A splash of wine or liquor of some sort in your pasta sauce, or to help in cooking meat, not only adds some interesting flavor, but can help tenderize meats, and cook pasta to a perfect al dente. I use wine often in sauces, or soups. Vodka, beer, even tequila in many meat dishes (my mama made some fantastic Tequila Lime Shrimp this weekend). Alcohol can work so well with food, but you have to be careful not to overdo it (as in the amount of beer used in that Poutine I posted last week). Tonight's dish is very Italian, and as such, must involve alcohol in some form! It doesn't overpower the other flavors at all, and really enhances the dish overall.
Please keep in mind my love of spicy Italian sausage, you can cut back if you feel the need!
Italian Drunken Noodles
Ingredients:
Olive oil
4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed (I used Gluten-free chicken sausage)
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced (use that handy garlic press!!)
½ cup white white (I used a favorite white table wine)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ C fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use
8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked (you will notice my noodles aren't Pappardelle, I couldn't find any in the GF brand I like this time. It still tastes awesome tho!)
Directions:
Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky), allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side.
Once sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment
Add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil, if necessary)
Once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine, then add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden
Add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to simmer for a few moments, until almost completely reduced
Add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine. Allow it to gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off.
Drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and add in the chopped parsley and about half of the julienned basil; stir, and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.
Prepare noodles to al dente according to instructions on package; then, drain the noodles very well, and add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine the noodles with the sauce and all of the ingredients in it; check the seasoning to see if you need to add any additional salt or pepper.
To serve, add equal portions of the “Drunken” noodles to bowls, and garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining julienned basil; you can even top with shaved Parmesan, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Also,
If you remember my post from Friday, I have really been trying to focus on making every encounter with my daughter more positive. We had a great weekend overall! Saturday we had swim lessons, and Pixie was much more comfortable in the pool, although she still doesn't like when I try to hold her away from my body; she likes to be on my hip, with both of my arms around her. She's interacting more with the other kiddos, and participating more in the activities the instructor gives us.
Even with some slight grumping at nap time, and teething induced biting episodes; I was able to remain calm, and soothing. I did have to issue a couple of very firm "We do not bite. It hurts!" but they weren't mean, just definite; and I think that is warranted.
We had some good cuddles and read a lot of books, and while I was slightly frustrated by some whining and toddler snotiness, I did not let it show, and I smiled much more.
Hopefully this week can continue in a positive strain.
I did cook over the weekend, kinda....mostly tossing together what I had on hand :-) I also made my Loaded Cauliflower Casserole last night, you can find that recipe in the archive.
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
20 mini sweet bell peppers
1 8oz package light cream cheese, softened
Refried beans
Mexican rice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash peppers thoroughly, then slice in half lengthwise. Clean out seeds and membrane.
Mix cream cheese, beans and rice in a bowl (the amounts aren't exact here, since it depends on preference. I used about 1/3 cup of each rice and beans).
Stuff pepper halves with cheese mix, place in glass casserole dish, and bake 20 minutes.
Note: If you need more cheese, you can sprinkle some shredded cheese over the peppers before baking.
Feta Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
2 cans chick peas, or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
the juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
6 oz crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in bowl and serve chilled!
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