Spicy Sausage Penne

As a college student I remember being limited on equipment, time, and cash to really make all of my mom's recipes.  I was playing varsity tennis and soccer while carrying a full 16 hour load, including Organic Chemistry--but living off-campus with a reduced meal card forced me into making simple dishes with leftovers.

I hit the local Good Will to get a decent, second-hand 5-qt saucepan and I invested in a large, decent Teflon skillet at the time. Why? Because you can pretty much use them for anything--boiling water, making rice, searing hamburgers, sautéing onions, making soup or spaghetti sauce, boiling ramen--you get my drift!

What's even better is when you have a recipe that is either completely made within one piece of kitchen equipment, i.e. one-pot cooking...or, maybe two, as in this case. The idea is to keep things simple and contained with high yield in flavor, friends and leftovers!

Check this out! Really, no more than 30 - 40 minutes from the minute you walk in the door!
(Adapted from Tyler Florence's Dinner At My Place cookbook)

Spicy Sausage Penne 

Equipment:
5-qt saucepan
Dutch Oven or large skillet
Cookie sheet

Ingredients:
4 Hot Italian Sausages, cut 1/4" diagonally
1 lb of dried penne
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls olive oil
1 28 oz can San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 - 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup peas (optional)
1/2 cup grated parmesan + extra

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. (when you walk in the door)
3. Roast your 4 sausages on the cookie sheet at 350F degrees x 15 minutes. Turn x 5 min. Cool and slice diagonally. (start heating your salted water for the pasta )

4. Fill 5-qt saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cook your pasta. Drain your pasta as instructed.
(use the down-time while pasta boils & sausage roast to prep your other ingredients)

5. Prep your other ingredients while pasta boils, i.e. onions, garlic, grated cheese, basil, and peas.

6. Heat 2 Tbls of olive oil over MEDIUM heat and sauté onions / garlic until translucent and fragrant.
(in the time you boiled / roasted / prepped, maybe 20-25 minutes have passed. throw it together now)

7. Add tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Simmer x 15 minutes on LOW heat.
9. Add cream and continue to cook until smooth and creamy.

10. Add sausage, peas, and parmesan. Stir until combined for 2-3 minutes.

11. Add your pasta and serves this up with additional basil / sprinkle of cheese.

Fantastic for left-overs and enough to go around!

Korean Rice Bowl

Not sure what happened here in Chicago last week, but it feels like late October. Cool, crisp, fall weather--beautiful, no doubt--just way to soon!! Guess it's time to focus on some comfort food while the temperatures drop.

And so...I pulled up a recipe from America's Test Kitchen 'The Best Simple Recipes' that I have been dying to try, and one that includes all the key cooking skills since I started the Cool Campus Living website and Cool Campus Cooking blog. As you recall, Jon, our son, had asked that I give him all of his favorite recipes the day he left for Iowa University. Only problem was: Jon really hadn't cooked much (and I am still not certain he cooks a lot).

Maybe you don't either, but this recipe is simple if you have followed some of my earlier posts:
----How To Crack An Egg
----How Do I Make Those Mushrooms
----How To Boil Water / Rice
----Asian Flank Steak Marinade

These are all good in and of themselves, but together--WOWSERS! Take the challenge! Remember the Stuffed Jumbo Shells--same thing--lots of steps, but totally worth it--satisfying, rich, flavorful, chocked full of protein, veggies. I stepped up the marinade a smidge by adding heat, ginger, garlic and lime--just what it needed.

Ideally, this is the type of recipe you make when you have a bunch of left over rice rather than making everything at once. See what you think and don't miss out on this one.

Korean Rice Bowl

Equipment:
3-quart / Medium-sized Sauce pan with lid
Large non-stick skillet
Mixing bowl
Whisk

Ingredients:
2 cup of white rice (or brown rice--just remember cooking times)
4 cups of water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp butter

Marinade:
6 Tbls soy sauce
3 Tbls dark brown sugar (or light brown)
1 tsp of siracha / hot chili garlic paste (with the rooster on it)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Lime juice
1 lb thin steak or steak tips, sliced thinly against the grain

8 oz shitake or portobellos, sliced
10 cups baby spinach
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp butter

4 eggs

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.

2. Start your rice:
--put all rice ingredients into your sauce pan
--bring to a boil and stir once
--cover
--turn down heat to SIMMER x 15' (white) or 45' (brown) untouched.
--remove from heat and set aside.

3. Combine the marinade ingredients into a large bowl.
4. Add the thinly sliced steak.  (you can prep this the night before and simply refrigerate with cover)

5. Heat your large skillet with 1 Tbls of vegetable oil, soy sauce and mushrooms. Cook x 2-3 min.
6. Add your baby spinach and cook until wilted, approx 2-3 min.
7. Remove from the skillet and cover with foil.

8. Add 1 Tbls oil and sear 50% of meat until caramelized and golden on both sides. Set aside under foil.  Sear remaining 50% of meat, set aside and cover with foil.

9. Make your eggs: add 1 tsp butter, crack and fry your egg.

10. Assemble everything with the rice, mushrooms / spinach, steak, and lastly...the egg.

11. Kick it up a notch with hot sauce!

I don't lie. This is delish and should do a fine job of warming you up!