, sage, salt and pepper.  Stir in the tomato.

When the broccoli is done, pour the egg mixture into the skillet over the broccoli, and quickly stir to mix, and then stop stirring, and let it cook for 1 minute.  Gently lift the skillet from the stovetop and place in the hot oven, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the quiche has set (the middle will be just firm). Remove quiche from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

*Broccoli Stem Primer: Young, tender broccoli stems lend themselves best to shredding.  These are the ones that break with a crisp snap, and offer a pleasant crunch when you bite them.  All you need to do is cut off the dried end of the stem and shred away. Older broccoli can get woody - you'll be able to tell as you cut it: if the stem resists your knife, it will cause just as many problems for your teeth. If you are determined to use them, one solution is to cut off the bottom section of each stem, and scrape the remaining length with a carrot peeler to remove the tough exterior skin.   And then there are the real old timer stems that are woody all the way through.  Send those out to challenge your compost pile. 

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Mustacei (Must Roles)

The inspiration for this recipe is truly ancient, the basic approach is attributed to Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura (160 BC). My son and I made these for his 8th grade Latin class. Amounts approximate.

Prep time: 10 minutes (not including rising time)

Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 15-20 rolls

4 cups flour

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. yeast

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup cherry juice

1 ¼ cups warm water

3 TB butter, melted

Bay leaves

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients, incorporate liquid ingredients and stir for 2 minutes to create the dough. If it is too dry, add more warm water. Scrape dough onto the countertop, cover with the bowl, and allow to rise for an hour. Knead several times, folding it over upon itself, and allow to rise for a further 45 minutes. Knead again, separate dough into balls about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger. Arrange on a floured baking tray, each dough ball on top of a bay leaf. Rise for 45 minutes, turning the oven on during that time to preheat to 400. Bake for 10 minutes or until the exterior is nicely tan and firm.

Haddock with Scallions & Carrots

Fresh baked haddock, nicely framed with scallions and sauteed carrots. Cook the carrots & bake the haddock at the same time, and this is done in a flash.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

2 TB olive oil

1 TB butter

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced

2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 carrots)

1/4 cup + 1/4 cup dry white wine

1 TB balsamic vinegar

2 lb. haddock fillets

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

3 TB shredded parmesan

2 TB butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the scallions, stirring once in a while, for 10 minutes. Remove the scallions with a slotted spoon so that the oil and butter mostly remains in the skillet, and place scallions in a small bowl. Add shredded carrots to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Add 1/4 cup white wine and 1 TB balsamic vinegar, stir to coat, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until carrots are softened. Turn off heat.

While carrots are cooking, arrange haddock fillets in a baking tray, and sprinkle with basil, sage, and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with butter. Bake for 10 minutes or until fish has just turned white.

Divide cooked carrot between 4 serving plates, and top each bed of carrots with a piece of baked fish. Sprinkle with the sauteed scallions and serve.

Fresh herbs are even better if you have them.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Fried Sage Carbonara

Photo:
Tod Dimmick















Mac and cheese for adults.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6, probably with leftovers

1 lb. whole wheat rotelle (or your favorite pasta)
3 TB olive oil
12 or more fresh sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 TB fresh rosemary leaves, or 1 tsp dried
1 egg
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta. While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the sage leaves. When crisp, remove the leaves to paper towels Add the garlic and the rosemary and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Drain the pasta when al dente, return to the pasta pot, and stir in the egg. It will cook in the hot pasta. Then stir in the Parmesan and sour cream, half of the sage leaves, and the garlic, rosemary, and any olive oil remaining in the skillet.

Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and topping with remaining crisp sage leaves.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes