Sausage, Sage & Onion with Apple & Celery!

Turn this into this in minutes!  This is an easy, one pot meal, that's absolutely wonderful.

The combination of sausage, sage and onions, is classic and just plain fantastic!  You can serve it with eggs for breakfast or pasta for dinner, and you won't be disappointed...

Adam the butcher at market place, here in Friday Harbor, has recently gone out on a limb to make sausage and other products using his own recipes.  And here's doing a great job!  Be sure to go by and meet him.

Recipe for two:
6 Adams chipolata sausages, skins removed and broken up into small pieces
1/2 large yellow onion, finely sliced
1/2 apple, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
8 fresh sage leaves, finely sliced
olive oil
butter
pinch chili flakes
1 t paprika
S&P
parsley rough chopped for garnish

Brown the sausage in a heavy saute pan with some butter and olive oil, over medium high heat.  Don't be shy using butter, it will bring the flavors together and make it taste really good...

When done add everything except the paprika.  Cook until done. Then add the paprika and cook a little more to toast it.

Serve on warm plates with an egg and garnish with parsley.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Ridiculously Good Mac And Cheese With Shrimp

It doesn't cost anymore to make this wonderful dish, this is pure comfort food!

Recipe for four:
1 16 oz bag penne pasta
1 pint heavy cream
1 pound wild shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 large red onion finely chopped
2 shallots finely chopped
1 leek finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 c parmesan cheese grated finely
1 c sharp cheddar cheese grated finely
1 T butter
1 T olive oil

Get your pasta water going by filling a large pot with salted water, over high heat, bring it to a rolling boil.  Then add the pasta and stir.

In a heavy saute pan, add the oil and butter, and heat over high heat.  When the butter foams add the onions, shallot, leek and garlic, and cook until soft, then turn down the heat and caramelize.  When it's done, turn the heat up to high and add the shrimp, shaking back and fourth.  Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.

When the shrimp are almost done, add the cream and reduce a little, then turn off the heat.  Drain the pasta and add it to the shrimp if there's room, otherwise return the pasta back to the pot it was cooked in, then add the cheese and shrimp and stir.  At this point you can serve it onto warm plates like we did, or you can place it in an oven-proof dish and sprinkle a little more cheese on top, and place it under the broiler for a bit, to add some color.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Chard and Spinach = Oxallic Acid

All greens are loaded with minerals and vitamins.  They're also loaded with oxalic acid.  Especially chard and spinach.  These greens should be avoided being eaten raw.  Two of my friends were helping me pick greens this summer, later that day they cooked some chard and spinach, al' dente, and about 45 minutes later they both had throat irritations!

So I did some research, and found that chard and spinach are loaded with oxallic acid.  It turns out the only way to neutralize the acid is to cook it or dress it with an acid!  That's why we put vinegar on salad greens.

I also found out that spinach is full of iron, but the body can only absorb the minerals if it's cooked with tomatoes.  And guess what, tomatoes are an acid!

This is how I cook chard when I don't have tomatoes.  After washing a bunch of organic chard, take the stems off and chop them up into fine dice.  I like to use a little onion or leek in this dish, so chop a little of either.  Now chop up the leaves and set aside.  Heat a saute pan up over medium heat, and melt butter or coconut oil.  When it's good and hot add the onion or leek and the chard stems and a little salt and pepper, and cook until caramelized.  When done add the greens and cook until just melted. Then add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to neutralize the oxallic acid.

Bon Appetit!

Shredded Brussel Sprout Saute, With Pear And Orange

Just a heads up, tomorrow's post will be a killer turkey soup recipe.  If you want to make turkey stock, just follow the same recipe that I used for chicken stock in an older post...

Recipe for two:
Juice and zest of one orange
1/2 cup white wine
1 small red onion chopped
1/2 cup sweet potato
1 small pear chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
12 or more brussel sprouts shredded thinly
1 Tbsp coconut oil

In a heavy saute pan, over medium high heat, melt the coconut oil.  When oil is hot add onions and sweet potato, stir to coat with oil, then add pears.  Cook until almost soft but don't brown.  Add the garlic and stir, then add the wine.  When almost all the liquid has evaporated add the juice.  When liquid has reduced add sprouts and lower the heat to low.  When cooked to your liking, serve and garnish with zest.

Bon Appetit!

Killer, Killer Roasted Root Vegetables...

This Dish is Killer!  And It's Easy!


Tonight I roasted beets, turnips, apples and garlic.
Recipe for four:

6 red, gold or chioggia beets peeled and cut into wedges
6 turnips peeled and cut into wedges
1 large red onion quartered
1 medium size apple cubed
1 whole head of garlic separated and root end trimmed but leave skin on
1 sprig rosemary
3 sprigs lemon thyme
1 stick of butter
1 cup Madeira wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon each or salt and pepper
1 pinch chili flakes

Turn your oven on to 375*

This dish is flexible you can add carrots, parsnips or whatever else you want to cook.

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First peel the beets and turnips, and cut into wedges and then cut apples in to cubes.   In a roasting pan, place beets, turnips, apples and garlic, and a good drizzle of olive oil and mix with your hands.  Then add all of the ingredients and cover with foil, and place in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  This dish is fantastic, you can serve it with meat, fish, rice or quinoa...

Bon Appetit!