recipe

Flat Bread Italian Sausage Pizzas with Balsamic Glazed Mushrooms

June 30, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

In honor of the 4th of July, I decided to “Americanize” a traditional Italian food–pizza. And what could be more American than messing with a traditional cuisine? I had heard about flat bread being used as a substitute for dough but I had never tried it and was pretty skeptical at first. Italian Americans might cringe at the idea of using flat bread but trust me it’s worth trying out! I even used my Sicilian American fiance as a tester for this recipe and I got his enthusiastic approval.

My favorite part about this recipe is the red sauce which can, of course, be used on regular pizza dough if you have that available. The longer you cook it the better it tastes but I only had about 45 minutes and it still turned out delicious. The sauce’s recipe is super basic but tasted fantastic with everything else. The secret ingredient is a pinch of brown sugar (not white sugar!) which mellows out the acidic tomato sauce. I sauteed brown baby bella mushrooms with balsamic vinegar which added a little tangy sweetness to the pizza as well. I had Parmigiano Reggiano on hand but some thick sliced mozzarella or Romano cheese would be amazing with this too. The great thing about pizza is you can take this recipe, mess around with it, and make it your own. That’s totally the American way, amirite?

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Southwest Pasta Bean Soup

March 13, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Don’t you hate when you have almost all of the ingredients for something you want to make but are missing like 2 or 3 of the most important ones? I had this happen recently when I wanted to make Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Bean Soup) but I was missing the Pancetta and the Cannellini beans. I was in a bit of a pickle until I realized I had regular bacon and pinto beans. Then I had the idea–why not make a Southwest version of the classic Italian Pasta e Fagioli (that’s Fajh-oh-lee) soup? Well, this is not exactly your grandmother’s pasta bean soup but it has a lot of the same elements of the traditional recipe. It’s made with almost exactly the same format as my recipe found here. There are a few choice differences though as the flavor of the bacon provides a smokier flavor than the pancetta. Instead of rosemary I used fresh sage and dried basil for the herbs. Instead of Ditalini pasta I opted for Gemelli since I had some of that laying around. It worked out nicely!

It’s funny how just a few ingredient changes transformed the recipe into something totally different. I still went with parmesan cheese as the garnish but you could probably use a white cheddar instead. I added about the same amount of red pepper to the recipe but adding another 1/2 teaspoon would really give this an extra oomph of heat. I loved the way these small changes did so much to change the recipe and it’s become one of my regular favorites!
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Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Noodle Soup

January 7, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

It has been such a wet winter it seems like my slow cooker is constantly being called upon to make soups. I love Italian style soups but I don’t see too many of them ideal for a slow cooker. This one is perfect for the crock. The Italian sausage gets crumbled and tenderized after hours of cooking and all the flavor melts into the broth. You could probably translate this to a quicker over the stove method but honestly I love the way the meat melts into the broth with the slow cooker. I use a 6 qt. slow cooker so this recipe will make a lot of soup. I used a medley of summer squashes which was very nice in this recipe. Yellow squash and zucchini were great accompaniments but I’m sure you could experiment with whatever squash you have on hand. The “secret ingredient” for the broth is….*drum roll*… balsamic vinegar. Alright, so probably not that secret but it does offer a certain je ne sais quoi to the broth. Tomatoes and balsamic is, after all, a match made in heaven. I chose a mild Italian sausage but you could make this a bit spicier using the hot variety. Any type of small pasta noodle will do–I personally chose a small elbow macaroni for this recipe. Parmesan is great for the garnish but a sharp Romano or even slices of fresh mozzarella would be a beautiful addition as well.

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Dark Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

December 24, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

If you are a chocolate lover and want a deep, dark chocolate flavor these are the cookies for you! I call these babies “chocolate chip cookies on steroids.” I’m normally not super into sweets but at this time of the year you gotta indulge a little bit. These cookies get the name “crinkle” from the confectioner’s sugar the dough is rolled in. It creates a pretty crinkle pattern once the cookies are baked. They are very easy to make and simple to throw together. These cookies have a brownie-like texture on the inside so they will come out of the oven very soft looking. They are seriously amazing with coffee. I added a touch of cinnamon to give it some extra flavor depth but this is optional. If you don’t want to bake the whole batch you can conveniently freeze the dough for up to three months in the freezer.
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Slow Cooker Beef & Winter Vegetable Soup

December 14, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

Slow Cooker Beef & Winter Vegetable Soup

I love root vegetables and squash this time of year. What could be better then throwing a bunch of different winter veggies into a pot to simmer for hours? This recipe is simple and doesn’t have a ton of moving parts–except for your knife. It will be doing a lot of moving and chopping. I recommend a good sharp knife for the vegetables, especially when it comes to butternut squash. Squash is a notorious one for cuts especially if you’re using a dull knife. I like the simplicity of the flavors in this one–just a few herbs, garlic and Worcestershire to season the broth. The medley of vegetables all go so well together. I added a little flour to thicken up the broth but you can adjust that amount to your liking. I garnished each bowl with some fresh parsley and aged white cheddar. Some crusty french bread would be perfect for soaking up the broth too!

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Green Chile Chicken Soup with Avocado Cream

November 20, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

It’s raining right now and snuggling up to a bowl of something warm and comforting is the perfect way to spend these kinds of days. This recipe was inspired by traditional Mexican posole soup which tend to be served right around the holidays. While this isn’t classic Thanksgiving fare, this soup is a lighter option for your post holiday recovery plan. I haven’t tried this but I have a hunch that leftover turkey would sub in well for the chicken if you need leftover ideas. This recipe calls for a medley of green chiles that offer their own unique flavors. I used dark meat for the chicken which has more flavor but you can use whatever option you have available. I recommend being very generous with the fixins–the more lime juice, cilantro and avocado cream the better!
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Bacon, Avocado & Roasted Jalapeño Sandwich

August 31, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

This sandwich is my top favorite at the moment and it’s actually really easy to make. How can you not love bacon and avocado in one sandwich? That is practically a match made in heaven! The key to this recipe is the roasted peppers. I like to use jalapenos that are on the moderately hot side. You can make them milder by removing the pith–that’s the white part–and the seeds. I get them good and charred in the broiler and they add a nice grilled flavor. For the avocados I like to mash these as if I were making guacamole. The mashed avocado holds the sandwich together like a paste for easier flipping. I know this might sound crazy but I actually love grilling these over the stove in the leftover bacon grease. Why dirty up a different pan with oil when you have a perfectly good one to cook with? If you’re squeamish about using bacon fat, just wipe down the pan and add the oil of your choice to it but I do recommend the bacon fat for this. You also gotta have sourdough on hand for this one; I’ve tried making it with other breads and it just isn’t as good without sourdough! The cheese I’m a little more flexible on. I’ve tried it with an aged white cheddar and swiss and I recommend both. The cheddar has a little more bite and takes longer to melt down. I also tried it with Jarlsberg swiss which added creaminess and melted pretty quickly. I liked both but maybe preferred the swiss a bit more than the cheddar. Try them out and let me know what you think!

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Recipe Round-Up: Top 5 Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

March 16, 2015 by The Partial Ingredients

Every year I’m reminded that I really should start making more Irish food. There’s so many great options, and I tend to neglect them which is really a shame. St. Patrick’s Day offers a selection of great foods to indulge in. Some of my favorites are listed here. They’re all so good I can’t really pick favorites. They’re all easy to make and quick to prepare–even if you’ve had a few Guinnesses ;).
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