Rotini with Sweet Fennel Sausage & Sundried Tomatoes

Rotini with Sweet Fennel Italian Sausages, Sundried Tomatoes & Olives
Printable Recipe

Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
Your favorite pasta…I like something small and that will hold the sauce, this time I used multi-grain rotini. (1 cup per person)
4 links sweet fennel Italian sausages
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 sundried tomatoes – I prefer the ones that are soaked in oil & come in a jar, coarsely chopped
¼ cup salty black olives – I prefer Nicoise or Kalamata, pitted and chopped
½ - ¾ cup dry white wine (I only had Zinfandel which is sweeter than I’d normally use, but tasted delicious)
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ tsp red chili pepper flakes
Parmesan or Asiago cheese, coarsely grated

Directions
1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (check the package for time – usually 7-8 minutes) and drain. Save 1 cup of pasta water – just in case the sauce gets too thick before you’re ready to serve.

2. While the water is coming to a boil, grill the sausages (I usually just use a grill pan on top of the stove, but you could stick them under the broiler element of your stove) about 8-10 minutes total. Slice them in 2” pieces and set aside.

3. When the pasta is about halfway done (you can bite into it, but the center is still hard), in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat and add the sausage coins, sundried tomatoes, olives, chili pepper flakes & garlic and sauté until all the flavors meld (about 4 minutes). Add the wine and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to very low, until the pasta is ready.

4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and place in a serving bowl, add the sauce and chopped parsley and taste for seasoning. Serve with lots of grated cheese.

Kids Hanukkah Cookies

Boaz, aged almost three with a little help from his mummy and grandma made these
Kids Hanukkah Cookies
From A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Chill time for dough: 10 minutes to up to 2 days or freeze dough for up to 1 month
Baking time: 45 minutes
Makes3-4 dozen

Ingredients:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup vegetable shortening
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 drops EACH lemon, orange & almond extract
4 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ cup half & half, milk or water
Topping
1-2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Sugar or colored sprinkles

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder and mix well.

2. In a large mixing bowl, (I used my stand mixer with paddle) cream the butter and shortening with the sugar. Blend in the eggs, vanilla and extracts. Add the flour mixture in two batches on low speed. Add the liquid gradually to make a firm but rollable dough. Chill for at least 10 minutes or overnight. You can actually freeze the dough for up to one month.

3. Preheat oven to 350° F/180°C and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface to about ¼” thick and cut them into rounds or shapes. Place the cookies on the baking sheets. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar or colored sprinkles…or you can leave them plain to decorate with an icing once they are baked and cooled.

5. Bake until golden (about 15-18 minutes). Cool on a wire rack.

Mustardy Chicken & Mushroom Rotini

Mustardy Chicken & Mushroom Rotini

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (or until the water boils & the pasta cooks)
Serves4

Ingredients::
8oz/225g Rotini (farfalle or whatever your favorite short pasta is)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4oz/100g cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters (2 cups)
1-2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cooked chicken meat, diced or shredded
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into 2” strips (about 1 cup)
4-5 sun dried tomatoes (in oil), coarsely chopped (we didn’t use any this time, but it would be lovely)
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, shredded
1-2 heaping tbsp grainy mustard
Large pinch red chili pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of salted water. (usually 8-10 minutes depending on the type of pasta used.) Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside.

2. My daughter used the same pot or you could use heat the olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat, while the pasta is cooking. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until golden and then add the garlic, red pepper strips, sun-dried tomatoes (if you are using any), chicken, and chili pepper flakes. Toss and sauté until everything is heated through.

3. Mix the mustard with ½ cup of the pasta water and taste for seasoning.

4. In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, chicken mixture, basil leaves and mustard “sauce”. Toss, taste for seasoning and serve. Great with a simple bitter greens salad and vinaigrette.

Delicioso!

Pasta with Savoy Cabbage & Pancetta

Vermicelli with Savoy Cabbage & Pancetta
From 250 True Italian Pasta Dishes

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: as long as it takes to boil the pasta plus 3 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1lb/450g vermicelli or spaghetti (I used fresh whole wheat linguine)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup pancetta, diced
¼ cup onion, diced (I used 1 small red onion)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups Savoy cabbage, deribbed and diced (I used ½ a small head, quartered, core removed and cut into ½” slices horizontally)
6 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I actually used Asiago)

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package in salted boiling water.

2. In the meantime, using a large skillet, heat the olive oil, pancetta and onion over high heat. Cook, stirring until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add the wine and cook, stirring until reduced by half. Stir in the cabbage and reduce the heat to lowest possible and simmer until the cabbage is tender but still a bit crunchy.

3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain well, reserving a cup of the pasta water.

4. Add 2 tbsp of the cooking water to the cabbage mixture and raise the heat to high. Add the pasta and toss to coat evenly, using tongs. Add more pasta water if needed and half the cheese. Toss again.

5. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the rest of the cheese and more freshly ground pepper and serve.

Ruth’s note: the author called for Italian vermicelli and suggested spaghettini or spaghetti as an option. I think any long pasta works well.

As for substitute for Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise and either whole leaves of smaller sprouts or cut across in thin slices for larger ones, make a great alternative.

Diner Scramble

Diner Scramble
That old diner favorite – bacon, eggs & hash brown potatoes served with toast

Printable Recipe:

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5-8 minutes
Servings: 2.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium Yukon Gold potato (or any other thin skinned, waxy potato) peeled and finely diced
5 rashers of bacon (or better yet, pancetta), diced
4 large eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
toast on the side

Directions:
1. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt & pepper and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a medium sized non-stick, skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the potatoes and the pancetta until the potatoes are tender but golden and crispy on the outside. The pancetta/bacon should be crispy as well (5 minutes or less).

3. Pour the eggs over the mixture in the pan and, using a spatula, keep stirring the pan so that the eggs don't form a crepe or omelet base. The constant stirring keeps the eggs fluffy - just a few minutes. (I like mine a little moist, my Honey likes them quite dry...so make your own choice.)

Serve with your favorite toast. I’m partial to rye, but whole grain rye is delicious too.