Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage

Soup Season has begun... I thought I would kick it off by finding a new recipe. During my search I came across this recipe on epicurious.com, Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage which sounded delicious and would also fulfill my new obession with lentils. I somehow didn't look at how many servings the recipe made before I began cooking and soon realized about 15 minutes in that I was making A LOT of Lentil Soup.  So we now have a number of containers in the freezer to enjoy this soup later this month. Good thing Chris and I both enjoyed the soup.

The only thing that I changed was the amount of Italian Sausage. The package I had was 4 links which was 1.5 lbs so I just used the entire package.  I also added a little extra Italian seasoning.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

Italian Sausage Sandwiches

Menu
Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil
Fresh Pluots with Mint
Strawberries and Blueberries
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

We had a nice casual dinner with my in-laws tonight and we had Stella as our entertainment.  I could just sit and watch her play all day long. Her facial expressions are priceless.  I just wish I knew what she was trying to say as she babbles all day long.

We received a ton of fresh fruit today so I thought I would serve some with dinner.  I just plated some sliced pluots with a little chopped mint on one small plate and some sliced strawberries and blueberries on another.

We also received a nice ripe heirloom tomato. I simply sliced it, added a little salt and pepper and sprinkled it with a little chopped fresh basil.

Italian Sausage Sandwiches

My husband picked up 5 nice size mild Italian sausages from Lemon Tree Grocer; they make all of their own  sausage.  Typically I use their homemade giardiniera and mozzarella sausage for this recipe but they were sold out.

In a dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive and 2 minced garlic cloves.  Add the sausage and brown on each side.  Once the sausage is browned, add a splash of dry red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and lift all of the browned bits.  Remove the sausage temporarily onto a plate.  Add slices of one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper and a half of cubanelle pepper. I also used a medium red onion cut into small chunks.  Let the onions and peppers cook for a few minutes.

Then add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, stir well and add back in the Italian sausage links. Place the top on the dutch oven and cook on a medium-low heat.  Stir occasionally.  Let cook for approximately 20 minutes.  Heat up a grill pan on the stove top (or fire up the grill), place the sausage links on the grill just long enough to brown up the outside. Return to the dutch oven until you are ready to serve. To plate place a sausage link on a sausage bun with a little of the pepper and onion mixture on top.

Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Boil red potatoes until ready (you want to make sure they stay whole because you will be slicing them), drain and run under cool water.  Slice the potatoes with about 1/4 inch thick slices.  In a separate bowl make a vinaigrette by whisking together 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of stone ground mustard, approximately 3 tablespoons of good olive oil and the juice and a half of lemon.  Season with salt and pepper and a little thyme.  Mix well.  Cover the potatoes with the vinaigrette.  Top the potato salad with chopped chives and fresh parsley.  Place in fridge to cool.

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

Basil and Oregano

I had quite a bit of basil and oregano left from our first bushel; the only thing that came to mind to use it up was homemade pizza night! This of course is not a very original menu idea, especially for a Friday night but it's quick and easy!

Menu
Chicken Pesto Pizza
Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza

To make the pesto sauce I followed the Barefoot Contessa's Pesto Recipe found on foodnetwork.com. This recipe yields 4 cups which is way more than you need for this so I cut the recipe in half.

Toppings

I used 1 large boneless chicken breast and seasoned it with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and some Montreal Steak seasoning.  I also chopped about a tablespoon of fresh oregano.  To prepare the chicken, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with 1/4 of diced red onion in a saute pan. (I would suggest increasing the red onion to 1/3 cup as I wasn't completely happy with the chicken to onion ratio).  Add the chicken to the same pan and brown on either side.  Remove onion and reserve once the they have softened. Continue to cook chicken until it is cooked thoroughly.  Once the chicken is done, dice into small bite size pieces and let cool.  I also sliced 3 roma tomatoes and had about 4oz of goat cheese and 2 tablespoons shredded of Parmigiano Reggiano on hand.

Preparing the Pizza
For the crust I used 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust from Whole Foods.  Cover the crust liberally with the prepared pesto sauce.  I used about half of the pesto sauce on this pizza (approximately 1 cup). Season with a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add the diced chicken and the cooked red onion.  The next layer is the slices of roma tomatoes. Crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle the shredded Parmigiano Reggiano.  Chop some fresh parsley and fresh oregano and sprinkle to the top of the pizza for color.  Cook at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.

Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomato Pizza

The Italian sausage I used was something we purchased from Lemon Tree Grocer in Downers Grove. It's their Italian sausage with giardiniera and mozzarella. I removed the sausage from the casing and browned it.

I also used the 365 Everyday Value Organic Pizza Crust for this pizza.  Lightly coat the crust with a little olive oil and sprinkle with minced garlic (approximately 2 large cloves).  I also added a bit of the pesto sauce from prior recipe and spread it out on the crust.  I would say I only used about a tablespoon on this pizza.  Add a 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Be cautious with how much tomato juice gets on the crust as you don't want the crust to get soggy. The next layer should be the Italian Sausage.  Let it cool some before adding it so that you can crumble it into some smaller pieces as you are layering it onto the crust.  Sprinkle with some chopped oregano leaves and thyme leaves.  Add 1 1/4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and a few small dollops of the pesto sauce to the top.  Finish the pizza with a couple leaves of chopped fresh basil and oregano.  This pizza also cooks at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until the cheese is browned.

My food critic rated the pizzas individually.

The Chicken Pesto Pizza was rated 3.5 asparagus spears

The Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Tomato Pizza was rated 4 asparagus spears