Sausage, Ricotta and Butternut Squash Calzone – Warm and wintery!

Tags

butternut, calzone, ricotta, sausage, squash

I’ve started to realize that I’m stuck on the combination of sausage, butternut squash and rosemary this winter.  It’s so warming and wholesome, I can’t get it out of my head (and belly).  It doesn’t help that my local discount grocery store has had good sales on both sausage and squash.  I’ve made a few risottos, pastas and soups with this flavor combination and I wanted to make something a little different this go around so I settled on calzone with hint of some Greek flavors and a tangy, yogurt dipping sauce.

Like so many other dishes, this one is incredibly versatile.  For a vegetarian take on it you could replace the sausage with a sausage substitute or mushrooms.  Honestly, these calzone would be a wonderful vegetarian dish if you just left out the sausage, there’s plenty of good protein in the ricotta cheese.  You can also change the size and make little empanada-like appetizers or make a few honking big calzone if you have loved ones who thinks bigger is better when it comes to food.

Sausage, Ricotta and Butternut Squash Calzone – with yogurt dipping sauce

Serves 4 – cost approx $.95 per serving

Ingredients

• pizza dough – enough for one large pizza, you can make it yourself, get prepared dough or mix from the grocery store or ask to buy some at you local pizza joint.  I like to make my own, using Alice Waters’ recipe in ‘The Art of Simple Cooking.’ ($1)

• 2 Tbs butter ($.15)
• 2 onions, diced ($.58)
• 1 1/2 lb butternut squash, approx 2-3 cups, peeled and diced ($.45)
• 1/2 lb bulk sausage – Italian sausage or country sausage work equally well ($.50 That was a stock-up sale, my freezer has quite a few rolls!)
• salt
• 1/2 tsp dry rosemary or 1 tsp fresh
• pinch cinnamon
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup ricotta ($.50)
• 2 Tbs parsley, minced, divided use ($.10)

• 1/2 cup yogurt ($.10)
• 1/2 cup sour cream ($.15 Another great sale that I took advantage of!)
• 1/4 tsp dry oregano or 1/2 tsp fresh
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch cumin

Start by melting the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Slowly saute the onions on medium.  If you have a lot of time on your hands, caramelize the onions on low for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  If you’d like to take the quicker route, lightly brown the onions over medium heat, which should take about 5-10 minutes.  Add in the squash and sausage and stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, add in the pinch of cinnamon and rosemary.  Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes more over medium-low, stirring occasionally.  This step makes sure that the squash is fully cooked.

Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 400 F and take our dough out of the fridge if you have an already prepared dough.  Transfer your wonderful sausage and squash mixture to a bowl and cool slightly.  Stir in the ricotta cheese, salt and pepper to taste and 1 Tbs of parsley.

Cut the pizza dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls.  If you’re making appetizer size calzone, make 16-24 small balls of dough.  Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and place onto a cookie sheet.  Fill with a generous amount of the sausage mixture and seal/crimp the edges.

I like to make two at a time so that I can assemble on the baking sheet. No carrying a lumpy, raw calzone across the kitchen.

Make a few ventilation slits in the top.

poke, poke, poke!

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and perfect.

While the calzone are cooling, throw together the quick yogurt dipping sauce.  Whisk together all remaining ingredients and the reserved parsley.  So much yum.

Chorizo Tortilla Soup – Fireman Approved!

Tags

chorizo, one pot wonder, soup, tomato, tomato soup, Tortilla Soup, tortillas

This is another soup that was inspired by our resident Soup-Master at the restaurant, Sous Chef Ceasar.  A few weeks ago he made this wonderful soup and I was quite taken with it.  It’s like a chorizo-filled, dream makeover for the classic tomato soup.

In addition to being a hit at the restaurant where I work, my version was quite the hit at home too.  My man has a deep, deep love for chorizo.  He walked into the house while I was cooking and immediately his eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face as he asked with hope in his voice: “Chorizo?”  Chef Ceasar was happy to hear that my fireman liked this soup so much.

Chorizo Tortilla Soup – served with sour cream and garlic toast

Serves 4 – 6 – cost approx $.90 per serving

Ingredients

• 10 oz package pork chorizo – or beef chorizo or soy chorizo ($1.19)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped ($.30)
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped ($.17)
• fresh chilis, roughly chopped – to taste and optional
• 2-3 Tbs tomato paste ($.14)
• 1/2 can cheap beer – optional ($.33)
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes ($.79)
• 4 – 6 cups meat or vegetable stock
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• garlic salt, to taste
• 12 corn tortillas, roughly chopped – a good use for stale or leftover tortillas ($.33)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro ($.25)

• garlic rubbed toast ($.50, I used home made)
• sour cream ($.25)

*Since this is a pureed soup, there’s no reason to make the vegetables look pretty, just a rough chop will do!*

Start the yummy soup by browning the chorizo in a large pot.  Remove to a bowl, leaving the delicious mystery grease in the pot.  Add in the onion, carrot, garlic and chilis (if using) and saute 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add in the tomato paste and saute 2-3 minues, letting a layer of happy brown crud form on the bottom.  Deglaze the pan with the beer and scrape up all those yummy brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Next, add in the can of tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer.  Add in the dry spices, garlic salt and tortillas.  Cover and let simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the soup is simmering, the tortillas will get mushy and thicken the soup.  Check to see that all the vegetables are soft and fully cooked, then remove from the heat.  Throw in the cilantro (whole!) and blend with and immersion blender, the cilantro will get chopped in the process.  Once the soup is thick and smooth, put it back on the heat and simmer.  Add back the chorizo and taste your creation, add salt if necessary and add more stock if the soup is too thick for your tastes.  Ladle yourself a bowl and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of garlic rubbed toast.

That’s a pot of love! Yum!

I see you admiring my TARDIS cookie jar…

Take Out – Fake Out Chow Mein! Nom nom nom.

Tags

chow mein, healthy, low fat, take out, vegetarian, versatile

Happy New Year internet friends!  The holidays were a blur up here in the mountains, but a happy blur.  I think.  The fancy restaurant where I work is extremely busy for both Christmas and New Years, so the holidays were a whirlwind of overtime and exhaustion, with a peppering of friends and family and not the drunken debauchery you all feared.

As it is a new year, I bet some of you have a resolution or two?  Not me, I’m perfect lazy.  If your resolutions involve saving money or eating better, this chow mein recipe is well worth taking a look at.  It tastes like that wonderful stuff you get for take out from your favorite round-eye Chinese restaurant but it’s made from all healthy, low cost ingredients and is low in fat!

I also love how this recipe is so versatile!  I made a version last week with pork, and this one in the pictures used shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey that I defrosted.  You could just as easily use tofu or other vegetarian protein source.  Plus, a mountain of vegetables go into this dish!

Another factor that could be changed is the noodles; if you were looking to cut back on carbohydrates (Nerd Reference: we should all be wary of wheat and wheat by-products. Thank you NightVale Community Radio!) there are a plethora of alternative noodle choices available in Asian markets, some made with sweet potatoes or mung beans.  On with the cookery!

Take out-Fake Out Chow Mein

Serves 3-4 – cost approx $1.36 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz package of Chow Mein wheat noodles ($1.69)

———————————————————————————

• 2 cups shredded, cooked meat – you could use anything!  I used turkey, but you could use any leftovers you have, chicken, beef or pork. ($.63)
• 2 Tbs soy sauce

-or-

• 8 oz thinly sliced meat or vegetarian option – this is what I did with pork last week.
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 2 Tbs soy sauce

—————————————————————————————————-

• 1 onion, thinly sliced ($.22)
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced ($.35)
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced ($.37)
• 1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced ($.50)
• 1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced ($.50)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, divided use ($.25)
• 3 -5 cloves garlic, minced

• vegetable oil
• soy sauce, to taste
• 1 Tbs – 4 Tbs Sambal Oelek – or whatever you favorite Asian hot sauce or chili paste is. Use as much or as little as you like, you dirty, spice-loving, masochist you!

Delicious, delicious heat…

• 2 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 cup stock – match this to your protein source, chicken with chicken, tofu with vegetable stock, you get the idea…
• sesame oil, to taste

So, to get started, put on a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles.  Drain them and toss with a drizzle of oil to keep them from sticking.

While the noodles are cooking is a great time to chop all your vegetables and get everything ready.

Always do good prep when cooking Chinese food!  I wasn’t lying, it’s am veritable mountain of vegetables!

This recipe starts with cooking the protein.  If you’re using leftover shredded meat, toss it with the soy sauce mentioned in the top little set of ingredients.  If you’re starting with uncooked meat of tofu, toss it with the other ingredients in the lower little set for a quick marinade.  Heat up a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a wok or large non-stick saute pan and saute up whatever sort of protein you chose for a minute or two.  Remove and set aside.

Add to the wok or saute pan the onion, carrot, celery and bell pepper.  Saute for 5 minutes, adding a pinch of salt for good measure.  Next, add in the cabbage, half of the scallions and the garlic.  Saute 2 minutes.  Add back the reserved meat or tofu and the noodles.  Saute 3-5 minutes and season with the Sambal Olek chili paste and soy sauce, which will help to develop a little color on the noodles.  Mix together the cornstarch and stock and add to the pan, making a quick sauce.  Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.  Finish with a happy drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with the reserved scallions.  So good, and it tastes like a slippery, greasy indulgence with all the flavor and a lot less of the calories!