B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage and Vegetable Minestrone Soup

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage & Vegetable Minestrone

Serves: 6 -8 persons

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
3/4 lbs B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage, loose sausage meat or removed from casing, hot, mild or combination

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, minced

1 cup carrot, minced

1 cup celery, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 fresh sage leaves

1/4 lbs fresh or frozen green beans

2 potatoes, medium sized

2 cups fresh or canned whole tomatoes

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen small green peas

2 medium zucchini

1/2 small head of savoy cabbage

1 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with rind

2 quarts basic chicken broth or low sodium canned chicken broth

1/2 cup arborio or jasmine rice

Preparation:

Mince the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  In a medium size bowl, combine uncooked hot and mild sausage meat if using combination.  Shred fresh sage leaves and measure the small green peas.  Peel and cube the potatoes into 1/2" pieces. Puree the whole tomatoes or if using fresh, dice the whole tomatoes. Slice zucchini into small pieces.  Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into 1/2" to 1" slices. Remove the rind from the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and set aside. Grate the remaining cheese and put in a small bowl to use as a garnish at the end.

Directions:Heat extra virgin olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook 5 - 6 minutes until lightly browned.  Saute loose sausage meat in 12" sauce pan until brown and beginning to stick to bottom of pan.  Add the sausage to lightly browned vegetable mixture in the large pot. Break up sausage meat into small pieces as it cooks. Add sage to mixture and stir.  Add rest of vegetables and season if needed. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano rind and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat to low and simmer partially uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using rice add it now and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let rest 12 to 15 minutes.  Serve with a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Original B.I.T Recipe: B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage and Vegetable Minestrone
Courtesy of Chef Bertha Teresa Thomas
© Copyright 2015 Becoming Italian Today, All Rights Reserved.

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage & Peppers

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:1 pound B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage Links (4) hot, mild, or combination

2 tbsp   Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 medium red bell pepper 1 medium green bell pepper 1/4 large yellow onion-large2 tbsp extra virgin olive oilKosher Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and dry peppers. Remove seeds and white core from inside of peppers and cut them into 1” strips.Peel and slice onion into ½” strips.

Directions:

Add olive oil a 12” or larger non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add peppers and sauté uncovered for 3-4 minutes.  Add onion and continue to sauté until peppers and onions are soft. Salt to taste and mix gently.   

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another 12" saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage links and lower heat to medium. Sauté for ten minutes until sausage is browned then turn sausage gently with tongs, (do not puncture or cut the sausage while cooking to preserve juices).  Continue to sauté for another 10 minutes until other side is browned as well. Add the peppers and onions to the sausage in the pan. Turn heat to low, cover, and sauté an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. 

Original B.I.T Recipe: B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage and Peppers

Courtesy of Chef Bertha Teresa Thomas

© Copyright 2015 Becoming Italian Today, All Rights Reserved.

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage & Squash Soup

BIT Rustic Italian Sausage & Squash Soup

 Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutesServes: 6 - 8 people

Ingredients:
1 lb BIT Rustic Italian Sausage Mild, loose or removed from casing
4-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large leek

8 cups of butternut squash

6 cups chicken broth, plus little extra if necessary
1 cup heavy cream
4-5 sage leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Kosher salt (optional)

Preparation:
Peel and cut squash into medium size pieces. Clean the leek and chop the white and light green parts only. Cut the sage leaves into thin strips, julienne-style, and set aside.

Directions:Add the olive oil to the sauté pan over medium heat. Add uncooked sausage to the pan. Using a fork, break up the meat and cook until lightly browned, set aside. 

In a large sauce pan add butter and the chopped leek and sauté over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the butternut squash pieces to the pan along with the leek, stirring gently to combine. Cook over low heat for about 20 min or until the squash has softened. Remove cooked squash from heat and let cool. Puree the cooled squash mixture, return it to the large pan, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook another 5 minutes or until squash and broth combine. Slowly stir the cream into the squash mixture, stirring gently until combined. 

Add cooked sausage meat, scraping all the bits and juices from the pan to the squash soup. Gently fold in the sausage until mix together well. Bring to a simmer over low heat, add the sage leaves and sugar, and cook for another 15 minutes. If your soup is too thick, add some extra chicken broth until you reach the desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve hot with a drizzle of cream on top and a few small sage leaves for garnish.

Original B.I.T Recipe: B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage and Squash Soup
Courtesy of Chef Bertha Teresa Thomas
© Copyright 2015 Becoming Italian Today, All Rights Reserved.

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage Shepherd's Pie

B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage Shepherd's Pie

Serves: 4-6 persons

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 lb BIT Rustic Italian Sausage meat hot, mild or combination
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium size yellow onion
• 10-16 ounce package of mixed frozen vegetables
• 2 Tbsp of flour
• 1 cup of chicken broth (for filling)
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 tsp rosemary leaves (optional)

Mashed Potatoes:

• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, Yukon gold or mashing potatoes
• 3/4 cups chicken broth(for potatoes)
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 stick of room temperature salted butter
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of paprika

Preparation:

Peel and slice onion into thin pieces and chop celery and set aside. Measure out the flour and chicken broth for the sausage meat filling and set aside. 

To prepare the mashed potatoes: Peel and chop potatoes into chunks suitable for mashing. Cook potato pieces in boiling water until soft. Drain potatoes using a colander. Measure out the sour cream, chicken broth, and butter and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, add the drained potatoes and chicken broth and mash until lumps are gone. Add sour cream and butter and mix being careful not to overwork the mixture. Salt and pepper the mashed potatoes to taste and set aside. 

Directions:

In a large saute pan add in oil and brown sausage meat over medium high heat. Break up the sausage meat with fork as it cooks. When meat starts to stick to bottom of pan add sliced onion and combine.  Cook until sausage meat and onion are mixed together with all their juices, about 5-6 minutes. Add chopped celery and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Add the flour to the mixture and stir to combine. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth and rosemary (optional). Simmer on low heat 8-10 minutes. Spread the sausage meat mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20-25 minutes in oven. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Original B.I.T Recipe: B.I.T Rustic Italian Sausage Shepherd's Pie
Courtesy of Chef Bertha Teresa Thomas
© Copyright 2015 Becoming Italian Today, All Rights Reserved.