Jalapeno cheddar chicken sausage in spicy cilantro alfredo with penne

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

Herbed Pork Roast

I've only made a pork roast a couple of times before, and I don't recall either being all that great. So when My wife came home from the grocery ( I was a bit under the weather, so she subbed for me that week) with a big ol' hunka pork, I coulnd't help but wonder what the heck she was thinking! I guess I'd impressed her enough with my recent culinary accomplishments that she figured I'd have no problems...
After a bit of 'net research, I came up with a recipe that I hoped would produce a half-decent outcome. From the family's reaction, I think I did. I found a few tips here and there. First was to not trim off the layer of fat that is usually on one side of the roast and to keep that side up while roasting. Oiling up the roast with the seaonings and putting it in a very hot oven for a short while before turning it down for a long while was another good tip, helping to "seal" the piece and keep it juicy
so here's what I did----

Ingredients:
2 ½ pound pork loin roast
Olive oil, a tablespoon or two
1 Tablespoon of a combination of herbs:
-a mix of rosemary, thyme, marjoram leaves
¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
¼ teaspoon ground red Thai chili
½ teaspoon of salt (I used kosher salt)
¼ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 450°
Put the olive oil in a small bowl.
Add the herbs, chili, salt and pepper, mix to blend.
Rub the mixture all over the roast (top, bottom, sides and all...).
Line a pan with foil and put the roasting rack in it.
Put the herbed roast on the rack with the fat side up and put the roast in the oven.

After 10 minutes, turn down the heat on the oven to 250° and continue to cook for 50 to 80 minutes, until a meat thermometer measures the internal temperature at150°. The cooking time will vary with the roast's shape - longer for a thicker piece, shorter for a more narrow piece.
When it is done, remove the roast to a cutting board. Cover it loosely with foil (I just loosely tented the roast) and let it sit for about 15 minutes to rest*.
Slice the roast about ¾" and serve.

I served mine with garlic-sour cream mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
*Resting meat: there is some controversy as to whether one should cover/tent/wrap meat while resting (AKA complete carry-over cooking). It works for me, so I do it.

BTW, this is a bit of the "ground" Thai chili pepper I used. I made this from the peppers that Rosie brought me last fall (Thanks, Rosie!).


Enjoy,
Lorence

Toasted Chili Mayonaise

Eager to do something constructive with my new haul from Penzey's I cracked open the chili powder with a specific condiment in mind. Since I had 1/2 of a torta carnitas in the fridge from our trip to Cuco's Taquieria, I decided to make some toasted chili powder mayonaise. I've made this before and love how it makes an ordinary sandwich jump with flavor. I never have found a real recipe for it, so this is what I've been doing. It seems to turn out ok:

Toasted Chili Mayonaise
2 to 3 Tablespoons Penzey's Chili powder (whatever type you choose is fine)
Real Mayonaise (I always use Hellman's, NEVER EVER that nasty M.W. stuff - even if I believed in miracles, it would take more than a miracle to make that stuff any good...)

Get a heavy skillet nice and hot over medium heat. Add the chili powder and toast the chili powder, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool.

Once the powder has cooled, it can be transfered to it's own jar for future use, or just use some of it right away like I did to make the mayo.

Put a couple of Tablespoons of mayo in a small bowl. Add some toasted chili powder to it and blend well. Taste it & tweak the flavor - does it need more chili powder? Add some more, then! Too much chili? Add a bit more mayo. You'll know when it's right.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. I used some on my leftover Cuco's torta. Very nice...

Enjoy,
Lorence