Beef

6 Ingredient Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

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This winter man, it’s killing me. Typically I love winter,
snowy days mean big cups of steaming tea, by the fire, good books, crafts, and
ice fishing, but so far this year there really isn’t any snow. It’s just plain
cold. The year hasn’t started off so great; there were a number of very sad occurrences,
issues with broken cars amongst the normal life stress. I’m excited for January
to be nearing its end, February is going to be a new month and bring some much
needed changes.

For now I’m brightening my spirits with some good comfort
food. Next week we will get back on that healthy eating band wagon that work
out band wagon too, because man running errands every single night after work
is killing my ability to work out big time. I will get back into it, I have to,
I have a wedding to be in shape for!

Anyway enough of my griping and on to the recipe!

This one is a good
one. A super simple recipe that does not skip on flavor and is super
comforting. It also comes together in less than 30 minutes, which makes it
great for a week night meal.

I mean really could you ask for anything more?

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi (Serves 4)

1 lb gnocchi

½ lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small fennel bulb, chopped

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

Fresh grated Parmesan, for garnish

Cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. In a
large skillet crumble the sausage and cook until it begins to brown and crisp.
Drain the pan, leaving about a tablespoon of fat in. Add the fennel and cook
until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer and
cook for 5 or so minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Serve the
sauce over warm gnocchi and a garnish of parmesan.

How is your year starting off?

Stromboli 3 Ways

By Jessica

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I have always been a fan
of finger food. You know, things that have everything contained in a nice
little hand held vassal. It’s especially good if it’s cheesy, and dip able. Stromboli
is one of those types of things. I love making it for pot lucks, and camping
weekends because you can make it ahead of time wrap it in foil and then heat it
up when you are ready to eat.

Stromboli traditionally is
a type of turnover that is usually filled with cheese, Italian meats, and made
with Italian bread dough. Most of the time in the US you can find it with mixed
Italian meats and provolone, or mozzarella and pepperoni.

Just before Christmas (I know
I’m behind, things get busy) Chuck went up to hunting camp and I thought I
would make him some of these. The thing is that I wanted to try something a
little different than the usual, and then got a bit carried away. I ended up
with three awesome fillings, traditional meat and cheese, cheeseburger, and
vegetarian. I’ll admit the vegetarian one was mostly for myself to break off a hunk
of, and the boys didn’t appreciate it as much as the others, but it was still
good, especially dipped into a steaming cup of marina.

For all three of these I
used this pizza dough recipe.

Triple Meat & Cheese Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

6 oz pepperoni, sliced
thin

6 oz Salami, sliced thin

6 oz ham, sliced thin

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Roll the pizza dough out into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches).
Layer the meats and cheeses, leaving about a 1 inch border. Roll the dough up
into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with
the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter
if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Broccoli Rabe &
Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

1 bunch broccoli rabe,
chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive
oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

1 (12oz) jar roasted red
peppers

1 tsp salt

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Blanch the broccoli rabe,
then strain it and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe, and sauté
until it begins to wilt, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste,
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches). Spread the cheese over the dough,
leaving a 1 inch border. Layer the roasted red peppers, and broccoli rabe over
the cheese. Sprinkle the entire thing with salt. Roll the dough up into a log,
folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with the seam down
on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter if
desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Cheese Burger Stromboli

½ lb lean ground beef

½ cup diced onion

½ tbsp flour

½ cup beef broth

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup diced pickles
(optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

In a large skillet brown
the ground beef over medium high heat, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and
cook for another minute, until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the flour
until well combined then add the broth and tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook
until the liquid reduces and a thick sauce forms. Add pickles if desired, and
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13inches). Spread the cheese over the dough
leaving about a 1 inch border. Pour the beef mixture over the top and spread it
evenly. Roll the dough up into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you
go. Place the roll, with the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top
with a bit of melted butter if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is
golden and fluffy, about 30 minutes.

What are your favorite Stromboli fillings?

Clean Salisbury Steak Meatballs

By Jessica

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Salisbury steak is an American dish that takes minced beef, some other ingredients and shapes them in to a steak shape. It is usually served with gravy over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. It’s also pretty delicious if done well. Note that I am not talking about the TV dinner version. I like to think of it as a high class version of meatloaf. Meatloaf is a comforting homey staple in the American diet so why not Salisbury steak?

I came across The Pioneer Woman’s Salisbury Steak Meatballs recipe and thought it would be a great recipe to “clean up”, as in create a clean eating version of it. I like meat balls instead of the steak because they cook up faster, and during the week we are all about speed and ease.

First and foremost it needed some more veggies, so I decided to go with an onion and mushroom gravy as well as a few bright green sides. I didn’t want to fuss with the original meatball recipe too much for fear of losing the traditional Salisbury Steak flavor profile. To finish off I served it over whole wheat egg noodles, and the leftover gravy was wonderful on top of steam broccoli, peas. To make the meal complete I also served a basic green side salad. You can never have enough greens.

All together it came out pretty wonderfully. Chuck’s favorite were the meatballs, sometimes it pays to do something just a little different than the norm.

Clean Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 lb 95% lean ground beef
¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 ¼ cups low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

In a large bowl combine the meat, bread crumbs, mustard and salt & pepper. Once well mixed create golf ball sized meatballs and 2-3 inches in diameter.
In a large skillet over medium high heat warm the oil and gently place the meatballs in. Allow them to cook, rolling them every few minutes to brown all sides (2-3 minutes). Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan add onions and mushrooms, you may need to add a bit more oil to keep them from sticking. Cook them over medium heat until the mushrooms have released their liquids and the onions have begun to brown.
Stir in flour until well blended. Add broth and Worcestershire sauce stirring until well blended.
Add the meatballs back to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and meatballs are cooked through.
Serve immediately.

Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

By Jessica

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This is from one of my many favorite restaurants in Downtown Saratoga Springs. This is where Chuck took me for my Birthday Dinner, the sweetie.

It’s one of those sultry, dark little places that’s always has light jazzy music in the background and is full of the sounds of clinking glasses. It’s perfectly romantic and the food is to die for. Every time we go there is something different on the menu or in the specials that makes our little hearts just flutter, whether it be a braised rabbit, hydroponic lettuce, homemade pasta, quail stuffed with sausage & herbs, a bowl of pasta piled high with seafood or even just the bread they put on every table. It’s all so good.

Also if it happens to be your birthday, be prepared for one of those impeccably dressed waiters to feed you your first bite of desert after a whole group of them sings to you in Italian. It’s totally embarrassing, you’ll be red, but it’s ok even the free lemon gelato they give you if you don’t order desert is amazing, so just go with it.

This dish is my own take/imitation on one of their dishes, the one in fact that I had on my birthday. It was pretty amazing, and seemed so simple I had to give it a try in my own kitchen.

I did in fact buy a full pound of sausage, but the rest was popped into some breakfast burritos for us to finish out the week, since I’m trying really, really hard to actually eat a full healthy breakfast, and something more than a granola bar and tea.

All in all I think I was able to successfully recreate their dish, it was as easy as I thought, and absolutely delicious. I think it may become another one of those staple meals I make around these parts.

Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 2 Servings

Ingredients

½ lb mild Italian sausage
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1/3 cup diced oil packed sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups cooked pasta (aldente)
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Instructions

In a large skillet cook the sausage until browned.
Drain well and add fennel. You may need to add a touch of oil to stop the fennel from
sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the fennel begins to brown, stirring and
breaking up the sausage.
Add the sun dried tomatoes, rosemary, and cook for an additional minute.
Add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has reduced to half.
Adjust seasoning and add pasta to the pan; cooking for just a few seconds, while tossing all the ingredients together.
Serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese. (Serves 2)

One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff; A Classic Simplified

By Jessica

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It’s turkey hunting season in Vermont.

For those of you who don’t have a hunting obsessed significant other I will explain that this means I will be pretty much on my own for the next couple weekends since I don’t find getting up at 3:30am on the weekends all that much fun, especially if it means my old lady behind needs to be in bed by about 7pm.

…

Beef

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