This recipe makes enough for 12 servings of lasagna or eggplant parmigiana, 6 extra-large servings of spaghetti, and probably a dozen pizzas, calzones and stromboli.   It freezes well and is always better a day or two after its made.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 large stalk celery, minced
• 1 lb. ground round or hamburger
• 1 lb. Italian pork sausage, mild or spicy, casings removed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine (or beef stock)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste diluted with 1/4 cup water or juice from tomatoes
• 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with their juice
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Saute the onions, carrot and celery in olive oil over medium high heat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add all the meat and garlic.  Continue sauteeing and breaking up the meat until it is a fairly small mince.
3. Add the wine and tomato paste and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, pepper flakes, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes.  If necessary add beef stock or more water if the sauce becomes too thick.
5. Before serving add the basil, parsley and salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.  Add noodles to sauce and toss. Add a little pasta water to the sauce if too thick.  Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano cheese.  Serve with additional cheese, a crisp salad and garlic bread.

This dish is real comfort food for the winter months and easy to make for a crowd.  I’ve used a pork picadillo and cheddar cheese for my filling but spinach and chicken with feta would be awesome and any sauteed veggie medley would work as a vegetarian alternative.   There’s no butter, sour cream or bacon to raise the calories of the potato so it’s nearly quilt free eating.  Give this a try next time you’re hungry for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. of russet potatoes, peeled and boiled until fork tender
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 Anaheim pepper or green Bell pepper chopped
• 1 red Bell pepper chopped
• 3 large  ripe tomatoes chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground pork (beef, turkey, chicken or lamb may be used)
• 1/2 cup Sofrito (substitute with a packet of Taco Seasoning and 1 cup water)
• 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Method:

1. Over medium high heat saute the ground pork until fat is rendered, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
2. Add all the vegetables and garlic and cook until all are wilted and done, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the Sofrito or Taco Seasoning packet and stir.  Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust salt if needed.
4. Set aside to cool.
5. Drain potatoes and return to pan to keep warm and dry out a bit.  Mash potatoes with a 1/2 tsp salt.  Don’t over mash, you want a little texture.
6. Preheat oven to 375° F.  Butter a 3-4 quart casserole dish.
7. Line bottom with 1/3 of the mashed potatoes and smooth the top with back of a spoon. Spoon half the meat sauce over the potatoes and top with 1/3 of the cheddar cheese.
8. Repeat layers.   Spoon the remaining 1/3 of the  potatoes over the cheese.
9. Sift 1 Tbsp of flour over whipped egg whites, add the remaining 1/3 of the cheddar cheese and fold into egg whites gently.  Spoon over top of the final potato layer.
10. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Try this dish with your own twist.  White beans and black olives would be delicious.  Rice instead of pasta will work too.  If you don’t have wine, deglaze with chicken stock or water.  You can also deglaze with vodka, rum or gin.  Try it with pork and cumin or lamb and rosemary.  The sky’s the limit.

note:   If using fresh chicken, best to use boneless breasts ot thighs, sliced into serving sized pieces, baked or cooked in stock until tender and done.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 stock of celery with leaves diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock or 1/2 cup each white wine and water
• 2 chicken breasts (poached, baked or roasted)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary minced
• 2 to 4 leaves of fresh sage minced
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
• 12 Spanish olives with pimento
• 1/2 preserved lemon sliced thin
• 1 cup of beans (any bean will work)
• dash or two of Tabasco or cayenne pepper to taste

Method:

1. Saute onion, carrot, celery and garlic in oil over medium high heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook about 10 minutes.
2. Deglaze pan with wine or chicken stock.  Lower heat to medium.
3. Add chicken and herbs, cook until chicken is heated through.
4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until pasta or rice is cooked.  May add additional water, stock or wine if needed.
5. Serve with additional parsley garnish over pasta of choice or rice.

If you have extra fresh turkey and a grinder simply mince the turkey in the grinder.  Remove the flesh from the thighs, legs and the tail.  Breast meat is rather dry and bland whereas the thighs and legs have more flavor and fat.   If you don’t have a grinder, freeze chunks of turkey and mince the chunks in your food processor.  However, ground turkey is available at most supermarkets so save yourself some time and work.

Beans can be dried or canned but for my money I prefer dried beans and the juice created during the cooking process is far superior in flavor to that of canned beans, which tend to be overly salted.  Use red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans or a combination.  I prefer red beans with black beans.

Best to soak dried beans overnight according to package instructions but a quick way to plump up dried beans is to wash them first, cover with water up to 1-inch above the beans , do not salt the water, bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1 or 2 hours.  Be sure you do not salt the water.  Salting the water will prevent the beans from softening.

Finally, bring the soaked beans to a boil over high heat then reduce to a lively simmer and cook until really soft and tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.   You can use a crock pot for this step so the beans will cook to tender while you’re at work or running errands.

Use the 5 bean test to make sure the beans are really tender.  If 4 out of 5 beans are soft and slightly squishy, they are done and ready to add meat, veggies and seasoning.  You’ll need 3 cups of cooked beans with the cooking liquid for this recipe.  Freeze the remainder for re-fried beans, minestrone, arroz con pollo, bean salad or other dishes.

While the beans are on their final cooking, prepare the Turkey Sausage.  Always test fry a small patty of sausage to check for seasoning.  If its to your liking then proceed.  At this point sausage patties can be made, wrapped and frozen for breakfast or biscuits and gravy.

Ingredients:

Turkey Sausage:

•  1 pound of ground raw turkey
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

Chile:

• 3 cups cooked beans and liquid or 1 can of red beans and 1 can of black beans
• 1 lb Homemade Turkey Sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp chile powder
• 1 fresh hot chile of choice, minced with or without seeds and veins or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano or 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp masa harina (Mexican corn tortilla flour or 1 crisp corn tortilla finely crushed)

Garnishes:

• cilantro leaves
• cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese grated
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• pickled jalapeno peppers
• sliced scallions (spring onions)

Method:

1. To prepare the Turkey Sausage, mix all ingredients in a bowl taking care not to overwork the meat.  Make a tiny patty with 1 Tbsp of the seasoned meat and fry it in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until done, turning once.  Taste the patty for seasoning and adjust the sausage if needed.
2. In a non-stick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and wilted. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon or potato masher as it cooks.  Cook the sausage only until it is no longer pink.  Add to the beans with cooking liquid in a large sauce pan.
3. Add the remaining chile ingredients to the beans and meat.  Bring to a slow boil for 10-15 minutes.
4. Using a potato masher, smash some of the beans to make it creamy.   Continue to simmer until juices are creamy and juices have reduced to your taste.
5. Let cool for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with garnishes, warm tortillas or bread.

Remove the skin of the chicken if you must and top it with a quick Tuscan sauce and shaved Parmesan.  Polenta triangles sauteed  in butter and garlic provide the starch and sauteed aje dulces chiles (or bell peppers) with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar lend a bit of crunch.  The polenta and Tuscan sauce may be prepared up to 2 days ahead.  This is light fare for a week-night dinner you and your family will love.

Fried Polenta

Ingredients:

• 1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 2-1/2 cups chicken stock (or water)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (or 1 sprig fresh oregano and 1 small sprig rosemary chopped)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 or 2 Tbsp butter for frying

Method:

1. Mix polenta with cold water to soften.  This will prevent polenta from clumping.
2. Bring chicken stock to a boil and whisk in softened polenta.  Add salt and seasonings.
3. Cook uncovered over medium heat until thick like porridge stirring from time to time.
4. Remove from heat and pour onto a buttered sheet tin or platter.  When cool, refrigerate until ready to fry.
5. Cut polenta into diamonds or triangles.
6. Saute garlic in butter over medium heat until fragrant, add polenta pieces and fry until crisp and golden on both sides about 5 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towels.

Tuscan Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded, stemmed and diced 1/2-inch (or 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste diluted with 1/2 cup red wine or water
•  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• fresh basil (about 5 leaves) chiffonade
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
• 1 or 2 dashes Tabasco or a pinch of red pepper flakes
• shaved Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat with a pinch of salt until fragrant and wilted.
2. Add tomatoes and diluted tomato paste.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add seasonings and herbs.   Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve over roasted chicken with shaved Parmesan Cheese

Balsamic Peppers

Ingredients:

• 12 aje dulces peppers (2 or 3 green and red sweet bell peppers or 4 Anaheim peppers sliced into strips)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
• 1/2 small onion, cut into strips (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• drizzle of Balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Wash and remove stems from peppers, slice in half.
2. Saute peppers in olive oil over medium high heat until tender/crisp
3. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar to taste.  Serve hot as a side dish or room temperature as a tapa.  Also delicious on bruschettas.

Note:  Aje Dulces Chiles are very small sweet peppers found in better supermarkets and Latin markets.  They are shaped like patty-pan squash and have the flavor of cherry peppers without the heat.