January | 2012 | A Fork In Each Hand

Monthly Archives: January 2012

Garlicky Spinach-Sausage Gratin

I can’t seem to get enough spinach lately, I’m not sure why. I’m not complaining though, there are worse things that I could be wanting to put in my body. This Garlicky Spinach-Sausage Gratin has tons of spinach and tons of garlic and satisfies that crazy spinach craving. Sausage is sautéed with onion and garlic, mixed with a combination of milk and egg, and stirred with gobs of fresh spinach to make a thick and creamy spinachy-custard. The topping of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, once baked, provides a slight saltiness and subtle crunch to this hearty and comforting dish. I didn’t follow this recipe exactly and used precooked spinach-garlic chicken sausage (ironically, it’s what I had in the fridge) in place of the pork sausage, 1% milk instead of 2%, and store-bought bread crumbs instead of a fresh baguette. Leaving the sausage out and reducing the milk slightly might make this a good vegetarian dish or even a side to a meal. I liked this straight out of the oven as a meal in itself so next time you are craving spinach and want something other than salad, keep this in mind. With so much garlic though, you might want to keep a stick of gum nearby.

The ingredients:

In a large pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add in sausage, salt, and red pepper, cooking thoroughly.

Add flour to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. In a bowl, combine milk and egg, stirring well. Add to the sausage mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove pan from heat and add in two bags of spinach, one at a time. Stir together until spinach is wilted.

Pour mixture into a baking pan and top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 450° for 12 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Garlic-spinach chicken sausage
1% milk
Store-bought bread crumbs

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns

Okay, I admit that starting the New Year with sweet, decadent Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns isn’t necessarily what you might want to look at if you are resolving to eat healthy in the new year. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! I’ve had this recipe tucked away for a long time but never made it because recipes with yeast always intimidate me. Not only do you have to get the warm water just the right temperature to activate the yeast, the dough needs time to rise, usually more than once. My patience is usually much more suited for quick breads but now that I’ve made this recipe successfully, I’m intimidated no more! Yes, these are still a little time consuming and require patience but my, oh, my, are they worth it! The pumpkin isn’t overpowering but adds the slightest bit of flavor and the cinnamon streusel filling is warm, homey, and exactly what you want in a roll like this. Even if you are watching what you eat, these buns are lower in calories than most cinnamon rolls so don’t feel guilty about indulging just this once.

The ingredients:

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add in flour, pumpkin, milk, melted butter, salt, and nutmeg. Mix with a hand mixer until combined and smooth.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick spray, making sure spray covers all of the dough. Cover and place in a warm place for 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready when an indentation from two fingers remains.

While dough is rising, prepare the filling by adding sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter.

After dough has risen for 45 minutes, punch down the dough and allow to rise for another 5 minutes. Place dough on a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle. Sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving a slight border.