Winter Vegetable and Chorizo Medley

December 14th, 2009  |  Pork, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Yankee Cook Recipes   |  No Comments »

Winter Vegetable and Chorizo MedleyA good nutritional rule of thumb is to try to have at least one serving of fruit or vegetable from each color of the rainbow every day. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. White? I guess potatoes get the shaft in this scenario. Either way, this dish covers two of the six – or three if white counts. Beets and cabbage are both nutritional superstars. Chorizo is really just along for the ride, because I like to think that any meal loaded with vegetable based vitamins and minerals deserves a muse.

The potatoes and beets are roasted in separate dishes with a little bit of olive oil, giving the pieces a delicate skin. The potatoes end up with a buttery softness. The cabbage takes on a hearty flavor from steaming in the pan with the browned chorizo, and the beets’ sweetness plays well with the spice of the chorizo. You may want to double this recipe, because everyone will want seconds. Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s not necessary to use salt. The chorizo and beets pack a lot of flavor on their own.

Winter Vegetable and Chorizo Medley – serves 2 – 4

4 new potatoes, or 2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium beets, peeled and chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
1 t+1 t+1 T olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Place beets and potatoes in separate baking dishes. Drizzle each with one tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until fork tender.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add chorizo and brown. Add cabbage, cover and allow cabbage to steam for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove lid and cook and additional 5 – 10 minutes, allowing some of the liquid to cook off.

Pour cabbage and sausage mixture into a serving plate or shallow bowl, add potatoes and toss. Scatter beets on top of the mixture. Serve hot and definitely try a bite with each ingredient combined because it’s a great flavor combo.

Ingredient origins: Potatoes, beets, cabbage – Massachusetts, Chorizo – New Hampshire, Olive oil – Spain

Sausage and Kale Soup

December 8th, 2009  |  Soup, Yankee Cook Recipes   |  No Comments »

Sausage and Kale SoupIt’s been a relatively warm autumn here and our neighbor’s garden is still producing kale. She had kindly brought some by a few months ago and I made this lovely soup out of some Italian sausage we had in the freezer and some rice and lentils we had on hand. I wasn’t expecting much, but the soup turned out to have that rare combination of being hearty and light at the same time.

Our neighbor mentioned the other day that the kale is still going strong, and so she invited us over to grab some more before the first frost. It’s a good thing too, because it snowed the following day. I decided this time to perfect the recipe and use some of my homemade stock and some fresh sausage from a local farm. The result is a rich and flavorful soup that’s not too heavy. I know this one was a winner because my husband had seconds.

Sausage and Kale Soup – serves 6 – 8

1/2 C long grain white converted rice
1/2 C dry red lentils
1 C water
6 Italian sausages
1 bunch (15-20 leaves) of kale, spines removed and chopped into 1 -2 inch squares
8 C vegetable or chicken stock
Salt to taste

Remove sausage from the casings and form pieces about 1 inch in size. Brown in a skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Drain fat and set aside.

In a large stockpot combine vegetable stock, kale and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly simmer rice and lentils in water, covered for 10 minutes until not quite cooked through.

Combine all ingredients in the large stockpot with the kale. Season to taste.

Simmer for an additional 5 – 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Ingredient origins: Organic kale – neighbor’s garden, Converted rice – Texas, Organic lentils – California, Italian sausage – Maine, vegetable stock – my own kitchen from water and vegetables trimmings of mostly local organic veggies.