Home Canned Tomatoes

So, last week, I canned tomatoes for the first time in probably 2 decades.  I tried to can 6 quarts.  Five worked beautifully and one failed spectacularly.  So, this week, I needed to use that quart.  I decided that since I have a really nice looking spaghetti squash, I would make a ragu.  This one with sausage and cannellini beans.  I started it in a skillet and then transferred it to my crockpot to cook while I was out shopping with John.  Love having things like this cooking in the crockpot because it makes the house smell heavenly!

Sausage, White Bean and Tomato Ragu

• 12 oz sweet Italian sausage**
• 1 large onion*, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
• 1 cup chianti
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 quart tomatoes*, undrained
• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up, for about 3 minutes.  Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.  Add olive oil to pan and then saute onions about 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and garlic; cook for about 1 minute.  Add wine to pan to deglaze; make sure to scrape the brown bits from the pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour all into a crockpot and cook, covered, on LOW for 4-5 hours.  Then open lid and allow to cook for 2 more hours to thicken.  Serve over pasta, rice or spaghetti squash.

*Farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Brussels Gratin

I hate when the farmers market starts reminding me that summer is almost over (in reality).  While at the farmers market this weekend, I found some brussels sprouts, but they are starting to get bigger than I prefer.  I chose a pint that had smaller heads, but there were a few that were quite a bit bigger than I usually settle for.  But today, I decided I had better cook them because they are older and probably won't keep as long.  As I usually do, I got on Pinterest to get some ideas and saw recipes for Brussels sprouts gratin.  After reading a few of them, I decide to try my hand at coming up with a recipe since I had about 1/3 the amount of sprouts that any of the recipes called for.  I figured if I could make a proper sauce, it would be okay because I also had some small baking dishes that I could split them into.  But you can use a bigger baking pan and it will work just as well.  Here's what I did:

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

• 2/3 pound fresh Brussels sprouts*
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350F.

Wash Brussels sprouts; dry.  Cut bases of sprouts and remove the loose outer leaves.  Cut in half or in quarters (depending on size).  Place in a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup water.  Cook on HIGH for 7 minutes, or until sprouts are just beginning to cook.  Drain and set aside.

In a skillet, melt butter.  Add flour and whisk, cooking for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk, whisking the whole time to prevent lumps.  Cook until thickened, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.

Place sprouts into a prepared baking dish.  Spoon sauce over the sprouts.  Then sprinkle with remaining cheese and Panko bread crumbs.  Dot with butter.  Bake, covered, for 20 minutes, until sauce begins to bubble.  Remove cover, change oven to broiler, broil for about 5 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

*Farmers market ingredients

Okra

Decided I needed to use up some of the okra I got last weekend at the farmers market.  So, as I was digging through recipes (I only wanted to use a bit of them because I still plan to make okra and tomatoes), I ran across an idea for mini crustless frittatas.  Well, I made them this morning and they were actually quite nice!  Might have to think about changing my quiches into mini quiches for grab-and-go ease.

Mini Okra Frittatas
Adapted from: http://arentedkitchen.com/2012/09/24/mini-okra-frittata-cups/

• 1 cup sliced okra*
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 slices cooked bacon, diced
• 6 large eggs**
• 1/2 cup 1/2% milk
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 2 mini-muffin pans.  

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add okra and saute for about 5 minutes until browned and crispy.  Add minced garlic and continue cooking until fragrant.  Remove from heat. 

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk, panko and seasonings until smooth.  Add the okra, bacon and cheese.  Fill muffin cups to top and bake, about 12 minutes, until the frittatas are puffed and cooked through.

*farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients