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:
1. In a large pot, brown the sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan, drain and set aside.
2. 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.
Polish Sausage, Cabbage & Potato Stew
This dish is perfect for a crisp fall evening, filling the kitchen with its rich, savory aroma!
Ingredients:
1 pound Polish sausage, poached in water and then sliced into diagonal rounds
1 medium green cabbage, chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional, for extra flavor)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil or butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside. In the same pot, add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the cabbage, potatoes, caraway seeds (if using), salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the cabbage starts to soften.
2. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
3. Return the browned sausage to the pot and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, allowing flavors to meld. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy this cozy, savory stew with a slice of crusty bread on the side.
Pappardelle Pasta with Sautéed Fall Mushrooms
Also rich with chicken stock and herbs, this pasta beautifully captures the flavors of mellow, earthy mushrooms.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh pappardelle
4 cups mixed mushrooms, washed and patted dry
¼ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup combined fresh chopped parsley, sage and thyme
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup grated Grana-style cheese
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop in pasta noodles and cook until al dente, about 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse, reserving ½ cup of the starchy cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil over medium heat, stirring to combine. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft and tender and then add chicken stock and cook until reduced slightly, another 3-4 minutes. Add in fresh herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Add in the drained pasta and toss. Add in reserved 1 tablespoon of butter and grated cheese, and mix to distribute. If pasta seems dry, add in reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until adequately moist.
Hearty, Healthy Italian Recipes
This week’s box is packed with the vibrant flavors of Italy, found in the forms of fresh bucatini pasta, Italian sausage from Skagit River Ranch, and rustic bread—plus health-boosting, vitamin-rich produce, too, from hearty kale to beautiful locally-foraged mushrooms, plus crisp carrots, winter squash, bright radicchio and fresh leeks. Enjoy these seasonal beauties alongside farm-fresh eggs, fragrant herbs and both crème fraîche and fromage blanc from our own creamery; mangia!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Bucatini Pasta with Italian Sausage & Kale
Everyone will be asking for seconds of this extremely satisfying dish.
Fresh Radicchio, Fennel & Apple Salad
Tart, crunchy and crisp, this cool salad celebrates the classic combination of fennel and radicchio.
Roasted Leeks
Seasoned with salt and pepper, roasted leeks make for a satisfying side dish.
Garlic Butter-Roasted Mushrooms
Roasted with capers and garlic, this simple mushroom dish is a real show-stopper.
Crème Fraîche Salad Dressing
Creamy, yet light, this dressing is fantastic tossed with greens and thinly-sliced radish.
