Roasted Sausages and Grapes

This recipe is from Cucina Simpatica by Johanne Killeen & George German, the owners/chefs of Al Forno in Providence, RI. Al Forno is one of my favorite restaurants ever. This dish is a classic and has been on the menu for over 30 years. It is both easy and delicious.  I was doubtful, Italian sausages and cooked grapes?  Just make it, it is both really delicious and really easy. They suggest serving it with mashed potatoes. I usually serve it with crusty bread, but I think that cheesy polenta would be an excellent side. Leftovers (if you have any) make a great sandwich with some arugula on a crusty pug roll from Blue Dog Bakery.

This serves 6-8, I halved it in the photos here since I was cooking for only two. My husband prefers mild Italian sausages versus the hot. The sausages here came from Red Hog.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds hot Italian sausage (about 4 links)
• 1 1/2 pounds mild Italian sausage (about 4 links)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6-7 cups (2 1/2 pounds) red or green seedless grapes, stems removed
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Parboil the sausages in water to cover for 8-10 minutes to rid them of excess fat.  This may be done ahead.
   
3. Melt the butter in a large flameproof roasting pan, add the grapes and toss well.
   
   
   
   
4. With tongs, transfer the sausages the roasting pan, nestling them down into the grapes.
   
5. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the sausages half way through, until the sausages have browned.
   
6. Transfer the sausages and grapes to a heated serving platter with a slotted spoon.
   
7. Place the roasting pan over a medium high flame and add the balsamic vinegar.  Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and allow the vinegar and juices to reduce until they are thick and syrupy.
   
   
   
   
8. Pour the sauce over the sausages and grapes, and serve.
   

Pasta e Ceci

A new recipe for me, and this one is a keeper.  I’ve had me eye on this for a while (it was published by Cook’s Illustrated in November 2015) and finally made it last night.  It is delicious, and will make a regular appearance on our table.  It is a hearty, flavorful dish, that is both inexpensive and quick to prepare. Real winter comfort food.  

I used tubetti pasta rather than the ditalini in the recipe, since I couldn’t find that shape here in Kentucky.  Cook's suggested orzo pasta as another substitute.  I think any small pasta shape will do. Cook's Illustrated seems to think this will take about 30 minutes to put together and with ingredients in your pantry.  It took me a bit longer than 30 minutes, and I had most, but not all, of the ingredients in my pantry.   

Changes to the original recipe:

I suggest you keep the juices drained from the tomatoes and use it to make up part of the two cups of water.  Why throw away that flavor?

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small celery rib, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 onion, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry (I think a squirt of anchovy paste will work here too)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons minced rosemary
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of chickpeas (do not drain) I suggest Goya brand
• 2 cups water (add the tomato juice here if desired)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound ditalini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used the juice from 1/2 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 ounce (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions:

1. Process pancetta in a food processor until ground to a paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down side of bowl as needed.
   
2. Add carrot, celery, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped, 8-10 pulses.
   
3. Add onion and pulse until onion is cut into 1/8 inch pieces, 8-10 pulses.
   
4. Transfer mixture to a Dutch oven.
5. Pulse tomatoes in now-empty food processor until coarsely chopped, 8-10 pulses, and set aside.
   
6. Add oil to pancetta mixture and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until fond begins to form on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes.
   
7. Add anchovy, pepper flakes, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
   
8. Stir in reserved tomatoes, chickpeas, and their liquid, water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.
   
9. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
10. Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 10-12 minutes.
    
11. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
    
    
    
    
12. Serve, passing Parmesan and extra oil separately.

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Once I could find guanciale (cured pork jowl) this become a favorite.  This version is from Anne Burrell in her book Cook Like a Rock Star.  Red Hog Butcher has guanciale regularly, I used the spicy version in this batch.  

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces guanciale, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 large onions- diced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Kosher salt
• 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, passed through a food mill or chopped in a food processor or blender
• 1 pound bucatini
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for garnish
  

Directions:

1.  Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and add guanciale and cook over low to medium low heat until it is brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove to a paper towel line plate and set aside.

2.  Increase the heat to medium and add the onions and red pepper flakes, and season with salt.  Cook until the onions are soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.  Add the tomatoes and two thirds of the guanciale and simmer for about one hour, tasting and adjusting the salt as necessary.

4.  Cook pasta according to package directions in well-salted water one minutes less than the instructions on the package suggest.  It should be almost al dente.
5.  Ladle about 2 cups of the sauce into a bowl and set aside.  

6.  Drain the pasta and add it to the pan of sauce.  Cook the pasta in the sauce, adding more sauce as needed, for another 1-2 minutes.  Off the heat, add the cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

7.  Serve topped with the reserve one third of the guanciale and more cheese.

Porchetta

This recipe is based on Anne Burrerll's porchetta from Cook Like a Rock Star. The idea of roasting the vegetables under the roast is hers.  I thought the vegetables would fall apart after cooking so long, but they really don't.  They are delicious after cooking in all that pork jus and fat.  I changed the seasonings, some of the veggies, and the cooking temperature and timefrom Anne's recipe.  I like to serve this with a simple green salad with a lemon dressing.

I usually make a lot of this, but feel free to cut the recipe down to a size that would work better for you.  It is a great dinner party dish since it can be made ahead. For me it is a must do ahead since I like to chill the jus to make it easy to remove the rather large amount of fat. 

Note:
Anne Burrell suggests using a pork shoulder roast with the skin on.  I tried this, as did my sister, and neither of us cared for the skin after roasting.  Bob Hancock from Blue Dog told me I wouldn't care for it with the skin on, and he was correct.  It was sorta leathery and not delicious. The skin also prevented the fat under it from getting all brown and crispy.  Maybe scoring the skin would help?  
The dry marinade I use on the roast came from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I have used it for years on pork loin roasts and think it works very well in this recipe as well.

This will serve 10-12 people.You will need a large roasting pan.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal - if using Morton's cut to 2 tablespoons))
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons of dried ground thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon ground bay leaves (Pendery's Spices)
• 1 7-10 pound pork shoulder roast, boned, skinned and butterflied (keep the bone!) or two smaller roasts
• 2 large onions
• 2 fennel bulbs, cored and tough outer layers removed
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded (a grapefruit spoon works great for removing the seeds and strings)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
• 10 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme, tied with string
• 1 bottle of dry white wine
• 1 quart pork or chicken stock (Red Hog sells pork and chicken stock)
• salt and pepper
  

Directions:

1.  Combine first 6 ingredients and rub over the inside and outside of the pork roast.

2.  Roll roast into a neat bundle, tie with butcher's twine, cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate for one to two days.

3.  Remove roast from the fridge to sit a room temperature for about a hour.  Set oven to 425 degrees.
4.  Cut the onions, fennel, squash and sweet potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces.  Put all the vegetables in the roasting pan and toss with salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Put the pork bone in the center of the pan and place the roast on top.
6.  Add the bay leaves, thyme and wine to the pan.

7.  Roast for one hour, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees and roast for another 2-3 hours.  Cover the roast if it gets too brown and add the pork stock if the pan gets dry.  When done, the roast shoud be fall apart tender and register 180-190 degrees.

8.  Remove the roast from the pan and set aside to rest.  If making ahead, let the roast cool, then slice and place in an oven proof serving dish that can hold the meat and the jus.  Cover and put in the fridge.
9. Dispose of the bay leaves and thyme, and remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon to an oven proof serving dish.  If making ahead, cool, cover and refidgerate.

10.  If there is alot of jus left in the roasting pan, put it back on the stove top, bring to a boil over high heat, and reduce to 2-3 cups.

11.  Strain jus into a container.  If making ahead, place in fridge.  Remove the fat that rises to the surface and solidifies.  Pour over the pork. (if the jus is jellied, warm up to pour over the meat)

12.  Reheat the meat and vegetables covered with foil in a 325 degree oven for about one hour.  

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is how I always serve Bolognese Sauce.  The idea came from my sister (an excellent cook - and provider of many family standard recipes!) and is based upon Marcella Hazan's Baked Green Lasagna with Meat Sauce from The Classic Italian Cookbook.  It is much easier this way.  It is also a great do ahead - the Bolognese sauce can be made weeks ahead and frozen, and the pasta can be put together an hour or so ahead and kept in a warm oven.  This will serve 6 generously.

Ingredients:
1 quart Bolognese sauce
2 cups bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
1 pound rigatoni rigate  - my standard brand is DeCecco
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:
4 T. unsalted butter
4 T. flour
2 cups milk
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.

2.  Add flour and whisk until no lumps of flour remain.

3.  Add milk and bring a a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

4.  Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions for al dente.

Mix bolognese, bechamel and grated cheese with the pasta.

 
Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, or pour into an oven proof baking dish and keep in a warm oven until ready to eat.