Salmon and Sausage Coddle

I'm really enjoying the recipes that Publix shares in their sales paper each week. The best part is when shopping at the store, many times an employee is right there preparing the dishes.  And directly beside the cooking demonstration is a refrigerated case with all the ingredients for the featured dish ready to put in your cart!

This week's recipe is Salmon-Sausage Coddle. A "coddle" is an Irish dish made up of leftovers. Usually, it will contain sliced sausages, chunky potatoes, and herbs.  I served over steamed brown rice with rolls. The salmon was a surprise ingredient to my mind, and I wasn't sure how that would pair with the sausage, but this is definitely a keeper.

I used the following chicken sausage with kale, but you could easily use Italian ground sausage.

1 t. olive oil

1 lb. chicken sausage with kale, removed from casings

1 (12 oz.) bag matchstick carrots

1 leek (white part only) cut into quarters and chopped

1 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1 (24 oz.) bag baby gold or red potatoes, sliced

1 bunch fresh kale, stem removed and leaves chopped

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 lb. salmon fillets, skin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 T. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. Kerrygold Garlic-Herb Butter

Preheat large pot on medium for 2 - 3 minutes. Add oil and sausage and brown 4 - 5 minutes, stirring to crumble meat and cook until no pink remains.

Stir in carrots, leeks, and thyme; cook 2 - 3 minutes or until leeks have softened. Stir in stock, water, potatoes, kale, salt, and pepper; bring to a simmer and then cover and continue to simmer 25 - 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.

Gently stir in salmon, parsley, and vinegar.  Bring mixture to a simmer, then cover and remover from heat. Let coddle stand for 5 - 6 minutes until salmon is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.  Stir butter in gently and serve. 

Corned Beef Slider

If you cooked corned beef for St. Patrick's Day and you have leftovers, how about making a slider?

I used a small potato bread roll, started on the bottom bun with spicy brown mustard, piled on the shredded corn beef, topped with kraut and swiss cheese, put 1,000 Island dressing on the top bun and voila!  A delicious, easy-to-eat Corned Beef Slider!  

Instant Pot Cooking: Corned Beef Dinner

Happy St. Patrick's Day to Everyone! I took the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon on the deck and to try out the Instant Pot for preparing our corned beef dinner.  I was thrilled with the results.  So easy to load up the cooker, set the timer, and let it do the work.

1 (3 1/2 lb.) corned beef

1 T. minced garlic

4 cups of water

1 medium cabbage, cored and quartered

8 oz. carrots, peeled and sliced in 3 - 4-inch pieces lengthwise

12 oz. baby potatoes, halved

Place trivet into Instant Pot and add four cups water.  Rinse corned beef and place on trivet along with garlic and seasoning packet included with the corned beef.

Place cover on Instant Pot and move the valve to sealing position. Use the meat/stew option and set to cook for 90 minutes.  When time is up, quick release the pressure. Place corned beef on platter and cover with foil while you prepare the vegetables.

Remove corned beef from Pot and let the liquid remain.  Place cabbage, carrots, and potatoes onto the trivet. Cook at high pressure for 4 - 5 minutes.  Quick release the pressure and place the vegetables around the corned beef on your serving platter.

Enjoy!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Champagne Vinegar Vinaigrette

We enjoyed grilled hamburgers tonight and I realized I had a half an English cucumber, a handful of grape tomatoes, and a few slices of red onion. Instead of a pile of fries or onion rings as our side dish, in minutes I had mixed up a very simple, delicious salad.

1 cup English cucumber slices, quartered

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. Champagne vinegar

2 T. olive oil

a few grinds of black pepper

1/4 t. salt

Place vegetables in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the Champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Pour vinaigrette over vegetables and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach Artichoke Heart Alfredo Sauce

Today has been hectic and full of deadlines and responsibilities. It would have been SO very easy to stop for takeout on the way home. While that does happen occasionally, I try to keep a fairly well-stocked pantry and refrigerator for nights such as this.

See those beautiful plates above? This is what I started with tonight. In 18 minutes we were ready to dine.  I have sat in drive-through lines longer than that!

1 T. olive oil

6 oz. portabella mushrooms stems and ribs removed and chopped

14 oz. can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

5 oz. baby spinach stems removed

1/3 cup white wine

1 jar Alfredo Sauce (I used Bertolli Garlic Alfredo)

1 bag refrigerated mushroom ravioli

Bring water to a boil for the ravioli.

While water heats, add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and lightly salt. Let cook 2 - 3 minutes until mushrooms brown.

Next, add in artichoke hearts and let cook 1 - 2 minutes.

Spinach in the pot just until it wilts.

Add in the wine and deglaze the pan. When wine evaporates, add in the Alfredo sauce and lower heat to low.

Add ravioli to boiling water and allow to cook for 4 - 5 minutes. When ravioli is cooked, drain and add to the sauce mixture and stir carefully until thoroughly coated with sauce.

Serve with garlic bread and enjoy your delicious homemade meal!

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

I saw this recipe in last week's Publix sales paper. While buying groceries, there was a nice woman preparing this dish and providing samples.  Sweet Harold and I made the immediate decision we wanted this for dinner one night this week. This is another perfect weeknight meal.  It was ready in 30 minutes!  I used canned clams.  Your choice to use either clams in the shell or out of the shell.

16 oz. linguine pasta

10 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

1/4 bunch fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 t. kosher salt

3/4 cup dry white wine (or clam juice)

36 fresh littleneck clams (or 12 - 16 oz. chopped shelled clams)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water to boil for pasta, then cook linguine following package instructions.  Chop garlic and parsley.

Preheat large saute pan on medium heat 2 - 3 minutes. Place oil and garlic in pan; cook 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened, but not browned.  Add red pepper and salt; cook 30 more seconds, then pour in the wine or clam juice.

Increase heat to high and add clams; cover and cook 5 - 6 minutes, shaking the pan periodically until all the clams are opened. (Discard any clams that haven't opened).

Drain pasta; add to pan and toss to combine.  Top with parsley and Parmesan, if desired; serve immediately.

Philly Cheesesteak Wraps

For those of you who love Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, think outside the bun! This is an excellent spin on the traditional sandwich. Banana Pepper rings add a different taste and texture as well.

2 T. olive oil
1 cup EACH chopped green peppers and onions
2 T. minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ribeye steak, thinly sliced, seasoned with salt and black pepper
1/2 cup banana pepper rings
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
8 oz. shredded provolone

Preheat broiler to high with rack 6 inches from element.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onions; cook until softened, 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add ribeye and cook until browned on both sides, 3 minutes. Stir in pepper rings and Worcestershire until heated; season with salt and pepper.

Arrange tortillas on a baking sheet an sprinkle 1/2 cup provolone onto each; broil until cheese melts, 1 - 2 minutes.

Divide filling among tortillas; roll up burrito-style to enclose filling.

If you don't have tortillas, how about a Philly Cheesesteak Tostada? I actually preferred this version! The crunchiness of the tostada was a nice contrast to the steak and veggies.

From Cuisine at Home Issue #133 January/February 2019

Spicy Beef Fried Rice

Isn't that a colorful wok of deliciousness?  If you don't want to use beef, you could certainly substitute pork, chicken, shrimp, or tofu! You can up the heat level by increasing the hot chili paste of course.  Cooking in a work is so much fun.  Make sure you have all your ingredients prepped before you begin to cook. Once the wok is hot, you'll need to have everything in order of their turn in the wok.  

For the sauce:
Whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 T. EACH hot chili paste and sesame oil

1 T. vegetable oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 T. vegetable oil

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen classic mixed vegetables

1/4 minced scallion whites

1 T. minced fresh garlic

1 T. minced fresh ginger

1 T. vegetable oil

1 T. flank steak, thinly sliced and seasoned with salt and black pepper

3 cups cooked and chilled long grain rice

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1/2 cup sliced scallion greens

Heat 1 T. vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add eggs; stir-fry until scrambled, then transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 T. vegetable oil to the wok and increase heat to high; stir-fry the mixed vegetables until softened, 3 - 5 minutes. Add scallion whites, garlic, and ginger; cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with scrambled eggs.

Heat 1 T. vegetable oil in the wok. Add steak and stir-fry until browned on both sides, 2 - 3 minutes.

Add stir fry sauce and toss to coat. Add rice, green peas, scallion greens, scrambled eggs, and stir fry vegetables; cook to heat through.

From Cuisine at Home Issue #131 September/October 2018

Bourbon-Bacon Mac and Cheese

Let's see. Some of my favorite things? Bourbon? Check. Bacon? Check. Mac and Cheese? Check!

And when they're all combined in a cast-iron skillet? Oh, my goodness. This recipe was a decadent comfort food meal. Today has been chilly, rainy, and gray. How better to bring warmth and goodness into your life than with comfort food such as this.

8 oz. bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup bourbon
2 cups shredded Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded smoked Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (16 oz.) pkg. chiocciole pasta (I used small rotini), cooked according to package directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet.

Add onion to skillet, cooking until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, cook for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and bourbon.

Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in Gouda and 1 cup cheddar until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and half of bacon; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and remaining bacon.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

From Southern Cast Iron Magazine Jan/Feb 2019