Posts Tagged ‘quick easy dinner ideas’
Fennel Broccoli And Sausage Pasta Recipe
May 30, 2008 | 
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Fun loving pasta eaters, rejoice! The fennel, garlic and broccoli go very well with sliced sauteed sausage and freshly grated parmesan cheese along with the crumbled goat cheese – ciao bella! Quick and easy meal to help sneak in some veggies to unsuspecting teenagers and hubbys everywhere!
Ingredients:
- 2 or 3 each hot and sweet sausage links, semi-frozen
- 2 small crowns of fresh broccoli
- 3-6 cloves of fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 or 2 bulbs fennel with their fawns
- Olive Oil
- Large pot of boiling water for pasta – try rotitini or penne
- One large deep skillet, enough that when after cooking sausages and veggies, you can also throw pasta in.
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- A couple shakes of dried red pepper flakes
- Freshly cracked pepper
- Salt
Directions:
- Put pot on to boil for pasta
- Take out sausage from freezer, and slice links into 1/3 inch slices
- Put skillet onto stove, add small drizzle of olive oil and put sliced sausages in.
- Add red chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper – the heat from the skillet opens up their flavors.
- While the sausage cooks, mince up garlic and set aside.
- Rinse and break apart broccoli into small bite size pieces and set aside.
- Cut off frawns from fennel, and with the remaining bulb, slice thin and break apart to resemble onion slices. Set aside frawns for now.
- Once water has started to boil, add good amount of salt to water and a bit of olive oil.
- To cooking sausage slices, add sliced fennel and broccoli to skillet.
- Continue cooking broccoli, sausages and fennel allowing the fennel to caramelize along with sliced sausages.
- Mince up two tablespoons fawns from the fennel and grate up your cheese.
- Drain pasta when just al dente, but try and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add drained cooked pasta to deep skillet and add freshly minced garlic to the mix.
- Add 1/2 of the cheese and up to 1/2 cup pasta water and stir till all are combined. Continue cooking for one to 4 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese.
- Serve up on plates, sprinkle a little of the minced fennel frawns and extra grated cheese. Ciao Bella! Mangia Mangia pronto!
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Pork Chops With Apples in Port Wine Reduction Sauce Recipe
Easy quick dinner made up in a flash, serve this up with a veggie or salad. Healthy, tender and oh so good tasting, I was surprised how quickly it all came together. Double recipe for a family of four.
Ingredients
- 1-2 pork chops per person 3/4 inch thick – at near room temperature
- 1 large apple – use a granny smith or red delicious
- salt and pepper
- 1 large onion sliced thinly
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup port wine (I used Sandeman’s)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ‘better than bullion paste’ chicken flavor (optional)
- 1 teaspoon freshly dried thyme
- olive oil and a little butter
- 1 skillet
- 1 bowl
Directions
- Sprinkle freshly cracked pepper on one side of pork chops and a little of the fresh thyme and set aside on a plate.
- Slice onion thinly while skillet heats up on medium heat.
- Drizzle maybe 1 tablespoon olive oil into hot skillet and add onions.
- Cook onions for 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
- While onions are cooking, mince up garlic and set aside.
- Once onions are cooked and slightly browned, take them out of the skillet, put in bowl and set aside.
- Put skillet back on heat, add a little olive oil and a teeny amount of butter and place your pork chops (spiced side down into hot skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side.
- If you chops are thicker than 3/4 inches, you will have to cook them longer.
- Chops are done when they have just lost their pinkish color. They will continue to cook a bit once out of the skillet. Sprinkle salt, pepper and additional thyme on the other side of unseasoned chops once you have turned them over in your skillet.
- While chops are cooking, peel and slice thinly your apple.
- Remove chops onto a plate and set aside.
- Add apple to skillet and let brown, stirring frequently, let cook for 3-5 minutes, add a little butter if you have to. Add garlic and let cook ONE minute only, you do not wish to burn the garlic.
- Add port wine carefully to skillet, scrape bottom to remove brown bits. Add onions back to skillet. Let cook for two more minutes.
- Add bullion paste, and water and let reduce by a half. Add one small pat of butter to remaining sauce…taste for any need of salt or pepper.
- Pour mixture over your pork chops and dinner is ready.
- I was in such a hurry to eat this amazing dinner, I didn’t take a photo which is unusual for me….
– photo is from deliaonline, but looks very close to what my dinner looked like before I chowed down.