Baked Fusilli with Tuscan Sausage Meat

 

As simple as this recipe is, it is satisfying and relatively quick to make. With minimal effort you can have a rich flavourful meal in minutes. The fusilli pasta is great for this dish as it helps to absorb and holds the chunky sauce in every bite. 

Baked Fusilli with Tuscan Sausage Meat

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16 oz (456 g) fusilli pasta 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

375 grams minced Tuscan style sausage meat

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 can (796 ml) diced tomatoes

1 can (156 ml) tomato paste

1 and 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan 

1 pint (284 g) grape tomatoes, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and set aside.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fusilli until almost tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and set it aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan, then add the onion and garlic. Season with the salt and the black pepper and cook for 10 minutes to soften the onions. Add the Tuscan style sausage meat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking and crumbling it up, the best you can, in the pan while cooking. Season the meat with the Italian seasoning. Once the meat has browned, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the pan along with the mozzarella and mix everything together. Spoon the pasta into the greased casserole dish, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, top with the sliced grape tomatoes and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to heat it through and the cheese has melted.  

Notes: you may use 2 pounds of Italian pork sausages, casing removed, if you cannot find minced sausage meat.  

Sausage, Chard & Pasta Bake

Now is the time when casserole dishes get served wholeheartedly with comfort and care. Immersed with warmth and heaped on a plate or in a bowl, undoubtedly melts away the bitter coldness that is trying to settle in. Their wintery disposition plays a big part at our table over the following months. This is a winter warmer full of familiarity and flavour and if you can not find any Swiss chard it may be replace with spinach.  

Sausage, Chard & Pasta Bake

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16 ounces (500g) rigatoni pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups Swiss chard

1 sausage ring, sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 can tomato paste

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded 

Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC). 

Cook the pasta according to package directions, tender but not overcooked. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. This will help prevent the pasta from sticking together. 

In a sauté pan or fry pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion, cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Next add the Swiss chard and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just to wilt the chard. Add the slices of sausage and season with the red pepper flakes, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes to slightly brown the sausage. Add the can of tomato paste and stir to combine and heat through. 

Add the sausage mixture to the pasta and toss everything to combine. Spoon the pasta into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and place in the preheated oven. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle it with shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Scotch Eggs

I always crave a scotch egg now and again. Since they are hard to find here, I crave them even more. Then why haven't I made them. They are on my cooking/baking "To Do" list. However when I was in England I was taught how to make scotch eggs by someone who knows and enjoys cooking. That is me in this photo concentrating on the task at hand. When you think about it, it seems fairly simple. Eggs. Sausage meat. Breadcrumbs. Oil. A pot for frying. I did have a video of me making the scotch eggs unfortunately I think I deleted it without realising that I did so. I blame the jet lag. Or me, trying to be cut throat when editing all of my 800 plus photographs taken on my trip! 
                                               
               

First, you hard boil the eggs. How many, is up to you. When the eggs are done, drain the water and let them completely cool. Peel the shells off. With the shells removed and  the eggs cooled you want to take the sausage meat and wrap it around the hard boiled egg. If the egg is too warm then the meat will not cover the egg properly. Once the egg is completely covered, not too thick with the sausage meat, you can dip the covered egg into the beaten egg wash. Covering all the surface of the sausage meat. 
  

Then take the dipped egg and roll it onto a plate covered with bread crumbs. This by far is the most relaxing bit. Coating all of the covered egg with the crumbs. For the breadcrumbs you can buy them in a package at the grocery store or you can make your own. 

The egg should look like this. All covered with the multiple layers of sausage meat, egg wash and breadcrumbs. Repeat the above steps until all the eggs look like this.
Now it is ready to go into the preheated pan with canola oil or any regular cooking oil.  

Place the covered eggs into the wire basket carefully. The oil is hot so tongs should help.   

You want to turn them while they are cooking to ensure all sides fry evenly. Keeping a watchful eye on them so they don't crisp up too much. 

These were the first few to come out of the pan. Nicely crisp. Nicely golden brown. That is exactly how you want them. 

Each egg is encrusted with this breadcrumb meat coating. Once we got going we made a few more. I know deep frying isn't for everyone however it does make the scotch egg what it is. I have heard of popping them in the oven to bake rather than deep frying the scotch eggs. I have thought about trying this method when I make them next because I am curious to see what they would be like. -JW