Italian Sausage Crumbles - Quick, Easy, Vegan

True story - I fell off the vegetarian wagon over homemade sausage. Yup, visiting friends in Montana more than 20 years ago and they offered homemade, homegrown pork sausage for breakfast and I didn't blink. Forget bacon, sausage and salumi are my downfall.

In my defense, I had been trying to make my own vegetarian sausage for years; I just couldn't stomach faux sausage anymore. And after too many failed attempts, I returned to the real deal. My sisters called me a "Sausa-tarian" to mock me. 

While faux sausage has gotten better - less unpronounceable ingredients - it still is expensive and or includes wheat, which I longer can eat. But Italian sausage is still one of my favorite foods, especially crumbled on pizza. So I created this recipe, and it is a winner!

Quick, easy and even stores well, I try to have it on hand for Friday Night Pizza, and it never lets me down!

Limoncello Liqueur

Ahh limoncello! So easy to make, as long as you are willing to wait.

Someone gifted me a bottle of vodka and a friend had lots of gorgeous lemons, so Limoncello I made!

It is as simple as cutting off the peels of the lemon, steeping them in vodka for at least four weeks, then adding simple syrup. 

Since I am not big into sweets, my preferred way to drink it is as a spritz, either with sparking wine or sparkling water. But if you do sip it straight, make sure it is freezer cold, that's how the Italians do it!

Fideo Verde Seco - Cappelini in Green Herb Sauce with Shrimp

 

Having been a home cook for more than 30 years, there are very few recipes that look new to me - but this one was quite the eye-opener. Pan frying dry pasta and then adding a flavorful broth and cooking it in a skillet was a revelation!

So full of flavor, so easy to make, and the variations set my mind awhirl!

Apparently fideo is a type of very thin pasta but I have never seen it. Here I used cappelini, and gluten free brown rice at that, and it worked beautifully!

I garnished this with cotija cheese since it pairs well with shrimp, but don't tell the Italians since they traditional abhor cheese with seafood.

Steamed Garlic Broccoli Pasta

This is a brilliant recipe from Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen. Brilliant in its simplicity and its utter contrariness. Who would have thought that STEAMING pasta along with broccoli could produce such a fantastic dish!

The broccoli gets silky soft but not over cooked. The garlic is mellow, almost like it has been roasted. Using water and oil to steam it all together is the stroke of genius! It is my new favorite comfort food, and a one pot meal to boot! Can't beat that!

Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins, Almonds, Capers and Fresh Herbs

 

Adding fresh herbs to your cooking repertoire seems to feel daunting and although cookbooks abound on the idea, don’t bother with them, just follow your taste buds. Mine led me to this amazing cauliflower dish that apparently originates from a famous New York chef. I just know it was so delicious I may have eaten a whole head of cauliflower for dinner that night!

Raisins, almonds, and capers with cauliflower is a traditional Sicilian pairing, truly, no lie. But add in a bunch of fresh chopped herbs and this dish is something special. Fresh herbs are like citrus, they enliven all that they touch!

The original recipe called for fresh breadcrumbs toasted in butter, and while it was good, I felt disinclined to make them the second time and I found I didn’t miss them. For me, the star of the dish were the raisins simmered in a vinegar butter bath that plumps them into delicious sweet tangy bites that are mind-blowing with the crunch of almonds and the brine of capers, alongside the cauliflower and assorted herbs! This is truly a dish where you will want to fish around to get all of those flavors and textures in each bite!

Garlic, Parmesan, Parsley Pasta

This is a super easy, super delicious, super fast pasta dinner. I know, most pasta dinners are all of the above, but this one is new to you!

Chop up a lot of garlic, a lot of parsley, grate a lot of parmesan or pecorino and toss it all together with your favorite string pasta and Presto Pronto! You have amazingness in no time flat!

By the way that is gluten free pasta and it was terrific!

Garlic, Parmesan, Parsley Pasta
(1 serving, multiply as needed)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced (most of it will be sauted gently in oil, and 1/4 is tossed raw with the cooked pasta, so you choose your garlic amount accordingly)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup parmesan, shredded
salt
pepper
olive oil
pasta

In a small saute pan heating on simmer, add oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add 3/4 of the garlic and saute slowly so it begins to turn golden, not brown. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Strain when al dente but keep at least 1/4 cup of cooking water and set aside.

Add pasta back to the pot and toss in the raw garlic and toss well. Add a good glug of olive oil and swirl to coat. Add parsley, cooked garlic and cheese and toss well; then add in 1 tablespoon of cooking water and stir well. It should begin to create a creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Add more oil and or cooking water to create a sauce consistency to your liking. Season with salt and pepper and eat immediately.

Hugs!

Pan Seared Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara and Parmesan

As the days grow shorter and the nights chillier most people think pumpkin spice. My mind screams CAULIFLOWER!

You always knew I wasn't like the other children...

Yes, the white orb beckons me with its promise of nutty buttery goodness. While roasting it is sublime, waiting for the oven to heat up and then waiting for the florets to cook seems to take forever. Then I realized that pan searing and steaming would work just as well and in record time!

Adding a red sauce and grated parmesan isn't probably your first thought of what to do with that gorgeous cauliflower you scored at the farmers' market, but have faith, it totally works! Searing it in a heavy skillet (cast iron works admirably), and covering it so that it steams in the oil and its own juices, produces a tender but charred cauliflower "steak" that marries beautifully with a plain marinara sauce and lots of parmesan. 

The inspiration came from laziness, not surprisingly. Cauliflower parmesan was a dish the New York Times foodies introduced me to - breading cauliflower florets, baking them and then re-baking them smothered in red sauce and cheese. But while breading is always a good choice, sometimes I am just not up for the extra work. So this shortcut was born. Trust me, you will devour it!

Four Cheese Eggplant Gratin

Eggplant is one of the most gorgeous vegetables out there, seducing me every time I see it at Farmers' Markets - that radiant purple, that glossy exterior. How can you resist!

Sadly so many people admit they don't know what to do with it. Here's the recipe which turns that beautiful vegetable into a happy meal for all. Yes, it is full of cheese, so save up for it if you are trying to reduce your dairy intake, trust me it's worth it!

This dish originates in Sicily, where cooking with anchovies is part of the regional character. For those of you claiming you don't like the little fishes, please trick yourself into leaving them in the recipe. They melt into the cheese and give the whole dish the finishing touch that is essential. You will thank yourself in the end.

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Zucchini - it's the epitome of summer vegetables and you love it...until you hate. it Because you bought a whole six-pack of starter plants without realizing that not only do the plants get really big but once they start producing, that cute little zucchini you saw yesterday will be the size of a baseball bat by the end of the weekend.

What to do with such abundance? (besides leaving them on your neighbors’ doorsteps, anonymously of course.)

Make Pizza Crust. Yes, crust. It sounds like some frou frou healthy thing, but in reality it is a delicious alternative to waiting hours for your pizza crust to rise. The added bonus is that it gets some vegetables in you and your family in a sneaky and tasty way.

Essentially, zucchini pizza crust is a large zucchini fritter. Fritters are shredded or chopped vegetables combined with egg and cheese and pan-fried to a crisp. Doesn’t that sound mouthwatering? So add some pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and a few toppings and you have a winner.

Since my first paid job was in a pizza joint, run by actual Sicilians, I kind of consider myself a bit of an expert on making pizza. The main way people ruin homemade pizza is putting on too many toppings. It prevents the pizza from cooking quickly and can make it soggy, leaving you dejected and disappointed. Secondly, grate your own cheese! Pre-grated cheese loses it moisture in the bag and your pizza will suffer. Lastly, make a good crust. Obviously, that is not an issue since you are going to make a zucchini crust. So let’s get to it!

Fried Smoked Mozzarella

Before there were the ubiquitous "cheese sticks" on every fried food menu, there was the original, breaded fried mozzarella, Sicilian style.

Yes, it existed before those frozen mini logs were the only version of "fried cheese" that everyone now knows. So wow your family and make the real deal and watch their eyes light up in ecstacy!

I guilded the lily with a smoked mozzarella here, but plain mozzarella will do just as well. It doesn't really matter whether you use whole milk or part skim, but the double breading is a must; otherwise you will have more cheese leaking into the oil than in the crust!

Serve them hot! And with lots of good tomato sauce. Cheers!

Faux Pepperoni for Pizza

For most of my teenage life pepperoni and black olives were the only things allowed on my pizza slices. Day after day after day where I worked at Mazzatta's Italian Restaurant.

In the past 20 plus years as a pescatarian I have indulged in pepperoni pizza on rare occasions, but not often because I prefer my meat to be "happy" and generally pepperoni in pizza joints doesn't fit that description.

But since working as a lunch lady making vegetarian meals only in a groovy, alternative charter school where I hear the plaintive longing for pepperoni on the pizza, an investigation of alternative forms seemed in order.

And then I found THE recipe on the Minimalist Baker.

Can I just say easy, delicious and quick!

If you have kids, big or small, with a vegetarian diet who are craving pepperoni this is the ticket. Don't be put off by the list of ingredients, you probably have all them in the pantry, and this just needs a few whizzes in the food processor and a quick bake and Voila! Magic!

Chicken Saltimbocco

A few weeks ago a landmark old-school style Italian restaurant closed its doors after serving the community since 1928...We of course had dinner before they shuttered for good. "Saltimbocco" means "jump in mouth" and this was their version of Chicken Saltimbocco, and it was tooooo diiiiie forrrrr!  So naturally it needed to be recreated at home!

Creamy cheesy marsala wine sauce, meltingly sweet sun-dried tomatoes and succulent chicken, really, how can you go wrong! Do not be put off by what appears to be long instructions, they are there to ensure a delicious end result.

It looks fancy but is deceptively simple; dust chicken breasts with flour, slip a few slices of prosciutto and mozzarella into a pocket in the chicken breast, brown, and make the sauce as the chicken is browning, and Eccola! Saltimbocco!

Cauliflower Parmesan

So that Red Coated, Chocolate Dipped Faux Holiday is a few days away, and you want to make something special for your love, but you don't have tons of time to look up a fancy recipe...So make comfort food! Right! Happy, warm, yummy in your tummy food!

No, not pasta, but close, Parmesan! Cauliflower Parmesan!

(Wait for it...)

CAULIFLOWER PARMESAN?

Yes, you heard right, and why didn't I think of this sooner? Breaded cauliflower doused with tomato sauce, bechamel sauce and loads of parmesan baked to crispy perfection. I will bet the house that everyone will love this!

How can such a boast be made? Just seeing the look on my hubby's face when he spied the cauliflower florets awaiting their breading (it was of total horror) and then cut to him forking said florets transformed into magical goodness into his mouth. "I was skeptical, but this is amazing!" From the mouths of babes!

Baked Ziti with Veggie Italian Sausage Crumbles

Awww, baked ziti, a phrase that invokes comfort, cheesy, Italian homemade goodness.

No? You must not be from the Northeast!

Baked ziti, AKA pasta al forno is truly second best only to pizza. If you are an omnivore, adding in some Italian sausage is always a good thing. Fortunately my freezer had some of my homemade veggie Italian sausage (gluten free!), so it was added to the mix. Delizioso!

This can be a quick pantry meal if you already have a few things on hand, such as prepared tomato sauce and veggie sausage crumbles. Preparation is simple: heat tomato sauce, cook pasta, sautee crumbles (all of which can basically happen simultaneously), combine and grate cheese over the top and bake.

If you have to use gluten free pasta as I do, then this is a great dish for hiding the less than exciting texture of such pastas. It also can handle a variety of cheeses, great for using up odd bits and pieces out of your cheese drawer. (What? You don't have a cheese drawer? So sorry to hear that! Get started on that right away!)

Eggplant and Sardine Gratin, Sicilian Style

I know, I know, you are thinking, "What the hell kind of dish is this?" And, "she's taking an awful lot of poetic license with that name...!"

Yes and no.

It is cooked veggies - garlic, eggplant and some tomatoes (canned, pureed, I've even used a little leftover soup) plus sardines just for the fabulous taste of them, and mixed with some capers and hard cheese and baked with garlic breadcrumbs on top. So, sue me if the title doesn't quite fit the description. It is mind-blowingly delicious!

The Sicilian part is the eggplant and sardines; the gratin is the precooked portion mixed with cheese and topped with breadcrumbs. Now do you see how the name evolved? No? Forget about it! Just make it!

Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese - DIY Pantry

When it dawned on me that fresh ricotta has been a staple in my kitchen for at least five years and had never made an appearance in the DIY Pantry section of my blog, I was incredulous! Even easier than paneer and more of an instant gratification than other DIY Pantry items, it was next on the list no matter what was in the blog queue!

I freely admit that buying ricotta is easier, when confronted with a price tag of $8 for 15 oz of organic ricotta, my thrifty self says, "it's cheaper to make" and better tasting to boot! If you have the time and inclination (and truly it didn't take more than 20 minutes to make, and so little involves cook prep time!) go for it!

30 Minute Pizza Crust - Pesto Pizza with Homemade Veggie Italian Sausage

It was one of those nights, when cooking seems like the hardest thing to do - yes, it happens, even to me. And then Vegan Richa's new post popped up and she promised a 30 minute pizza crust. Intriguing and turns out, quite good!

Oddly enough it is a normal crust - flour, water, yeast, oil, salt. There is very little rise period, which makes for a very crispy crust. Take care not to overbake it or it will be too crispy!

Having just made some veggie Italian sausage and being gifted with two huge bunch of fresh basil, it was perfect for a pesto pizza with pan fried sausage on top!

Do note that I made my crust with spelt flour so the water in the recipe is slightly less; check Richa's recipe for the wheat flour version.

Homemade Veggie Breakfast Sausage (or Italian Sausage) (gluten free)

Ahhh, sausage, my one true food love! As a vegetarian for 13 plus years, I finally caved and began eating real sausage. My sisters called me a sausatarian. But it was because I was tired of eating bad faux meat with unprounceable ingredients. Failing to make good faux veggie sausage, I had subccumbed to the real stuff. But then the vegan sausage revolution happened and things changed! Unfortunately, gluten is not my friend, so after some experimentation, this gluten free version was born!

It does hold together pretty well when frying, but certainly will not hold up in a stew. But super tasty it is! This is a basic recipe that can be changed according to the seasonings to make it Breakfast sausage or Italian Sausage, or maybe one day I'll even try to make a bratwurst!

I like to make the breakfast sausages really fat so that I can slice them thin and cook like a patty. Yum!

Eggplant Involtini with Feta and Raisins

Involtini - a thin slice of something wrapped around something else. Kind of non-descript but oh so Delicioso!

Borrowing from a New York Times recipe, this version is thinnly sliced eggplant wrapped around feta, raisins, and nuts. Strange combination you may think? Not really, very traditionally Sicilian, and trust me, those Sicilians know a thing or two about how to make great food!

Not surprisingly, my version diverts from the original recipe, mainly because I got distracted and forgot to add the lemon zest and dried mint. They were spectacular without those extra ingredients but next time they will be in there.

Yes, it takes a bit more time than a 30 minute meal; closer to 90 minutes. But it is so worth the effort. For myself, my time spent preparing food is my alone time, my daily meditation. But if that time commitment is daunting, you can make part of it ahead of time; fry the eggplant and refrigerate it, bringing it to room temperature before stuffing and rolling it.

Since we are in full blown tomato season, just go with a very simple topping of chopped fresh tomatoes. Do drain off the extra tomato juice (or slurp it when no one is watching, cook's perogative!)

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Unless you have only been cooking from cookbooks (and if so, bully for you!) but everyone else should have undoubtedly heard of the cauliflower crust pizza. This is even better, trust me!

It is like a giant zucchini fritter with pizza on top, sooooo amazingly good! Feed it to your skeptical diners, they will reward your with praise! Even my hubby, who couldn't believe his eyes, actually said it might be better than real pizza crust! It was good enough that I planted extra zucchini plants to freeze shredded zucchini to have through the winter!

I have to admit that I have not been able to achieve the "crisp" crust that so many of the bloggers brag about, even though I bought a silicon baking mat specifically for that purpose. But it still tastes delicious!