Monday, August 20, 2012

Something From Nothing ~ Week 19

After a summer that has involved a rather large amount of stress (I will not bore you with the details), I am finally back! I have been looking forward to continuing this series, so I will get down to it straight away. Before I do, however....a big thank you to all who have been so supportive during the events of summer 2012!

So....I found myself with the remainder of some breakfast sausage patties - that were, as usual, heading South quickly...

Then I remembered! Dear Sister-in-Law C and Brother-in-law D had given us some of their own garden bounty - to be precise...these!

I have always been fascinated by the authentic Italian stuffed pepper dish called "Italian Hot Longs" (make your own joke), so with the sausage AND peppers needing used up, and us needing lunch...the answer was clear. First, to make the sausage Italian, I lined up the following ingredients..

Clockwise from left; red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, paprika, red pepper flake, the peppers, and garlic. I added about a half a teaspoon of the seasonings, a little salt and pepper, the garlic, minced, and about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar into the broken-up sausage patties..

Then, I mixed it until well-blended...just using a fork. I then cleaned and seeded the long, mild banana peppers, and cut them in half, lengthwise..

I blanched these peppers for five minutes in boiling, salted water...just to make sure that once baked, they were tender..

And drained them thoroughly in a colander..

Now, for a quick Italian red sauce to go over the peppers, I cooked one thinly sliced clove of garlic,  in olive oil over very low heat until softened...about five to seven minutes..

Then, added the following ingredients...

Salt, pepper, red pepper flake, parsley, oregano, and basil, one small can of tomato sauce, and a little olive oil. Whisk together over low heat and voila! You have a sauce for your peppers! Let it barely simmer while you prepare the peppers.

 Lay them in a casserole that you have put a little olive oil into...

Then, divide your sausage filling equally amongst the peppers...

Now, spoon over your nice red sauce...

And bake in a 350 degree oven for thirty to forty minutes...just long enough to cook the sausage. The results?

I must admit...I am going to make these again and again! Tender, with the tasty filling, and sprinkled with some chopped parsley, Parmesan, and basil....just perfect. I feel good knowing I did not let either the sausage or peppers go to waste!

What ingenious thing did you invent to keep food from going to waste?

In other news....the garden is threatening to take over the back yard...

The tomatoes have been preserved...and will continue to be, as marinara sauce, sun-dried...etc. This was my first round, and I canned them whole to use in recipes and sauces...

And yes....I grew...THE TUSHIE TOMATO...

Mother Nature can, in fact have a sense of humor. Oh, and appearances are decieving...this tomato weighed in at over a pound and a half! No ifs, ands or......BUTTS! HAHAHAHA....I kill me. 

Eat well, my friends, and stay tuned for the caramel espresso bars, and we will check in on the late-summer antics of the Kitchen Angels!

Love and Kindness to all,