Ingredients:

• 1 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• about 6 cups chicken broth
• 6 potatos, cubed
• 1/4 – 1/2 bunch fresh spinach(depending on desired Popeye factor), stems removed

Directions:

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon in the same skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the pan. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Inspiration/Stolen from:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Super-Delicious-Zuppa-Toscana/Detail.aspx

Italian Sausage Metloaf with Potato Gravy, originally uploaded by balyho0o.

So I was totally craving something  hearty like meatloaf and mashed potatoes so I surfed around the web and took my inspiration from a couple of different recipes which use Italian Sausage to help bring things to life. This one from allrecipes.com had some good ratings and some helpful comments and this one was the catalyst for the blue cheese, which was fantastic.

Sadly the potatoes were meant to be something like this but because I used baby reds, which don’t quite stand up the way a Russet or Gold might, what I ended up with was more of a potato gravy. ..and it was so damn good! I just love it when accidents turn in to amazing discoveries. It was a bit “gluey” but was oh so rich and yummy. Really hit the spot.

Meatloaf Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
• 4 (4 ounce) links Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 oz blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbs fresh chopped basil
• 1 tbs fresh chopped oregano
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

“Gravy” Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of baby red potatoes (Don’t you dare peel these!)
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 tbs Kosher salt
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 tbs fresh ground pepper

Meatloaf Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl combine beef, decaseified sausage, egg , bell pepper, onion, oats, milk, blue cheese, Worcestershire sauce, herbs,  salt and pepper. Mix together, preferably with your hands (feel that squishy goodness!), and press into a loaf pan line with aluminum foil.
3. Add a nice thick layer of tomato paste to the top as if you were frosting a cake.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until center temp reads about 145° (should continue to rise to about 155° while resting). Let stand about 10 minutes and use the foil to lift out and drain grease.

“Gravy” Directions:

1. Buy the wrong type of potatoes for the “Mashed” varietal. In this case baby reds
2. Cut larger taters in half, and add them, 1tbs salt, garlic and rosemary to boiling water and boil until soft
3. Drain and drop contents into a food processor making sure to get the garlic and rosemary bits. Add butter, pepper and remaining salt and puree the crap out of it. Add a little milk if it isn’t “gravy like” enough for you.

Provide a nice “base” of gravy, add a slab or two of the meatloaf and drizzle with more gravy goodness. I DARE you not to go back for seconds!

This recipe is adapted and passed along from the original which comes from George Germain and JoAnn Kileen who own Al Forno, a pizza place favorite in Providence Road Island.

• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 3 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 1/4 cups water (plus 1 or 2 additional tbsp if the mixture looks dry and crumbly after the first 10 minutes of kneading)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Dissolve yeast with slightly warm water, add oil. Sift flour(s), sugar and salt together and add. Mix and knead until smooth (about 15 minutes), all the while serenading the dough with your best dean martin impression (see below for inspiration). Oil a bowl. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a cloth and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

*Snazzy Mixer Instructions – Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Place all the ingredients in the machine, program for dough and press start. Remove the dough from the machine and let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Divide the dough into two equal portions. Spread cornmeal on your baking sheets and  flatten into your favorite shape.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 450.

*Note: Required humming, whistling or even singing of Amore while kneading/tossing the dough

Ingredients:

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage links (hot Italian Turkey sausage can be used for a lighter meal)
• 1 (12 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
• 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce or your favorite homemade sauce
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
• red bell pepper, roasted and chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Fry the sausages in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from the skillet, cool slightly and slice into rounds.
3. Add the garlic, fennel and onion to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then add the roasted red bell peppers, basil, sliced sausage and pasta sauce. Heat through over low heat until warmed.
4. Combine the pasta with the sauce and vegetables in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread the mozzarella, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses over the top. Garnish with a few fennel leaves left from the bulb. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove the aluminum foil. Set the oven to broil, and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is browned.

Ingredients:

• 2 chopped bell peppers
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, diced
• 1/2 head of garlic, diced
• 1-2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

Optional:

• Hot Italian Sausage (we always use Hot Italian Turkey Sausage).
• Rolled basil and oregano meatballs
• Marinated mushrooms (we like the jarred marinated mushrooms from Costco)
• Splash of red wine
• Salt & Pepper
• Zucchini and Yellow Squash
• Dallop of Ricotta Cheese

Directions

Fry fennel and peppers in olive oil on high until softened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Add 60% of chopped garlic and all of chopped onions to 2 tbsp. of olive oil and cook on high until they begin to caramelize (do not over cook). In a large pot, crush the whole tomatoes by hand and add the rest of the ingredients (including onions, fennel and peppers) and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour to thicken. Stir occasionally.