Thanksgiving Sausage Bread

My favorite family holiday recipe is Christmas sausage bread. I’ll post that recipe in a few weeks for any readers outside of the Dowd clan. This is a Thanksgiving twist on the sausage bread. It’s the same principles and technique with distinctly autumn flavors like walnuts, apples, and cheddar cheese.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade) rolled out in to 3 elongated ovals, each about 5-6 inches wide and 14-16 inches long.

• 2 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage, cooked and drained

• 3 Granny Smith apples peeled and cubed

• 2 cups of chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

• 1 bag of dried cranberries (Craisins)

• Grated cheddar cheese

Combine the apples, walnuts and cranberries and spread evenly on the bread dough. Add a layer of the cooked crumbled sausage on each dough section and then finish with a layer of cheddar cheese. Fold one side of the dough up over the toppings and then bring up the other side and pinch together to join. Fold the ends up to close off the loaves.

Turn each loaf over onto a greased cookie sheet (or even better, a pizza stone covered with cornmeal)

Brush some egg wash on the top of each loaf and crosscut some slits with a sharp knife.

Put the bread in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Slice and serve as soon as these breads have slightly cooled or wrap in aluminum foil and reheat later.

Chicken Tacos with Blistered Jalapenos and Queso Fresco

If you ever want an upgrade from the run of the mill American taco consisting of ground beef and taco seasoning (not that I don't enjoy those), these worked out really well.

I dry rubbed chicken breasts first with cumin and then with a generous amount of paprika. Paprika makes for a really good crust. Pan sear those in a little oil over medium high heat and then slice thinly.

I opened up some jalapenos and took out all the seeds and veins. Then I cut them in to thin strips and sauteed until almost charred. This left them crunchy and tasty with just enough heat left to still be interesting.

Add sliced avocado, tomatoes and crumbled queso fresco. We used warm corn tortillas which seemed to taste authentic with this combination of ingredients

Charcoal Grilled Pizza with Goat Cheese and Shallots

We have fun experimenting with different pizza combinations at home.  We’ve done the pizza stone in the oven which produces really good results, but the closest to authentic east coast, brick oven style, in my opinion, is pizza from the grill. This works really well and is pretty easy.

Your best bet is to work on a large charcoal grill. Move all the coals to one side so you’re flaming hot for direct grilling and you’re also set up for indirect baking on the other side. See Steve Rachlan’s “How To Grill” for more detailed instructions. Our copy has a broken spine and pages falling out we’ve used it so often.

You can make your own dough if so inclined or frozen pizza dough works just fine. Roll it out thin and at the last minute brush some olive oil over your grates. Lay the pizza dough on the grates and stay put. This won’t take long and its easy to burn (a little char is good for the New Haven pizza quality). Watch for bubbles and then flip.

Once your crust is grilled on both sides add your toppings and bake on the other side of the grill. If you’re grill is not large enough, we’ve done this step under the broiler. You’re really just trying to melt cheese and warm toppings.

We’ve had a lot of fun with seasonal toppings and we’ve had success with everything from cheddar cheese to apples to grilled corn.

We topped this pizza with a little mozzarella, goat cheese, sautéed shallots and garlic and then fresh thyme at the end. The standout ingredient among all these bold flavors was the thyme. This was delicious and definitely a keeper.

Meatballs with Fresh Pasta and Grilled Herb Garlic Bread

I never really appreciated the meatball as a culinary delicacy until a few years ago when Kara saw Regis on TV talking about Rao’s. It wasn’t long before we had the Rao’s Cookbook in our kitchen and we were experimenting with some of their classic recipes. The meatballs are a fantastic.

This recipe is our own combination of the Rao’s classic and one from Maroni’s, which is another New York City restaurant, featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. We also worked in some techniques from the Italian American Cookbook by John and Galina Mariani.

A couple notes from a lot of experimentation:

· The bread crumbs make a big difference. Rao’s insists that you must make your own from good Italian bread and I would agree with them.

· You have to use romano cheese. I far prefer a good parmesan to romano in most instances but for meatballs the romano provides the right amount of saltiness. They don’t taste right using parmesan.

· The Rao’s marina sauce is the best I’ve ever had and really easy to make at home. Look for imported san marzano tomatoes. You’ll never buy jarred sauce again. We have a hard time finding san marzano around here but we have a case of Rao’s sauce on hand courtesy of Tom and Donna.

I’m certain we’ll never get a chance to eat at Rao’s in New York unless Regis invites us. A couple years ago in Las Vegas we did take the opportunity to eat at the second location at Caesar’s Palace. It’s an exact replica of the Harlem location down to every picture on the wall. Kara ordered the meatballs which were the cheapest item on the menu at $13.00. I was quite please about that until the charming waiter from Italy tricked her into ordering a $19.00 side of pasta!

Anyway they were delicious. Here is our version that we served with fresh homemade pasta and herb garlic bread from the grill

1 pound ground lean beef
½ pound ground veal
½ pound ground pork
3 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 ½ tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1 ½ tablespoons of chopped basil
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 or 5 slices of Italian bread soaked in milk
Salt (preferably Kosher or Sea Salt) and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups of homemade breadcrumbs
1 cup olive oil

1. Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add 3 eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Blend soaked bread into meat mixture. Shape meat mixture into balls (2 ½- to 3-inch balls).
2. Dip meatballs into egg wash and then coat in breadcrumbs
3. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. When oil is very hot but not smoking, fry meatballs in batches. When bottom half of meatball is very brown and slightly crisp turn and cook top half. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
4. Finish the meatballs in simmering marinara sauce

Beef Stew

This beef stew recipe from Williams Sonoma was absolutely delicious. The recipe calls for the use of a pressure cooker, which we do not have. I used a dutch oven and it simmered for most of the afternoon, which worked perfectly. Don't skimp on the red wine, it adds a wonderful flavor.

Beef chuck is a good choice for stew meat. From the muscular shoulder section, this tough cut becomes tender and succulent when stewed. Here, we speed the process by using a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-inch
  cubes
• 1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups red wine
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 1⁄2 lb. new potatoes, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 cups beef stock
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper to coat evenly. Set an electric pressure cooker to "brown" according to the manufacturer's instructions and warm the olive oil. Add half the beef and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef and transfer to the bowl.

Add the wine to the pressure cooker and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, tomato paste, stock and thyme and stir to combine. Cover and cook on "high" for 20 minutes according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Release the pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the liquid is too thin, transfer the beef and vegetables to a serving bowl, set the pressure cooker to "brown" and cook until the liquid is reduced to the desired consistency. Pour the liquid over the beef and vegetables and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Ale-Braised Sausage with Peppers

The season of autumn brings such wonderful flavors to the table. When I think about fall, pumpkin, apples, squash, and of course Oktoberfest come to mind. Oktoberfest would not be complete without a sausage and pepper meal. This recipe from Williams Sonoma captured the essence of Oktoberfest through the Oktoberfest ale I used, the cider, sausage, and the mashed potatoes. The flavors melded beautifully. Here is the recipe for the sausage and peppers and the mashed potatoes:

You can vary this recipe depending on the type of sausage and ale you choose. Mashed potatoes are the perfect foil for the hearty sauce and big flavors. Kielbasa is a garlicky, fully cooked Polish sausage that is available made with pork or beef, but a combination of the two is the tastiest.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 lb. cooked sausages, such as kielbasa, sliced

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 cup ale

1/2 cup apple cider

3 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mashed potatoes for serving (see related recipe at right)

Directions:

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook, stirring and turning often, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the ale and cider until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Add the thyme and broth, whisking to blend, and bring to a simmer.

Return the sausages to the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the flavors are blended, about 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the sausages and sauce among warmed plates and serve immediately with mashed potatoes alongside. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking, by Melanie Barnard, Charles Pierce & Dennis Kelly (Oxmoor House, 2008).

Ingredients:

5 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch
pieces

2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small
pieces

1 1/4 cups half-and-half, heated

Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put the potatoes and the 2 tsp. salt in a large pot, add water to cover the potatoes by 3 inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Set a potato ricer over the pot and pass the potatoes through in batches. Alternatively, return the potatoes to the pot and mash them with a potato masher. Add the butter and gradually add the half-and-half, beating constantly with a large spoon, until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Season with salt and white pepper and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Burgers

Its really easy to make a bad hamburger.

I've finally perfected a really good one. Its much easier than you'd think.

Step One: Don't buy ground beef. Instead get a couple in expensive steaks and grind them at home. This is the only important step in the whole process. I like a pound of chuck for fat and texture and a pound of sirloin for flavor. If you have a meat grinder use it. Otherwise the food processor does a great job. I actually prefer the slight imperfection you get from using a food processor. Cut the meat in to 1 inch cubes and pulse 8 - 10 times. Careful not to overdue it.

Step Two: Add salt and pepper and a little cooking oil. You can also throw in some minced garlic and onion at this point if you want to. Form in to 5-6 ounce patties.

Step Three: Cook it inside. I'm a big fan of the grill but in this case a skillet or cast iron pan gives you a better result. This increases the surface area that comes in direct contact and you get the caramelized exterior you want. I just tried the Steak and Shake technique of placing a ball of ground beef on the skillet and smashing it down with a press and it turned out great. This is probably how I'll do it from now on.

Step Four: After 4 minutes per side on a medium high skillet you're done. Pull the burgers off and let them sit for a few minutes.

Dress them however you like. Here are two combinations I'm quite fond of...

Bacon and Horseradish Sauce: Make a dressing of mayonnaise, sour cream and horseradish and add a couple strips of peppered bacon
The Harbor Burger: This is a burger that is on almost every menu in the Harbor Country of southwest lower Michigan. Its simply mayo and sliced green olives. I don't know the origin but it works really well.

Thanks to Alton Brown, Emeril Lagasse and probably a few others that I've observed over the years.

BLT Sandwiches and Sweet Corn Soup

Today was a perfect day for some comfort food. There is nothing better than a BLT. In my opinion, it's the perfect sandwich. There are many ways to make a BLT, and we have tried more intricate ways to do so, but there is something about the simplicity of a traditional BLT. Now, I needed to make something to go along with this wonderful sandwich, however, we have had so much corn on the cob lately, I wanted to switch it up a bit. I found a recipe for sweet corn soup. Perfect rainy day comfort food. The soup turned out delicious. The only thing I added at the end of the cooking process was a pat of butter that melted into the soup. You can't have corn without butter. Here is the recipe courtesy of Williams Sonoma.

This recipe calls for scraping the corncobs to extract the juices, then adding the juices to the soup, which enhances the flavor.

Ingredients:

6 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cobs, kernels and cobs reserved

6 oz. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 large yellow onions, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Using a butter knife, scrape the corncobs over a bowl to extract the juices; set the juices aside.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Finely chop the bacon; set aside.

Discard all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pot. Set the pot over medium heat, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is softened, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved corn juices and 7 cups water, and season with salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a food processor, blend the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the bacon. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Lobster Rolls

We love living on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan but we don't always have access to fresh seafood, especially lobster, unless we want to pay $18.00 a pound. When Chris' parents in Connecticut were planning their trip out to visit in July, we took advantage of the opportunity and requested lobster. We were skeptical about how fresh seafood would fare on a 900 mile car ride but we were both impressed with the results. Chris' mother cooked the lobster at home and then stored it in a freezer bag with water and salt. It remained frozen in a cooler for the two day trip and upon arrival went straight into the freezer.

About a week later we took our first shot at Michigan lobster rolls. We left the lobster in a colander for about four hours until it was thawed. Then we warmed it up in a a sauce pan on low with some melted butter. Once it was warm we divided the lobster meat and served on grilled hot dog buns. We're both purists and tend to skip the mayonnaise, celery and other needless accompaniments that people sadly pile on lobster.

These were delicious! The freezing and transport process worked perfectly. They tasted like they were fresh out of the ocean. We had some left over ribeye from the night before which we cut up for a classic surf and turf.