Sausage and Spinach Risotto

It snowed in the Philadelphia region this past weekend and it was icy, gray, and cold.  Saturday was the kind of day where you didn’t want to go outside but stay curled up on the couch with a warm bowl of something and a cozy blanket.  I wanted something a little more stick-to-your-ribs and comforting than soup so I decided to make Sausage and Spinach Risotto.

This risotto is made with arborio rice, mushrooms, spinach, and sausage and cooked slowly until creamy and dreamy.  (I used Thin ‘N Trim’s Spinach & Red Onion Chicken Sausage but I bet sweet turkey or pork sausage would be good here too.)  I messed up making this and left the mushrooms in the pan the whole time (the recipe says to cook them, set them aside, and add in at the end) but it turned out fine.  I love the salty addition of the cheese at the end too so don’t leave that off or you might need to add in some salt.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love risotto and don’t mind that it takes time and patience to make.  It was exactly what I wanted while the sleet fell against my windows and I stayed nice and warm inside.

The ingredients:

Bring broth and water to a simmer in a small pan and keep on low heat.  Add oil to another pan and cook mushrooms and salt over medium-high heat until browned (about 8 minutes).   Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

Add sausage until browned.  Then add shallots and garlic, cooking 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and add rice, cooking for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in wine, and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed.  (Ahh, fragrant!)  Stir in 1 cup of broth mixture and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly.  Continue adding remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until each portion of broth mixture is completely absorbed.  Stir constantly.

Once all of the broth has been absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and add mushrooms and spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

Serve topped with cheese.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Pre-cooked chicken sausage for sweet sausage
  • Shaved parmesan cheese for Romano cheese

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Salty Chihuahua

Salty what?!?  Yep, this cocktail is called a Salty Chihuahua.  Apparently it was created by a bartender in Chihuahua, Mexico in the 1940’s.  This is the first cocktail I’ve made so far with tequila and it isn’t because I don’t like tequila, it’s just not my favorite.  Tequila feels heavy to me and, aside from the occasional margarita, I prefer my cocktails lighter so I usually stick to vodka (or bourbon!). 

My staff at work got me a bottle of white tequila for my birthday in July and it’s been sitting there unopened begging to be given some life.  This cocktail gave me a reason to open it.  Although the recipe calls for silver tequila, I didn’t see why my tequila blanco shouldn’t work.  I have to say that this cocktail is pretty good.  With the salt around the rim, it’s pretty much like a shaken grapefruit margarita.  And there is something about the tanginess of the grapefruit juice that almost makes you forget you are drinking tequila.  Almost.

The ingredients:

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • White tequila for silver tequila
  • Bottled grapefruit juice

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:    Cooking Light Magazine

Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping

A few months ago, I made a meat loaf recipe that I enjoyed so much, I decided right then and there that it would be my go-to meat loaf recipe from here on out.  But, I had this Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping tucked away in my recipe binder so I had to try it out also.  I almost didn’t want to like it because I loved the other recipe so much but oh boy, now I’m torn!

The “spicy” in this meat loaf is from Sriracha, hot chile sauce, which is a staple in my refrigerator.  It’s spiciness creeps up on you but is tamed slightly by the sweetness in the ketchup topping.  Since I’m in love with spicy food lately, I think I uttered “Yum” after every single bite.  The other special ingredient in this meat loaf is mushrooms.  Not only to do they add a low-calorie flavor boost but they also help keep the meat loaf incredibly moist.  I guess it’s better to have two winning meat loaf recipes than to have none at all, right?

Also check out Cheesy Turkey Meat Loaf.

The ingredients:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan for 8 minutes.  Remove from heat, place in a large bowl and allow to cool.

Add panko, broth, parsley, soy sauce, Sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, ground turkey, and egg to the mushroom mixture and mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and nutmeg.

Pat turkey mixture into a loaf pan and top with ketchup mixture.  Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F.

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Worcestershire sauce

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

 

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