Sausage Mushrooms And Fennel Recipes

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

SAUSAGE & MUSHROOM STRUDELS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• If either of the sausage meats is coarsely ground, place the meat in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the meat is finely ground.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan, add the onion and cook for 4 to 6 minutes over medium heat, until tender but not browned. Add all the sausage meat and mash with a fork, breaking it up and browning it, for 5 to 7 minutes, until no longer pink.
• Meanwhile, prep the mushrooms. Without washing the mushrooms, wipe the caps with a slightly damp paper towel or sponge to remove any dirt. Trim the stems, then roughly chop the caps and stems. Add the mushrooms, fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to the sausage and cook for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms give off their liquid and the liquid evaporates. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and the fresh bread crumbs and season to taste. The seasoning will depend on how highly seasoned the sausage meat is.
• Melt the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Unfold the phyllo dough and keep it covered with a slightly damp (not wet!) kitchen towel. Transfer one sheet of phyllo to a board, brush it lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with a teaspoon of dry bread crumbs. Place a second sheet of phyllo directly on top, brush with butter and sprinkle with dry bread crumbs; repeat until you have 5 sheets piled up. With the long edge of the stack of phyllo facing you, make a 1-inch strip of sausage filling (about 1/3 of the filling) near the bottom edge. Fold up the sides and roll the phyllo firmly up and over, rolling the log away from you. Transfer the log, seam side down, to the prepared sheet pan. Brush with butter and score diagonally at 1-inch intervals. Make two more strudel logs and place them on the sheet pan.
• Bake the strudels for 20 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once to cook evenly, until browned. Cool slightly, cut in pieces through the scored lines and serve warm.

FENNEL SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

Steps:

• To make the pie crust: In a food processor (or a large bowl, if mixing by hand), combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it is broken down into pea-size pieces. (If mixing by hand, get in there with your hands and work the butter into the flour.)
• Add the eggs and pulse (or stir by hand) until combined. The dough may still seem dry and not entirely together--that's okay. Dump it out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring the dough together into a ball and flatten it into a disc on the plastic wrap; it should come together as you do, but if it is still too dry, add a teaspoon or two of very cold water. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round just under 1/4 inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough (see Chef's Note). Cut the excess dough from the edge and then crimp the edge and fold it up. With a fork, gently poke the bottom of the dough all over. Chill the dough lined pie pan for 10 minutes. Line the dough with a large piece of parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts getting golden and is almost fully cooked. Remove the parchment and beans or weights and bake for 10 minutes more, or until just lightly golden all over and fully baked. Transfer to a wire rack; keep the oven on.
• To make the quiche: In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium to high heat. Add the sausage, fennel seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the sausage is almost fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften and the sausage is fully cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, stir to combine, and turn off the heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs well until frothy. Add the milk, cream, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and whisk again. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Pour the sausage-mushroom mixture into the baked pie crust and spread it evenly. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the sausage and mushrooms.
• Bake the quiche for 35 to 45 minutes, then cover it with foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the center is jiggly but set.
• Let the quiche cool, then slice and enjoy. The quiche will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven or microwave.

TORTELLINI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE, FENNEL, AND MUSHROOM

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.
• Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.