Grill Roasted Sausage and Veggies

One of my favorite chefs to watch on TV is Jamie Oliver. First and foremost, I love listening to him talk. And as far as cooking styles go, I relate most to his. Keeping things simple and clean, using beautiful ingredients and no ego. Love that. 

A while back I was watching an episode of "Jamie at Home" where he made a roasted sausage and veggie dish in his outdoor wood-fired oven. I spent the entire episode coveting that oven, and slightly bummed that I wouldn't be able to achieve the same flavors at home in my boring, old, electric version.

Recently, while I was trying to decide what to make for dinner, this dish crossed my mind. First I thought I could just crank up the broil in my traditional oven to achieve the same char, but then it occurred to me that the best way to get the smoky flavor I was looking for, was to cook the dish over the fire of the grill. So that's exactly what I did. Turned that grill up to "full whack" (as Jamie would say) and hoped for the best.

The result was exactly what I wanted. Nice char on the sausages and all of the ingredients seemed to completely melt together with the high heat. The best part about it? This dinner couldn't have been easier. Toss everything together in a sheet or roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and cook. I made a simple stove-top tomato sauce because I felt like it needed some moisture. The dish looked beautiful when plated family-style and it would be an excellent dish to serve at a dinner party. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 Italian Sausages (you can use any combination of spicy/mild, pork/chicken/turkey you like)
3 red bell peppers- cored, seeded, sliced
1 pint baby bella mushrooms 
1/2 large white onion, sliced
4 or 5 medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 buch fresh basil, torn roughly
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh oregano
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
About 3 tablespoons of good olive oil (don't go overboard here, just coat everything lightly)
Salt and pepper to taste

Stove Top Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Marsala cooking wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes (I like the fire-roasted kind, but regular will work)
salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 basil leaves, torn roughly

1 teaspoon of fresh oregano, leaves removed from stalks

Method
Light grill and adjust to medium-high heat. Combine sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary on sheet or roasting pan. Sprinkle the whole mess with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with hands to evenly coat. Place on grill over medium-high heat and cook for about 30 minutes.

Note: After everything has been cooking for about 15 minutes, pay special attention. Things will really begin to get interesting at that point and you'll want to be sure everything is getting nice color, but not burning. Consistent turning and stirring is definitely necessary.  

To start your pan sauce, combine the Marsala cooking wine with minced garlic over medium heat. When the wine has started to boil, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and oregano and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the sausage and veggies from the grill and move to a serving platter. Top with tomato sauce and parmesan (if you've got it) and eat up!

First time for everything

It's no secret to those who know me best- cooking's my favorite. There is no other way I would rather spend my time. It's creative, therapeutic, and when you're done, you get to eat delicious things.


The only thing that makes cooking better for me, is cooking with the people I love most. I think my love of all things culinary really stems from watching my mom in the kitchen. I would sit at the island on a tall stool and we'd talk while she went, chopping, browning, sauteing and refining flavors. I didn't realize it at the time, but those experiences shaped my core beliefs about food. Food was at the very center of what made us such a close family. It was a reason to gather every Sunday, and it served as a background for learning to truly enjoy each other's company.


So, last night my sister Em came over and for no reason at all, (or because I needed fodder for my first blog post.. you decide) we made an easy and delicious summer meal together. The whole menu started with Em's suggestion of a strawberry shortcake with those delicious homemade sweet biscuits. You know, the kind you get in fancy restaurants when you order strawberry shortcake expecting those round, concave disks of sponge cake. Not that I've ever done that.


Anyway, when we got to the market, our local peaches had just arrived and we needed a reason to buy them. Thus, peach shortcake was born. Acidic and sweet, crumbly biscuits with smooth whipped cream and slightly firm peaches. It was a great combination of flavors and textures. Here's the recipe, please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Summer Peach Shortcake
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (we used Kosher and it was just fine)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

4 oz Mascarpone (optional, but definitely delicious)

1 pound of yellow peaches, peeled and sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, zest and salt. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3/4 cup cream with a fork to make a rough dough. Drop onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet to make four biscuits. Brush lightly with cream and bake until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Whisk remaining cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, juice of half an orange, and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in 4oz. of Mascarpone for extra decadent filling. Add more powdered sugar and/or orange juice to taste.

Halve biscuits, spoon on whipped cream mixture and peaches and sandwich with tops. Enjoy!