zena musings

Pasta with Broccoli, Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Several people have asked for the recipe of one of my favorite dishes. I substitute chicken broth for wine and usually omit the tomatoes, but here is the original super delicious recipe.

 
2 Tb olive oil
1 lb chicken Italian sausage, removed from casing
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 lb broccoli, cut into florets, stems diced
2 Tb chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp red papper flakes
1/4 C white wine
2 C chicken stock
1 lb pasta — penne or rigatoni
3 Tb freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese  

Heat oil in large sauté pan on medium heat. Cook the sausage for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add the garlic, broccoli, tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the same pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, mixing well. Add cooked sausage and wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pan with lid slightly ajar and simmer 30 minutes.

Just before the sauce is done, cook pasta until al dente (almost tender). Drain well and return to pot. Add sauce and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix well. I like to sprinkle a little more cheese on top of each serving. Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!

From Nick Stellino's Glorious Italian Cooking.

Spiced Chicken Thighs and Barley

Several of you asked for the recipe I mentioned on Mother's Day, so here it is! I doubled the amount of spices in the original recipe from Cooking Light, but feel free to readjust to your own individual taste. Enjoy!

1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried mint flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
6 (4 ounce) chicken thighs, skinned
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Cooking spray
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3-1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1-1/4 cups uncooked pearl barley
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, and rub chicken with half of spice mixture.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken from the skillet.
3. Add a bit more oil if necessary, then add chopped onion, bell pepper and soy sauce. Cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Add broth, barley, tomatoes and remaining spice mixture, and stir well. Add chicken to skillet, nestling into veggie mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 55 minutes or until chicken is done. Let stand 15 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken thigh and 1 cup barley mixture).

CALORIES 302 (15% from fat); FAT 5.1g; PROTEIN 22.3g; CARB 42.8g; FIBER 9.2g; CHOL 65mg; IRON 2.9mg; SODIUM 491mg; CALC 57mg