happy new year: pasta with sausage, kale and lentils

In some cultures, it's traditional to eat lentils on New Years day for good luck, but I decided to get my lentil luck on a little early early and end 2007 off right. I found this recipe on epicurious but changed it to add in some greenery in place of some of the sausage. The kale went really well with the dish and it's definitely something I'll make again. It's the makings of a new year's staple, I think!

For the cheese in this dish, I used an organic Parmesan that I bought at a pretty amazing Vancouver market, Tosci & Co. It's the oldest Italian market in Chinatown (and I'd venture to say in this whole city) and I had always been afraid to step inside since you have to ring a bell to be let in. I must have been crazy to worry about that because it's pretty much my favorite store now. I wrote a post about it over at Bazaar on the Food Network Canada site. Take a look and leave a comment!

pasta with sausage, kale & lentils
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
3/4 c dry red wine
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled
1 can of lentils, drained & rinsed
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
500g pkg of short pasta (I used bowtie pasta)

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, peppers and sausage and stir about until the sausage is brown. Add in the kale and saute until softened. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in lentils and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Return cooked pasta to pot. Add sausage-lentil-kale mixture, cheese and toss to coat. Add enough reserved pasta cooking water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional cheese if needed.

meat and potatoes

Blogger must have been hungry too because it just ate my post! "Draft autosaved"? I don't think so. Grrrrrrr.....

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity and meals out. We had friends from Portland visiting and we made sure to hit all the local fun spots which included a trek to Hastings Park, dinner at the Clubhouse for sushi, gelato at La Casa Gelato, breakfast at Crave and even a game of tennis! Fun times were had by all, but by Monday night I was itching to taste something homemade yet not spend the whole evening in the kitchen. When I looked at what I had in my fridge, my choice was made: potato salad. I've made potato salads before (a lemony one and a yogurt based one), but I decided try something new and a bit more substantial by adding in some leftover Ukranian farmer's sausage from our local sausage heaven, J,N, & Z Deli. The results where outstanding! A perfect dinner that is hearty enough on it's own but made even better accompanying a perfect little Ukranian weiner. You know what they say...double the sausage, double the fun! Indeed.


potato & sausage salad
10 baby potatoes in their skins
1/2 red onion, diced small
1/2 link of farmer's sausage, sliced
1 bunch parsley, torn
handful of chives & dill, snipped
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 T of dill mustard (if you use dijon, try a bit less & taste)
1/4 c olive oil
1 t cider vinegar
1 t honey

1. Boil the potatoes whole and when tender, drain and quarter. Place in a bowl with the diced onion, sausage, lemon zest, parsley and chives.

2. Mix together the lemon juice, mustard, oil, vinegar and honey into a dressing and toss with the salad. Put the salad in the fridge to cool until ready to serve.

spring and winter wrestle. winter wins.

I should be thinking about springtime and cherry blossoms and picnics, but instead of sunshine, today Vancouver was covered in that ol' familiar cloud cover. Go away, grey, we're sick of your drab! Maybe I should have searched the local markets for fresh asparagus to help lift my spirits, but instead I wallowed. And made soup. A hearty, wintery fare suitable for comforting long nights like your favorite worn sweater. So what if spring is on the doorstep, today I took the greyness and marched with it. This soup is comfort through and through. The key to the flavour of this soup is the mustard. I used my favorite dill mustard, but I'm sure dijon along with a drop of honey to mellow it out would work just as nicely.

cabbage, potato & chorizo soup
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small cooked chorizo sausage, diced
1 potato, diced
1/2 head of cabbage, diced
water
2 beef stock cubes
1 large pinch thyme
1/4 t chili flakes
1 T dill mustard
salt & pepper to taste
sour cream (optional)

In a large pot, saute the garlic and onion until translucent. Add in the chorizo, potato and cabbage and mix about until the cabbage gets wilty. Cover with water and add in the stock cubes, thyme and chili. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes to 40 minutes. Throw in a large dollop of mustard and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls topped with sour cream.

my first weekend cat blog

Yes, it's true. Cornelius and I have a little furry friend named Snoopy. She doesn't do much around the house other than nap and leer at us with her yellow eyes. If only she could do the house cleaning! But we still love her regardless of her inability to contribute to the run of the house. I realized that I don't take very many photos of our cat...and isn't that the joke about bloggers? Oh well, I'm taking the plunge - this time.

Yesterday, I spent the day walking everywhere. I went to a cool craft fair, shopped for rick rack and ribbons at my favorite fabric shop and bought a bunch of plain tea towels for a highly secret xmas craft involving screen printing and cakes! When I got home, my feet were sore and I wanted something warm and filling, so I decided to make a corn and potato chowder.

Years ago, during my "lean" years working at a record store, I used to make this soup all the time. I made it vegetarian because I was one at the time (for 10 years in fact) and I made it dairy free because it never occurred to me to add milk. This time, I gussied it up a little bit with the addition of turkey sausage and a splash of milk and Cornelius and I loved it. You can definitely play with the spices here. Instead of rosemary, use cumin and coriander or add in some chipotle or smoked paprika.

potato, corn & turkey kielbasa chowder

3 large potatoes cut into a small dice
1 small onion, finely diced
1 T olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
vegetable or chicken stock
1 t rosemary
1 c frozen corn
a small knob of turkey kielbasa, diced
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

In a large pot, heat up olive oil and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the diced potatoes and rosemary and add enough stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the corn and the kielbasa along with enough milk to get the soup to the consistancy you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

oh polenta!

Sunny weather but with a chill to the air. Beautiful. Still warm enough for bike rides in skirts with bare legs but with a thin sweater and perhaps a striped scarf for warmth and a bit of flare. Yesterday Cornelius and I were heading to a potluck and our main dish had to be portable by bicycle (it's our only mode of transportation), so no sloppy meals need apply. I wasn't sure what others would be bringing, so I decided to try my hand at a polenta casserole. Something that would warm the gullet (and my bare legs) after the bike ride. I had only 1 prior experience with polenta (about 10 years ago) and I wasn't pleased with the results...but something pushed me to try again and I'm so glad I did.

I looked in one of my cookbooks to figure out how to prepare the cornmeal mush and figured that I'd top it with a tomato-sausage-fall vegetable stew and then bake it in the oven, topped with cheese. I made the stew part up on the fly with ingredients I had in the house and I was amazed with the results.

polenta casserole
For the polenta:
2 c cornmeal
6 c water
1/4 c butter
salt & pepper to taste
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese

Bring water to a rapid boil. Gradually add the cornmeal in a thin stream, stirring rapidly. Add butter, salt & pepper and cheese, and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour polenta into a well buttered 12 inch casserole dish and let cool for several minutes. Refridgerate until you are ready to assemble the casserole. (I used 2 smaller casserole dishes and had enough polenta to cover the bases of each and fry up some extra as a snack!)

For the stew:
2 spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, diced*
1/2 t red chili flakes
1 t each of dried rosemary, oregano, basil
1 large can of tomatoes, broken up with a wooden spoon
1 T tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c red wine or stock

Casserole topping:
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pot and add sausage and break apart with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, sweet potatoes and the herbs and spices and continue to cook on medium heat for several minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine or broth and cover, stirring occasionally. Once vegetables are tender, about 20 - 30 minutes, remove from heat and spoon the stew mixture over top the prepared polenta. Top with cheeses and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

* I also think some eggplant, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower would be delicious here.

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So, how did we manage to carry this on our bikes without spilling? Easy. We packaged up the 2 pans of chilled polenta in plastic wrap and then put the warm stew into a non-spill plastic container. We brought the cheese with us in a little baggie and Cornelius carried the whole thing on his back in his oversized messenger bag. Once we got to the potluck, we assembled the whole thing and baked it then and there. 45 minutes later, we not only had our polenta casserole to munch on, but our host Randy had made Nigella Lawson's recipe for Soft and Sharp Aubergine Involtini which was so tasty. Needless to say, we only made it through one of my 2 casseroles, so I got to take the extra one home. The photo here is how it looked after being transported last night back home. A little less picturesque with the topping slanting to one side but as I can attest, still delicious for lunch.