Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage and Rosemary

This delicious snack is so quick and easy to make. You can serve it at parties or have it as a family meal.

All you’ll need is:

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 large mushrooms 
• 2 links of italian sausage (casing removed) (Replace with paneer for vegetarian version)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 6 scallions (chopped)
• Some grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Freshly chopped rosemary (keep some sprigs for garnishing)
• Salt and pepper as per taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushroom and keep aside.
3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic. Sauté it for a minute.
4. Add the sausage and crumble it using a wooden spoon. Cook it till it turns brown and then add the scallions.
5. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, add the chopped rosemary, mix well and finally turn off the heat.
6. Fill each mushroom generously with this sausage mixture and sprinkle some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top. 
7. Season them with some salt and pepper and arrange them in a baking dish. 
8. Bake them for about 20-30 mins. Garnish with some fresh rosemary sprigs before serving.

Couscous with Italian Sausage and Fennel

I had never used fennel as a vegetable before, so I was eager to try it out in a recipe that would compliment it well. Couscous, by virtue of being adaptable to different flavours, was a perfect fit for this recipe. To satisfy our carnivorous souls and also to enhance the flavour, I decided to combine these with some fresh italian sausage.

For this recipe you’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
• ½ cup diced olives
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8½ ounces mild italian sausage, cut into small chunks
• 1 large fennel bulb chopped (keep some fronds for garnishing and discard the rest)
• ½ teaspoon harissa paste
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chili flakes
• 1 cup couscous
• salt if needed (depends on the chicken stock you are using, low sodium one would require additional salt on top)
• freshly chopped basil or fennel fronds for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the garlic. Saute for a few seconds and add the fennel.
2. Once the fennel turns soft, add the sausage and stir-fry on medium to high heat for a few minutes.
3. Add the harissa. When the sausage starts leaving oil and turns dark brown, add the olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano and chili flakes. Cook for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock and salt if required.
4. Once it comes to a boil, add the couscous, stir well, and turn off the heat. Cover the pot immediately and let the dish steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Fluff the couscous with a fork. It should be soft and fluffy, if not, sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of boiling stock or water over it, cover, and steam for a few minutes. Be careful not to add too much water as it can easily overcook. Garnish with freshly chopped basil or fennel fronds

Serve hot with Tzatziki Sauce(optional). You can find the recipe for Tzatziki here.

 

Sausage Broccoli Pasta

After my successful attempt at Aglio-e-Olio, I was tempted to explore more sauceless pasta recipes, so here is one of them.

For this you’ll need:

• 7 ounces Whole Wheat or any other regular pasta
• 1tbsp minced garlic
• 1½  tsp Chili Flakes
• 1½  tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup  broccoli sliced into small florets
• 3 sausages links diced
• ½  cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
• ¼ cup chopped parsley for garnishing
• Grated parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil and drain the pasta as per the instructions on its packet.
2. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan on low-medium heat. Add the garlic and the sausages. Saute for 5-7 mins.
3. Add the mushrooms and cover the pan with a lid for 3-4 mins. Once the mushrooms start shrivelling up, remove the lid.
4. Add the broccoli, vegetable stock, salt and pepper to taste and cook for another few minutes till broccoli becomes slightly soft (Don’t overcook the broccoli).
5. Finally add the pasta and some parmesan and mix well.  Turn off the heat. Sprinkle some chilli flakes and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. You can also sprinkle some parmesan while serving.

Your yummy sauceless pasta is ready..:)

(You can use Chicken stock instead of  Vegetable stock and you can add veggies as per your preference.)

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