Fettuccine in Portobello Bowls

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

My husband and my sister-in-law have birthdays in March.  We wanted to get together for a celebration dinner.  I saw this recipe for portobello mushrooms from Better Homes and Gardens.  I had the recipe tucked away, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to serve this beautiful dish.  We modified the recipe and used Italian sausage in our dish along with red peppers and onions.  My husband loves to cook, so I commissioned him to prepare the meal.  That is a great husband who doesn't mind fixing his own birthday dinner.  And, my sister-in-law brought the ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery.  It was a great day!

Fettuccine topped with Italian sausage and roasted cherry tomatoes in a 

grilled portobello mushroom bowl.

Recipe:

• 8- 4 to 5 inch fresh portobello mushrooms
• 1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2- 9 oz. pkgs. fresh fettuccine pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-lb. Italian sausage
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Using a teaspoon, gently scrape the gills out of the bottom of the mushroom caps.  Lightly rinse the mushrooms.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Brush the top and underside of the mushrooms with the 3 tbsp. olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

For the charcoal grill, grill the mushroom caps, cut sides up, for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, turning once halfway through the grilling.  When done, remove from grill, and cover to keep warm.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.  Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Roast them for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over the cooked pasta. 

Brown the Italian sausage thoroughly, and drain off excess fat.  Saute chopped onions, red pepper, and garlic until the vegetables are tender.  Season with Italian seasoning, salt and freshly ground pepper.  At the end add the black olives to warm through.

To serve, place portobello mushroom on plate.  Fill portobello bowl with fettuccine pasta.  Top with a generous scoop of sausage and tomato mixture.

Printable version of recipe: Fettuccine in Portobello Mushroom Bowls 

Portobello or Portabella?
They are the same, just a product of manufacturer's loose grip on Italian words. Portobello is a masculine derivative; portabella is feminine.
(from answers.yahoo.com)
Portobello is used in England, Ireland, and other places around the world and it comes from Italian and means beautiful port. (porto = port, bello = beautiful).
Portabella on the other hand is also Italian, but it means beautiful DOOR (porta = door, bella = beautiful).

Portobello mushrooms stand out from all the other mushrooms in the produce section, with their large, tan to brown cap, dark underside and thick white stem. They’re related to the common button mushroom, yet have a taste and texture all their own, which makes them more versatile in the kitchen. Portobellos are fat-free and very low in calories. They’re also a rich source of selenium, copper and niacin.

Sometimes With Vitamin D
Portobello, or portabella, mushrooms are the mature form of baby crimini mushrooms. They grow up to 6 inches in diameter and possess a flat cap with a dense, meaty texture. Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, but the amount they contain depends on their exposure to ultraviolet light. Most portobellos only have a small amount, but some producers significantly boost the vitamin D by treating them with ultraviolet light, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One cup of diced portobello, which equals about one mushroom, has 19 calories, 2 grams of protein and 3 grams of total carbohydrates.

Boost of Copper and Selenium
Portobello mushrooms are rich sources of copper and selenium. Your body needs copper to form connective tissue, metabolize iron, and to produce energy and antioxidants. Selenium has two primary jobs to fill: It helps produce thyroid hormones and antioxidants. It also supports your health by regulating your immune system and inflammation, according to a review published in the April 2012 issue of “Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.” One cup of diced portobello mushrooms contains 16 micrograms of selenium and 0.25 milligrams of copper. These values represent 28 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for both minerals.

Preparation Tips
Store portobello mushrooms in the refrigerator and use them within 7 to 10 days. Clean them with a damp cloth or paper towel. Don’t rinse them because they’ll absorb too much water. You can use portobello mushrooms in place of any other type of mushroom you usually enjoy, but they’re substantial enough to be the centerpiece of a dish. Try using them as a meat substitute: Grill or broil them and serve them like a hamburger. Cook portobellos with other veggies, such as green beans and sweet peppers, and serve them as a side dish or in a pita sandwich with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar.
(from www.livestrong.com)

Using a teaspoon, gently scrape the gills out of the bottom of the mushroom caps.
Lightly rinse the caps and pat dry with paper towels.

Chop the red pepper and onion into uniform pieces.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet.
Season with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Brown the Italian sausage and drain off excess fat.

Slice the black olives.

This is the olive oil we purchased in Florence, Italy, last September.
This is the good stuff.

Brush the top and underside of the mushroom caps with the 3 tbsp. of olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Doug is hard at work preparing his birthday dinner.

Saute the onions and red bell pepper and garlic and salt and pepper and Italian seasoning.

Combine sausage and sauteed vegetables in pan and keep warm.

We used a good fresh fettuccine.

Add the black olives to warm them with meat sauce.

Grill the mushroom caps for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender.

Turn the mushrooms halfway through the grilling.

Roast the tomatoes for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from grill and keep warm until serving time.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot.

Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over the pasta.

Place the grilled mushroom cap onto each plate.

Fill the mushroom bowl with a generous amount of fettuccine.

Top the pasta with a scoop of meat and roasted cherry tomato mixture.

Enjoy!

Our friend, Yatzi, brought homemade egg rolls.

Our birthday celebration.

A beautiful portobello pasta bowl.

Yes, it was delicious!

Happy Birthday, Doug and Ethyl.

The Red Velvet Cold Stone Creamery Cake.

Happy Birthday to You!

Soup's On! Sausage Kale Soup

More winter here means more hot, healthy soups on the menu.  We love to warm up with a bowl of soup.
This soup's flavor comes from the Italian sausage links.  The spicier the seasoning in the sausage,
the better the soup! We love a little heat in our soups.  You can adjust the heat to suit your taste.  Kale is a main stay in this recipe.  It is full of nutrition and flavor.

Sausage Kale Soup

Ingredients
  1 pound uncooked Italian sausage links
  3/4 cup chopped onion, or 1/2 large onion
  3 bacon strips, diced
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  2 cups water
  1- 1/2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
  2 cups diced potatoes, or 4 medium
  2 cups thinly sliced fresh kale, 2 stalks
  1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
If you want more heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes into each serving bowl to taste.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Place the sausages in a ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; pierce casings. Bake 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain; set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion and bacon 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add water, broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Cut sausages in half lengthwise, then into 1/4-in. slices. (I browned them again). Add kale, cream and sausage to soup; heat through (do not boil). Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).
This was modified from the original recipe.
Originally published as Sausage Kale Soup in Quick Cooking March/April 1999, p52
Printable version: Sausage Kale Soup

Cook bacon in dutch oven.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place sausage in ungreased baking pan;

pierce casings and bake 15-20 minutes until fully cooked. 

Chop onion and mince garlic.

Add onion to cooked bacon and saute until it is tender.

Add garlic and saute 1 minute.

Peel and dice 2 cups of potatoes.

Add water.

Add chicken broth.  I use more broth than the original recipe called for

which was 1- 14 oz. can.  (I like a lot of stock in my soups.)

Add diced potatoes.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes

until potatoes are tender.

Prepare kale by washing and removing leaves from stem.

How to Prep and Clean Kale:

For large leaves, cut away the center stalk. You can cut away just the base for smaller, more tender leaves. 

Trim any bruised leaves.

Wash thoroughly in cold water several times, and drain well on paper towels or spin in a salad spinner. 

This washing step is key because kale can be gritty if not washed well.

Tear into pieces; 12 ounces kale equals about 12 cups torn or chopped, or four servings.

from http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-cook-kale/

Thinly slice the kale.

Cut sausages in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch slices.

We browned the cut sausage on the stove to add extra color and flavor.

Add the sausage to the ingredients in the dutch oven.

Add the kale and heat through.  Do not over cook.

The kale retains its nice bright green color.  Beautiful!

Add the heavy cream and heat through. 

Again, do not boil.

This makes 2 quarts of delicious soup, bursting with flavor in each spoonful.

 Enjoy!

Kale, a super food!

The good: One cup of kale provides 89% recommended daily requirement of Vitamin C, 354% of Vitamin A, and 9% of Calcium. This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2462/2#ixzz2qwoDH4bD


Although kale has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, American cooks seem to just now be taking it seriously as something more than a garnish. It's a good thing they are, because kale has the health advantages of a cruciferous vegetable in lowering cancer risk, and it's also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K and a very good source of fiber, potassium, and calcium. Kale is a member of the cabbage family and has a cabbage-like flavor. It thrives in cold climates and is in season in the winter months, although it is available year-round and can be grown in warmer climes as well. Kale leaves are long and frilly, with a tough center stalk, and can vary in color and texture (see varieties below). Kale can be used similarly to spinach. The kale chips below are trendy and fun to eat, and but also try kale boiled, sauteed, and slow-simmered.
from http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-cook-kale/