Here in the warm south, summer squash is still growing and very plentiful at the farm markets.
Ingredients
2 large zucchini cut lengthwise into thin slices (9-10 slices)
Salt
1 cup Flour
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
2 cups Italian-flavored bread crumbs
¼ cup olive oil
1/2 sweet onion diced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 pound spicy Italian sausage sliced into thin rounds
4 garlic cloves minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
26-28 oz canned diced Italian tomatoes
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes if using spicy sausage, more if using sweet sausage
16 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
Dredge the zucchini slices in flour mixed with salt to taste, egg wash, and bread crumbs.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat until very hot but not smoking.
Shallow fry the zucchini sliced until light brown. Drain well on paper towels.
Clean out the skillet and add the sausage slices. Cook until brown on both sides.
Add the onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, red pepper, basil, and Italian seasoning. Cook until thickened, about 30. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
In a 9×13 inch oiled baking dish alternate layers of zucchini, sausage sauce, and mozzarella slices. Sprinkle each layer with Parmesan.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 45 hours minutes until the casserole is bubbling.
Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Add a salad and fresh Italian bread to round out the meal.
2 servings
Ingredients
1 large acorn squash
1 cup small diced day-old Italian bread
¼ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ of a large onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 mild Italian sausage links, casing removed
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place on a foil-wrapped baking sheet.
Place a medium skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, celery, mushrooms, and onion, and sauté until onion is translucent.
Add salt, pepper, and sausage, and break up with a wooden spoon, then cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add bread and mix well.
Scoop mixture into each acorn squash half. Bake the squash in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes.
Serve with green beans.
The sauce recipe makes enough for 2 pies. You can freeze half for another day or make two pizzas.
Ingredients
1 lb store-bought or homemade pizza dough
16 oz mozzarella, sliced thin
!/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce
6 Italian sausage links, casing removes
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2-14 oz containers of finely chopped Italian tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ cup red chili flaked
Directions
For the sauce heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the sausage meat and cook stirring and breaking up the meat as it browns. When brown, add the garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushroom and cook for 5 minutes. Add the seasonings and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Oil a 16-inch pizza pan.
Press the dough out in the pan to its edges.
Cover the dough with the mozzarella cheese slices. Spread the sauce over the cheese.
Parmesan.
Bake the pizza for about 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving
Ingredients
1 lb fresh or dried rigatoni pasta
1 lb Italian sausage {any type}
1bunchb broccoli rabe
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Remove the casing from the sausage. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage and cook until completely brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Keep warm.
Trim the broccoli rabe by cutting off the tough ends. Cut each stem into 1-inch pieces.
Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook as per package instructions until the last 4 minutes of cooking. Add the broccoli rabe to the pasta pot and cook the pasta.
Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving one cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta mixture to the skillet with the sausage and mix well with the oil mixture, adding water as needed to keep it moist. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and Italian bread.
4 seervings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots diced
1/2 pound Swiss chard {about 1 bunch}
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 lb pkg potato gnocchi (fresh, frozen, or shelf-stable all work)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
4 sweet Italian sausage links
Directions
Wash chard well, remove stems, and cut leaves into smaller pieces. Place in a colander and set aside.
In a Dutch oven or large deep skillet with a cover, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage links and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add shallots and cook until tender about 3 minutes.
Stir in garlic, thyme, and a large pinch of salt and black pepper, and sauté about 1 minute longer.
Add wine, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot, and let the wine reduce by half, 2 minutes.
Pour in stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer.
Stir in gnocchi, browned sausage links, and chard leaves. Cook, partly covered, for 15 minutes, over low heat until the chard is soft. Stir several times to keep the gnocchi from sticking to the pan.
Stir in the red pepper flakes, remove from the heat.
Taste and add more salt, if needed. Serve in pasta bowls with grated cheese on the side.
4 servings
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs of mixed Italian hot and sweet sausage, each link cut in half
2 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
4 large bell peppers, long hots, or any kind you prefer, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium sweet onions, cut in quarters
4 cloves garlic or leave whole
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour the olive oil into a large baking pan and scatter the garlic cloves in the pan.
Layer the ingredients in the following way
Potato wedges and onion wedges. Sprinkle with salt pepper and half the Italian seasoning. Next spread the peppers on top and season with salt pepper and the remaining Italian seasoning. Place the sauce on top.
Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 60-75 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked through and the sausages will be brown. Serve with crusty Italian bread.
Ingredients
For the Pizza
1 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
1 lb pizza dough, store-bout or homemade, at room temperature
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive oil
For Homemade Dough
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup lukewarm water
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Roasted Sausage, Mushroom, Tomaro Sauce
2 cups roasted cherry tomatoes {see recipe}
3 Spicy Italian Sausage links, casing removed, and meat broken into small pieces
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Directions
For the dough
Combine all the ingredients for the dough in the large bowl of an electric mixer and with The paddle attachment mix until the ingredients come together around the paddle. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a medium baking dish and combine the sauce ingredients, by mixing well. Roast the sauce until the sausage meat is fully cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down,
Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees F and place the oven rack on the lowest shelf in the oven.
For the pizza
Prepare the crust: flour your hands lightly and pat the dough evenly into a lightly oiled 16″ pizza pan.
Brush the dough lightly with olive oil.
Cover the dough with the sliced mozzarella.
Spread the sauce over the cheese.
Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 -18 minutes, until the crust is lightly brown.
Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Escarole, Beans and Sauswage Bowl
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage links, any type, cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Half an onion, diced
3 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained or 3 cups cooked dried beans {see recipe below}
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 Large Head Escarole, chopped
1 Cup Chicken Stock
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Calabrian Chili Paste
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions
Wash the escarole well. Drain in a colander until needed/
Heat the oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown all over, 12–15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausages to a plate, leaving fat in the pot.
Reduce heat to medium-low, add onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes.
Add beans and their liquid, increase heat to medium-high, and add the chopped escarole. Cook until the greens are wilted and tender, about 10=15 minutes.
Add the browned sausages, chili paste, Italian seasoning, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer briefly. Serve with grated cheese and Italian bread.
How I Cook Dried Beans
Ingredients
8 ounces (1 cup) of dried beans
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
1 small onion, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Directions
Place the beans in a large saucepan, add enough cool water to cover by 1½ inches, and soak overnight at room temperature. Discard any beans that are broken, off-colored, or floating.
Add the bouillon, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a low boil over moderate heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the beans at a bare simmer until they are just tender but not mushy, about 1 hour–they should hold their shape; do not allow them to boil, or they will become tough. Halfway through the cooking time, stir in the salt.
Remove the onion, thyme, and bay leaf. Use the cooked beans and their liquid in your recipes.
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves smashed
1 lb Italian sausage links
2 medium onions, quartered
2 bell peppers, slices
8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in half
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
Salt to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).
Pour the oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and add the smashed garlic. Place the potatoes and onions in the baking dish first/ Aff the papers and then the sausage. Sprinkle the mixture with the Oregon, chili flakes, and salt to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 ½ hours, stirring the ingredients twice during the baking time. When done the sausage and potatoes should be golden brown. Serve in individual bowls.
Ingredients
¼ to 1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 stems fresh rosemary and 2 stems fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
2 cans Undrained cannellini beans, or 3 cups cooked dried white beans with cookies liquid
2 tablespoons tomato paste
15 oz can chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cut into ½ inch slices
1/2 lb chicken tenders, each cut in thirds
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a medium Dutch Oven. Brown the sausage and remove to a bowl. Add a little more oil if needed and brown the chicken. Remove to the bowl with the sausage.
Add the vegetables to the pot, stirring frequently, and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients, 1 at a time. Bring to a simmer and transfer to the oven, Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until thickened slightly. Remove the herbs. Serve with crispy Ciabatta bread.
