sausage – Twiins in the Kitchen®

Escarole & Beans

Published on January 27, 2019August 9, 2019 by Twiins in the KitchenLeave a comment

Escarole & Beans

Servings: 6-8
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Growing up in our Catholic Italian home, our family honored the tradition of not eating meat on Friday's. Most Friday's we ate fish but at least twice a month we ate the Escarole & Beans. Mom would cook this escarole (pronounced Scadahl) dish the same way her mother, Grandma Florence, did during the depression era. Grandma had 7 children to feed and this meal was inexpensive, healthy, full of protein and delicious.

Ingredients

3 large heads of escarole
3 15-ounce cans Progresso cannellini beans
3½ quarts chicken broth
11 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed and whole
1 tsp salt (omit if salt sensitive)
1/4 cup EVOO
dash of pepper to taste
grated Pecorino Romano for topping

Directions

Fill an 8-quart pot halfway up with chicken broth, add 3 smashed garlic cloves and bring to a boil.
Add escarole to boiling broth and boil for approximately 40 minutes or until the escarole and broth have reduced by 2/3 and the green color changes to more of an olive green.
Heat EVOO in a large saucepan and saute 8 cloves of smashed garlic until they just start to turn yellow. Do not burn.
Add cannellini beans to garlic and oil. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. When done shut heat and keep covered.
Once escarole and broth are reduced by 2/3 pour the cannellini beans into the escarole pot and mix well.
Place a lengthwise slice of day-old Italian bread in a pasta bowl. Pour a few ladles of escarole & beans with the liquid over the bread, letting the liquid soak into the bread.
Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and serve.

Note: Our husbands both liked adding sliced Italian Sweet Sausage, as they are true carnivores!

Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.

Prep

Saute smashed garlic cloves

Add beans to garlic & oil

Broth & Garlic bring to boil

Escarole in broth

Add cooked cannellini beans to escarole

Ready to pour over Italian bread

Italian bread before the escarole & beans are poured on top

Authentic Escarole & Beans over Italian Bread

Escarole, Beans & Sliced Italian Sausage

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Empanadas for Valentine’s Day ❤️ February 14, 2021

Published on January 24, 2019February 12, 2021 by Twiins in the Kitchen2 Comments

Empanadas are little hand-held pies that can be served as an appetizer, lunch or dessert depending on the size and filling. Traditional empanadas are shaped like half moons. We were inspired by the upcoming celebration of Valentine’s Day so we shaped ours into hearts that you can enjoy with your special someone. ❤

These empanadas smelled so good while they were baking, for a moment we thought we were walking down a street in Argentina! We could hardly wait to eat them. They are filled with a delicious combination of meat, vegetable & cheese.

Servings: 6-8 (depending on the size of your cookie cutter. We used a 5″ x 4″ heart-shaped)

Ingredients

1 Easy Empanada Flaky Dough Recipe
3 Tablespoons EVOO
3 cloves garlic, minced (or frozen cubes)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 Tablespoons salted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese (cheddar or any cheese of your choice)
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan Reggiano
2 lbs bulk hot country sausage, no casings (we use Neese’s)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1½ tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Easy Empanada Flaky Dough
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Sauté onion & garlic in EVOO on medium-low until soft & lightly golden, 5-10 minutes. Add oregano & cumin. Stir another minute.
Turn heat up to medium and add spinach, cook, stirring until spinach is wilted & soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat & let cool. Season with salt & pepper.
Put bulk sausage in skillet, Cook and brown while breaking up into smaller pieces until done.
Remove from heat and spoon sausage meat onto paper towels removing as much fat/grease as possible. Do not clean skillet at this time, keep sausage fat in skillet.
Add flour to the skillet and whisk the milk gradually until mixture is smooth.
Add butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs. Return to heat and cook, stirring until mixture comes to another boil and thickens, the sauce will be a paste consistency.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Chop the cooled spinach, onion & garlic mixture. Add into the cheese sauce along with well-drained sausage.
Roll out the empanada dough to 1/8″ thickness. Cut 2 hearts with a 5″ x 4″ heart-shaped cookie cutter. Brush the edges of 1 heart lightly with egg wash.
Place 2 Tablespoons of filling in center of the heart, cover with another heart-shaped cutout. Press edges together firmly all around with thumb or forefinger forming a sort of scalloped edge. Brush with egg wash then bake about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm.

Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.

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Rigatoni with Sausage, Eggplant & Fennel

Published on January 6, 2019August 9, 2019 by Twiins in the Kitchen2 Comments

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (we use Cento or 28-ounces prepared Basic Tomato Sauce )
2 medium eggplants, cubed
coarse salt to sprinkle over cubed eggplant to drain excess water
1 large fennel bulb, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (we use Dorot frozen crushed cubes)
1 large red onion, diced
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 Tablespoon EVOO
1 lb rigatoni pasta (we use Barilla)
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (we use Cello from Costco)
1 cup whole milk ricotta (we use Galbani Classic)
ground black pepper to taste
pinch of pink Himalayan salt
2 pinches of Italian seasoning (we use Morton & Bassett)
fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

Add cubed eggplant to a colander along with a generous amount of course salt & drain for 30 minutes.
Heat EVOO in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Add pancetta and cook 4-5 minutes until browned & crispy, stirring occasionally. Add sausage to skillet & cook 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Remove the sausage & pancetta with a slotted spoon. Set aside in large bowl.
Set aside 3 Tablespoons of the oil & fat from the skillet and discard the rest.
Add fennel & onions to skillet along with a pinch of salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Add eggplant to fennel & onions and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Add the sausage & pancetta mixture back to the skillet.
Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 40 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
While mixture is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain pasta in a colander.
Add the pasta and the 1/2 cup pasta water to the skillet then cook 1 additional minute to incorporate. Stir in the 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese.
Add the pasta to a large serving bowl and top with spoonfuls of ricotta cheese and basil leaves.

This is a fabulous dish for a gathering of good friends accompanied by a simple salad, crusty Italian bread and a glass of dry red wine.

Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.