Tag: Chicken sausage

Dinner vs. Supper and Fancy Farfalle with Sausage and Broccoli

What do you call your evening meal? Is it dinner or is it supper? Mama D isn’t quite sure what she calls it because she has called this meal by both names over the years. A little online searching revealed that Dinner generally refers to the largest meal of the day.  Supper is defined as “a light meal served in the early evening, if Dinner was served at midday…or it is the meal served late in the evening when Dinner was served in the early evening.” I’m still trying to wrap my head around that sentence, but it does seem, in this instance, size matters.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this lately because now that I am back to working a split shift, meal preparation is beginning to change. Here we eat the biggest meal of the day in the early evening, which by definition makes it Dinner which we are eating at Supper Time. Should I call it Sinner? Probably not. What if I call it Dupper? That just sounds silly. I think that I will leave the semantics to the linguists and come up with my own working definition.

The evening meals from Mama D’s Kitchen will be labeled by what is served. Dinner will be a more formal affair. It will consist of a protein served with various side dishes that require a good amount of time and several pots, pans and other appliances to prepare.

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THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN DURING THE WEEK!  Weekends will be the time for Dinner when the time for preparing and enjoying meals are more flexible.

The meal that graces the evening table Monday through Friday, while made with just as much love, but far fewer pans and in much less time shall now be called Supper. Supper shouldn’t take too much more time than it takes to enjoy a glass of wine. It should be healthy and satisfying, but not too heavy and with just enough creativity to keep things from getting boring. That’s what this post is about and the recipe I’m sharing pretty much fits my definition. 2015-08-19 19.44.45This one dish supper required a pot (to boil the pasta) and a fry pan (to put everything together). It did also require a grill ( for the broccoli and sausage) which I left in the capable hands of Papa D.

2015-08-29 16.08.56The farfalle pasta I used was lemon flavored and sported bright yellow stripes. The lemon was noticable to the nose but subtle on the tongue. Lemon became one of the inspiration flavors for the dish. I found this pasta at Aldi along with a spinach and tomato basil variety. Not the type of thing one expects to find there, but it’s been my experience of late that Aldi is full of surprises. Don’t run out to your local Aldi, these went on closeout recently and very few stores have them. This is sadly the case with many of Aldi’s unique items…here today, gone tomorrow. I have, however, seen colored/flavored pastas in gourmet stores, so check them out if you want that extra festive look, but there is nothing wrong with going with the traditional variety.2015-08-19 19.37.52

I used pre-cooked Chicken Italian Sausage. This has appeared in so many of my recipes that I could become a spokesperson for the product. It’s convenient, quick, and is available in  flavors to match almost any cuisine. It seems that every store carries them and many of the larger stores have their own brand. I’m fickle as to what brand I like best, I honestly often choose by price and what I plan on making.

I cut some broccoli crowns into small florets, tossed them with a little olive oil and threw them in my grill basket. They joined the sausage on the grill. It is still summer after all and you know how Mama D feels about grilling….they turned out lightly charred and perfectly tender crisp.2015-08-19 19.29.42

Now for what held these three ingredients together. Onion and garlic were sautéed in some olive oil…could there be any other beginning? Some Chicken Stock, Lemon Thyme, and Cracked Black Pepper provided some flavor. The zest of a lemon went in along with the juice of said lemon. A little (fat-free) Half and Half added a bit of creaminess. Some freshly grated Romano Cheese added some bite. Everything got well acquainted in the skillet becoming a feast for the eyes, nose and tongue.2015-08-19 19.40.08

Farfalle with Grilled Broccoli and Chicken Sausage
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Farfalle with Grilled Broccoli and Chicken Sausage
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until it is just shy of "al dente". Drain and set aside. Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
  2. Toss the broccoli with one teaspoon of the olive oil. and place in a grill basket. Cook 8 - 10 minutes until it is just tender crisp and lightly charred.
  3. Cook the sausages on the grill whole until they are nicely browned. This takes about 10 minutes. Bring them in and allow them to cool slightly. Slice into 1/2 inch thick coins. Set aside.
  4. While the sausage and broccoli cook, heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the onions and cook until they begin to wilt and become translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two.
  5. Add the chicken broth and the thyme leaves to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice and allow to cook 2 more minutes.
  6. Add the sausage and broccoli to the pan along with the half & half. Simmer for a few minutes.
  7. Add the Romano Cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the cheese melts into the sauce. Serve in pasta bowls with a sprinkling of the finely grated cheese.
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My plan is to share more “Suppers” in the coming weeks and I hope that you will use these musings as a jumping off place to create your own perfect evening meal….whatever you choose to call it.

Frittata For Two and Other Thoughts

This is a story about making a frittata for dinner, but there’s more to it than that. Let me start by saying we have been feeling a little under the weather. Call it a cold…call it the flu…whatever, we have been struggling to stay upright for several days. I wanted to fix something for dinner, but I wanted it to be light and easy. Eggs are always a good choice when it comes to filling that particular bill, and a frittata is a simple way to prepare them. It also is a good way to clean out the refrigerator.

Frittata starts on the stove and is finished in the oven. This requires an oven proof cooking DIGITAL CAMERAvessel. Enter the cast iron skillet. I discovered my mother’s old skillet when we moved and it was the perfect size for a two person frittata. There was just one problem. My mother was a dish washing fanatic and the skillet was no exception to that rule. While it had seen its fair share of eggs, it had also seen a lot of dish soap. I gave it a quick seasoning in the oven that helped the sticking factor a bit. It is getting a formal seasoning as I write this and it should be ready for its next close-up soon; that is to say, now.DIGITAL CAMERA

I decided to go for an Italian flavor profile with a nod to healthy choices. The key ingredients would be chicken sausage and baby spinach. Things couldn’t be Italian without  a fair amount of onion and garlic.DIGITAL CAMERAI’m a big fan of the Chicken Sausage that Meijer sells. They have several varieties. The Garlic and Asiago is my favorite, but they have a spinach and mozzarella as well as a chipotle pepper version. They are lower in fat but big on flavor. They are also pre-cooked so prep time shrinks while the sausage doesn’t.

I added a roasted red pepper for a little color. A week or so ago I scored a huge bag of red bell peppers for 99 cents. I sliced and froze some and roasted a few more. I created little roasted pepper packets each holding a whole roasted pepper (peeled, skinned and quartered, of course).DIGITAL CAMERA It was just the amount I needed for color and flavor in my frittata. So, I chopped everything and threw the skillet on the stove with a good dose of olive oil.DIGITAL CAMERAI started with the onion since it needs a little more love.DIGITAL CAMERAThen I added the sausage, garlic, roasted pepper, and eventually, the spinach. Since a little olive oil is a good thing, I opted to add a bit of chicken broth to keep things moving and the fat content in check.DIGITAL CAMERAWhile all this deliciousness was going on, I cracked some eggs and beat them with some low-fat half & half and a shredded Italian cheese blend.DIGITAL CAMERAWhen the time was right I added the eggs to the pan and began the shimmy shake and lift process that is the basis for any omelet, Italian or not.DIGITAL CAMERAOnce everything was beginning to set up, I topped it with a bit more of the cheese blend along with some sliced tomatoes.DIGITAL CAMERAIt spent some time in the oven and a brief interlude under the broiler. The result was golden goodness that received a sprinkle of fresh basil before coming to the table.DIGITAL CAMERAI served it with some toasted  Rosemary Soda Bread that I made earlier in the week. A quick drizzle of olive oil and it was ready to eat.DIGITAL CAMERA

I chose a Barbera wine from Cooper’s Hawk that complimented the dinner beautifully. It had just the right body and flavor to bring out the best in the food.DIGITAL CAMERA

So here’s how Mama D does Frittata. It more or less follows the traditional process. I opted to let it bake in the oven before turning on the broiler. You know the drill by now…use this as a starting point and make it your own with the ingredients you love.

Frittata with Spinach and Chicken Sausage
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Servings
2
Servings
2
Frittata with Spinach and Chicken Sausage
Print Recipe
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a small oven proof skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften.
  2. Slice the sausage links in half lengthwise then slice into thin half moons. Add these to the onions in the pan and cook for another minute or two.
  3. Add the garlic and roasted red peppers and cook for several minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.
  4. If things seem dry, add the chicken broth and toss to coat. You could add a little more olive oil instead of the broth if you like.
  5. Add the chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted.
  6. While the vegetables cook, crack the eggs into a bowl. Beat well. Add the milk and beat to combine. Add half of the cheese and stir to blend.
  7. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Give it a good shake to begin the setting and minimize the sticking.
  8. Continue to cook the eggs gently lifting and shaking to maintain even cooking.
  9. When the eggs are almost set, sprinkle a little of the remaining cheese on the top. Cover the top with the sliced tomatoes and the rest of the cheese.
  10. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes or so. Turn on the broiler and cook for another 2 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and let it to rest for 5 minutes.
  11. Sprinkle with the basil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Divide between two plates and serve.
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The frittata was wonderful, the bread and wine were a perfect compliment and we really did feel much better after we ate. Healing is another wonderful result of cooking with love.