Pasta with sausage and saffron

I've been out of the blogging game for a couple of weeks. Work is busy, so during the week my blogging would be very boring unless you want to hear about bowls of cereal before bed or a plate of crackers, cheese, hummus and whatever else I can rustle up from the fridge (just like canapes, I like to tell myself).

Weekends, therefore, are prime cooking time. If I don't get a meal or two, or a post or two, in on a Saturday or Sunday, that's it until the next week. Last weekend, fortunately, was filled with fun. My brother and sister-in-law came for a visit. We walked around Central Park, took in the sights, explored my neighborhood. Friday night, we went to see American Idiot. I will happily admit that it was amazing. I take some small pride that despite it being on Broadway, I probably have a bit more street cred than most of the people in line (also a good few years on most of them. I had a head-in-hands moment when I told a staff member I was going to see the show and she told me that she remembered when their "first" album came out in fourth grade. Though having staff probably isn't very punk... But I digress). If anyone goes, look out for the "I Hella [heart] Berkeley" grafitti near the entrance.

Saturday night, we went to the local wine store and picked out a few good bottles. We put on music and cooked up a feast, singing and nibbling and generally having as good a time as one can without risking the wrath of the little old lady in the apartment next door.

This particular recipe was inspired by a similar dish I have made before, but that recipe was lost sometime since. Thank you, google: Foodandwine.com produced a sufficient substitute. Things I liked about this recipe included the slow-cooked onions and the addition of some pecorino at the end. Also, the fresh sage was an unexpected but delicious addition. (As a side note, why can't you buy just a sprig or two of fresh herbs? They are only ever sold in bunches, and I just cannot use an entire head of sage. But I discovered that it freezes well -- thank you again, google.) I can safely say that a good time and a good meal was had by all.

Pasta with sausage and saffron sauce

Large pinch of saffron threads

1/4 cup hot water

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium/2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

3/4 lbs. Italian sausage, meat removed from the casings and crumbled

One 28-ounce can plus one 14-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped, liquid reserved

3 Tbs. slivered sage leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lbs. malloreddus (I used cavatappi)

1/3 C. freshly grated aged Pecorino cheese, plus more for serving

3 Tbs. slivered basil leaves

Steep the saffron in the hot water. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, about 20 minutes.

Push the onions to the edge of the pan. Add the sausage meat and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, saffron water and sage, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes; whenever the sauce becomes very thick and begins to stick to the pan, stir in some of the reserved tomato liquid. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the hot sauce; toss well. Stir in the 1/3 cup of grated Pecorino and the basil and serve, passing additional Pecorino at the table.

Serves a lot.

Pattypan squash stuffed with sausage and white beans

Last of the summer squash, those fresh, thin-skinned varieties that (sometimes) grow to massive proportions, forgotten under a large leaf in the garden. I have no garden, but I do have a vegetable box that brings me such treats, often revealing a surprise. Such as the giant pattypan squash that arrived recently.

What to do with two large pattypans? These are the squash that look like they came from space, giant flying-saucer-like vegetables. Being such a fun shape, I wanted to cook something that showed it off or at least made use of it.

I have always loved stuffed squash. (A great example I made last winter: delicata squash stuffed with barley and quinoa) The pattypan variety is great for this because you can get a lot of filling squashed (sorry) into these puppies, and the flavor of the filling transfers to the container. With their soft skin, you can eat everything. Very efficient.

But it's the beginning of November (where did the year go?), so goodbye summer squash, hello butternut, acorn, delicata and other heartier, more wintry varieties. Wrap up warm and enjoy the change.

Pattypan squash stuffed with sausage and white beans

2 pattypan squash, boiled or roasted until tender.

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 sausages, casings removed

1/2 C. small white beans (cannellini, haricot, etc.)

1/4 C. breadcrumbs

Roast at 350 or boil the squash until tender.

Cut off top and scoop out seeds. Any extra flesh, reserve and mix with the stuffing. Cut a small, thin slice off the very bottom just to flatten the squash so it stays upright in the baking dish.

In a skillet on the stove, cook sausage in a little olive oil, breaking up the meat into little crumbles. Add onion and carrot and cook until soft, then add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add beans and stir through breadcrumbs.

Stuff the sausage mixture into the squash and place into an oiled roasting dish, with any leftover stuffing scattered around the squash.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, until everything heats through and the breadcrumbs crisp.

Serves 2.

Veggie and "meatball" stroganoff

"Love food hate waste" is the name of a website after my own heart.   I used to live somewhere with compost collection, but now have moved elsewhere, and -- living in a flat -- any bad, spoiled, or otherwise no good food is destined for the dump.  A very sad end to their salad days to be sure.

I try to minimize such waste.  I freeze things whenever I can, try to be creative with my leftovers, and eat through as much as possible ("You mean that slice of cake will go to waste if I don't eat it?  I suppose for the good of all humanity I will force it down.  Oh the pain.").  

This particular dish came about from the last quarter of a tub of creme fraiche.  It began its days contributing to a pasta sauce, expended yet more of itself on some strawberries and brown sugar, but spent the rest of its life languishing in my fridge without a purpose.  It was getting to the point where I would either have to use it or throw it out, so I began fishing around the kitchen for other ingredients to accompany it to its final destination.

I decided to go with something warm and rich to balance out the tangy creaminess of the creme fraiche.  A little paprika and some tomatoes would make a delicious sauce for something, and the combination made me think of beef stroganoff.  No beef in the house, but a few sausages from the freezer made a good substitution.  Some vegetables rounded out the meal, and voila: waste not, want certainly not.

Veggie and "meatball" stroganoff

1 tsp. olive oil

1 leek, cleaned, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 carrot, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. each hot smoked paprika and sweet paprika

Approx. 2 C. cauliflower florets

3-4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 1/2 can chopped tomatoes and juice

1/4 C. low fat creme fraiche or Greek yogurt

1/4 C. tomato paste

1/2 C. water

2-4 sausages, as desired, cut into bite-sized pieces.

1/2 C. zucchini, sliced into thin half moons

1 tsp. salt

Parsley

Squeeze of lemon

Saute leeks and carrots in oil for 5-10 minutes until soft.  Add garlic and cook until soft.  Add paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.  Add tomatoes.  Mix creme fraiche and tomato paste and add to pan with water.  Add cauliflower, then nestle the sausage among the vegetables and let the dish simmer until the sausage is cooked through.  Add zucchini, cook until just tender.  Salt to taste.  

Garnish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.  Serve over brown rice if desired, or noodles!

Serves 2-4, depending on size of appetite.