Chicken Sausage Gravy
Our favorite version of the Southern classic, freshened up with herbs and sweet onion.
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breakfast sausage, such as Double DD Meats
½ cup chopped sweet onion
â…“ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper, more to taste
Method:
1. Break sausage into small pieces with a spoon and cook in a single layer in a large heavy skillet. Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the chopped onion and continue to cook until onion is translucent and lightly browned.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to incorporate with the sausage, onion and pan drippings. Stir mixture and cook for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly until mixed.
3. Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in ½ cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings, then add chopped parsley. Spoon over warm split biscuits to serve.
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Polenta with Chicken Italian Sausage & Sautéed Summer Vegetables
This creamy dish is bright with Italian flavors, courtesy of pungent mixed peppers and summer squash.
Ingredients:
Polenta
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup water
4 links chicken Italian sausage
2 red Bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1-2 Piment d’Espellete peppers, seeded and thinly sliced*
2 mixed summer squash, washed and thinly sliced
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Grated Grana-style cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
*Depending on your heat preference, feel free to tweak the quantity of these smoky, slightly-spicy peppers to your liking.
Method:
1. Bring chicken stock and ¼ cup water to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Add polenta mix in a slow stream, whisking until incorporated. Simmer, stirring frequently with a long-handled whisk or wooden spoon, until liquid is absorbed and polenta is thick and soft, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausages in a half inch of water until done and remove to a plate and keep warm. Discard cooking water. In the same skillet, add both varieties of peppers, summer squash, garlic and onions along with a drizzle of olive oil and turn heat up to high. Sauté vegetables, turning just occasionally until all just begin to blister and char. Add sausage, turning down heat, and continue cooking until the sausages are browned. Slice sausages diagonally in large slices to serve.
3. Remove polenta from heat and stir in Grana cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with sausage and pepper mixture. Serve immediately.
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Nonna Pat’s Oven-Roasted Meyer Lemon Chicken
Roasted with Meyer lemons, fragrant garlic and a splash of white wine, our Nonna Pat’s signature chicken is a favorite here at the farm.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into pieces, or 4-6 breasts
1 Meyer lemon, sliced
Juice of 2 Meyer Lemons
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon honey
Handful of fresh oregano,
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of rosemary
½ cup dry white wine
â…“ cup olive oil
Capers and additional oregano, for garnish
Method:
1. With the exception of the chicken and sliced Meyer lemon, mix together the ingredient list in a large gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the chicken pieces in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish. Place a lemon slice on top of each piece of chicken and add remaining marinade to the baking pan.
3. Bake in the oven until browned and chicken is cooked through (usually about an hour depending upon the size of the pieces of chicken). Remove from the oven, garnish with capers and additional oregano leaves as desired, and serve.
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Rigatoni with Chicken Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard & Peppers
Everyone will be asking for seconds of this colorful and extremely satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1-2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 Walla Walla sweet onion
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, removed from tough rib ends and then roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional tablespoon for finishing
Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cook rigatoni for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the chicken Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking the sausage apart with a wooden spoon or spatula. Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.
3. Wipe any excess grease from the skillet with a paper towel, then drizzle in 2
tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in garlic, peppers and onions and sauté until all the veggies are tender and begin to brown in spots, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the chopped chard and wine and continue to sauté, stirring until chard is just wilted.
4. Add the pasta and chicken sausage to the skillet and toss to combine with the veggies; season with salt and pepper as necessary. Add chicken stock and simmer for two minutes or until slightly reduced. Finish by sprinkling each serving with grated Grana-style cheese and an additional swirl of olive oil.
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Campanelle with Italian Chicken Sausage & Grana Roasted Broccolini
Also tossed with lemon juice and zest, this light and lovely pasta is a snap to prepare.
Ingredients:
1 pound Lagana Foods campanelle pasta
1 pound Italian chicken sausage
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Freshly-grated Grana cheese, for serving
Grana Cheese-Roasted Broccolini (see recipe)
Method:
1. Cook the campanelle for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian chicken sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, lemon juice and zest, along with the butter, tossing to combine. Add in the roasted broccolini. Taste for seasoning and then add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water or chicken stock if pasta mixture seems dry. To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and additional grated Grana cheese.
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Spanish Lentils with Greek Sausage & Sweet Peppers
Slow-simmered with garlic, onion and a hint of paprika, these rich beans pair beautifully with sausage and peppers.
Ingredients:
1½ cups lentil beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon each fresh chopped parsley and savory
½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
2 cups waters or chicken broth
3-4 links Greek sausage
1 pound small sweet peppers, halved, seeded and cut lengthwise
1-2 spring onions, thinkly sliced (if desired)
Method:
1. Soak lentils in a pot of cold water for an hour prior to cooking. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat olive oil in large stock pot on low heat, add onion, paprika and garlic. Sauté until onion begins to look translucent and garlic browns a little. Add water or chicken broth and lentils, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until lentils are just cooked, not mushy, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from heat and add in fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausages in a half inch of water until done and
remove. Discard cooking water. In the same skillet, add peppers and onions along with a drizzle of olive oil and turn heat up to high. Sauté peppers and onions, until peppers and onions just begin to blister and char. Add sausage, turning down heat, and continue cooking until the sausages are browned. Slice sausages diagonally in large slices to serve.
4. To serve, ladle helpings of lentils into bowls and top with sausage and pepper mixture, garnishing with additional parsley if desired.
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Dublin Coddle
Combining sausage, potatoes, onions and bacon, this slow-cooked, one-pot dish is pure comfort food.
Ingredients:
10 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces*
1 pound Double D Meats Irish sausages
4 small yellow onions, sliced into rings
3½ pound potatoes, roughly peeled
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 cups chicken broth or water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place bacon into a 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until cooked and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving excess bacon grease in the pot.
2. Sear sausages for 3-4 minutes on both sides. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into thirds.
3. Remove the pot from the burner and layer the onions, bacon, sausage pieces and potatoes in the Dutch oven, sprinkling with healthy pinches of salt and pepper and the chopped parsley.
4. Pour chicken broth over top, cover and place back onto burner. Bring liquids to a boil before transferring pot to preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove and ladle into bowls; serve immediately with soda bread for sopping up the flavorful gravy.
*If you would prefer to omit the bacon, sear sausages in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil instead.
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Basque-Style Chicken with Peppers & Potatoes
A flavorful one-pot meal, accented by meaty potatoes and summery peppers.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds chicken thighs, with the skin
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons piment d’espelette (or cayenne)
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 Basque pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
3 sprigs fresh parsley, plus more leaves for garnish
Method:
1. Mix together the olive oil and piment (or cayenne) in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, coating each in the oil as you do. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to one day.
2. In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, sear each piece of chicken until it is golden. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer the seared chicken pieces to a paper-towel lined plate.
3. In the same pot, fry the red onions and garlic. If you find the pot too dry, add some olive oil. Sauté until the onions and garlic have softened. Add the peppers, potatoes and salt and stir to coat. Pour in the white wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds.
4. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the parsley sprigs and pour in the chicken broth. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, place the lid ajar and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about half. Check the seasoning. Remove the cooked parsley sprigs and sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy while hot with some crusty bread for dipping.
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Sweet Italian Sausage & Orzo Ribollita
This spin on the classic Italian soup features puttanesca sauce, orzo pasta and toasted Pomodoro bread.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for drizzling over the bread
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 quart Nonna Pat’s puttanesca sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 3-inch Parmesan cheese rind
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons combined fresh thyme leaves and chopped parsley
1 bunch Lacinato kale, greens removed from ribs and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ cup orzo pasta
4-6 slices pomodoro loaf
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sausage and minced garlic. Cook, crumbling the sausage into small pieces, until the onion is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Add the puttanesca sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, herbs and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the orzo and kale, and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and kale is wilted.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Drizzle the sliced pomodoro bread with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Variation: In leiu of the pomodoro bread, free free to sub in the sourdough dinner rolls crafted from this week’s starter!
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Italian Sausage-Lentil Soup with Leeks
This longtime family recipe is a winning New Year’s dish. Fun fact: Lentils are believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the new year because they resemble coins!
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned with white and light green parts chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for topping
Method:
- In a large pot, brown the sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the olive oil and then sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes, sausage, wine, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 and ½ hours. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
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