Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

When my Grampy turned 90 in 2016, we threw a big party to celebrate, complete with more Italian food than anyone could possibly eat in one day. The event took place at Sal's in Yonkers, my grandfather's favorite restaurant.

One dish blew me away with its simplicity. Orecchiette (little ears) pasta with sausage and broccolini. It was delicious and I've been trying to recreate it ever since.

Thanks to a recipe in the September issue of Family Circle magazine, I finally struck gold.

This meal comes together fast enough for a weeknight and I think it is perfect comfort food for a cool fall weekend, too.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

1 pound rigatoni or orecchiette pasta, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
4 cups broccoli florets or chopped broccolini
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While water boils and pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook until brown, breaking meat up into small pieces -- about 8 minutes.

Add broccoli and chicken broth and cover pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover, add red pepper flakes and cook 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Add drained pasta and grated Parmesan and stir to combine. If dish is too dry, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil.

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Lime & Cilantro Israeli Couscous with Shrimp

You can get this one-pot meal on the table in about 20 minutes, especially if you cheat like I did and use precooked, ready-to-eat shrimp to speed things up.

This was delicious warm for dinner and cold the next day for lunch.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Lime & Cilantro Israeli Couscous with Shrimp

3 cups Israeli couscous, cooked to package directions
1 cup grape tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked and chilled

Using a medium pot or saucepan, prepare couscous as directed. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables. Remove couscous from heat.

Add tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lime juice to the saucepan. Gently mix together and season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and mix again.

Serve on butter lettuce leaves or simply eat as is.

Baked Tomatoes and Chickpeas with Feta

Fast and friendly weeknight meals are on my radar these days. What I love about this dish is that it uses up a good amount of tomatoes. Our garden is being very generous in that department right now.

Don't have fresh tomatoes? You could easily substitute canned.

Add a chunk of crusty bread and you've got a tasty vegetarian dinner with enough leftovers for lunch.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Baked Tomatoes and Chickpeas with Feta
Inspired by this recipe from the Kitchn

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 pounds of tomatoes, any variety, diced
3 minced garlic gloves
2 teaspoons dried oregano (or use 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano)
3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces crumbled Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe
skillet. Add tomatoes and cook,
stirring, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in chickpeas, oregano salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chickpeas have softened and sauce is thickened a bit. Remove cover and top with Feta cheese.

Let bake 5 minutes more, or until cheese melts. Ladle into bowls and serve with bread for dipping.

Picnic Cake

We had a pretty lazy Labor Day weekend, but I did want to mark the unofficial end of summer in some way. So I whipped up this cake. It reminds me of the ambrosia dessert my Aunt Marge always used to have at her big summer parties.

With mandarin oranges and pineapple, this treat definitely tastes like summer – but I can also see using it as a winter pick-me-up when the cold and dreary days drag on – especially since my boys liked it so much.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Picnic Cake
Inspired by this recipe from The Country Cook

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 14 ounce can mandarin oranges, plus 1/2 of juice from the can
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 4 ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, plus all of the juice from the can
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 (4 ounces) of Cool Whip from a regular sized tub

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Note: To reserve juices from canned fruit, place a strainer on top of – or inside – a similar sized bowl. Pour contents of can into strainer. The juice will be saved in the lower bowl.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, mandarin orange juice, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium for about 4 minutes, until everything is smooth. Add oranges and beat to break up orange sections and incorporate into the batter.

Pour into prepared baking dish and use a spatula to smooth the batter out. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake is beginning to brown and is set in the center.

Remove from oven and cool about 15 minute on counter. Then transfer to refrigerator for about an hour.

To make the icing, add pineapple juice and pudding mix to a medium bowl. Beat for about 2 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar and beat again until combined. Add Cool Whip and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together. Then mix in drained pineapple.

Spread frosting on cooled cake. Refrigerate until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Asian Pickled Zucchini & Carrots

My youngest son Sam and I planted two zucchini plants in our garden this year and they've yielded a bumper crop of large, hearty squash. We're down to just one plant now – thanks to an attack of squash beetles – yet as I write there are several tiny zucchini making their way into the world.

Now that I've made many of my usual zucchini recipes, I decided to use some for pickles. The results are surprisingly good. I removed the seeds (because they were quite large) and cut the squash into sticks.

Carrots add color and variety. And the zucchini stayed firm and crunchy, absorbing the pickling flavor well – just like a cucumber.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Asian Pickled Zucchini & Carrots
Inspired by a recipe from McCormick

2 medium-large zucchini, seeded and cut into sticks
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons Korean style red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon minced onions

Place cut vegetables in a large glass bowl or a 9 x 13 inch glass dish. Set aside.

Add water, vinegars, spices, sugar and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour liquid spice mixture over vegetables in bowl and let sit until everything cools to room temperature.

Place vegetables into canning jars. Then fill jars with pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch at top of jar. Top with lids and bands and refrigerate. Let sit in fridge for 3 weeks before eating for best flavor and crunch.

Our zucchini plants earlier this summer.