Weekly Menu for Week of 9/29

Fall in New England and all of its magnificent color surrounds us. I feel my culinary hankerings shift to comfort food; the richer and heartier offerings. Even though today will be in the low 80s, I designed a weekly menu that takes into account that by Thursday the temp will not be above 70. Please offer up your fall-like menu plans for the week. Here are mine:

Monday
Kielbasa with Sauerkraut and Potato Pancakes (See recipe below)

Get the recipe here- http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fried-Sauerkraut-Cakes-with-Kielbasa-231486

Tuesday
Breaded Parmesan Pork Chops with Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday
Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole

Thursday
Sausage and Tortellini Soup (This recipe is on my blog)

Friday
Home Tomato Basil Pizza

Keep warm with sausage, tortellini, and bean soup.

As promised, here's another soup recipe for you to savor. I can't say enough about how wonderfully satisfying this soup is. It has many of my favorite foods- sausage, pasta, and tomatoes. You could make it healthier by adding kale or spinach and leaving the sausage out. Or you could use chicken sausage instead. This soup, like the lentil soup in the previous post, is very filling. And it cooks up quite fast. It is a soup meal. We enjoyed dipping some buttery bread in this soup tonight. I know I'll be making this again soon as we're about to head into another deep freeze next week with highs only in the teens. The Polar Vortex is going to bring us another round. Stay warm and keep your soup on!

Sausage, Bean, and Tortellini Soup

Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausages, castings removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 14 1/2-to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained
• 1 bag of frozen tortellini

Preparation
Heat oil in heavy large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausages and sauté until beginning to brown, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste and beans. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, about 25 minutes.

Add frozen tortellini to soup and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The soup is even more delicious when you sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. 

Adapted from this Bon Appetit  recipe - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pasta-Sausage-and-Bean-Soup-836#ixzz2qo0Fk2dl

Hearty Beef Stew

There's a cold, chill-you-to-the-bone December rain over most of New England tonight. New England winters are fickle and this rain is is likely to turn to snow. I knew that a hearty beef stew would be the best way to combat the chill of this cold rain. And it did not disappoint. Instantly warmed and comforted. I will likely continue to post soups and stews along with other comforting dishes throughout the winter. My little Estelle, who is now three, only ate a couple of peas and one carrot. But soon enough I know she'll enjoy this stew and the cozy feeling it brings. This stew would be great with a green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread. 

Hearty Beef Stew

3 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 large onion

3 cups of beef broth 

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 large russet potatoes, peeled (optional), and cut into 3/4 inch cubes  

15 baby carrots, cut in half

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 cup of peas

1 1/2 teaspoons dried majoram

Preparation 

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Trim the stew beef of fat. Cover the beef with the flour and salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook until all sides are browned. Add the chopped onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste. Add the broth and brown sugar. Be sure to scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour. 

Add the potatoes and carrots. Now simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes until everything is tender. Add the mushrooms, marjoram and peas. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy! 

Lentil Soup With Spinach and Ham. Fall means soup!

We're smack dab in the middle of fall and that's when I get soup crazy. And I should add I equally crave stews. That means you can expect more of these recipes from me. Lentil became my facorite soup last fall and it still is. I have this simple but scrumptious recipe and I throw so much in- carrots, celery, spinach and ham. That's my kind of soup; one that becomes a meal. I have to approach it this way to convince my husband, Henry, that soup can be a meal. He's got a bottomless pit of a stomach and he always grumbles a bit, his stomach does too, when I mention making a soup for dinner. But he always says, with surprise, how filling this lentil soup is. So, if you have a guy like mine, this soup will get the job done. 


Lentil Soup with Spinach and Ham

• 
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2  celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup dried French lentils (or any variety)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes and the liquid
• 1 cup finely chopped ham
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken broth, divided
• Black pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in large pot and add garlic, carrots, celery, and onions. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in French lentils, tomatoes, ham, dried thyme, rosemary, and the bay leaf. Add 1 quart of the broth, and the frozen spinach. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Stir and cover again. Simmer and add more broth, as needed, for about 30 minutes longer, or until lentils become soft. Remove bay leaf and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy! You can garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme if you desire. 

Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ah, fall begins tomorrow and everything is made of apple and pumpkin. I'm still rebelling as I have yet to make something with these two foods. Instead, I'm celebrating this equinox eve with a favorite dish - stuffed cabbage. 
With my Austrian roots, this dish was a staple in my house. I can never quite make it as well as my mom. I can't seem to recall her little additions. And she keeps secrets. I will be asking again. My mom recently retired after a career as a chef and then a food service director. She also owned a catering business for a spell when I was in high school. She's the inspiration behind my love of gardening and cooking. We grew up with a large garden. She canned everything. She even made her own ketchup. It was incredible. We would prefer her ketchup to Heinz. 
This dish is not something I make every week as it is time consuming, but it is so worth it. Every ingredient was local except for the rice, garlic, and ground turkey. I need to find some local ground turkey. I use it fairly often. I've made this recipe healthier and there are some shortcuts. Enjoy! And happy fall eve!
I started by coring the head of cabbage and putting in large boiling pot for 3 to 4 minutes. This cabbage is from Racine's Farm in Adams, MA. Just lovely. 

I also prepared a cup of rice. And then I diced up my onion and garlic. Then I finely chopped the sage and parsley that Estelle and I picked from the herb garden. Many of the herbs are still surviving despite a couple of frosts. 

 I added the ground turkey to the onion and herbs. The cabbage and rice was cooled. I put the tomato sauce at the bottom of the glass baking dish, I then put the turkey mixture into the individual cabbage leaves. Mmmmm. So tasty! 

Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup white rice, cooled 
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 cups tomato sauce (see below for my recipe, which)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

Prepare the rice by boiling 1 cup of water and adding 1/2 cup of rice to boiling water. Add salt. This will make 1 cup of rice, but just use a 1/2 cup. Make sure to let it cool. 

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a teaspoon of salt. Cut the core out of the cabbage and put the head in the water for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burner off and let it sit in the water for another minute. Drain and rinse with cool water. Place the cabbage on a tray or a plate and let it cool even more. 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, place the ground turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup rice, parsley, red onion, sage, salt and pepper and egg. Mix this well with your hands. Lay out the cabbage leaves on a tray or a cutting board and place a handful of the turkey mixture in the lower center of the leaf. Roll each leaf from the base and create a pocket. In a casserole dish, place 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom and add the cabbage rolls. Spoon the remaining sauce over the rolls and bake for 1 hour at 350 F. Remove and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 
8 oz can of diced tomatoes
!/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

This tomato sauce is more flavorful and fresh tasting. 

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham.

There was frost on my car's windshield this morning. A sign of what's ahead. As the weather turns colder, we turn to hearty, warming dishes.  Everyone loves homemade macaroni and cheese. I would argue that this creamy and cheesy dish is the quintessential comfort food. Macaroni and cheese lends itself to many different add-ins, such as tomatoes, seafood, or broccoli. I prefer ham. I think it's smokey flavor complements the cheese perfectly. I have yet to try bacon. Of course, that will be a great addition!

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Serves 4 to 6

Preheat oven to 350. 

Ingredients

12 oz. elbow macaroni

1 lb ham (cubed)

bread crumbs

Prepare elbow macaroni according to instructions. Rinse and place in a casserole dish. Cube the ham and also add it to the dish.

For the cheese sauce:

1 cup of sharp cheddar

1/4 parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

Hot sauce (to taste)

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of flour

2 1/2 cups of hot milk

Freshly ground pepper

salt

Heat 2 1/2 cups of milk in microwave for a minute or two. Or heat the milk in a saucepan on the stove until small bubbles appear on the sides of the pan. In a large sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour and cook. Stir the flour and butter constantly, for about two minutes. The flour will bubble but don't let it brown. Add the hot milk and stir as the sauce thickens. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the mustard and a few dashes of hot sauce. Then lower the heat. Lastly, stir in the cheeses and cook for about 2 minutes more. 

Final Steps:

Pour the cheese sauce on top of the elbow macaroni and ham. Mix everything together. Sprinkle on additional parmesan if you wish. Finally, top it off with breadcrumbs and bake for about 30 minutes, until it's nice and bubbly. Enjoy!

Speedy Spaghetti and Sausage Meatballs

Fall is a busy time of year and we're all learning to adjust to new schedules. This means we're looking for quick but satisfying week night meals. I stumbled across this  Johnsonville recipe in the newspaper. And it was a hit with everyone. The only change to the recipe was the addition of fresh oregano and parsley. This came together so quickly. Yet it tasted like a Sunday meal that had been simmering away for hours. A success!

Spaghetti and Sausage Meatballs

1 pound of Italian ground sausage or Italian link sausage with casings removed 

1 jar or 24 oz. pasta sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

1/4 cup milk 

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano

1 lb spaghetti 

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, herbs, milk, and onion. Add sausage to the bread crumb mixture and mix well. Shape into 20 meatballs and arrange on a shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions and heat sauce to s simmer on the stovetop. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Top the pasts with the sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!

These meatballs would also make great grinders. 

*Recipe slightly adapted from Johnsonville Kitchens (JohnsonvilleKitchens.com)