Cooking
With the arrival of the latest Bon Appetit (which has replaced Gourmet as my favorite foodie mag), we're trying lots of new dishes.
One I made last week was Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout.
Oh, yum. I mean, yum.
What a fabulous dish. And so easy to make.
It had an amazing flavor, and was surprisingly filling.
Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout
6 Main-course servings
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. ground beef (15% fat)
3 spicy Italian sausages, casing removed
2 14 1/2 oz. cans low-salt chicken broth
1 15 oz. can cannellini, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup small elbow macaroni
1 6 oz. bag baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
Additional grated Romano cheese
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add beef and sausage and saute until brown, breaking up meats with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, beans, 1 cup basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, about 15 more minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4 miutes. Mix in 1/3 cup cheese and remaining 1/2 cup basil. Season ragout with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls. Serve, passing additional cheese seperately.
(Recipe from the October 2004 issue of Bon Appetit)
I split the recipe in half, making a batch for Matt and one for me. His ragout did contain sausage and ground beef, but mine was made up of Boca Italian sausages and Morningstar Farms Crumbles.
Thanks to our hedge-like basil plant, we had no trouble getting our cup and a half of fresh leaves.
We also used a bit more cannellini than called for (a slightly larger can), and because it just didn't seem like enough, I added more pasta. Instead of elbow macaroni, we used gemelli (I'm not fond of elbows). And rather than use a store-bought broth, I made my own vegetable stock, and used that.
A really good, tasty dish. And perfect for the encoaching fall-like weather.
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Cooking
Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout
With the arrival of the latest Bon Appetit (which has replaced Gourmet as my favorite foodie mag), we're trying lots of new dishes.
One I made last week was Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout.
Oh, yum. I mean, yum.
What a fabulous dish. And so easy to make.
It had an amazing flavor, and was surprisingly filling.
Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout
6 Main-course servings
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. ground beef (15% fat)
3 spicy Italian sausages, casing removed
2 14 1/2 oz. cans low-salt chicken broth
1 15 oz. can cannellini, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup small elbow macaroni
1 6 oz. bag baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
Additional grated Romano cheese
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add beef and sausage and saute until brown, breaking up meats with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, beans, 1 cup basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, about 15 more minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4 miutes. Mix in 1/3 cup cheese and remaining 1/2 cup basil. Season ragout with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls. Serve, passing additional cheese seperately.
(Recipe from the October 2004 issue of Bon Appetit)
I split the recipe in half, making a batch for Matt and one for me. His ragout did contain sausage and ground beef, but mine was made up of Boca Italian sausages and Morningstar Farms Crumbles.
Thanks to our hedge-like basil plant, we had no trouble getting our cup and a half of fresh leaves.
We also used a bit more cannellini than called for (a slightly larger can), and because it just didn't seem like enough, I added more pasta. Instead of elbow macaroni, we used gemelli (I'm not fond of elbows). And rather than use a store-bought broth, I made my own vegetable stock, and used that.
A really good, tasty dish. And perfect for the encoaching fall-like weather.
- Eggplant Parmesan Soup Recipe
I've started off this year eating more soup. It's amazing what can go in soup. I mean, pretty much anything. And many classic comfort food dishes can be transformed into soup. Macaroni and cheese, baked potato, even eggplant parmesan. I got...
- Italian Sausage Meatballs Recipe
I could eat spaghetti and meatballs every night of the week. Of course my laundry bill would be astronomical. There are cleaning products for removing every possible stain including wine, coffee, ink and blood, but no one has invented a product to remove...
- Lentil Soup With Spinach And Pasta
I made this lentil soup a couple of weeks ago. I'd been in the mood for lentil soup for a little while and had just paid a visit to my eye doctor who reminded me I should eat five servings of leafy green vegetables a week. Generally when I make lentil...
- Imbb 11 - Beans And Greens Soup Revisited
Back in June, shortly after I started this blog, I made a soup from leftover beans that I really enjoyed. However, because of the time involved in making the beans, I had not gotten around to making the soup again. For IMBB 11, I decided that I would...
- Just Buy The Book, Already!
Here's another wonderfully simple, and fast, recipe from Giada De Laurentis. Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Wow. Talk about an easy meal! I even waited until Matt was home to start cooking, and we still found ourselves sitting at the table,...