Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Use a spoon to scrape the gills out of each mushroom. Wipe them with a damp paper towel and place them in a gallon zip top bag.
Place the remaining vegetables in another zip top bag. Try to lay them flat.
Divide the Balsamic dressing between the two bags. Seal the bags and turn them a couple of times to distribute the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
On a grill set at high heat and using a grill mat or pan, cook the mushrooms, turning as needed until they are somewhat soft. If you have a second rack on your grill move them to it top side up.
Add the vegetables to the grill. Start with the onions. It is helpful to use toothpicks to hold the slices together.
Once the onions begin to brown, add the squashes. Continue to cook the vegetables turning occasionally until they are beginning to soften and are browning.
Remove all the vegetables and the mushrooms from the grill. Add the tomatoes. These will cook while you assemble the stacks. Enlist a lovely/handsome assistant to keep an eye on them while you do this.
Assemble the stack as follows: Mushroom, onion slice (don't forget to remove the toothpicks), zucchini slice, pepper chunks, and yellow squash slice. You will have some squash slices left over, do with them as you wish, but they do fill out the plate nicely.
Remove the tomatoes from the grill, and add them to the stack. Top each stack with a slice of the mozzarella.
Anchor each stack with a toothpick. Trust me, don't skip this step. Return the stacks to the grill and cook, covered until the cheese begins to melt.
When everything looks beautiful, bring the stacks in and remove the toothpicks. Serve with a nice salad and the remaining squash slices.
Slice the sausage links into 1 inch chunks (this is easier if they are slightly frozen) and brown in a soup pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage and set aside. Drain off most of the fat in the pot.
Add the olive oil to the pot and allow it to get hot. Add the onions and the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 - 4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, jalapeno, garlic, and squash. Cook for 5 minutes or as long as it takes for things to get soft and fragrant.
Add the wine to the pot and stir to loosen all the brown goodies on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes and the chicken stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.
Return the cooked sausage chunks to the pot along with the cannellini beans and season with the Italian Herbs.
Let everything simmer for another 10 minutes or so to heat things through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more herbs or salt and pepper as you like.
Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with the grated Romano, and serve.
Another Meatless Monday is ready for the record books. I have to say I rather like the challenge and subsequent creativity that this little experiment is providing. As a money-saving and health enhancing exercise it is good for Mama D’s Kitchen.Â
This week’s adventure was Vegetable Hash. I must give a good bit of the inspiration to a recipe I found in Cooking Light Magazine. While the ingredients were basically the same, I took a few liberties with quantities and techniques. I added “Toads in the Hole” to my version. This is the odd name that I use to describe a slice of bread with a hole cut out of the middle in which an egg is cooked to perfection or however the eater likes it. This was a staple when my kids were growing up. It was quick, easy, and could be eaten out of hand and on the run since mornings were not always pleasant in Mama D’s house.
Added color and a spark of flavor was provided by Roma tomatoes, parsley and green onions. The eggs, of course need no introduction. An added flavor component was “Herbs de Provence”. This is a dried herb blend that includes flavors that run the gambit from savory and marjoram to fennel and lavender. My blend smelled woodsy and a little sweet and when used in the correct measure gave an interesting depth of flavor. My word to the wise is add this a little at a time. In moderation it is interesting and pleasant, but too much and it becomes an ill-mannered Frenchman.
My Recipe Notes:Â I kept this on the light side using only 2 teaspoons of olive oil. My trusty box of good chicken stock added a little moistness as needed. A non-stick fry pan gave the eggs a fighting chance to come out intact. A lid was crucial to allowing the eggs to cook properly and insure the vegetables were tender crisp. Finally, I used a mixture of shredded Romano cheese and crumbled Feta to garnish the dish. Any hard or crumbly cheese would work. Go with whatever you’ve got on hand. This could probably serve four people, but they’d be raiding the refrigerator before bedtime, so it served the two of us lavishly, but still without guilt.
This rated 5 stars on the “Dear Husband Scale” so it will be making future appearances. Vegetable Hash could wander into Fall and Winter Meatless Mondays with a change of seasonal veggies and seasonings. Hope you’ll give this a try, and as always make it your own. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Love, Mama D
Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil. Add the potatoes and onions to the pan. Sprinkle the herbs de provence on top and cook with out stirring for 5 minutes.
As you are cooking the vegetables add the chicken stock as needed to keep things moving.
Stir the potatoes and onions. Add the green beans and cook for another 3 minutes. stirring occasionally. Add the squashes and cook for 2 minutes or so.
Add the tomatoes, parsley and green onion to the pan and cook for several minutes.
Using a spatula, make four holes in the vegetable mixture. Break one egg into each of the holes. Cover and cook for 2 -4 minutes depending on how hard or soft you like your eggs.
Carefully scoop out the hash into shallow bowls. Top with the grated cheese
Divide dough into four pieces. Stretch and pat into evenly thin shapes. Free-form is what you're going for with an approximately 7 inch by 5 inch area. Spray lightly on both sides with non-stick olive oil spray and place on a grill heated to medium. Grill about 3 minutes on each side and remove from heat and set aside until ready to assemble.
Using a vegetable peeler, make long, thin strips from the zucchini, summer squash, and carrot. Set Aside
Cut the red pepper in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins and slice very thinly. (Ancient Sweet Red peppers work really well for this.)
Slice the onion thinly lengthwise. Slice the garlic thinly and set aside with the other vegetables.
Cut the chicken thighs into small bite size pieces. Sprinkle with the Backyard Brick Oven Seasoning. (I like this seasoning blend, but use what you love.)
Heat a large fry pan over medium heat. Add one teaspoon of the olive oil and the chicken bits. Cook stirring often until the chicken is cooked through and browned. Remove from pan and allow to drain on paper towels. Leave the drippings in the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and cook for three minutes, stirring often. The onions should begin to soften. Add the carrot strips and cook/stir another 3 minutes. Add the red pepper strips to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes
Add the garlic, zucchini, and squash to the pan and cook for another three or four minutes. The veggies should be lightly browned and soft.
Divide the vegetable mixture between the four pre-cooked crusts. Divide the chicken bits among the four crusts. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the pizzas. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Carefully transfer the pizzas to the grill. Cook 7-9 minutes until the cheese has melted slightly and everything is golden. (Keep them moving to avoid burning.) Remove from grill and serve.