Tag: easy meals
Pasta with Sausage and Sweet Pepper Sauce
- ½ pound pasta, al dente with a cup of pasta water set aside
- 4 chicken sausage links, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the sausages and sauté on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes till the sausages are golden brown. Keep aside.
- 1 cup fresh tomato sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 red pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- Salt
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Start the grill outside or preheat the broiler. Coat the peppers with the oil and grill or roast them till the skin is charred- about 20 minutes. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Take the peppers out and peel the skin and take the seeds out. Place the peppers in a blender with the tomato sauce. Blend till smooth. Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed.
Add two cups of the sweet pepper sauce to the sausages and add the pasta and half cup of the pasta water (add more water if needed). Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve with cheese on top.
Chicken Piccata
I am amazed this is the first time I am making chicken piccata. It is quite easy to make and it felt nice to add another chicken dish to my repertoire. We are always looking for more, different chicken dishes to make for our families… well, here is a delicious one.I served it to my daughter with some whole wheat thin spaghetti. I had it just with the veggies and it was quite a substantial meal…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Juice of half large lemon
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin into cutlets (or cutlets can be purchased from the store), sprinkled with salt and pepper
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or till translucent. Take out with a slotted spoon and keep aside. In the meantime dredge the chicken cutlets into the flour. Add butter to the frying pan and brown the chicken cutlets for about 3 minutes on each side on medium high heat. Keep aside and cover with foil. Add the white wine, chicken broth, capers and lemon juice to the frying pan. Bring to a boil and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom. Add the shallot and garlic mixture. Return the chicken pieces back and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or till the chicken pieces are cooked through and the liquid has reduced by about one-third. Add the chopped parsley and check for salt and pepper. Serve hot with pasta, rice or salad.
Leftover Shrimp and Sausage Paella
This is what I came up with the leftovers from last night’s dinner. I had some shrimp- not too many, so I chopped them up into small pieces so a little goes a long way.
My husband loves paella, especially the kind with lots of red sauce- he is crazy about anything with red sauce.
I made this paella with arborio rice since it is creamier than the regular one. I cooked it like a risotto but didn’t stand in front of the stove, stirring constantly. Instead I added most of the broth at once and let it cook. It resulted in a very delicious and perfectly cooked paella.
To start the process, I crumbled up the leftover chorizo and cooked it with the onions and garlic. I added rose wine because that is what I was drinking. Tomato sauce and chicken broth later, I had a yummy dish. By adding the frozen peas, I had a one pot meal.
A neighbor and my daughter’s friend stopped by and joined up for dinner. They both ate up the paella and complemented on the taste.
Next time you have leftovers- make a paella!
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Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Broccoli Rabe
I get lots of food magazines in the mail. It’s great to have them around but the problem is that I don’t get the time to actually read or even go through them. Ideally I like to sit and look through them for inspiration. I then tear out the pages I want to save for later and chuck the rest away.
I was going through last months Bon Appetit and saw a recipe for a roast chicken with potatoes and broccoli rabe. As some of you may already know, that is my favorite vegetable in the whole world- well it’s definitely on the top of a very long list. I was very excited to read the recipe but soon found out it was quite lengthy and labor intensive. It was a bit confusing- so much so
- 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1 pound fingerling or small white potatoes, washed
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, ends cut of and the rest cut in half
In a large lined roasting pan, add the chicken and potatoes. Keep aside.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons salt divided
- ½ cup chicken broth
Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and add 2 teaspoons salt. Add the olive oil and mix till a smooth paste is formed.
Massage the chicken and the potatoes with the paste mixing well.
Bake the chicken and potatoes for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Add ½ cup chicken broth. Bake for another 20 minutes. Take out of oven and add the broccoli rabe mixing it well with the chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and place it back in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, making sure the broccoli rabe leaves don’t burn. Serve hot with a fresh baguette.