We have been making this for many years. It is from an old weight watchers slow cooker cookbook that is falling apart – so thought I better put it on here. We don’t follow the recipe directions at all so I won’t even include them here. Just throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and let it go at its lowest setting all day… et voila, le dîner est servi.
1 lb pork loin cut up into 1 inch cubes. Boneless pork chops work just fine
2 cups onion chopped pretty fine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 garlic cloves minced fine
1 teaspoon salt
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 14 oz cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained – if you have time cooked dried beans are always better
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut itnto 1/2 inch pieces – we pretty much always use Slovenians which I highly reccomend
Sprinkle each serving w a bit of parmesan, ground pepper and fresh parsley if you have some.
Kathryn Purcell via Gina Depalma via Secrets of the Best Chefs
SERVINGS: 6 TIME: ABOUT 1 hour
This soup is hearty and so good! It freezes well. You could easily make it vegetarian by skipping the sausage. And you could make it vegan by not using the sausage and romano cheese.
*8 ounces of sausage meat is roughly 2 links. I have used up to 4. Use as much or as little as you choose.
2 large links (about 8 ounces) of sweet Italian sausage [see Note] 1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, sliced or diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
Kosher salt
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves or kale Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish
On the stove: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to generously coat bottom of pot) in a large pot on medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, first two garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water (6 cups is, conveniently, a little less than 2 empty 28-ounce cans, so you can get any tomato pulp you missed), more salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side.)
When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.
In an InstantPot or electric multicooker: Proceed as written above, using the sauté function on high (I find this to be like medium-high on a stove) to cook the sausage and then vegetables. Once you’ve added the remaining ingredients, including dried lentils, lock the lid and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes (or longer, if you have time), to help keep the vegetables intact. You can manually release the rest. Use the sauté function on high again to bring it back to a simmer (this should be take no time at all) and add the greens; cook until wilted.
Both methods: To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet (on the stove) and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with fresh Romano, passing more at the table. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.
I have tried the last few years, but never can quite match it. Kathryn observed this thanksgiving and took careful notes.
in goes the stuffing…
Stuffing
Linda Holzheimer – as observed by Kathryn Purcell
2 loaves of stuffing bread…unsliced…cubed
2 packs of rolls from freezer because she needed more
Filled up 2/3 of roasting pan
Cubes it day before and let sit in roaster to dry out
4 cups each of chopped celery, chopped onion
1.5 pounds of bulk sausage
Chopped fresh parsley, about a cup
Sauté onions, celery, sausage in butter and canola oil….we did it separately
Add all to cubed, dried bread
Mix well
Add poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste
Add sage, if you like sage
Liquid:
Melt stick and an half of butter in 3 cups of chicken broth
Beat 2-3 eggs with a little chicken broth to thin it out
Add 2 egg mixture to stuffing mix
Slowly add broth/butter mixture to stuffing, while mixing
Stuff in turkey! Yum!
Thanksgiving 2011 side note: I was very lame and didn’t take ANY pictures all thanksgiving. We we’re busy cooking all weekend. All of Courtney’s family came to Cleveland. We had 16 for dinner on Wednesday, 18 for dinner on Thursday and 32 for dinner on Saturday when both tribes joined together. Menu for historical reference:
Thursday Dinner: turkey, ham, stuffing, vegetarian stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted root vegetables, brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, bread, orange-cranberry sauce, regular cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and apple pie and cookies.
Friday Dinner: chili and vegetarian chili will lots of toppings, pizza, orange jello, spinach salad, bread and ice cream sundae bar back by popular demand.
1 ½ lbs. Mild Italian sausage cut into small pieces
½ lb. Fresh mushrooms
½ cup melted butter
½ cup cooking sherry
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. Sliced zucchini
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 lb. Spaghetti
Sauté sausage and mushrooms in melted butter in large frying pan. Add sherry and bouillon. Stir until bouillon dissolves. Add zucchini and onion. Cook partially covered over medium heat until sausage is done, about 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti. Pass the parmesan!
Heat oil in large skillet (medium high heat). Add sausage and brown 15 minutes. Drain excess oil. Add green pepper, tomatoes, onion, and wine; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Serve over hot noodles.
This is the lasagna my Mom has always made. Of course it is the best. I like it because it is dry… I don’t like soupy lasagna.
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 clove garlic
1 T. basil
1 ½ t. salt
1 lb. can tomatoes
2 6 oz. Cans tomato paste
10 oz. Lasagna noodles
3 cups Ricotta
½ cup parmesan
2 T. parsley flakes
2 beaten eggs
2 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 lb. mozzarella, sliced very thin
Preheat oven to 375. Brown meat slowly. Add next 5 ingredients, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring. Cook noodles in large amount of water according to package directions. Drain and rinse noodles. Combine rest of ingredients, except mozzarella. Layer lasagna as follows: Noodles, ½ of cheese mixture, ½ of mozzarella and then ½ of sauce. Repeat order for second layer. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and/or lasagna is bubbling, or 45 minutes if refrigerated. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving
2 large eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch thick rounds
½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz can whole Italian tomatoes, crushed and their juices
1 t. Italian seasoning
½ cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
¼ t. crushed red pepper
¼ cup minced fresh basil leaves
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 cups whole milk
1/8 t. freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup grated parmesan
8 oz. ziti, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 cup grated mozzarella
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish (or bigger) and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat ¼ cup oil. Add egglplant in batches, seasoning both sides with salt and pepper, and cook until golden, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a plate as they cook, and set aside.
Heat 2 T. or remaining oil in large skillet. When hot, but not smoking, add the onion and sausage, and cook, stirring, until the sausage is browned and the onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juices, the Italian seasoning, black olives, 1 t. of salt, and the crushed red pepper. Reduce the heat to medium- low and gently simmer, uncovered, until the flavors marry and the sauce slightly thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add basil and adjust seasoning to taste.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and forms a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and, whisking frequently, cook until the sauce is thickened and smooth, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange half of the eggplant slices on the bottom of the casserole, overlapping as necessary. Top with half of the cooked pasta, then half of the sausage-tomato sauce. Place another layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce, then layers of pasta and sausage-tomato sauce. Pour on the white sauce, then top with the grated mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake for 1 hour, or until puffed and golden brown on top.
Have lots of egg casserole recipes but everyone always likes this one the best.
6 eggs
1 t. salt
2 cups milk
1 t. dry mustard
6 slices cubed bread
1 lb. Bob Evans sausage
8 oz. Grated cheddar cheese
Brown sausage, drain and cool. When cool, crumble and reserve. Beat eggs, add milk, salt, mustard and bread cubes. Stir. Add cheese and crumbled sausage. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 40 – 50 minutes.
Eat On Edgecliff 