Easy Italian Sausage Skillet Dinner

Italian food is one of my other favorite foods to make. Italian dishes are usually in line with my vision of cooking: simple and fast! Nowadays, everyone is fast paced, so I believe in recipes that cook up fast recipe and that make life easier but not compromising on good, home-cooked dinners. Italian sausage is a great meat. It's absolutely delicious, full of flavor, easy to make, spicy or sweet and versatile. However, as my mom mentioned in a previous post, it is easy to get stuck on the same ol' recipe of sausage and peppers. Yes it's a great recipe but we need to change it up a little... at least for the sausage's sake! This recipe is great for sausage. If you do not have sausage on hand or do not like sausage then you may replace it with ground beef (another great ingredient). Instead of pasta for this dish I use rice and everything is cooked in one pan making it a fast easy dinner for during the week. You will notice the recipe calls for instant rice and it is important to make sure instant rice is used or it will not cook properly. I hope you enjoy this delicious sausage recipe!

Recipe:
1 lb Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), cut into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable juice
1 1/2 cups instant rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


1. In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat and cook sausage pieces until no longer pink.

2. Add the pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until crisp.

3. Add the can of diced tomatoes and vegetable juice; cook and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in the rice.

4.Cover and let stand for 6-8 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with mozzarella then cover to melt. Enjoy!

Best of The Fork's Seasonings, Marinades and Rubs

Memorial Day Weekend has always been the quintessential start to the summer.
It means warm, sunny days, lots of rain if you are in Florida and the grilling season. Although for me it's always the grilling season. Today I am posting the best of my seasonings, marinades and rubs for your weekend, weekday and summer long enjoyment. Cheers to summer!

Achiote Paste - Make Your Own - This has become my "go to" for everything grilled, roasted or sauteed!

http://goo.gl/hChVPE

Beef & Pork Marinade Version 1 & 1.1 - One marinade two versions, what more could you ask for?!

http://goo.gl/Hg6EhP

My Parent's Authentic Cuban Roast Pork - You can use this marinade on anything and it will be delicious.

http://goo.gl/ilCUUO

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey! - And anything else your heart desires.  Brining will make even the toughest cuts juicy and flavorful!

http://goo.gl/AAnVFB

Succulent Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb - Not just for leg o' lamb but lamb chops, lamb shanks, lamb anything!

http://goo.gl/xvsnKt

Make Your Own Cuban Sazon Completa / Adobo Seasoning - Skip the MSG hidden in the store bought kind and make your own Sazon Completa. This stuff is is great on anything - even grilled fruit.

http://goo.gl/bduUql

Tomato Paste - What To Do with the Rest of the Can

Did you know that you can freeze left over tomato paste? Well you can! 

Don't you hate it when you have to open up a can of tomato paste and all you need is one tablespoon? Then you either leave it in the can or plop it into a plastic container and off into the back of the fridge it goes, only to be found a month later and probably growing some funky science experiment type organism on it. You could dish out $5 for those squeeze tubes, paying .60 cents per ounce (highway robbery!) or you could do what I do - freeze it.  Here's how:

Place a generous sheet of cling on your counter (see photo). Run a spatula along the walls of the inside of the can and empty out the content of the tomato paste can onto the bottom third of the cling. With the spatula smooth it down and shape into a rectangle. It's not art, so no need to get fussy about it. Roll the cling cover the paste and continue rolling up until you have nice sausage like shape. Twist each end in opposite directions to tighten the bundle. Tuck the ends in and place inside a freezer safe container or zip bag.  Next time you need tomato paste all you have to do is cut through with a serrated knife, remove cling and use as needed. No waste, no science experiment and no highway robbery!

Sticky-Sticky Glazed Drumsticks

Seems like all everyone ever eats anymore is chicken breast and the rest of the chicken, the dark meat, goes unnoticed and unappreciated. I know breast meat is the "healthier" alternative, but just how much healthier is it really? A three ounce portion of a boneless, skinless chicken breast has 2.97 grams of fat and 138 calories. A three ounce boneless, skinless thigh contains 7 grams of fat and is 174 calories but packs one heck of a flavor punch, it's juicy and has more iron and zinc than breast meat. Now let's turn our attention to the drumstick, three ounces of meat AND skin are 137 calories and 7.38 grams of fat. Take off the skin and the fat count goes down to 4.71 grams. Not to shabby, right? Frankly, I'd rather eat a smaller portion and get more flavor than eat a larger portion with little flavor and juiciness. If you actually don't like the dark meat, I get it, but if you are omitting it because you think it's healthier to go with breast meat, you might want to reconsider and say hello to chicken thighs and drumsticks! This recipe uses drumstick with skin on, you can remove it if you prefer.

Serves 2 - 4

8 - 10 drumstick. Be sure to brine your drumstick for even more flavor, don't skip the brining, it really makes a difference. Click here for my handy brine chart.

Marinade and Sticky-Sticky Glaze
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
Juice and zest of two lemons
Kosher salt

Japanese-Inspired Beef Stew

After a year of being unemployed I finally landed a job, my first real nursing job! I am now working at the oncology clinic at a major university, which around here is a big deal. It ranked in the top 50 schools in the U.S. so working there is an honor. However, being a full time employee again has made cooking on weeknights a new challenge for me, but the slow cooker has already been my savior. Be prepared for more slow cooker recipes since that handy, beautiful appliance will be saving the day more often than not. As you may have noticed I am continuing my Asian cuisine fascination into the slow cooker. I am infatuated with stews so this twist on your regular beef stew keeps it fun! I found out that searing the beef before slow cooking it really makes a difference. I never thought it would and often I would skip that step out of laziness or time. I prepped this meal on a Sunday and stuck it in the slow cooker on Tuesday. I seared the beef, placed it in one of those slow cooker liners with the rest of the ingredients so that Tuesday morning all I had to do was put the bag in the slow cooker, set the time and leave for work. The meat is tender and melts in your mouth and the aroma in your house will even drive your pets crazy. If you can, try to sear the beef, if not just toss in the beef raw it will be fine. Serve with rice and your favorite vegetables!

Recipe:
2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
4 medium carrots, chopped diagonally
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until very hot. Sear the beef on all sides; cook in batches if needed. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Caldo Gallego Estilo Cubano - Galician Soup - Cuban Style

When I was a kid I dreaded the day my mom use to make this soup. Much to her dismay I simply refused to eat it and would make myself and a PB&J sandwich . I don't know why but I never liked it. It wasn't until I was an adult that I began to somewhat tolerate this soup and now in recent years - I wholeheartedly embrace it!  My recipe is based on the Cuban version of this very classic Spanish soup. It is the way I remember my mom making it with the exception of the use of pork salt, which I leave out. I just don't care for it. My recipe uses smoked ham shank instead of ham hocks because it's lot meatier and I think adds more flavor.  It also uses Spanish chorizo, and I will caution that using the Mexican variety is a no-no.  The flavor profiles of these two chorizos is a world apart, they can not be interchanged and to attain the same flavor at the end. I was very happy to be able to use fresh, organic collard greens from my own garden and my own homemade chicken and ham stock. Box stocks are just fine too.  I am providing a slow cooker** and a stove top method. This soup makes a big batch, is even better the next day and freezes well.

Serves 8-10

1 1/2 pounds of dried  great white northern beans
1 large bone-in smoked ham shank
4 Spanish  dry-cured chorizo, sliced into small coins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups of collard greens, chopped
1 pound of potatoes, large dice
2 turnips, diced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups of ham stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
Salt** and pepper

Slow cooker instructions:

• Soak beans overnight in water. Rinse and discard soaking water.
• Place all the ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 8 hours. I do not recommend the high setting for this recipe.
• Taste and add salt and pepper if needed

Stove top instructions:

• Soak beans overnight in water. Rinse and discard soaking water.
• In a large heavy dutch oven pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and chorizo. Cook for 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, stir to coat ingredients in the pan well.
• Add all the remaining ingredients (except potatoes, turnips and salt & pepper). Bring to rolling boil and boil for 3 minutes.
• Lower heat and cook at a low simmer for 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.You may need very little if any.
• Cook at a simmer for 1 1/2 hours and then add potatoes and turnips.  Cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until potatoes/turnips are tender.

Serve this over white rice or with a crusty toasted loaf of your favorite bread and a good bottle of Spanish red wine. Cheers!

**Recipe Notes: I have found that the slow cooker method works best when cooked on low for 8-10 hours.  I find that using it on high for 4-6 hours just doesn't deliver the right amount of flavor.

Be mindful of salt.  I prefer salting, if at all, at the end, and allow it to cook for 10 minutes so that the flavor is infused into the soup.  You have the smoked ham, ham stock and chorizo that will most likely add all the salt you will need. Most of the time I don't add any at all.

Grilled Achiote Pork Loin Chops

For me pork chops are always tricky on the grill ... they can dry out and just turn into a tasteless mess.  However, with a little prep, you can count on these center cut pork loin chops always being tender, juicy and absolutely scrumptious! These  chops are first brined and then marinaded in achiote paste before they hit a sizzling hot grill. If you aren't familiar with achiote paste it is used in Central American cooking, particularly in my knowledge base, in Nicaraguan cuisine. It is also known as annato seed. It is especially delicious when used as a marinade on grilled meats of all kinds.

Serves 2 - 4

For the brine:
4 - 1" center cut boneless pork loin chops
1 quart brining solution: 3 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 quart water

For the achiote marinade:
1/2 cup of Achiote paste
1/8 cup white wine

Prepare brine, making sure to dissolve the salt and sugar completely. Add chops and leave in brine overnight or at least 4 hours. Remove from brine, pat dry. In a glass or zip bag add the achiote paste and the wine, mix together, add the chops. Cover or seal and let marinade for 4 hours or overnight.

Fire up the grill until it's very hot. Remove chops from achiote marinade, pat dry and salt & pepper each side.  Place on hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to platter, cover with foil and let the chops rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  This will allow all the juices to redistribute throughout the pork and will make for a juicy chop.

The results are  a filet mignon type tenderness with the juiciness from the brine and the delectable flavors of the achiote paste.

Serve with a side of rice pilaf, simple salad and ice-cold German beer. ENJOY!

Want to know more about brining, check out my post on brining, which includes a handy brining chart.