Today was damp and rainy here in MI so I wanted something comforting and easy. So I made Aunt Gina's Pasta Fagioli. It was exactly what I wanted and the kids loved it too. Especially the picky one! I served it with Caesar salad and some foccaccia I bought today at the market to make a complete meal.
Aunt Gina's Pasta Fagioli
5 links Italian Sausage
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 (28 oz) cans tomatoes, blended
3/4 pound ditali pasta
1 (15 oz) can northern beans (undrained)
Salt and Pepper
Remove sausage from casing and mash the sausage down inot pieces in an 8 qt. saucepan. Add garlic adn brown together. Then pour in tomatoes and cook sauce for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours on medium to medium low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Once the sauce has been cooking for at least an hour boil and salt water for pasta. Add pasta and when almost cooked add beans to the water. Drain pasta reserving 1 to 2 cups of cooking water.
Add pasta and beans to sauce mixing together. Add cooking water until mixture is of the desired consistency. Season to taste with S & P. Serve with grated parmesan cheese!
I'm still new at this so I forgot to take a pic. I will next time for the archive.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
No Corned Beef Here!
Happy St. Patty's Day!
I am not Irish and don't like corned beef at all so I went Tex Mex style for dinner tonight. I got this great recipe from Canary Girl for Shredded Pork Enchiladas. They were DELISH!!!!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was awesome. At first I was a little worried about the chili pepper. I like just a little spice, but not hot and it wasn't. The flavors blended very well in the rub which I only let sit for about 2-3 hours. The sauce was great. I've never really had salsa verde before, but it hit the spot in the sauce.
I served the enchiladas with refried beans and cheese and avocado boats. I saw these on Rachael Ray. The recipe follows, but it's basically guacamole without mashing it up.
Shredded Pork Enchiladas
Recipe courtesy Canary Girl
Yield: 4 servings
1-2 lb (1/2-1 kilo) pork roast
Tex-Mex rub:
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 corn tortillas (I used flour b/c that's all I could find)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (I just used butter)
2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 small can tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 cups grated cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and monterey jack)
salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
sour cream and chopped cilantro to garnish
Combine rub ingredients in a bowl, and rub all over pork roast. Place roast in a large zip-lock bag and then in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Now put the roast in a baking dish, cover and bake at least 5 hours at 325ºF (or until meat begins to fall apart when poked with a fork). Drain most of the juice from baking dish, and using a potato masher (Yes this really works well), shred pork. Keep warm in the oven.
Wrap corn tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm as well.
Make sauce: Heat oil over medium heat, then whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook at least one minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Add tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cilantro. Stir well and remove from heat. Coat the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish with a bit of the sauce. Remove tortillas from oven, and fill with shredded pork and a bit of cheese, then roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat with all tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a 400ºF oven about 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve garnished with sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Avocado Boats
1 avocado, pit and skin removed
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, chopped
lemon juice
olive oil
salt
Squeeze lemon juice on avocado then drizzle with olive oil. In a small bowl combine tomato, green onions and salt. Scoop onto each avocado half.
I am not Irish and don't like corned beef at all so I went Tex Mex style for dinner tonight. I got this great recipe from Canary Girl for Shredded Pork Enchiladas. They were DELISH!!!!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was awesome. At first I was a little worried about the chili pepper. I like just a little spice, but not hot and it wasn't. The flavors blended very well in the rub which I only let sit for about 2-3 hours. The sauce was great. I've never really had salsa verde before, but it hit the spot in the sauce.I served the enchiladas with refried beans and cheese and avocado boats. I saw these on Rachael Ray. The recipe follows, but it's basically guacamole without mashing it up.
Shredded Pork Enchiladas
Recipe courtesy Canary Girl
Yield: 4 servings
1-2 lb (1/2-1 kilo) pork roast
Tex-Mex rub:
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 corn tortillas (I used flour b/c that's all I could find)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (I just used butter)
2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 small can tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 cups grated cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and monterey jack)
salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
sour cream and chopped cilantro to garnish
Combine rub ingredients in a bowl, and rub all over pork roast. Place roast in a large zip-lock bag and then in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Now put the roast in a baking dish, cover and bake at least 5 hours at 325ºF (or until meat begins to fall apart when poked with a fork). Drain most of the juice from baking dish, and using a potato masher (Yes this really works well), shred pork. Keep warm in the oven.
Wrap corn tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm as well.
Make sauce: Heat oil over medium heat, then whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook at least one minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Add tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cilantro. Stir well and remove from heat. Coat the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish with a bit of the sauce. Remove tortillas from oven, and fill with shredded pork and a bit of cheese, then roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat with all tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a 400ºF oven about 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve garnished with sour cream and chopped cilantro.
Avocado Boats
1 avocado, pit and skin removed
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, chopped
lemon juice
olive oil
salt
Squeeze lemon juice on avocado then drizzle with olive oil. In a small bowl combine tomato, green onions and salt. Scoop onto each avocado half.
My First Post
Well I'm really going to try this. I love reading other people's blog's so I finally decided to start my own. I really enjoy cooking although I am nothing even close to a chef. I am just really good at following recipes. So I do a lot of research to find new recipes to make from cookbooks and other bloggers because I always love to try new things! So I figure this will be a good way for me to document.
I have 2 children. Lindsey is 2 1/2 and Andrew is 1. My husband works a lot of hours so things can sometimes get pretty crazy around here. For a while now I have been really big into meal planning. I feel if I am prepared it's the only way that I will be able to get a complete and healthy meal on the table regularly.
I hope you enjoy!
I have 2 children. Lindsey is 2 1/2 and Andrew is 1. My husband works a lot of hours so things can sometimes get pretty crazy around here. For a while now I have been really big into meal planning. I feel if I am prepared it's the only way that I will be able to get a complete and healthy meal on the table regularly.
I hope you enjoy!
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