SERENDIPITY SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds link sausage – any combination of Italian, chicken and apple, jalapeno, etc.

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or other ham, minced

2 medium onions, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium celery stalks, diced

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

3 15.8-ounce cans great Northern or other white beans, undrained

1 quart chicken broth

Heat oil in a large, deep pot or soup kettle over medium-high heat.  When pot is hot, add sausages; cook, turning once or twice, until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.  (Sausage will not be fully cooked at this point.)  Remove from pan.  When cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick.  Add prosciutto, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the empty pot; cook, stirring often, until well-browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, mash one can of beans with a fork into a chunky puree.  Add whole and mashed beans, broth, and sausages; cover and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, at least 20 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes; serve.  Makes 8 servings.

SAUSAGE AND LENTILS WITH FRIED SAGE

Kalyn's Kitchen recipe, adapted from The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press

1 pkg. (19.5 oz.) hot turkey Italian Sausage links 

2 c. dried lentils

1 piece celery, cut into 3-inch pieces

1 whole carrot, cut into 3-inch pieces

1 small onion, cut in half

generous tbsp. chicken flavor base (optional)

1 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. olive oil (or more, depending on your pan)

20-30 fresh sage leaves

3-4 lg. garlic cloves

Put lentils, celery, carrot, onion, and chicken flavor base (if using) in large pot, cover with water and start to simmer. Let lentils cook until they are quite tender. Cooking time will depend on how fresh the lentils are, but probably about 45 minutes. While lentils are cooking, brown sausage well in 1 tbsp. olive oil in large frying pan. Let sausages cool enough to handle, and cut in diagonal slices about 1-inch thick. Put back in pan and brown cut sides of sausage very well. Don't rush the browning step; it may take as long as 20 minutes. When lentils are tender, drain well and remove carrot, celery and onion and discard. Put 2 tbsp. olive oil in frying pan that sausages were browned in, add garlic and sauté until barely starting to color (don't let it get very brown or it will be bitter). Remove garlic and discard. Add sage leaves to hot oil and cook just until crisp, not more than a minute or two. Remove sage and chop with knife.  Add cooked lentils and sausages with half the sage back to pan, and sauté 3-5 minutes in seasoned olive oil. Remove to serving platter, sprinkle over rest of fried sage and serve hot. Six or more servings.

CROCK POT CASSOULET

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. smoked sausage links, cut into 1/2” thick slices 

1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2 carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

2 15-oz. cans cannelini beans, drained

1 can Italian tomatoes

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. dry white wine

Heat olive oil in a large skillet; sauté smoked sausage until it begins to brown.  Add chicken pieces to the skillet and brown lightly. Combine leeks, carrots, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, red pepper, beans, and tomatoes to the meat mixture and pour into the crockpot.  Add chicken broth and wine.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until chicken is tender.

DONNA’S CHICKEN & SHRIMP JAMBALAYA

1/4 c. butter
1 c. celery, sliced
1 c. green bell pepper, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh garlic
2 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 lb. cooked smoked sausage links, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 lb. raw frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
Hot pepper sauce
Cooked rice

Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven until sizzling; add celery, green pepper, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (6 to 8 minutes). Add all remaining ingredients except shrimp and hot pepper sauce. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a full boil (5 to 6 minutes).
Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook until rice is fork-tender (20 to 25 minutes). Add shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp turn pink (4 to 5 minutes). Serve in a bowl over rice with hot pepper sauce. Makes 12 servings.

PAM'S HOPPING JOHN SOUP

1 lb. sage pork sausage1-6 oz. package uncooked long grain and wild rice mix, with seasoning packet
2-15 oz. cans black-eyed peas, drained
2-14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with liquid
2-14 oz. cans chicken broth
2 c. water
Salt to taste

Crumble sausage into a skillet over medium heat and cook until brown. In a large pot, mix the cooked sausage, rice mix with seasoning packet, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

EASY HOMEMADE TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

1 lb. ground turkey

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. olive oil

Combine salt, pepper, fennel, rubbed sage and crushed red pepper in a bowl and stir to blend.  Add ground turkey and mix with hands to combine.  Add maple syrup and mix with hands again. Shape and flatten sausage mixture into 3-inch round patties. Heat skillet on medium and add olive oil.  Cook sausage patties about 5 minutes until lightly brown on one side and turn to brown on second side. Remove sausage patties and drain on paper towels. Serve warm. Makes 6–8 small patties

RODNEY’S BLACK-EYED PEA GUMBO

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
4 (15 oz.) cans black-eyed peas with liquid
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 (14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pkg. skinless smoked turkey sausage, sliced - optional
dry red pepper flakes – optional for extra spiciness
2 finely diced fresh jalapeno peppers - optional

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and celery until tender. Pour in chicken stock and mix in rice, black-eyed peas with liquid, diced tomatoes and green chiles, diced tomatoes, garlic and sausage slices, if desired. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add water if soup is too thick. Serve with diced jalapeno peppers on the side, if desired.

STEPHANIE'S BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP

(adapted from Stephanie O'Day at crockpot365.blogspot.com)

1 lb. black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

1 yellow onion, diced

1 c. diced carrots

1 c. diced celery

1 lb. spicy sausage, sliced

6 c. chicken broth

4 garlic cloves, chopped

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

Tabasco sauce 

Use a 6-qt. slow cooker. Put the drained beans into the stoneware with the vegetables and the sliced sausage. Pour in the broth, and stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6 hours. Before serving, use a handheld immersion blender to smoosh up some of the beans. Don’t blend too much—just enough to get the broth thicker and creamy-looking. Ladle the soup into bowls, and add Tabasco sauce to taste. Serves 8.

Stephanie’s Verdict – This tastes amazing. Perfect to eat on New Year’s Day for prosperity and good luck.

BAKED ZITI

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 jar Newman’s Own Sockarooni sauce

1 16 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese

1 13.25 oz. box Dreamfield’s penne pasta

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 slices provolone

Crumble and brown Italian sausage; drain grease or rinse sausage under running water. In a bowl, mix cooked sausage, sauce and ricotta cheese until well blended; set aside. Cook penne pasta according to package directions; drain and add to sauce mixture. Pour mixture into a large baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of pasta and then cover with provolone. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes. Cheese on top will be slightly browned and bubbly. Serves 6 – 8.