Pan Fried Italian Sausages with Charred Peppers + Onions on a bed of Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Pan Fried Italian Sausages with Charred Peppers + Onions on a bed of Creamy Parmesan Polenta

This is a dish I have never made before, seeing that it's an Italian staple, and I'm not the biggest fan for Italian food, it makes perfect sense that I wouldn't concoct a recipe for Sausage with Peppers + Onions. But, guess what... we all loved it, even me!! We're huge sausage people over here... any kind, any brand, any flavor... you name it, we want it. I especially love Al Fresco's Chicken Sausage; I decided that the best choice would be their Sweet Italian Style. But really, you could sub in any kind of Italian sausage, even a spicy one if you so please. It really doesn't matter what you end up using, as long as they are cooked up perfectly until they are golden brown, slightly charred, and crisped on the outside. The pan fried sausages are nestled on top of a bed of creamy parmesan polenta and charred peppers + onions. So let's start with the polenta first because who doesn't want extra cheesy polenta to chow down? These are perfectly seasoned in every which way and they are a cinch to make! Although the consist of mainly freshly grated parmesan, I wanted to add some shredded fontina to balance out the flavor and give them that little extra boost of cheese flavor! I'm tellin' y'all, every single one of us was moaning and groaning over this polenta... it was that good. I can't wait to use it in more of my recipes in the future, so keep that in your back pocket. Next, come the charred peppers + onions. I tried to used as many colors as I could get my hands on, so I grabbed 2 red onions, 1 red bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, and 1 green bell pepper. Now if you hate red onions, you can switch out another type of onion instead. If you can't find all four colors of bell peppers, just use what your local grocery store is carrying. No biggie! I have a somewhat strange, unorthodox method to cooking and charring the peppers + onions, so hear me out. I begin by sautéing them in some butter and olive oil, and then braise them in a sweetened red wine + red wine vinegar mixture. While they are cooking and the liquid is reducing, it is important that you keep an out on the veggies because you want them still quite crunchy before the next step. Now, here's where it might get weird for some of y'all. I like to pour the whole put into a strainer (placed over the sink) and allow all of the braising liquid to drip off. I even use some paper towels to dry them as much as I can before it's second stage of cooking. Don't worry though, your peppers will still have plenty of flavor; this step is important because you need dried veggies in order to get all of those wonderful charred edges. Secondly, you gotta have a dry cast iron skillet because that is how you achieve the blackening phase. So, put that sucker on high heat and add the dried peppers + onions in the screamin' hot pan and add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, a pinch of sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Toss to combine the vegetables with all of the seasonings, and once they have reached an al dente texture and a charred exterior, throw in some fresh mixed herbs for a little fresh bite. Now all that's left of the recipe is to begin assembling. I like to serve this in bowls, starting with a few big ladles of the cream parmesan polenta and some more freshly grated parmesan for good measure. Then you make a mound of your charred peppers + onions, so that your pan fried Italian sausages have a bed to rest on. We decided that we wanted a sweet + spicy dish, so we drizzled some white balsamic reduction over the top and garnished it with a sprinkling of dried red pepper flakes and fresh mixed herbs (think basil, parsley, chives, and oregano) to finish off the dish. This is a great weekday or Sunday supper, and also, a perfect hearty meal for this time of the year!! Enjoy :)

For the Pan Fried Italian Sausages:

8 Italian Sausage Links (We love Al Fresco’s Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage)

2T Unsalted Butter + 1T EVOO

For the Charred Peppers + Onions:

2T Unsalted Butter + 2T EVOO

1-2 Red Onions, Sliced (we like a lot of onion, so we used two)

4 Bell Peppers, Sliced into Strips (we used 1 of each color: red, orange, yellow, + green)

¼C Red Wine + ½C Red Wine Vinegar

1-2T Light Brown Sugar

4 Garlic Cloves, Minced

2t Italian Seasoning

A Heavy Pinch of Sugar ( to help the blackening process)

½-1t of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (depending on how hot you like it)

Fleur de Sel + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

1-2T Mixed Fresh Herbs (we used basil, parsley, chives, andR

4C Unsalted Chicken Stock (homemade or store-bought)

2 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1C Stone-Ground Cornmeal

1T Kosher Salt + 1t Fresh Cracked Pepper

1C Freshly Grated Parmesan

4oz Fontina Cheese, Shredded

¼C Crème Fraiche

4T Unsalted Butter

¼-½C Heavy Cream or Milk (to thin it out to your desired thickness) 

1-2T Mixed Fresh Herbs (we used basil, parsley, chives, + oregano)   

For the Sausage + Peppers with Parmesan Polenta:

Prepared Parmesan Polenta

Freshly Grated Parmesan, For Garnishing

Prepared Charred Peppers + Onions

Pan Fried Italian Sausages, Browned + Crisped

Homemade or Store-Bought White Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

Mixed Fresh Herbs, For Garnishing (same mixture of herbs used above)

Directions:

1. For the Pan Fried Italian Sausages: Melt the butter and EVOO in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and then add in half of the sausages. Brown on all sides, about 8-12 minutes total, until they are golden brown yet slightly blackened in color. Remove the crisped sausages from the pan onto a plate and cover them with aluminum foil so that they stay warm while you cook the remaining half of the sausages (by following the same process as before). Make sure to keep them warm until you are ready to serve the dish.

2. For the Charred Peppers + Onions: In a large skillet, over high heat, melt together the butter and EVOO. Add in the red onion and multicolored pepper slices. Toss to coat them in the oil, along with some kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, and sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add in the brown sugar and cook for a few more minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Get a large strainer and place it over your sink, pour the red wine braised peppers + onions into the strainer, so that all of the excess liquid is removed. Once all the liquid has dripped off, get a few pieces of paper towels and dry the peppers + onions are completely dried off. This is an important step because it will help you to obtain a perfect char (also make sure to completely wipe out all remaining liquid/moisture/butter/oil from the pan). With the skillet still on high heat, return the dried peppers + onions to the wiped down pan and let them vegetables char, making sure to stir them around for even browning. You want your peppers to be al dente in texture and blackened on the edges for color (so, make sure your pan is completely dry to obtain this component of the recipe). Add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, a heavy pinch of sugar, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt + pepper to taste. Cook again, while tossing to combine the seasonings with vegetables, for a minute or two, making sure that the minced garlic doesn’t burn. Once the peppers + onions are done, do a quick taste test and add in any necessary seasoning to your preferred taste (for example: kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or sugar). After you have done the taste test and love the flavor, stir in the fresh herbs and keep this mixture ready until you are ready to assemble.

3. For the Creamy Parmesan Polenta: In a large pot, pour in the chicken stock and add in the minced garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon and add in the kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Simmer, while stirring constantly, for 10-12 minutes or until they are thick. Be sure the scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while you’re stirring. Move the pan off the heat and mix in the freshly grated Parmesan, shredded fontina cheese, crème fraiche, butter, and fresh herbs. If this mixture becomes to thick (either by overcooking or allowing it to sit too long), stir in some of the heavy cream/milk to loosen it again. Taste for seasonings and serve it immediately.

4. Assembling the Dish: Ladle some of the Creamy Parmesan Polenta into the bottom of a serving bowl and freshly grate some more Parmesan over of the polenta. Using a spoon or tongs, make a mound of the charred peppers + onions on top of the polenta. Place two links of pan fried Italian sausages (per bowl, per person) in the middle of the vegetable bed and drizzle the surface of the dish with a little bit of the white balsamic reduction (this is optional, but we like the sweetness of the reduction against the saltiness of the polenta). Garnish with fresh mixed herbs and enjoy while it’s still hot!!

"One Pot Wonder" Pasta with Rainbow Linguine, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Sun Dried Red Peppers, Fresh Basil, Artichokes, + Creamy Goat Cheese

"One Pot Wonder" with Rainbow Linguine, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Sun Dried Red Peppers,
Fresh Basil, Artichokes, + Creamy Goat Cheese

I liked to call myself a "snooty foodie". And by no means, do I mean that positively. All the time, I get requests from my mountain man, family members, and friends asking for something that I just completely turn my nose up too. Casseroles, pot roast, pasta, & slow cooker meals to name a few. I don't know, I guess I'm a complicated girl, who likes complicated food. However, there is a certain recipe that has been floating around the internet and has taken the world by store. And it's all because of Martha. Martha, martha, marthaaaaaaaa. I was certainly skeptical of course, it seemed too easy, too simple, and down right impossible. It literally requires you to throw pasta, vegetables, aromatics, liquid, and herbs into one pot and boil it all together to form one luscious, creamy dish... without the fuss of dirtying up a million pas & utensils. I stored this recipe away for a day that I was scrambling to find something quick to cook for dinner. And well, tonight was the night that I would pull it out for examination. Her original recipe isn't as "fully loaded" as mine, but I'm sure they are equally tasty. I started off with a tomato basil theme, but it kinda grew + expanded from there when I added artichokes, white wine, chicken stock, sun dried red peppers, roasted garlic paste, pesto, and goat cheese. Hands down, our favorite component was the sun dried red peppers. We swear by the brand, DeLallo. So if you can get your hands on those, you won't regret it! They are sweet, slightly smokey, and plump beautifully during the cooking process. And lemme tell y'all, these peppers are amazing on a homemade pizza! As for the pasta, any kind will do, but we loved the idea of using gourmet rainbow linguine because, well, it's gorgeous and tasty. Once everything has cooked through and the pasta has soaked up all of the liquid and achieved the perfect al dente texture, toss in some softened goat cheese (or even some brie would be a great substitute as well) and stir until an extra creamy sauce is formed. For this dish, it calls for two bunches of fresh basil... one is added in at the beginning to "perfume" all of the components and the other is thinly shaved and lightly folded in just a minute before serving. I think that it's a really important step because it creates a wonderful balance between the rich sauce and herby basil. But you know what's best about this recipe? It would be great all year long, no matter what season it is! I can't even imagine how much better the pasta would be with fresh summery basil and juicy heirloom tomatoes... it's practically what my dreams are made of here, people. So give this recipe a try because it literally will become your "one pot wonder" and a weekly go-to!! Enjoy :)

ingredients: fresh basil, baby heirloom tomatoes, fresh garlic, roasted garlic paste,
artichokes, rainbow linguine, sun dried red peppers, onion, + creamy goat cheese

is that food for the eyes or what??

toss it all in and call it a day!

luscious, creamy, hearty, but fresh. it literally as it all. 

For the One Pot Wonder Pasta:

16oz Gourmet Rainbow Linguine Pasta

1 Sweet Vidalia Onion, Sliced

16oz Baby Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Sliced in Half

14oz Artichokes, Drained + Quartered

½C Sun Dried Roasted Red Peppers, Julienned (we love the brand, Delallo)

4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Thinly Sliced

2T Roasted Garlic Paste + 2T Homemade Pesto

2 Bunches of Fresh Basil (one for the cooking process & one for finshing)

4C Chicken Stock + 1C White Wine

2t Dried Oregano

½t Red Pepper Flakes

Fleur de Sel, Fresh Cracked Pepper, & Olive Oil (to your preference)

4oz Creamy Goat Cheese, Room Temperature (although brie could be substituted here)

Directions:

1. For the Pasta: Combine the linguine, baby tomato halves, sliced onion, quartered artichokes, sun dried red peppers, garlic, roasted garlic paste, pesto, 1 bunch of basil, red-pepper flakes, olive oil (I used about two big glugs), fleur de sel, and fresh cracked pepper in a pot. Pour the chicken stock and white wine all over the pasta components in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Finishing the Pasta: Once the liquid has reduced and thickened, add in the softened goat cheese and stir to melt and form a creamy sauce. Season the dish with more salt and pepper if needed (we actually added a touch of honey to round out all of the flavors). If the pasta has an al dente texture, then it is ready to serve! Chiffonade the remaining bunch of basil and toss that in just before serving. This will give the pasta a wonderful, aromatic taste and balance the creaminess with its’ herbed flavor.

Homemade Roasted Vegetable + Brown Sugar Chicken Pot Pie wit Cognac Cream Sauce

Homemade Roasted Vegetable + Brown Sugar Chicken Pot Pie wit Cognac Cream Sauce

I have to say this, and I've probably said it before, but I'm not a fan of casseroles of any dish resembling the sort. That really just makes me a food snob, but that's okay. The first step it's admitting you have a problem. And I just do not like casseroles. HOWEVER, I do love Chicken Pot Pie. Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. With my recipe, it is far more in depth that any 'ole classic dish. I start off by rubbing some bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with a brown sugar compound butter. I love the concept of mixing savory + sweet. It gives the chicken the perfect sweetness and caramelized skin. Also, the meat is perfumed by the brown sugar and adds just the slightly bit of molasses-y goodness to your cream sauce. 

brown sugar roasted chicken breasts.

Then, the filling is stock FULL of lots of roasted veggies like buttered leeks, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, cubed sweet potatoes, sweet green peas, gourmet mushrooms, and fresh herbs. The creamy gravy or sauce is pretty standard to begin with... using milk, butter, flour, and chicken stock. But all of the ingredients come together and meld beautifully after some cognac and softened cream cheese are melted in. The cognac cooks out, but leaves a wonderful depth of flavor, while the softened cream cheese smoothes and rounds the sauce out, so it feeling like you tasting culinary velvet (if that's even a term). Once your filling is perfectly creamy, add in all of your brown sugar chicken pieces & roasted veggies. Now all you gotta do is pour it all into a prepared casserole dish and lay over some puff pastry (brushed with an egg wash), and just bake it until it is puffy, golden brown, + buttery. Y'all are really going to enjoy this, especially on a cold, rainy day like we have in Atlanta today!! Enjoy :)

puff pastry crust gorgeousness 

For the Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken:

4 Bone-In & Skin-On Chicken Breasts

4T Softened Butter + 2T EVOO

¼C Light Brown Sugar

Salt, Pepper, & Chicken Seasoning (to taste)

For the Chicken Pot Pie:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

2 Leeks, Cut in Half & Sliced

3 Large Carrots, Diced

3 Hearts of Celery, Diced

2 Large Shallots, Diced

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 ½lbs Sweet Potatoes, Peeled & Cut into 1inch Cubes

½C Cognac

2C Chicken Stock + 1C Milk

5C Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken or Leftover Turkey

1C Fresh Sweet Green Peas

1T Fresh Parsley + Fresh Thyme

1t Fresh Sage

8oz Mixed Gourmet Mushrooms, Roasted

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, Thawed

1 Egg Yolk + 1t Water (for the egg wash)

Directions:

1. For the Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken Breasts: In a bowl, mash together the softened butter, olive oil, and brown sugar until a compound butter is formed. Wash and dry the chicken breasts and then toss them rub and coat them with the compound butter until completely covered. Heavily sprinkle the tops of the breasts wit salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning. Roast the chicken breasts in a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the skin and pull the chicken into shreds, and then set aside.

2. Reheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3. For the Chicken Pot Pie: In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced leeks and cook until softened and translucent. Next, toss in the carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, and diced sweet potatoes. Season with some salt & pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cognac, and then add in the flour and cook about 1-2 minutes until it has thickened and a slight roux has formed. Pour in the chicken stock and milk. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes, mixing until the filling thickens. Add in the pulled chicken, roasted mushrooms, sweet peas, fresh herbs, and seasoning (to taste). Transfer the chicken Pot Pie filling into your preferred serving vessel.

4. When ready to bake, whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water. Cut thawed puff pasty one inch larger in diameter than the chosen serving dish/vessel, and cut out a ½-1″ hole in center for venting. Center cut puff pastry over dish and crimp down around edge of dish to seal. Brush top of pastry with egg wash.

5. Bake in 425°F oven on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then cover lightly with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is brown and puffy.

6. Scoop into bowls and serve immediately while it is still hot.

#instagrub : The Most Flavorful Braised Southern Collard Greens

The Most Flavorful Braised Collard Greens

Today, I'm going to introduce y'all to one of my soon-to-be-favorite weekly feature called #instagrub. The idea of this started when I really got into the nitty-gritty of food blogging... often you're cooking too much, too long, or too quickly and there isn't a good enough space to capture the dish. I swear I'm so busy with adding the right amount of this and the right amount of that in order to make the recipe perfect, that I will cook from sunrise to sunset and not even get a hot meal myself. It's crazy how used to I am to eating room temperature or cold food. This is okay sometimes, but not blessing when fried chicken is coming hot out of the fryer. Nope, not gonna work. So, when stuff is just to good to wait or it's too dark to capture a picture in natural sunlight, I turn to my iPhone + Instagram. The convenience of my phone or an app is wayyyyy too appealing... and ya'know a girl has gotta EAT. Once Haute + Heirloom starts up, this will be on the rotating schedule every week. I really like it because I take a picture of almost everything I make (or do) on Instagram and some of them get left behind the gutter. No more of that, mmk?? Well, this recipe is tried + true to any Southerner, Braised Collard Greens. Now this girl doesn't turn her nose up at any collard green recipe because I don't discriminate against a tender green cooked with ham hocks and other classic ingredients, but I have over the years, developed a recipe of my very own. This has been done through watching the Food Network, cooking with family, or just doing a little research. I will say though that I like braised collard greens to be super flavorful and on the rich side of things. And that can be hard to come by because most consist of stock, hocks, and simple seasonings. I pull flavor from bacon fat, smoked ham hocks, chicken stock, hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, and tomatoes. Some unique items I include pickled jalapeno juice, maple syrup, caramelized onions, fried garlic chips, and a little bit of chicken base. I love the aromatic qualities that caramelized onions + fried garlic chips add to the dish (they are added at the very end), while I also adore the richness of maple syrup, bacon fat, and smoked ham hocks. These greens are so complex that they really serve as a entree over a side dish. But don't worry they go great along almost anything... but I'm partial to the Date Night meal I made last week: Coca Cola Glazed Pork Belly with Bacon Fat Fried Corn Hoe Cakes. It was the perfect accompaniment. To add some acidity to the dish, I topped them with pickled shallots and everything was great!! Enjoy :)

Homemade Pink Pickled Shallots

For the Collard Greens:

2T Melted Bacon Fat or Unsalted Butter

1 Medium Vidalia Onion, Minced

5 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

4 Smoked Ham Hocks, Slashed (in order to pierce the outer skin for more flavor)

2Q Chicken Stock (or enough to cover the ham hocks completely; buy unsalted stock)

1-2C Water, Room Temperature

¼C Pickled Jalapeno Brine & Maple Syrup

1t Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, & Red Pepper Flakes

2T Texas Pete Hot Sauce + 2T Green Tabasco Sauce

2T Pepper Vinegar + Apple Cider Vinegar

1T Soy Sauce + 1T Worcestershire

2T Stone Ground Grainy Mustard + Chicken Base

1 Large Tomato, Diced into Small Chunks (I actually like unripe tomatoes for this recipe)

2lbs Chopped Collard Greens (cut into roughly ½inch strips)

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste (sugar can be added as well to sweeten if you like)

For the Caramelized Onions:

8 Strips of Thick-Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Cubes or Lardons

1 Large Vidalia Onion, Thinly Sliced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

¼C Finely Chopped Garlic

Directions:

1. Preparing the Collards: Melt the butter or bacon fat in a deep pot over medium heat. Once it is hot, add in the minced onions and garlic. Sauté the veggies until they start to become translucent and caramelized (without burning them). This should take about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, using a sharp serrated knife, slash the four smoked ham hocks. This will help extract the maximum amount of flavor from the meat, fat, and bones. Now that the onions and garlic have cooked, add in the slashed ham hocks and cover with the chicken stock (at least by an inch over the hocks), water, pickled jalapeno juice, and maple syrup. Stir and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
2. For the First Cooking Portion: Next, add in the hot sauce, vinegars, soy sauce, Worcestershire, grainy mustard, chicken base, and diced tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer the potlikker liquid for an hour. While they reduce, make sure to strip, wash, drain, and chop the cleaned collard greens. Set them aside.
3. Shredding the Ham Hocks: After it has cooked down for the required period of time, remove the ham hocks from the liquid to a cutting board. Let them cool slightly, and then shred off any ham meat from the smoked ham hocks (discarding any fat pieces, cartilage, or bone). Place the meat into a bowl and save them to add in at the end of cooking.
4. For the Second Cooking Portion: At this time, whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Throw in the prepared collard greens, making sure to push them down with a cooking spoon, so that all of them are submerged in the potlikker. Reduce the heat to low and cook the greens down, covered, for roughly an hour to an hour and a half (60-90 minutes). Throughout the cooking process, make sure to stir them every so often, that way they will wilt evenly.
5. Tasting and Seasoning the Collards: Now that the second cooking period is finished, taste & season with additional salt, pepper, and possibly sugar as needed (or really any other ingredient that is listed in my recipe). The flavoring is purely up to your tastes! If the potlikker broth is too rich, add more water to dilute it.
6. For the Caramelized Onions & Garlic Chips: In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, cook the bacon pieces or lardons down until all the fat has rendered and the meat is crispy. Strain the crispy bacon onto a paper towel lined plate and leave them alone while you finish your other tasks. Add the sliced onion into the hot bacon grease (if you need more fat, you can add a little here too). Caramelize or fry the onion slices until they are just starting to turn light golden brown, but still have some texture to them. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the sautéed onions and add them into the collard green pot. With the remaining fat in the pan, reduce the pan to medium-low heat and fry the finely chopped garlic until just lightly toasted, crunchy, and fragrant. During this portion, do not leave the garlic alone; they can burn quite quickly and need to be stirred frequently. This should only take a few minutes (it all depends on their color).
7. Serving the Collards: Since all of the steps have been completed, it is now time to serve the greens for eating. Spoon the warm collards into large serving dish, making sure to include some of the potlikker liquid as well.  To finish the dish, garnish the top with a sprinkle of crispy bacon lardons and fried garlic chips. These toppings give off amazing flavor, and more importantly, texture! Serve with more pepper vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cornbread for your guests at the table.