the petite pig

weeknight sausage & mushroom pasta sauce

i categorize my cooking into two categories: weekend cooking and weekday cooking.  weekend cooking is the leisurely (or sometimes arduous) adventure that can take you all day (or even all weekend!) in the kitchen.  it's the production that goes into a dinner party or the 4 hours needed to test out a new recipe that involves 20+ different ingredients.  weekday cooking, on the other hand, is the, "i just got home from a 10 hour workday.  why am i not rich enough to hire a personal chef?  damn, i gotta get something into my stomach," kind of cooking.  you want weekday cooking to be quick, but at least if you're me, you don't want it to be microwave-a-tv-dinner quick. 

after coming home from a long work day, i still crave something hearty and healthy but it's gotta be something i can make in 20 to 30 minutes without too many fussy ingredients or prep-work.  this recipe came about one night as i was surveying what i had in my cupboard and refrigerator after a day in the office.  i was craving pasta but i didn't want to just boil some noodles and dump some jarred sauce on top, so i came up with this pasta sauce that makes you feel like you actually cooked something without too much work.  plus, with my secret ingredient, you'll soon be rethinking the traditional italian tomato sauce.  oh, and did i mention that it covers all 4 of the 5 food groups? 

to turn this weekday meal into a weekend meal, double the recipe below, pour into a 9x13 casserole dish, top with some delicious bechamel sauce and bake in an oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  that's all it takes for a great centerpiece for your next dinner party menu.

sausage & mushroom pasta sauce
serves 2-3 (great to pack up serving #2 & #3 for tomorrow's lunch)

1/2 lb. pasta (short pasta shapes such as penne rigate, fusili, gemelli work the best)
sea salt
the meat from 3 sweet or hot italian sausages, casings removed
1 tsp. rosemary
2 portobello mushrooms
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chile peppers)
parmesan-reggiano

fill a saucepan with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil on high heat.

while the water is coming to a boil, slice up portobellos.  i typically slice my portobellos like this to ensure each piece is about the same size:

when the water comes to a boil, salt heavily (and i mean heavily) with sea salt.  add pasta, lower heat to medium and cook to al-dente (still with a bite), usually about 8 to 10 minutes.

while pasta is cooking, heat up a 4 qt. saute pan over medium-high heat.  add the italian sausage and cook for about 8 minutes.  used the back of a wooden spoon to break sausage up into pieces while cooking.  once the meat the gets a golden brown color, remove it from the pan into a separate bowl using a slotted spoon to leave any residual juices.  add mushrooms and the rosemary to the pan.  cook for 1 minute and then add tomato sauce.  use the sauce to deglaze some of the brown bits left from the sausage which will add some great flavor to your sauce.   add the adobo sauce, which while i've never seen as an ingredient for pasta sauce adds an incredibly hot kick that completely changes the flavor profile of your sauce.  toss with cooked pasta and serve hot with shavings of parmesan-reggiano.

bacon wrapped shrimp over creamed polenta (because everything is better wrapped in bacon)

i'm not big on "rules" when it comes to cooking but one rule of thumb i do follow is, "everything is better wrapped in bacon."  the holidays are a time for decadence, so another few slices of bacon here and there won't really do much additional harm (at least this is what i tell myself).  my bacon wrapped shrimp over creamed polenta, an italian take on a southern comfort, is perfect served as a first course for that extra decadent holiday dinner party you might be throwing this month. 

bacon wrapped shrimp over creamed polenta
serves 6 as a first course (and provides many extra bacon-wrapped shrimp for nibbling on)

bacon wrapped shrimp
1 lb. of 26/30 shrimp, peeled & deveined with tails on (extra-large shrimp = 26-30 shrimp per pound)
10 slices of bacon
salt and pepper

creamed polenta with tomato sauce
4 cups water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbs. salt
1 cup polenta
1/4 cup marscapone cheese
1.5 cups jarred tomato sauce
2 tbs. basil, thinly sliced
parmesan-reggiano
fresh ground pepper

bring water + cream to a boil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan.  because cream and milk boil differently than water, keep a careful eye on the pot so the cream doesn't cause the water to boil over.

while water + cream are heating up, slice bacon strips into thirds or 2.5" pieces.  lay shrimp out onto a foil lined baking sheet.  sprinkle with salt and pepper for some additional seasoning (though the bacon will provide plenty of flavor). wrap each shrimp with a slice of bacon. 

once water + cream come to a boil, turn down the heat to low and add salt and polenta.  give it a good couple of stirs.  leave the pot uncovered allowing the polenta to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes (though you can cook it for much, much longer), stirring every few minutes to fully incorporate the liquids. 

while the polenta is simmering, heat up grill pan, cast iron skillet or frying pan to medium-high heat.  using tongs, place shrimp one by one into pan.  to keep the bacon from unraveling from the shrimp, i find that it's best to put the shrimp fold side down.  the heat then helps to seal the two ends of the bacon slice together.  cook for about 5 minutes on each side at medium high heat.  if the shrimp is not completely cooked through at this point*, lower the heat to medium and cook for about another 2 minutes on each side.

while shrimp is cooking, heat jarred tomato sauce (though you are more than welcome to make your own, which is what i usually do unless i'm pressed for time) in a small saucepan over medium heat.

once the polenta has reached a creamy consistency, take it off the heat.  season with salt as needed and fold in marscapone cheese, which adds a nuttiness and creaminess that is an absolute perfect compliment to the savoriness of the bacon.

i like to serve this dish by spooning out three large spoonfuls of polenta onto a plate and then topping with a healthy helping of sauce.  top with the shrimp and finish with freshly grated parmesan-reggiano, fresh ground pepper and basil.  serve while still steaming. 

 *the shrimp is done when it turns a deep coral shade.  also, cut into a piece to see if the meat is done.  if the meat is still slightly translucent, it probably needs a bit more time on the heat.

curried deviled eggs

the holiday party season has arrived and for the hosts and hostesses among us, this can be the beginning of holiday hell.  while i've gotten over a dozen requests for swanky holiday parties for clementine, i realize that for most of us, outsourcing the food part of the evening is not in the budget.  so for those of us who don't have the luxury of hiring a caterer, my tip is to keep the food simple.  instead of fretting over a lavish appetizer spread, just bulk up on a lot of tasty libations.  the sf chronicle's food section this week offered up some holiday help from five bay area caterers, who divulge their top tips and crowd-pleasing recipes.  my curried deviled eggs are another one to add to the list.  an ethnic twist on an american party favorite, these can be made ahead of time because remember, it's the holidays, a time for throwing back a cocktail with friends, not stuck in your kitchen. 

curried devil eggs
makes 24

ingredients:
1 dozen large eggs
1 tbs. salt
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbs. dijon mustard
2 tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. paprika
1 bunch chives, chopped

special equipment:
cookie press or pastry bag

gently place eggs in a saucepan.  fill saucepan with enough cold water to cover all the eggs and add salt.  bring the water to a boil.  once the water starts boiling, remove from heat and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes.  remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place in ice cold water.  this cools down the egg for cracking and also helps in the deshelling process.  to shell the eggs, i like to roll them on their sides, applying enough pressure to crack the shell.

after the eggs are deshelled, cut them in half.  place the yolks in a bowl and mash up with a fork, adding mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder and salt.  i like to pipe the filling into a cookie press or pastry bag using a wide starpoint tip .  if you don't have a cookie press or a pastry bag, you can fashion one out of a plastic ziploc bag with one of the corners cut out or just use a small spoon to fill the eggs.  pipe about 2 tbs. of filling into each of the halved egg whites.  sprinkle with paprika and chives.  these can be made the day ahead and taken out of the fridge just in time to serve . . . and did i mention, they're great with a glass of bubbly?