Pittsburgh Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake

Winter in Pittsburgh. Temps are in the 50's and 60's one day, the teens the next. I don't know about you, but my internal appropriate-recipe-for-the-weather indicator has been swinging back and forth like some kind of crazed pendulum. 

My kitchen is as likely to see a fresh off the grill sizzling chicken breast atop a crisp, green salad as it is a pot of stew or chili simmering on the stove. As a result, I'm behind on making my favorite cold weather recipes, like my family's favorite macaroni and cheese with ground beef and tomatoes. I'd bet this old fashioned, homey casserole is one of your family's favorites, too. 

My mom used to make the dish with elbow macaroni, browned ground beef, onion, green pepper, cubes of cheddar (or even Velveeta!) and a can of tomato soup. Nope, she used no seasoning or garlic at all except for salt and (maybe) pepper. 

My version, many years later, ditched the soup for canned tomatoes, added fresh spinach (to pack more nutrition and the kids never knew there was spinach hidden in there), sometimes I used feta, sometimes mozzarella, sometimes mushrooms made it in, and always garlic. The recipe has always been changeable, but still maintained the basic tomatoes, ground beef, cheese and macaroni base. As does this twist.

As always with this casserole, a visual sweep of what's on hand is the first step. At first glance, the fridge revealed leftover cooked hot sausage links from last night's dinner and several slices of some good Strip District Parma Sausage Salami Rustico. That would be waaaaay better than plain old hamburger! Looking further down, I discovered my own home-smoked hot pepper cheese and even a little home-smoked mozz! The pantry, as always, contained cans of San Marzano tomatoes thanks to Penn Mac in the Strip. The Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake came into being. 

Maybe there IS a benefit to this oddball winter. A warm and sunny day is perfect for strolling the Strip picking up components for a comforting casserole to make when the temperature inevitably dips back into the chill zone. Maybe this IS the perfect winter weather after all.

Pittsburgh Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake

• 4 C cooked pasta - al dente, of course - I used gluten free penne
• 2 links cooked hot Italian sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 C pre-sliced salami, cut into ribbons - I used Parma Sausage Salami Rustico, use whatever you have on hand...pepperoni works really well, too!
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, medium dice
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 1/2 C real San Marzano tomatoes, don't drain off the liquid, use it all!
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t Jane's Crazy salt or kosher salt
• 2 T tomato paste - buy the tube so you don't waste the rest of a small can
• 1/2 lb diced smoked hot pepper cheese (or use your own favorite - cheddar, smoked cheddar, hot pepper cheese that hasn't been smoked)
• 1/2 C smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone for the top, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a shallow casserole dish with olive oil and set aside.

In a nonstick saute pan over medium heat, warm the cooked sausage slices and salami until both release their fats and the salami separates and no longer sticks together. Remove to a plate. In the same pan, add the olive oil and then the onion and garlic. Cook until soft, but not browned.

Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, basil, Jane's Crazy Salt and tomato paste. Combine well, then add the sausage and salami back to the pan. Combine all thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta and the tomato mixture, stir well. Add the diced cheese and mix gently again until everything is evenly distributed throughout. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, top with shredded cheese and bake 25-35 minutes.

Add a green salad and it's dinner, folks!

NOTE: If you like your version less spicy, use cheddar instead of hot pepper cheese and sweet Italian sausage in place of the hot version. Like it spicier? Top the casserole with pickled hot peppers after it comes out of the oven for a real Italian deli touch!

Philly Cheesesteak Dip ala OC Brewing Company

Buh-bye summer! It's been fun! But doesn't it seem that autumn is making some serious headway into town even before we're ready for it? Before I'm ready for it anyway.  

Who would imagine that on our beach vacation where we normally feast on crab and Maryland corn (and believe me, we did plenty of crab feasting!), that we'd discover what could become the best tailgate recipe I've come across in many a moon: Philly Cheesesteak Dip from OC Brewing Company in Ocean City, MD. One taste and I knew immediately this one would be a Dinner Plan-it duplication to share with all of you!

The dip at OC Brewing brought all the classic flavors of a cheesesteak into one hot, bubbling casserole dish to dip with their house-made big, crusty pretzels. Now you know I can't do pretzels, so they fried up a batch of their house-made crunchy and sturdy potato chips for dipping instead. Browned pieces of thinly sliced steak, sweet onion and green peppers were surrounded by a 5 cheese sauce so lush and spot on, it was just like dipping into a real Philly Cheesesteak! 

The dip as served at OC Brewing...minus the big soft pretzel, with their homemade chips.

What did I change? Not much. I added mushrooms and garnished it with hot pepper rings, because that's how I take my cheesesteak hoagie. If you don't care for mushrooms, leave them out like they do at OC Brewing. I don't know what cheeses they used, only that there were five of them...so I used my favorite. Cream cheese for the creamy base, shredded ColbyJack (because I had it on hand - and because it melts nicely), American and gouda cheeses went in (also for the meltability (new word?) factor and provolone for stretchy, gooey, classic steak sub character.  

Thanks OC Brewing for not just another afternoon/evening of great beers and cocktails and awesome bartenders, but for the inspiration for what will become this year's fave tailgating classic. So what if it was enjoyed first in Raven's country and created in honor of an Eagle's country classic sandwich...it will be consumed with delight within Steeler Nation!

Philly Cheesesteak Dip

ala OC Brewing Company

• 1 T olive oil
• 3/4 lb thinly sliced top round, cut into slivers about 1 1/2" long
• Jane's Crazy Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (don't go too "Crazy" with the Crazy Salt, there's lots of salt in all this gooey cheese)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced (approx. 1/2 C)
• 1/2 medium green pepper, diced (approx. 1/2 C)
• 3/4 C. mushrooms, diced
• 8 oz. block Lite cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 C. shredded ColbyJack cheese, or mild cheddar
• 4 slices American cheese, crumbled
• 3/4 - 1 C gouda, shredded
• 3 slices provolone cheese, crumble 2 and reserve 2 whole slices to lay across the top of the finished casserole
• pickled hot banana pepper rings for garnish
• pita chips, soft pretzels or toasted baguette slices

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the steak pieces with Crazy Salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a very hot skillet, add the steak pieces and saute until they are nicely browned and caramelized on all sides. Add the veggies to the pan and cook until soft. Remove from heat.

While the steak is cooking, put the lite cream cheese (remember when it used to be called Neufchatel?) into a large bowl. Add the hot steak and veggies to the bowl along with all the delicious juices. Stir the cream cheese, steak and veggies together until well combined. Add the rest of the cheeses (except for the reserved 2 whole slices of provolone) and combine completely.

Spoon mixture into a small cast iron skillet or heat proof casserole dish. Place the reserved provolone over the top and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Remove from oven and garnish with pickled hot banana pepper rings.

Serve with pita or pretzels or baguette slices or sturdy potato chips!

Now, GO STEELERS!!!!!!

P. S.  We didn't vacation in Ocean City, MD this year, but in Rehobeth Beach...and went down to OC just for OC Brewing Company!

Rehoboth Beach, DE by moonlight.

  

Grillades And Fresh Veggie "Spaghetti"

The good folks at Tuttorosso Tomatoes (who sent a lovely variety of products to my door) are featuring lightened recipes for spring on their website...of course using their very fine products.

Coincidentally, I recently came upon a recipe I'd never heard of before...grillades (pronounced GREE-yads) and grits. After checking out a number of recipes, I decided it sounded a lot like the Swiss steak I've made for many years only with a decidedly Cajun/Creole twist. This was something that needed to be made...and Tuttorosso tomatoes would be perfect for the recreation of a southern classic.

While the recipe I developed didn't use the dark roux used in versions I read (gluten-free issue, you know), I think my recipe is a little lighter, features more healthy trinity veggies - peppers, onion and celery - and even includes my favorite southern veggie staple....okra! (You know how I LOVE okra!) The bonus of adding okra is that it helps to thicken the sauce and adds lots of flavor at the same time.

Since the Tuttorosso promotion, Inspiralize the Spring, lightens recipes by using spiralized veggies in place of pasta, I did the same in place of cheese grits. You CAN use cheese grits instead, of course, but I found the raw zucchini and red peppers I used made for a very bright base for the tomato and beef Grillades. Hot grillades over raw spiralized veggies cooked the veggies just enough to keep them crisp, yet still brought out all the wonderful veggie flavor.

The online Tuttorosso promotion features recipes by Ali Maffucci like Parsnip Spaghetti All' Amatriciana, Pasta Arrabiata with Carrot Noodles, and Spiralized Turnip Mushroom and Tomato Risotto. Obviously, Ali is a Spiralizer master! 

Check out those and other recipes at Inspiralize Spring and while you're there, enter to win aprons, Ali's cookbook, "Inspiralized," an Inspiralizer or the Grand Prize of all of the above PLUS more kitchen gadgets packed into a picnic basket. What are you waiting for? When you're done entering the contest, come on back and make a nice pot of Grillades and Fresh Veggie Spaghetti!

Grillades and Fresh Veggie "Spaghetti"

• 2 1/2 pounds round steak, pounded thin and cut into approximately 4" X 4" pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 C flour (gluten-free in my case)
• 2 T Paul Prudhomme's Magic Salt Free Seasoning, divided
• canola oil
• 2 T butter
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• 1 large green pepper, seeded and dixed
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 C beef stock, salt free or low sodium
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
•  28 oz. can of Tuttorosso diced tomatoes
• 12 oz. frozen okra

• 2 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 red pepper, julienned (didn't spiralize well, what the heck...julienning worked just as well)

Combine the flour and 2 T Paul Prudhomme's in a plastic bag. Set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the round steak pieces, then shake them in the flour mixture until well coated.

Heat enough canola oil in the bottom of an skillet (or a slow cooker than browns - I use an Instant Pot that browns...LOVE it!!!!!) and brown the meat well on both sides. Remove to a plate.

Add a touch of butter to the bottom of the skillet, browning slow cooker (or Instant Pot) and saute the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic until soft. 

If you don't have a browning slow cooker, transfer the meat to a slow cooker. Then pour all the veggies over the top, add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and okra over all and then gently combine all.

Cover and set your slow cooker (or Instant Pot) to high and let 'er rip for 4 hours. At the end of the time, uncover and taste, then adjust seasonings - I added another teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of Paul Prudhomme's, another tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of Frank's hot sauce.

To serve, pile the spiralized zucchini and red pepper on a plate and spoon the Grillades over top. Unless, of course, you decide to use traditional grits! Go for it!

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage, Chicken & Veggie Stew

Sometimes what a fast paced life needs is just a little bit of slow...in the form of a slowcooker, of course. There is nothing like coming home from a long, busy day and opening the door to the welcoming, wafting aroma of a hearty dinner. 

In this case, chicken and sweet Italian sausage simmered with red and green bell peppers, red onion, yellow squash, eggplant, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, fresh basil and a good jarred marinara sauce into a stew-like delight that I served over gluten-free spaghetti. Kimber enjoyed hers over spaghetti squash, but you could just as easily simply serve it in bowls as a veggie-hearty Italian stew.
 
When it comes to slow cooking, I like to take a few extra steps to ensure good depth of flavor. It might take a little bit longer to brown the chicken and sausage before loading them into the crock, but the difference in the end is worth it. 

Think of the difference between roasted chicken and boiled chicken...THAT'S the difference...I like to call it oomph. Then, too, I deglaze the pan with the marinara sauce and a little water to get every single smidgen of goodness into the slowcooker and, eventually, into your mouth!
 
So here's the recipe for a vitamin-rich, hearty, colorful, e a s y one-pot wonder of a dinner. What more do you need? Oh yeah...a glass of good red wine would be very nice. 

 Slow Cooker Italian Sausage, Chicken & Veggie Stew

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 sweet Italian sausage links
• salt and pepper, to taste
• granulated garlic, to taste

• 1 small red pepper, seeded, 1/2" dice
• 1 small green pepper, seeded, 1/2" dice
• 1/2 large red onion, cut into slivers approx 1/4" wide
• 1 small yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise and across into 1/4" slices
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cups spinach, torn
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 teaspoons oregano, dried

• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, your favorite store-bought brand
• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Season chicken with salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste. Brown the chicken breasts and sausages until just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Leave the drippings in the skillet and set aside.
 
Add the veggies to a large slow cooker. Slice the chicken across the grain, slice the sausages into 1 1/2" pieces and mix into the veggies in the crock. Any juices that may have accumulated from slicing the meats, add them to the skillet.
 
To the skillet, add the marinara sauce to the pan juices, add water and tomato paste and stir up all the brown bits over low heat. Pour over the meats and veggies in the crock and mix gently.
 
Cover and turn heat to high for an hour. After the hour, turn the slow cooker down to low and cook for another 5 hours. When ready to serve, mix the water and cornstarch together and stir gently but thoroughly into the meats and veggies to thicken the sauce. Serve as is as a stew or over pasta or spaghetti squash.

One dish dinner, baby!

Spicy Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya with Beet Greens

 
On opening the fridge, I realized I had some serious cleaning out to do in there. Where did all those fridge-real-estate-hogging bits and pieces come from? Oh everything was good, but wouldn't be for long if I didn't get crackin'. I needed more space!

There was a big bag of beautiful yellow peppers I'd picked up on my last walk through the Strip District.  $2 for a big basket? You know they came home with me. I'd roasted beets last week and saved the tops - you don't throw out beet tops do you? You won't after this recipe.

There was a nice piece of andouille in the meat drawer, 3 jalapenos that were ready to give up the ship, half a bag of shrimp in the freezer, the last few stalks of celery in a bag and a couple of slices of ham left from last Sunday's dinner. With those ingredients on hand and rice in the pantry, dinner was decided. Hello Jambalaya!

There's a lot to be said about a one pot dinner that can clean out your refrigerator and be an authentic Cajun treat. And it feeds (not literally) an army. Leftovers for the week, YES!

Spicy Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya 

with Beet Greens

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 pound ANDOUILLE, or other smoked sausage, sliced in half lengthwise then across to make half-rounds about 1/4" thick
• 1/2 pound ham, diced small

 

• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers (or use red or orange...whatever you have), seeds removed, diced
• 2 large jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, finely minced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced

 

• 1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is my favorite, add all the juices, too
• 3 fresh thyme, sprigs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 Tablespoons cajun seasoning, I used Slap Ya Mama - nice and spicy!!!! (if you don't like big heat, use less)
• freshly ground black pepper, LOTS - to taste

 

• 4 cups chicken stock, I used a box from the store shelf, feel free to use your own homemade if you have some!
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• beet greens, the tops from 1 bunch, washed and sliced across into about 1/2" ribbons (if you don't have beet green around, kale works beautifully!)

 

• 12 large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined, tails left on
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other stove to table cookware.  Once the oil is HOT, but not smoking, add andouille and ham and saute until WELL browned. Remove meats with slotted spoon and set aside.
 
Add to the remaining oil in the pot, onion, celery, green and yellow peppers and jalapeno.  Once the veggies are about halfway to translucent, add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the rest of the veggies are soft.
 
Next add the diced tomatoes and seasonings and continue cooking for a few minutes until everything is nicely melded.
 
Now add the chicken stock, rice and greens, stirring until the rice is evenly distributed throughout the veggies.  Bring to a boil.
 
Add the meats and stir well again and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 25 minutes. 
 
Toss the shrimp with the teaspoon of cajun seasoning. Uncover the pot and place the shrimp on top of the rice, cover and continue cooking until the shrimp are pink.  Do NOT overcook the shrimp. 
 
Spoon into bowls and serve with good crusty bread!


NOTE: Be sure not to overcook your rice OR your shrimp.  Nobody likes mushy rice or rubbery shrimp.
 
   

Bavarian Sauerkraut Salad to Welcome Fall

Early this morning, before dawn even, thunder rumbled in the distance, breezes gently stirred the windchimes into a soft melody... no rain was yet falling, but you could sense it in the ripe and ready atmosphere.  Hot, humid air was being bullied out of the way by a much welcome and anticipated cold front.  Hurry up!  Get here!  Get rid of this sticky stuff...I'm ready for you Fall!

So I happily stayed awake enjoying the stealth of the weather creeping closer.  The wind picked up, the music of the chimes became up-tempo jazz, thunder was joined by lightning to put on quite the show while raindrops beat a soft sizzle counter-rhythm.  Not for long though, as a BOOM of thunder ignited an explosion of lightning. Wind roared and whistled outside the window and drumming rain drowned out all else.  

Well done, Fall.  You know how to make an entrance!

Here is an appropriate Fall-ish dish.

 Bavarian Sauerkraut Salad or Relish

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 16 ounce can sauerkraut, Bavarian style (has caraway seeds)
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped fine
• 1/2 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup pimiento, chopped fine

In a small pot, stir together sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  (Watch this carefully, it doesn't take long.  You don't want smoking, black sugar and vinegar caramel.  Don't ask how I know that.) Remove from heat.  Cool.

Mix the sugar/vinegar syrup into the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate overnight or just for an hour if that's all you have.  Good as salad or as relish for German sausages.  Double the recipe if you're going to serve it as a salad.

NOTE:  I originally enjoyed this sweet & sour treat in the late 80's at a covered dish dinner.  A neighbor brought it, everyone loved it!  She said it was a "secret" recipe and no, she wouldn't divulge the secret.  Her wonderful daughter, Merry, shared it with every one of us the next day.  Turns out, it wasn't so secret after all.  It's the same recipe that apparently everyone has...it's all over the place.  So I'm sharing this not-so-secret secret recipe with all of YOU. 

(I did change it up a little, though.  The original recipe just added the sugar and vinegar to the rest of the ingredients without cooking - I like to be sure the sugar dissolves before adding to the veggies.  You can do it either way you like!  

One more thing...I thought I had a green pepper.  I didn't.  I DID have a poblano pepper...hey, it was green!  I liked it even better!  The mild heat of a poblano was just right - I think a jalapeno would be too much.)