A Jeanne in the Kitchen

A good friend of mine gave me some zucchini from her garden that were absolutely HUGE!  I am still coming up with some good zucchini recipes that do them justice.  They are so delicious!  Fresh is always best, and even better when they have been grown with love.   I make tomato tarts quite often, and I use a wide variety of tomatoes.  I  especially love using the heirloom tomatoes.  This was the first time I decided to make them with zucchini though.  I don’t know why I never tried this before because I love both tomatoes and zucchini, as well as almost all other vegetables, but there is a first time for everything I guess.  Now I know I will definitely be doing this again; real soon.  Adding lemon to dishes really seems to make them perfect for spring and summer, and it just seems to make them really fresh and brings their flavors to life.  I served it with my Andouille sausage and black-eyed peas.  (See Cooking From A to Z ).

These few simple and basic ingredients turned into this colorful and delicious tart.

I used my basic go-to tart dough, only I added black pepper and lemon pepper to the dough while I was making it, to make it more of a savory tart.  (Have No Fear, the Queen of Leftovers is Here ).  The best way to get your dough into the pan you are using is to lightly coat your rolling pin with flour and just roll your dough over the rolling pin, then place it on top of the pan.  Roll your rolling pin over the edges to cut the excess dough away.  Press the dough firmly into the pan and around the edges of the pan to set it in place.

Once the dough is set in place, brush it with a light mixture of garlic, olive oil, basil, lemon verbena (optional) and salt and pepper.  Then add some grated Parmagiano cheese.

Once this is done, starting from the outside and working your way around to the center, start alternating thin slices of tomatoes and zucchini until finished.  I sliced both the tomatoes and the zucchini about 1/4″ in thickness.  Because my zucchini was so large, and so wide, I cut the slices in 1/2, making them 1/2 circle slices.

Once all the tomatoes and zucchini are placed, brush them with the remaining olive oil and garlic mixture and top with more Parmagiano cheese.  Then bake until done.

 

Lemony Tomato Zucchini Tart (filling)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh basil or a combination of basil and lemon verbena (optional), cut in a chiffonade, or thin strips

1-1/2 heaping TBSP garlic

1/3 cup grated Parmagiano cheese

1 lb Roma tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 ”

1 lb zucchini, sliced about 1/4 ”

salt and pepper to taste

 

Jeanne’s Master Dough

1 1/2 cups flour

6 TBSP COLD butter, cubed

a pinch of salt

1 egg

about 6 TBSP heavy whipping cream

 

Mix together the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until everything is well incorporated.  Then add the egg and the cream and mix everything together until the dough forms into a ball.  Remove from the food processor and wrap in plastic wrap.  Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.  The dough will keep up to about 3 days in the refrigerator.  When you are ready to use your dough, let it come to room temperature before rolling it out on a lightly floured surface.  I usually add a little flour to my rolling pin as well.  Then roll to your desired thickness and and shape it however you like.  I use this same recipe for my tarts as well.  If I am making a sweet tart or dough, the only difference is that I also add about 3 TBSP of powdered sugar.  This is called a pate sucre.  Sometimes, when I am making a savory dough, I add black and/or lemon pepper and other spices to my dough as well.  Again, be creative and use your imagination.

Bake at 350* F for about 30 minutes or until done.  If the edges start to get to brown, cover the tart with aluminum foil until done.

***This recipe is completely vegetarian.  To make it vegan, you will have to alter the recipe for the dough, by substituting vegan butter, soft 2 oz of soft tofu for the egg, and a vegan cream/milk alternative or water.

 

We love sausages of all kinds.  Our local Sprouts Market makes their own, and they are all very tasty.  When they put them on sale, I usually stock up and I buy quite a few different varieties at a time.    I think we have tried them all at some point.  One of the types I recently purchased was Andouille, which is a spicy Cajun style sausage.  We love it and eat it quite often.   I get tired of eating and cooking things the same way all the time, so I am always on the lookout for new recipes and ideas.   I found a recipe that was with black-eyed peas and Andouille sausage that looked really good, and of course, I had to give it a try.  It is very similar to red beans and rice.  The Andouille sausage is the “A”.  I covered the “B”, “E” and “P” with the black-eyed peas.  I served all this with a tomato-zucchini tart, which gives me two “T’s” , one for the tomatoes and the other for the tart.  I ended with a “Z” by using zucchini.   In my house, you can always add a “W” to anything I cook and serve as well, since I always have wine.  I did not set out to cook the alphabet, but it was a fun, tasty way to cook.  It just kind of happened.

Black-eyed peas are a Southern staple.  They are a member of the legume family and are rich in protein and nutrients.  They are very healthy for you and are very low in calories.  Eating black-eyed peas is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity to all those who eat them, especially if you eat them on New Year’s Day.  It is a Southern tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.  My mother was from Southeast Texas, and I grew up with this tradition, and still continue it every New Year’s Day.  Anyone from the South can tell you the same thing.   Black-eyed peas are known by a few names all throughout the South.  Some of the other names they go by are purple hull peas, the Southern pea and a cowpea.   They were introduced into the Southern menu back in the days of the slave trades from Niger and the rest of Africa.  At first, they were food only for the black community, but soon became very popular with everyone, and then became a regular part of the diet.  They were also used to feed the livestock, and hence the name “cowpea” came about.

It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this delicious Southern recipe.

Cook the beans according to the directions on the package.  I brought them to a boil and let them boil for 3 minutes, then in the same water, I turned off the heat and let them sit for about 1 1/2 hours.  Then I drained and rinsed them before cooking them again with with everything else.

While the black-eyed peas are “resting”, cook the sausages and prepare all the other ingredients.

Once everything is cooked and ready from the initial cooking phase, then it is time to cook them all again together.  Add 1 1/2 cups of rice and the cooked black-eyed peas to the sauteed vegetables, along with 3-4 cups of chicken stock.  Carefully place the cooked sausages on top of the liquid, cover and bring to a boil.  Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook until the liquid is all gone, or about 20-30 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick.

Black-Eyed Peas and Andouille Sausage

1 1-lb bag of dried black-eyed peas (you can also use frozen peas, and skip the initial cooking phase for them)

1 1/2-2 lbs Andouille sausage or any other spicy sausage

3/4 onion, chopped fine

1-2 heaping TBSP garlic

1-2 jalapeno, chopped fine

1/2 each red and green bell pepper, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

Tobasco or other hot sauce to taste (optional)

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

3-4 cups chicken stock

cilantro, chopped fine

 

Cook the black-eyed peas according to the package directions.  Cook your sausage.   Saute the vegetables.  Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked black-eyed peas the seasonings, hot sauce (if using) and the chicken stock.  Carefully place the cooked sausages on top of the liquid, making sure to cover them as much as possible.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the liquid is gone.  Stir occasionally.  Before serving, add the chopped cilantro.  Y’all are goin’ to like it.  I gare-un-tee it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW!!!!  This is an honor.  This is my second nomination for a blogger’s award.  Thank you all so much.  I have only been doing my blog since March.  I must be doing something right.  This would not be possible without all of you and your support.  I am glad you like my blog, my recipes and my fun food facts.  I cook because I love to and I love to share what I cook with others.  Food is best when shared, even if only sharing through recipes and pictures.

I started my blog almost as a dare from a dear friend of mine, but now it has become so much more.  I am really enjoying it, and enjoying the journey.  Who knows where it will lead or where it will take me, but I am definitely enjoying the ride so far.

My advice to fellow bloggers is to speak from your heart.  Write about something you know.  Be yourself.  Your passion will shine through and make you sparkle.  Enjoy what you do.

I would like to thank mencanmakehomes for the nomination.  Thank you so much.  This is quite an honor.

And in keeping with the idea of paying it forward, I would like to nominate these fellow bloggers as well:

1.   sasegirls
2.   Snapshotsincursive
3.   The Little Mermaid
4.   miakouppa
5.   adventures of a foodie mom/ auroramac
6.  dray0308
7.   a little Swiss, a little Canadian
8.   PlantsandBeyond
9.    GP Cox
10.    Pique Images
11.   kmwhitaker – Just Borking Around
12.   BallesWorld
13.   SaltyBiscotti
14.   Quotes, Blogs and Rad Tech
15.   Building The Love Shack
16.   indianeskitchen

 

I wish you all the best of luck.  May the best blogger win the award.  You are all great inspirations.  I enjoy and learn so much from all of your blogs.  Keep up the good work.

 

 

 

We are wine members at InVINtions, A Creative Winery, in Greenwood Village, CO.  We have been for a few years now.  Part of our membership includes two free bottles of wine per month.  Last month, we were not able to make it, so we had four bottles to pick up on this visit.  We can only carry it over for one month or we loose it.  And of course, we are not going to let good wine go to waste.  InVINtions has a wide variety of wines from dry, semi-dry, light bodied-reds, all the way up to full bodied reds, with sweet and semi-semi varietals as well.  They also offer a wide range of ports.  All are delicious.  Over the years, and the many trips we have made there, we have tried most of their wines, though every now and then, they bring out some new varietals as well.  We are part of the InVINtions family now.   You should check them out at their website http://www.InVINtionsWinery.com, or better yet, go visit them in person.

While we we there this last time, we picked up a South African white blend (a new wine for us, but very good), a cool climate Pinot Noir, a Mossofiota Rosso, which is my favorite full-bodied red, and a a Mocha Mint port.   The Mocha Mint port is especially good around the holidays, but you can enjoy it all throughout the year.  The other port is one of our favorites InVINtions has on their menu, and it is the Deux Creme Caramel, which is so smooth and flavorful.  (This one we already had at home).  It pairs well with just about any dessert or you can just simply enjoy it all on it’s own as well,  No matter what you sample at InVINtions, you will not be disappointed.    All the wines at InVINtions are ready to drink now.  No aging required or necessary.  You will enjoy your whole wining experience with Marcus, Cory and crew.  So raise a glass, salud, a votre sante and happy wining.

 

 

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and I truly believe that.  The “Queen of Leftovers” originated many moons ago, and she has just grown and become so much more creative over the years.  She has become my alter ego while in the kitchen.  My parents were both Depression/ WWII babies, and food was often scarce.  That was something they never forgot, and so when I came along, I was always raised with the concept of “waste not want not”, and it has been with me throughout my whole life.  Thus, the “Queen of Leftovers” was born.  The Queen comes into my kitchen quite often and was in my kitchen again yesterday.  This time she made soup and quesadillas from some of the leftovers we had from our burger party The Burger Bar .  It wasn’t the perfect soup weather, but it was much cooler than it had been a couple of weeks ago, and I had everything to make corn chowder, so corn chowder it was.  We may not have more soup weather for another couple of months, and I took advantage of the “cooler” weather and made soup.   By “cooler” weather, I mean it was in the high 70’s as opposed to being in the high 90’s or above.  It was a “cold spell” for these hot days of summer we have been having.  It was a nice little reprieve.  But it is supposed to be hot again for the rest of the week, which means probably more salads.  When I cooked my corn on the cob the other day, I cooked it in milk, butter and water, and since I only used it to cook my corn, I used that for my soup base.  We also had some left over corn and I just scraped the corn off the cob and mixed it in with my other vegetables.   With a little of this and a little of that, before too long, corn chowder was created and the soup was on.  I also had some leftover sauteed mushrooms, peppers and onions that became the filling for quesadillas.  So dinner was chicken and corn chowder with vegetable quesadillas topped with guacamole, also leftover.  I served a cool, crisp chardonnay along side my soup.  Delicioso!

Making my soup.

Years ago, when I was in culinary school, and we were just learning how to make soups and chowders, one of my chef instructors told me the key to making chowder is the bacon and the potatoes.  OK.  I love potatoes, and you can’t go wrong with bacon.  When I make chowders, I love them nice and thick.  This same chef instructor had his own ideas about chowders, and he liked them on the thinner side.  When I challenged him, and told him I was going to make them how I wanted to, he punished me by having me cut 10 lbs of onions.  I am VERY sensitive to cutting onions, and I always “cry” up a storm.  My eyes just burn something terrible too.  Obviously, I still cut and use onions all the time, but that memory has been ingrained forever, along with the crying and burning eyes.  I will never “punish” anyone for making dishes their own way, and to their own liking.  In fact, I encourage it.  You are the one that is going to eat your food, so make it the way you like it.

Cooking the bacon and the potatoes together.  Once they were cooked, I added the rest of the vegetables.  Cook until softened and translucent.

While all the vegetables are cooking, I cooked the chicken, coated with some flour, separately.  Once the chicken was cooked, I added it to the vegetables and then poured in the chicken stock and my milk and butter mixture.  I brought everything to a boil, then reduced the heat to a simmer and let it cook down for about 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally.   Because I like my chowders thick, I added more flour while my soup was cooking.

 

Corn and Chicken Chowder

2 lbs chicken, diced and cooked (I coated mine in flour while I was coking it, but this is optional)

3/4 red onion, diced fine

1-2 potatoes, cubed small

1/2 lb bacon, diced

2-3 celery stalks, diced fine

1 large bag of frozen corn, or fresh corn cut from the cob (about 1 lb)

1 red bell pepper, diced fine

2 jalapenos, diced fine

1 heaping TBSP garlic

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

olive oil/butter for cooking the vegetables (I use a combination of both.  Adding the butter adds a richer, creamier flavor and also helps lower the smoke point of the olive oil, so it won’t burn)

4-5 cups of chicken stock

2-3 cups of either milk or heavy whipping cream (I usually use the heavy whipping cream, but I had the milk mixture this time)

cilantro

 

Cook the potatoes and bacon until the bacon is cooked and the potatoes are softened.  Add the rest of the vegetable mixture and continue cooking until all the vegetables are softened and translucent.  Cook the chicken until fully cooked.  I coated mine in flour because I like a thicker chowder, but this is optional.  Once the chicken is cooked, add it to the vegetable mixture.  Add the chicken stock and the milk/cream and the seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 1 1/2-2 hours.  I added about 1 more cup of flour to my soup mixture while it was cooking, to thicken it up.  I topped it with cilantro, and a little crab (optional) before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s funny, but once people find out I am chef, they always ask, “do you ever eat hamburgers and hot dogs too?”  Of course I do, quite often in fact.  I love burgers and brats.   I can take or leave the hot dogs, unless they are good ones.  I would rather not waste my calories on something that is mediocre, and save them for the good stuff.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a big, juicy, messy hamburger.  And that’s exactly what we had yesterday too.  We had friends over for an early supper, and burgers were the main course on the menu.  Now of course, I made them with all the fixing’s and then some, but big, juicy burgers were center plate and the main course.  We even had some salmon burgers too, for those that did not want beef burgers.  Everything turned out delicious!

I made gourmet burgers with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce and some steak seasoning.  Each burger was about 1/3 lb before cooking.  Then we turned on the grill and grilled them to perfection.

I provided everything one would want on a burger, and then some.  Everyone could choose what they wanted on their burger, and so they could make it their way, unique way.   Our burger bar included guacamole, 3 kinds of cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms with red bell peppers and onions, 2 different kinds of buns. and a variety of condiments.   I made myself a burger with jalapeno Jack cheese, bacon, guacamole and the mushroom mixture.  It was very messy, but very tasty.  To go along side the burgers, I also made potato salad, fruit salad, and corn on the cob, along with chips and salsa.  My friends brought some delicious home-made baked beans and a decadent chocolate cake that we had for dessert.

We were not sure if Mother Nature would cooperate with us, so we were not sure if we would be dining inside or out.  But in the end, Mother Nature decided to be kind to us, and we were able to enjoy our burgers al fresco, on our deck.  Once again, we had a successful, fun dinner with good friends.  After our gourmet burger feast, we all played some games, and the fun continued.  It was a good time had by all.  Life is good!

You all know me as Jeanne, from ajeanneinthekitchen, but that is only part of who I am.  When I am not in the kitchen, I can always be found somewhere in the water.  I am a “professional mermaid and dolphin”.  I teach a wide variety of water aerobic classes; I am an age group swim coach for the Front Range Barracudas, aka The Cudas; I am a Masters Swimmer (I was still competing up until a couple of years ago before I had my injuries, but am planning on coming back again real soon) and I am an avid scuba/rescue diver.  We travel and dive all over the world.  With that being said, yesterday was the end of our season for The Cudas, but it was also the end of an era for our home pool, so we had a “Bye-bye BCC (Broomfield Community Center) party for the team.   As well as being one of the coaches for the team, I am also the self-appointed food coordinator for the team.  Surprise, surprise, I know.  Our party was a potluck so everyone brought something, though mostly cookies and snacks.  I too brought cookies, but of course, I made my own.  No store bought cookies for this girl; no way.   Knowing that I was making cookies for kids who are all under ten years old, I knew I had to keep it fun and pretty simple.  I found some fun pastel colored mint chips that I used instead of chocolate chips, and made the team’s cookies with those.  They were a big hit, and by the end of the party, they had all completely disappeared.  I will take that as a major stamp of approval.  🙂   The party was a lot of fun, and all my swimmers had a blast, but it was also a bittersweet day, particularly for me.  BCC has been a part of my daily life for the past 15 years.  I still work, coach and swim at plenty of other pools, but that was my home pool.  The new pool will be phenomenal once it is built, but we won’t have it for about another two years.  Oh well.  Another day, another pool.  All of my Cudas and myself will still “just keep swimmin” no matter where we are.

All it takes to put a few smiles on our kids’ faces.

My Sous Chef and special assistant, Nicodemus, who was supervising and making sure Mommy did everything just right.

 

 

 

 

After our hockey party, The Celebration Feast we had quite a few leftovers.  You saw what I made with the left over chicken and linguisa Chicken and Sausage del Diablo but that only used some of our leftovers.  There were plenty more.  Being the “Queen of Leftovers”, I had to recreate and re-use more of the leftovers, and make them into something totally different than what they were the first time around, or my reign as Queen might just be in jeopardy.   Some of the other leftovers from the party were the smoked pork loin with cherry chutney, which I cut up and added to some leftover rice.  I also added some toasted almond slivers and made them into empanadas.  I make empanadas quite often.  Sometimes I fry them, while other times I bake them.  It really just kind of depends on how I am feeling at the time, and whether or not I want to turn the oven on.  This time, they were fried.  I actually prefer the fried version slightly more than I do the baked version, but essentially, they are about the same.  Although the baked version has slightly less calories than the fried version, so they are a bit healthier.

I served the empanadas with my Spicy Southwestern Scallops and, of course a margarita especial.  Spicy Southwestern Scallops

There are many different recipes that you can use for the empanada dough, but I prefer my tried and true basic go-to, master dough, that I use for so many recipes.  Just with so many of my dishes and recipes, there is no right or wrong way of doing things.  Use what works for you.  If you have a recipe that you like, and you are comfortable with, use that.  Like I tell my students and my swim team, just think of me as a guide, and do what works best for you.

Making the stuffing.

The key to real light, crispy and flaky empanadas is to roll them out thin.  You want them to be thin, but not to thin where they break apart and do not hold your stuffing.  I rolled them out to about 1/4 ” in thickness.  I added about 1 1/2 heaping TBSP of filling per circle, then carefully pinched them together.  After tightly sealing them, I pressed them down with a fork to tighten the seal even more.

Empanadas can be filled with anything you like.  They can be sweet or savory.  You can bake them or you can fry them.  Again, there are many different ways to make them.  Be creative, and try them many different ways.  If you are baking them, brush them with an egg wash before baking so they will brown up to nice golden brown.  I actually was planning on baking them, so I added my egg wash, but while I was at work, my husband fried them instead.  Oh well.  No need to fret about it.  They still came out delicious.

Jeanne’s Master Dough

1 1/2 cups flour

6 TBSP COLD butter, cubed

a pinch of salt

1 egg

about 6 TBSP heavy whipping cream

 

Mix together the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until everything is well incorporated.  Then add the egg and the cream and mix everything together until the dough forms into a ball.  Remove from the food processor and wrap in plastic wrap.  Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.  The dough will keep up to about 3 days in the refrigerator.  When you are ready to use your dough, let it come to room temperature before rolling it out on a lightly floured surface.  I usually add a little flour to my rolling pin as well.  Then roll to your desired thickness and and shape it however you like.  I use this same recipe for my tarts as well.  If I am making a sweet tart or dough, the only difference is that I also add about 3 TBSP of powdered sugar.  This is called a pate sucre.  Sometimes, when I am making a savory dough, I add black and/or lemon pepper and other spices to my dough as well.  Again, be creative and use your imagination.

I doubled my dough recipe for my empanadas.

 

I love food.  I love everything about it; shopping for it, cooking it, and especially eating it.  I like most anything, and I am always up for trying new things and experimenting, both with what I cook and what I eat, and how I prepare my foods.  There is a big difference between liking something and loving something though.  Scallops AND most things Southwestern are two types of foods I just absolutely LOVE.  This dish satisfies both of these desires.  In Spanish, scallops are known as vieiras.  Aside from the fact that scallops have always been amongst my favorites, they are actually very healthy for you too.  They are high in protein and low in calories and are a great source for magnesium and potassium, as well as a whole bunch of other necessary vitamins and minerals.  They are also an excellent heart healthy food because they contain a lot of vitamin B12.  Vitamin B12 helps keep the body’s homocysteine levels low, which in turn helps to keep our heart, arteries and blood vessels all healthy.  Statistics have shown that eating seafood, and particularly scallops, at least once a week will lower your heart rate by 2.3 times per minute.  When you think about how many times our heart beats throughout the day, that is a substantial reduction.   For the most part, a lower heart rate means a healthy heart.

Scallops of many varieties are found in the oceans all over the world.  They are in the mollusk family, and are known as bi-valves.  The edible part is the muscle in the center of the two shells that opens and closes the shell.  This is known as the “nut”.  The “coral” or the reproductive glands are also edible, and are eaten in most other parts of the world, although they are not as popular to eat in North America.

Spicy Southwestern Scallops served over Arroz Cubano (tomorrow’s post).

Making the spicy rub for the scallops.

Coat the scallops completely with the spicy rub.

In a very hot skillet, with very hot oil mixed with butter, pan-fry your scallops about 3 minutes per side.  You want them completely cooked and firm, yet still sweet and juicy without becoming tough or rubbery.

Once the scallops are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside and keep warm.  Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the pan and stir it well to scrape off all the pan drippings.  Cook for a couple of minutes, then add more butter and bring to a boil.  Cook until the liquid has reduced by abut 1/2.  This is your sauce for your scallop dish.

The full meal:  Spicy Southwestern Scallops over Arroz Cubano, with avocado, served with pork and cherry chutney empanadas (both the Arroz Cubano and the pork and cherry chutney empanadas will be other upcoming posts in the very near future).   A margarita especial is always a good accompaniment to any meal, but because yesterday was “National Tequila Day”, I just had to have one.

Spicy Southwestern Scallops

1 1/2-2 lbs sea scallops

3 tsp chili-lime chili powder

1-1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

4 TBSP butter

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup lime juice

 

Rinse scallops thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel.  Mix all the spices together.  Coat the scallops completely with the dry rub.  In a hot pan with a combination of both hot oil and 2 TBSP butter, add the scallops and cook for about 3 minutes per side.  When they are cooked, remove them from the heat and set aside.  Add the wine to the hot skillet and mix in all the pan drippings.  Add the rest of the butter and bring to a boil.  Then cook down until the liquid is reduced by half.   i served mine over Arroz Cubano and added more sauce, topping each scallop.  I also added avocado slices on top.  Esta mui, mui delicioso!  Disfruitas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As most of you know, I am the self-proclaimed Queen of Leftovers.  I think I almost love the challenge and creativity of recreating something new from leftovers as much as I love cooking “first-overs”.  I thrive on challenges and get inspired by them.  True to my nature, and with that being said, we had a bunch of leftovers that needed to be recreated.  I had chicken and linguisa from our hockey “Celebration Feast” (The Celebration Feast)  and tomatoes and salsa that desperately needed to be used ASAP.  So I put my thinking cap on and came up with the idea for Chicken and Sausage del Diablo.  I served it over fettuccine, with some warmed cheese bread that we dipped in olive oil with balsamic vinegar, garlic and pepper, and a nice, delicious bottle of Atteca Garnacha wine, a smooth, semi-dry red with hints of cherries and mulberries.  The wine was a gift and it just had to be opened to be fully appreciated.  It went perfectly with dinner.

Going through my refrigerator and coming up with things that needed to be recreated into something new, I found linguisa from our hockey party, some left over chicken and some bacon wrapped chicken as well, tomatoes that were beginning to get a bit mushy and salsa that was starting to get a little vinegary.   Perfect!  Let’s put them all together and see what we come up with.  When your salsa and tomatoes are past their prime, don’t throw them away.  They are perfect to use as a sauce.  The vinegary, acidity will cook down and the mushy tomatoes will just break down into the sauce, which is what you are looking for with a nice, rich and flavorful tomato sauce.  I love all kinds of tomatoes, and often have a variety of different kinds in my refrigerator.  Don’t be afraid to mix and match.  It just makes your sauce that much more flavorful.

Sauteing the peppers, mushrooms, jalapeno and garlic with olive oil, oregano (I used dried, since I ran out of fresh) cumin and salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables were softened, I added the tomatoes, salsa, and cooked meat.  I also added some marinara sauce as well.  I let this all simmer together for about 20 minutes then added it to the cooked fettuccine.  Delicioso!

Chicken and Sausage del Diablo

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 lb cooked linguisa, pepperoni or other sausage of choice

1/2 each red, yellow and orange red peppers, sliced thin

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/3 cup red onion, sliced thin

1 heaping TBSP garlic

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, cut in 1/2

salsa and marinara sauce

fettuccine or pasta of choice, cooked

olive oil

1 TBSP oregano

1 1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

 

Saute your peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and mushrooms together in olive oil until softened, for about 5-7 minutes.  Add your seasonings and cook down for about another minute.  Then add your tomatoes and salsa, and cooked meats.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.  The more you cook it down, the thicker it will become.  Serve over cooked fettuccini and top with mozzarella cheese if desired.