Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens

Time for a new video blog. This time I am cooking up a warm pasta salad that is the perfect dish for the summer. It's a one-dish-entree that is easy to make, very flavorful and looks pretty on the plate. All things good.

Episode 11: Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens.

Recipe follows.

Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens

3/4 lb Orecchiette pasta
2 tbsp butter
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausage (can be substituted with sweet Italian sausage)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (5 oz) bag of baby arugula
6 Swiss chard leaves, central rib removed and coarsley chopped
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions. When draining reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
In the meanwhile saute garlic and scallions with butter in sauce pan until softened. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour into blender, add 1/2 cup of water, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Saute Italian sausage with olive oil in skillet, breaking up with wooden spoon into bit size pieces as you cook it, until lightly browned and cooked through.
Whipe out pasta pot and add olive oil, arugula and Swiss chard. Cook over high heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add pasta, scallion-garlic sauce, sausage and reserved pasta water. Stir together and simmer until sauce thickens. Take off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

I am pairing this dish with a Chianti, the Frescobaldi family's 2003 Nippozano Riserva Chianti Rufina. This is a medium bodied red wine with plum and nice spice on the palate, that works really well with the peppery greens and spicy sausage, but is not to heavy for the creaminess of the mascarpone. Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $15.88.

Enjoy!

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Smoked Pork Loin, Leek and Gorgonzola Pasta

It's been quite a while since I posted a video but now I am back, this time cooking a Swedish inspired pasta dish with smoked pork loin which is a common ingredient in the Scandinavian Cuisine.


Episode 10: Cooking Smoked Pork Loin, Leek and Gorgonzola Pasta.

Smoked Pork Loin, Leek and Gorgonzola Pasta Recipe

4 smoked pork loin slices, 1" thick

1 leek

10 baby bella mushrooms

1 cup peas

1 1/4 cup Creme Fraiche (substitute with sour cream if not available)

3 oz crumbled Gorgonzola

1 lb Penne pasta (or any other shape you might want to use)

Start by boiling up plenty of water in a large pot to cook the pasta. Cook the pasta according to directions. In the meanwhile cut the pork loin across in thin strips and then cut in half, to half the length. Slices mushrooms and cut leek in 1/2" slices across. Saute the leek and mushrooms in butter in a frying pan on medium high heat for about 5 minutes until they soften and start to brown. Add pork loin and peas and saute for 1 minute. Add creme fraiche/sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, and let simmer for about 4 minutes to heat everything through and cook the peas. Take of the heat and add the Gorgonzola and stir for it to melt. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Serve over the pasta.

A super easy and fast recipe with a Swedish twist. Perfect for week night dinners.

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Video: Authentic Swedish Meatballs

Today I've taken a new turn with my video blogging. I am showing you how to make my grandma Elsa's, authentic Swedish Meatballs. I've taken a few steps to make them a little bit more healthy without sacrificing to much taste. These are the meatballs I grew up with and that I am now making for all of my friends, and everybody loves them (or so they tell me...). Check it out, cook up a batch of your own, and serve them with the traditional Swedish sides.


Episode 8: Cooking Swedish Meatballs


Swedish Meatball Recipe

Mix together in a bowl:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
Half a yellow onion, finely chopped
1 egg
5 tbs plain bread crumbs
1 tbs water
salt and white pepper to taste

Work mixture together with hands. Form and roll into round, small, balls. Place on plate, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 30 min. Remove from fridge and pan fry with butter in skillet on medium/high until nice, dark brown on all sides. Transfer to bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
Pour water or milk into skillet, scrape bottom to release brown bits. Bring to a boil. Mix 2-3 tbs of flour with water and pour into skillet while stirring. Stir until mixture comes to a boil. If the gravy is to thick add water/milk, if it's to thin add more flour+water mixture. Season with salt and white pepper.
Return meatballs to skillet and simmer in gravy for 15 minutes. The gravy will get great color and flavor from the meatballs.
Taste and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Serve with the traditional sides of mashed potatoes, vegetable trio of green beans, carrots and green peas, and don't forget the lingonberries!

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