Tag: mama d’s kichen of love

The Coming of Winter and Lentil and Sausage Casserole

Winter is creeping in, making its presence known a little more each day. I have been turning more often to heartier fare, things that cook a little longer and in the process fill the house with aromas that warm the heart as the oven warms the kitchen. This dish came about for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that there were cooked lentils in the freezer.

These lentils were left from a recipe that I adapted from Cooking Light img_2902Magazine. Dubbed “A Perfect Pot of Lentils” it lived up to its name. A pound of green lentils were flavored with garlic and shallots and seasoned with thyme, tomato paste and dijon mustard. Once they simmered for 45 minutes or so,I was in possession of a lot of very tasty lentils. There was enough for a surprisingly good Lentil Shepherd’s Pie (also adapted from Cooking Light) with more than enough left to get relegated to the freezer until another inspiration dawned. That inspiration came a few days ago in the form of a hearty Lentil and Sausage Casserole.

This casserole boasted some Chicken Italian Sausage along with Crimini Mushrooms, Onions, and Garlic. These elements were sautéed to expand their flavor before joining forces with the lentils.img_2898

Everything nestled cozily into the casserole along with some fresh rosemary, Italian seasoning, and a little chicken stock. Off to the oven it went, snuggly covered in foil. Half an hour later it smelled wonderful, but when its foil blanket was removed, it was sadly was very brown ( the color, not the effect). To remedy that and add another layer of flavor sliced tomatoes and Toscano Cheese were placed on top. A drizzle of olive oil and a return trip to the oven along with a brief shot under the broiler resulted in a much prettier offering.img_2911

It now looked good and smelled divine. All that was left to do was taste it and see if that too would be in the plus column. It was determined that we had a winner on all levels, always a good thing.img_2917

Lentil and Chicken Sausage Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Lentil and Chicken Sausage Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Put the lentils in the dish and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Slice the sausage into 1/2" coins. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook until lightly browned on one side, 3 - 4 minutes.
  3. Turn the sausage and cook another 3 - 4 minutes. When the second side is browned, remove the sausage from the pan add to the lentils in the casserole.
  4. Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or so stirring often. Add some of the chicken stock if things seem dry.
  5. Once the veggies are soft and fragrant, add them along with any drippings to the casserole. Add the rosemary and Italian seasoning.
  6. Mix all the ingredients together and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until things are bubbly.
  7. Layer the tomato slices on top of the casserole. Sprinkle with the cheese and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
  8. Return to the oven uncovered and bake another few minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften and the cheese melts.
  9. Turn the oven to broil and let the casserole go 3 - 4 minutes until it is golden. Remove from the oven and let set 10 minutes before serving.
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All of these recipes have instilled a significant dose of “Lentil Love” in my soul. As winter continues to arrive, these protein and fiber rich little pulses (I learned that nifty term from the same Cooking Light article) will be making more appearances in Mama D’s Kitchen. Besides being nutritionally amazing, they are cheap, which leaves more money in the budget for Christmas Shopping…which is one more reason to give lentils and all their wonderful pulse cousins a try.

Anadama Bread – Love From Another Era

Winter is still here, damn her. Time to go through the recipe box again. Being held captive by the weather leaves Mama D with more time on her hands, My cooking adventures usually involve new recipes, but today I pulled out an oldie but a goody, Anadama Bread.

I made this recipe back in the day…the day being the early 70’s. It was in my earth mother hippie days when I baked bread every week. I also made dandelion wine and yogurt. The yogurt was actually very good, the wine, not so much. Anyway, back then the aroma of this bread as it baked was blissful. Sweet and yeasty with just the faintest scent of corn. The taste echoed the aroma and had subtle chewiness that the cornmeal imparted. A thick slice of Anadama Bread still warm from the oven, thickly spread with butter was, and is, one of the best tastes on earth.DIGITAL CAMERA How could I have forgotten about this?

There are many different recipes for this New England bread. The ingredients are usually the same save for slightly different measurements. The way the ingredients are combined varies slightly; you either make cornmeal mush or you don’t. DIGITAL CAMERAWhy?  you may ask. The story goes that a Fisherman’s wife in Massachusetts named Anna gave her husband the same cornmeal mush for breakfast every day. Sick and tired of it, he took matters into his own hands and added molasses and flour as he muttered (undoubtedly in a thick Boston accent) “Anna, damn her.” However the bread and the name came to be, this molasses and cornmeal bread is great toasted, as a sandwich base or dipped into soup or stew.

It is made like most other yeast breads which means you’ll be spending about 20 minutes making it and a couple of hours waiting for it to be ready. Call me old-fashioned, but I enjoy making bread by hand. I mix it with a wooden spoon and spend the necessary time kneading by hand to create smooth and elastic dough, just like I did back in the “old days.” All that’s missing are the embroidered jeans and bandana.

My recipe combines the cornmeal, yeast and half the flour in a bowl. The butter and molasses are added with hot tap water to create a soft dough.DIGITAL CAMERA More flour is added until the a “kneadable” dough comes together. Then the requisite 10 minutes of kneading happens resulting in that smooth and elastic dough.DIGITAL CAMERA The dough then takes an oil bathed rest for an hour or so.DIGITAL CAMERA

It gets punched down (that always sounds so mean to me) and formed into loaves.DIGITAL CAMERA It nestles into a loaf pan and rests for another hour before it goes into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or so. DIGITAL CAMERA

The bread comes out of the oven begging to be eaten, but wait at least a few minutes to cut in. I usually restrain myself for 10 minutes or so.

Anadama Bread
Print Recipe
Delicious bread made with corn meal and molasses.
Servings
2 Loaves
Servings
2 Loaves
Anadama Bread
Print Recipe
Delicious bread made with corn meal and molasses.
Servings
2 Loaves
Servings
2 Loaves
Ingredients
Servings: Loaves
Instructions
  1. Mix 2-1/2 cups flour, salt, cornmeal and undissolved yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the butter.
  2. Alternate adding the hot water and the molasses, Beat for two minutes. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough.
  3. Turn onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic. This should take 10 minutes or so. form into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft free place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour)
  4. Punch dough down. On a floured board, turn the dough out and divide in half. Form each piece into a loaf shape and put in a greased 8 X 4 loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (45-60 minutes).
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. The top should be golden and the bottom should sound slightly hollow when tapped. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
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It’s actually a lovely way to spend an afternoon and the end result is incredibly worth it.    Love, Mama D