Cooking the pasta right in the sauce infuses it with flavor and restricts the cooking to one pan. You can substitute hot Italian sausage for the sweet.
12 oz. Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound summer squash, cut into 1" pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
12 ounces of ziti
1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Cook the sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium until no longer pink, breaking up large pieces. Add the squash to the sausage and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the broth, tomatoes with their juice, and the pasta. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is al
dente.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining Parmesan
cheese and sprinkle with basil.
3 pounds beef chuck roast
1 can beef consomme
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 jar (16 oz.) pepperoncini peppers with juice
6 slices of Fontina or Provolone cheese
Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls
Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.
Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat
is fork-tender and falling apart. If meat is not yet tender, return to
oven for 30 minute intervals till it's tender.
Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving
no large chunks behind. Serve on buttered, toasted rolls with cheese and juices from the pot.
May make the day before, then store in the refrigerator. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating.
Supremely beefy and complexly flavored, Spanish beef stew is a little different than its American counterpart. It starts with a sofrito, a slow-cooked mixture of onions, spices, and herbs that builds a flavor-packed base. Next we swapped out the normal chuck-eye roast for boneless beef short ribs, feeling that they gave us a beefier-tasting stew. We finished the stew with a mixture of toasted bread, toasted almonds, garlic, and parsley. This mixture, called a picada, brightened the stew’s flavor and thickened the broth. Remove the woody base of the oyster mushroom stem before cooking. An equal amount of quartered button mushrooms may be substituted for the oyster mushrooms; we used a mix of wild mushrooms like hen-of-the-woods and baby browns. Serve the stew with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice.
STEW
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, pulp grated on large holes of box grater, and skins discarded
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups water
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
PICADA
1/4 cup whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, trimmed
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1. FOR THE STEW: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until
shimmering. Add onions, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring
often, until onions are deeply caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes. Add
tomatoes, smoked paprika, and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until
darkened and thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add wine, water, thyme, and cinnamon to pot, scraping up any browned
bits. Season beef with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and add
to pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Transfer to oven and
cook, uncovered. After 1 hour stir stew to redistribute meat, return to
oven, and continue to cook uncovered until meat is tender, 1½ to 2 hours
longer.
3. FOR THE PICADA: While stew is in oven, heat almonds and 1
tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring
often, until almonds are golden brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Using slotted
spoon, transfer almonds to food processor. Return now-empty skillet to
medium heat, add bread, and cook, stirring often, until toasted, 2 to 4
minutes; transfer to food processor with almonds. Add garlic and process
until mixture is finely ground, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl as
needed. Transfer mixture to bowl, stir in parsley, and set aside.
4. Return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon
oil until shimmering. Add mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring
often, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
5. Remove bay leaf. Stir picada, mushrooms, and vinegar into stew. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe through step 2 and refrigerate for up to 3
days. To serve, add 1 cup water and reheat over medium heat. Proceed
with step 3.
