On my most recent weekly shopping excursion to Kroger, I bought
some jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage thinking I could make some sort of pasta
dish with it. Tonight I did just that,
and I have to admit, it turned out amazingly good - jalapeño cheddar chicken
sausage in a spicy cilantro Alfredo.
I based the sauce on this recipe with more than a few twists:
jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-alfredo-sauce/
Remember, save any liquid that remains in the pan after cooking the sausage, you'll need it for the sauce!
Ingredients I used:
Pan dripping/cilantro/garlic/chili pepper
mixture
¼ cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup half & half
1 ounce heavy cream
3 ounces 2% milk
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces Mexican cheese mixture (http://www.sargento.com/products/5/sargento-fancy-shredded-4-cheese-mexican-cheese/)
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarsely ground
black pepper
½ pound penne pasta
1 can (4 ounce) green chilies
2 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro + 2 Tablespoons
chopped cilantro for garnish
4 links jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage (about
a pound)
What I did:
- In a large pan over medium low heat, brown the
sausage on all sides.
-
Add ½ cup
of water to the pan and cover, lower the heat to low and let simmer for 5
minutes.
3 -
Remove the sausage to a plate and cover to keep
warm.
RESERVE ANY LIQUID STILL IN THE
PAN!!!
-
Scrape fond from the bottom of the pan and
put all of the pan drippings into a food processor
-
Add to the food processor bowl: green
chilies, ¼ cup cilantro, cayenne, garlic cloves
- Start the penne, cook per package
directions.
While the water comes to a boil…
-
Run the processor until the ingredients are blended smooth.
-
Pour the mixture back into the pan with the heat
on medium-low.
-
Add the butter to the pan and whisk until melted
-
Add the cream cheese, whisk until melted and
blended
-
Add the garlic powder, whisk until blended.
-
Add the black pepper and whisk…
-
Slowly
Add all of the dairy while whisking and
blending it together
-
Add the cheeses, whisk to melt and blend. Keep whisking and stirring. Do not let it get too hot, as it could
break. As you stir, it will thicken up,
too.
- Slice the sausage, about ½ inch thick.
-
When the penne is al dente, drain it off and
place it into the pan with he sauce, add the sausage and stir it all together.
-
Serve, garnished with cilantro and with a
sourdough bread side.
I have one photo of the dish, not a very good one. It tasted way better than the photo lets on! The family devoured it. It was very rich, thick, creamy and spicy- delicious!
 |
| Jalapeño cheddar chicken sausage in a spicy cilantro Alfredo with penne |
Enjoy,
Lorence
