Cuisine: Sausage

Sloppy Ottos

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I make the best sloppy joes ever. It's a fact. I have been cooking lunch at a school since 2004 and I made sloppy joes on the first day. I feel like I "hooked" them! Though over the years, many kids are dubious. They don't like the fact that there are little green bits (green peppers) in them. I wised up and cut them up VERY small. Anyway, this is going way off on a tangent! I saw this recipe for Sloppy Ottos, which is a different version. It involves sausage and sauerkraut and the pretzel bun, which is the new thing. I have to say, they were really good and my Dad approved.

By Leslie Blythe

Cheesy White Bean & Sausage Tomato Bake

I made this Cheesy White Bean & Sausage Tomato Bake last night for dinner and it got rave reviews. The original recipe did not have any sausage. you can leave out the sausage and then it's paleo, sugar-free, low-carb, gluten-free, whole30, and vegetarian! It is so fast and easy to make and it's all done in one pan.

By Leslie Blythe

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard

My husband made Nigel Slater's Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. The spicy Italian sausage goes really well with the creamy mustard sauce and basil. It's perfect for a cool fall or winter evening.

By Leslie Blythe

Fideos with Chorizo and Arugula

I found this recipe for Fideos with Chorizo and Arugula on the Milk Street website. It has so few ingredients and is so simple to make and full of flavor. You should use Spanish chorizo. Fideo noodles or vermicelli are short, thin and used in Mexican soups and paella-like Spanish dishes.

By Leslie Blythe

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash with Sausage, Peas & Onions is one of our favorite family recipes. This is a slight variation. Since Autumn has arrived, I made this Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash. It's a nod to Fall, which is rather illusive in Los Angeles.

By Leslie Blythe

White Beans and Sausage with Sage

This recipe for White Beans and Sausage with Sage is adapted from The Silver Spoon, which is a cookbook that was first published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy's bestselling culinary "bible", and has been translated into English. The book has over 2,000 recipes and I consider it the "Joy of Cooking" for Italian cooking.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Sausage Ragout

When we lived in London, I used to love food shopping at Sainsbury’s. They had these wonderfully simple adverts on the telly (sorry, I had to do that), showing you how to make a quick and easy meal. It always started out by saying “Simply take….” Anyway they would have these cards in market. I would collect them and make all the recipes. Here is one I found in my collection. I love how the recipe is called Spicy when there is nothing spicy in it!

By Leslie Blythe

Kielbasa-Cabbage Stir- Fry

Admittedly, this Keilbasa-Cabbage Stir-Fry is an "oddball" combination of ingredients. I guess that is why it caught my eye! The key is to have your "mise-en-place" (the French phrase mise-en-place means to gather and arrange the ingredients and tools needed before you start cooking). It was very flavorful and had a great texture. You could easily adapt this recipe to suit your taste.

By Leslie Blythe

Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut and Pasta Bake

This Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut and Pasta Bake had my husband's name all over it. Oddly enough, I had all the ingredients. It's actually quite delicious and I think the next time I make it, I will use diced par-boiled potatoes instead of pasta, but it was good, it's up to you.

By Leslie Blythe

Toad in the Hole with Rosemary

When we were living in London in the '90s, we would go to our local Guy Fawkes bonfire in Highbury Fields in Islington. Friends who didn’t have access to a Georgian square complete with a burning man were invited (specimen invitation below) to join us.  We would start at our flat with drinks (and fill all flasks), bundle up and head to Highbury Fields with hot roasted chestnuts in paper bags (mainly to keep our hands warm), cider and lots of smoke. I have to say, the atmosphere was deeply weird and sort of a nod to a Stephen King novel with a bit of Harry Potter (though HP didn't exist then) thrown in.

Thoroughly chilled, we would return to our flat for English fare such as Toad in the Hole and more cider. November 6th is always a slow start in English workplaces. Some blame it on the cider; I blame it on the Guy.

Guy Fawkes night is a British celebration that commemorates the capture of Guy Fawkes, a man who was instrumental in trying to overthrow the king in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It falls on the 5th of November and is a night filled with bonfires and fireworks, and of course British food. The weather is often freezing, but can sometimes be wet and warm.

By Leslie Blythe