Tag: autumn

Cream of Cauliflower – Come for the Soup, Stay for the Bacon Gremolata

We’re heading into the heart of hot soup season, and this
cream of cauliflower will ward off autumn’s chill with the best of them. I’m a
big fan of the cauliflower in all forms, but this simple soup may be my
favorite application.


Of course, human nature being what it is, I wasn’t satisfied
with just the soup, and wanted to garnish with something new and exciting.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to follow that age-old
advice which says, “when in doubt, bacon.”

I’ve garnished soups like this with bacon before, but never
tried toasting breadcrumbs in the rendered fat. Not surprisingly, it worked
very well, and the additions of lemon zest and parsley elevated things even
more. The only problem with a recipe like this is the next time I’m served a
cream of cauliflower, no matter how good it is, I’m going to be a little sad
there’s no bacon gremolata floating on top.

By the way, I realize there are no breadcrumbs in a true
gremolata, but I thought it sounded kind of cool, and besides, I’ve never been
that big on respecting the sanctity of culinary terms. I was going to go with
“baconized breadcrumbs,” but that sounded a little too much like molecular
gastronomy, which is much worse.

If you’re not into eating animals, some diced shiitake
mushrooms and a pinch of smoked paprika would be a great substitute in the
gremolata. You’d also need to add some olive oil to replace the rendered bacon
fat, but you probably knew that.

Now that I think about it, that vegetarian version sounds
pretty amazing as well. Maybe next time I’ll skip the bacon and…oh, who am I
kidding? Anyway, I hope you give this delicious fall soup a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for about 8 servings:
1 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
salt to taste
1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered
2 heads cauliflower, trimmed
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
cayenne to taste
For the gremolata:
4 strips bacon
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

Incoming search terms:

Autumn Penne Pasta with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts In A Light Ragu

I’m busy working on my cookbook, so I thought since I’m making this tonight, I would revive it from the archives. Trust me it’s good, and if you don’t believe me read the comments!

A hearty pasta dish for a crisp Autumn day. Pasta is tossed with sauteed brussels sprouts and a quick meat ragu made light by using lean ground turkey and just enough hot Italian pork sausage to enhance the flavor of the sauce.

I know what some of you are thinking, brussels sprouts???

Trust me on this, prepared right, they are delicious!

My husband almost didn’t allow me to add them to his portion claiming how much he dislikes them. He put his fork in my bowl of sauteed brussels sprouts and quickly changed his mind. He claimed I cheated by adding all that garlic to them. Well whatever works : )

In fact, all throughout the meal, he raved about what a great dish this turned out to be. Serve this with Pecorino Romano sprinkled on top and spoonful of part-skim ricotta on top, yum!!

Autumn Penne Pasta with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts in a Light Ragu
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: about 1 3/4 cup • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 326.1 • Fat: 6.9 g • Protein: 15.7 g • Carb: 54.8 g Fiber: 8.8 g • Sugar: 5.4 g
Sodium: 343.6 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

  • 1 sweet or hot pork sausage link, casing removed, crumbled
  • 3/4 lb 93% lean ground turkey
  • 4 tsp olive oil, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin 
  • 10 oz brussels sprouts, weight after outer leaves and stems removed
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced small
  • 1 celery stalk, diced small
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes (I use Tuttoroso)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • pinch crushed red pepper
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1 lb high fiber, low carb or whole wheat pasta (brown rice pasta for gluten free)

Directions:
In a large, wide skillet, add sausage and turkey over medium-high heat, breaking up the sausage and turkey as it cooks into small pieces. When completely cooked through; set aside in a bowl.

With a sharp knife, cut the brussels sprouts into thin shreds.

To the skillet, add 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and cook until golden (do not burn). Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and sauté until tender crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes; set aside in another bowl.

To the same skillet, add remaining 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, stirring well to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables turn golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.  

Add crushed tomatoes, sausage and turkey, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, salt and fresh pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 30 – 40 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, while sauce is simmering, put a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Add the pasta to the water 10 minutes before the sauce is done and cook pasta al dente.  

Drain and add the pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce.

Add cooked brussel sprouts, toss and place in a large pasta bowl.

Incoming search terms:

Proudly powered by WordPress

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Click here to read more information about data collection for ads personalisation

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Read more about data collection for ads personalisation our in our Cookies Policy page

Close