LEARN TO COOK
I got 3 new cookbooks for Christmas! They include The Martha Stewart Living cookbook, Cooking For Two and The Way To Cook by Julia Child. They were all given to me by Brian’s family…should I take this as a hint? Don’t starve our sweet boy! I immediately took to my Martha Stewart book though and decided to tackle a recipe New Years weekend- “A Savory Fall Stew”. So I wrote my ingredient list and headed to the most magical place on earth, Whole Foods. Shopping for the ingredients proved to be harder than I thought it would be. I walked around the produce section aimlessly searching for fennel bulbs and parsnips. I had no idea what they looked like, do you? Is this something I should have already known? I happened to be chatting on the phone with my mother while looking for the parsnips and asked her if she knew what they looked like. She had no idea either. Clearly you can see why I never learned to cook. So I zeroed in on a very nice looking produce man and told my mom I had to call her back. With his help I put together my ingredients.
When I got home I started in on my stew. It actually turned out great! Although I do have a little bone to pick with Martha. I think she has got her timing a bit screwy because my vegetables did not cook down in 10 minutes. More like 35 minutes, Martha. Just a note.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
12 ounces hot Italian sausage, cut into small chunks
12 pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 cups of crushed tomatoes
3 cups of low sodium chicken stock
1 handful of herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 parsnips, cut into 2 inch long pieces
1 fennel bulb, halved, cored, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
12 brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut into half with kosher salt and pepper
RECIPE:
– Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook sausage, stirring until it breaks into small pieces and is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
– Pour off all but two tablespoons of rendered fat, and discard. Raise heat to medium high and add onion; cook, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock and herbs; simmer over medium heat until the liquid starts to thicken, about 20 minutes. Add the sausage, squash, carrots, parsnips, and fennel; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender; about 10 minutes (LIES). Add brussels sprouts; cook; stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper; serve hot.
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