Sausage and Pepper Sauce with Breaded Turkey Cutlets

To download a copy of the recipe for Sausage and Pepper Sauce, click HERE. For the breaded turkey cutlets recipe, click HERE. 

What is Sausage and Pepper Sauce, and why are we using a sauce made with one meat as a topping for another meat? Good questions. Here are the answers.

Sausage and Pepper Sauce is a nice change from the usual tomato sauce. It’s a savory red sauce, but instead of being made from tomatoes, it’s made from freshly roasted red peppers that have been pureed, seasoned, and combined with browned sausage meat. (Some tomatoes are used, but the flavor of the sauce is really defined by the roasted red peppers and the sausage meat.) It’s simple to make, and ideal anywhere you’d usually use tomato sauce.

Why turkey cutlets? The idea of using meat as a condiment, either on vegetables or on other meats, is one that has been around a long time, and that has gained new traction in recent years after Chef Michael Symon began to champion it.) Sausage, with its deeply seasoned flavor, seems a natural choice to be used this way. Even if you put it on more traditional dishes like pasta, however, this is a sauce you will be very glad to have in your arsenal.

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• This recipe makes more sauce than you’re likely to need for any one dinner. Homemade sauce is one of those things it’s just as easy to make more of than less, so make the extra and save it to use with another meal.

• I usually roast red peppers on the stove top. That’s fine for one, or perhaps two, peppers. In this case I roasted three peppers, so the stove top would have been cumbersome. As described in the recipe, in this case I used the oven broiler.

• In the photos, you’ll see the sauced cutlets served with rice and baked zucchini sticks. Needless to say, feel free to serve them with whatever sides you like.

This recipe makes one quart of sauce (about twice what you’ll need), and four breaded cutlets.

First, we’ll marinate our cutlets.

To make the marinade, combine 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper; and 1 Tbsp fresh thyme in a bowl. Whisk in 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Place four turkey cutlets in a sealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Let the cutlets marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, turning occasionally.

When the cutlets are almost finished marinating, begin making the sauce. First, we’ll roast our red peppers. Set the oven on broil, and prepare the peppers as follows.

Remove the tops, bottoms and cores from three red bell peppers. CCut into quarters; remove any remaining seeds; and trim away the ribs.

Place the peppers, skin side up, on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Broil for several minutes until the skins of the peppers are blackened. (Be sure to keep an eye on them. You’re looking to blacken the skin, not cremate your peppers!)

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, Wrap the blackened peppers in the foil and set aside while the peppers steam and gradually cool a bit.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel away and discard the blackened skins.

Cut the pepper flesh into pieces and set aside.

Next, we’ll cook the sausage.

Remove one pound of sausage meat from the casings.

In a non-stick pan, cook the sausage till well browned, breaking any large pieces up into small pieces as it cooks. Set the cooked sausage aside.

Now it’s time to cook the remaining sauce ingredients.

Add a little olive oil to the sausage pan. Add 1 medium chopped onion and cook until translucent.

 

Add ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; 2 chopped garlic cloves; ½ cup chopped fresh basil; ½ Tbsp chopped fresh oregano; 1 tsp chopped fresh mint; and 15 ounce can diced tomatoes. Cook for another two minutes.

Add 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, and the chopped roasted red peppers.

In a blender or food processor, or in a bowl using an immersion blender, puree the pepper mixture.

Add the cooked sausage to the pureed pepper mixture, stir to combine, and set aside till needed.

To make the turkey cutlets:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Shake the excess marinade from the cutlets. Bread the cutlets by dredging in all-purpose flour, dipping in 2 egg-substitute eggs, and coating with seasoned panko breadcrumbs.

Place the cutlets on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until cooked through and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

To plate:

Place the turkey cutlets and your side dishes on the plate. Top the cutlet with sauce, remembering not to over-sauce the turkey. Serve hot, pausing only long enough to accept compliments from your family and guests!

To download a copy of the recipe for Sausage and Pepper Sauce, click HERE. For the breaded turkey cutlets recipe, click HERE.

All that’s left is to decide what you’ll put the extra sauce on for another special dinner soon!

Looking forward to seeing you here again next week for another tasty, home-style recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Chicken Under a Cornbread Brick

For a copy of the recipe for Chicken Under a Cornbread Brick, click HERE.

 

Welcome to new subscriber Kristen! We’re glad you’re here.

Over the nearly two years I’ve been doing this site, you may have noticed that many of my favorite recipes have two things in common: they taste good, and they include some small element that is whimsical and unique. (If you can’t have fun cooking, serving and eating the food, what’s the point?) This week’s recipe certainly fits the bill: Chicken Under a Cornbread Brick. In the recipe below, the brick is both literal and figurative. A classic “chicken under a brick,” or “brick chicken,” is made by using one or more foil-covered bricks (or similar heavy weight) to keep the chicken pressed down onto the pan for even cooking throughout, especially for crisping the skin. The recipe below includes this, and adds a more metaphorical brick: fresh-baked brick-colored cornbread that is cut to the same proportions as a brick, and that is served on top of the chicken. If you like your chicken skin tasty and crisp, this is a great way to prepare it.

Some Cook’s Notes:

• Since browning and crisping the skin is a large part of the reason why the bricks are being used in the first place, the recipe below uses bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. (Brick Chicken is sometimes prepared using a whole chicken that has had its backbone and breastbone removed, but using bone-in, skin-on parts is just easier.)

• In the photos that accompany the recipe, you’ll see the bricks piled on the chicken in a way that may look a little awkward. This is because the pan I used to cook the chicken was smaller than it should have been. Use a bigger pan, and you’ll be able to place the bricks in a single layer on your chicken.

• Readers who know I usually try to keep my recipes reduced-fat may be surprised that this recipe includes cooking and serving the skin, where so much of the chicken’s fat is. It’s not as bad as you might think. A proper portion of chicken is four or five ounces, a piece of chicken roughly the size of a man’s palm. That’s not a very big piece of skin. It only starts to become a problem you plan on serving each person half a chicken. Besides, you have to have some fun.

• The recipe below includes a description of how I like to make cornbread, but feel free to use any cornbread recipe you like. The main thing is making it look like a brick. This is done by adding to the batter a few drops of yellow food coloring, a few drops of blue food coloring, and enough red food coloring to make the batter the color of bricks. (The yellow and red make orange, and blue and orange make brown. Add extra red and you’ll get the brick color seen in the photos.) After the cornbread is baked, cut it into pieces each with the same proportions as a brick. (A standard brick is about 8” x 4” x 2”. I cut my cornbread bricks to about 3” x 1-1/2” x ¾”, which is scaled down from a full-size brick but maintains the same proportions.)

• In the photo above, the chicken and cornbread are shown plated on a bed of rice with diced tomatoes, and encircled by green beans. There’s also a sprig of thyme as a garnish.

This recipe makes four dinner servings, plus extra cornbread.

First, let’s make the cornbread “bricks.”

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is heating, cook 4 – 6 turkey bacon strips to slightly crisp, and chop into small pieces.

Combine 1 cup of corn meal, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, and ½ cup sugar in a bowl.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. In the well, put ¼ cup neutral flavored oil (canola or similar), ¾ cup of skim milk, and two egg-substitute eggs.

Mix the wet ingredients in the well, then mix in the dry ingredients to form a batter.

Add the bacon and 2 Tbsp of fresh, chopped sage and gently combine.

Add a few drops of yellow food coloring, a few drops of blue food coloring, and enough of the red food coloring to make the batter the color of bricks.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8” x 8” baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. When the cornbread has cooled, remove it from the baking pan.

To make the cornbread into “bricks,” slice off just enough of the edges to square off the corners. Gently run a long bread knife horizontally across the top to remove the rounded part and create a flat top.

Slice the remaining cornbread slab into 3” x 1-1/2” x ¾”, the same proportions as a real brick. Set the cornbread “bricks” aside till ready to serve.

Next, we’ll marinate the chicken.

Whisk together the marinade ingredients: ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 4 cloves finely chopped garlic, 2 Tbsp fresh thyme, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage, and a dash of hot sauce.

Place the marinade and 2-1/2 – 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts in a sealed plastic food storage bag. Let the chicken marinate for about 3 hours in the refrigerator, and for another hour on the kitchen counter.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the seasoning mix by combining the following ingredients and grinding in a spice grinder: 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried tarragon, 1 tsp celery salt, and ¼ tsp fresh ground white pepper.

To cook the chicken:

When the chicken is done marinating, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.

Season the marinated chicken with some of the seasoning mix. Place the marinated chicken in the pan, skin-side down. Immediately place the bricks on top of the chicken so that the entire skinned surface of the chicken is in contact with the skillet. After the bricks are in place, reduce the heat to medium.

Cook the chicken until the skin is well browned and a little crisp, about 18 minutes. (While the chicken is cooking is a good time to prepare any side dishes you’ll be serving with the chicken.)

Remove the bricks, carefully turn the chicken over in the skillet, and replace the bricks. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees. (Depending on how thick your chicken is, after turning the chicken skin-side up you may be able to save a bit of time by finishing the cooking in the oven or microwave. If you use the microwave, be sure to remove the bricks and move the chicken from the pan to a microwave-safe dish. If you use the oven, put the bricks back on top of the chicken after turning it skin-side up.)

After the chicken has finished cooking, allow it to rest for five minutes before plating and serving. (For serving, place one of the cornbread “bricks” on top of each serving of chicken.)

For a copy of the recipe for Chicken Under a Cornbread Brick, click HERE.

 

So there it is! (It’s not every day you get to prepare great-tasting food using construction materials.) Have fun cooking this delicious, whimsical dish!

Please come back next week for another recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Oven-Fried Marinated Beer Batter Mushroom Tacos with Mexican Corn

Although fish tacos have been a staple in Southern California for decades (and, in a purer form, in Mexico long before that), it’s only in recent years that they’ve become quite the fashion throughout the U.S. Generally consisting of deep-fried battered fish (cod or similar) with shredded cabbage, a spiced, creamy sauce, and a few other simple toppings wrapped in a tortilla, it’s no wonder fish tacos in the Southern Californian style are so popular; they’re delicious. Unfortunately, that deliciousness comes at a price: deep fried fish topped with creamy sauce will generally be on the fatty side.

But fear not, dear readers. In this week’s recipe we’ll make Oven-Fried Marinated Beer Batter Mushroom Tacos, a fish-taco inspired version that uses marinated portabella mushrooms instead of fish, and that reduces the fat by oven-frying them in a beer batter and topping them with a low-fat creamy sauce.

There’s also a quick, simple Mexican Corn side dish.

As usual, some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• Oven frying is very much like breading and baking except it has more crunch. I’ve experimented with many coatings over the years, and crushed cornflakes are the best coating I’ve found, much better than bread crumbs or panko. (Although you can buy crushed cornflakes in the bread crumb aisle, I recommend buying regular corn flakes in the cereal aisle and going over them with a rolling pin as shown below. It costs a lot less to do it that way, and you also get to control the size of the crushed pieces.)

• Traditional fish tacos include shredded red cabbage. You can do that here too, but since we need only a small amount, and I didn’t want to waste most of a large red cabbage, I used radicchio in its place.

• The heat in the sauce is mild. If you like it hotter, just increase the amount of hot sauce.

So let’s get started making this reduced-fat take on a Southern California classic that’s, like, totally awesome, dude!

This recipe makes eight soft tacos, which will usually be about four servings.

First, let’s marinate our mushrooms.

Slice 4 portabella mushrooms into strips about 3/4” wide.

Make the marinade by combing ¼ cup cider vinegar; 1 clove garlic, minced; ½ tablespoon of dried basil; ½ tablespoon of dried parsley; ½ tablespoon of dried oregano; ½ teaspoon salt; and ¾ cup olive oil. (Add the olive oil by drizzling it into the other mixed ingredients while whisking to keep a smooth consistency.)

Pour marinade into a gallon-size tight-sealing plastic bag. Place the sliced mushrooms in the bag with the marinade. Let them marinate for about 30 minutes, turning periodically for evenness.

Next, we’ll make our beer batter.

In a bowl, combine the following and mix until a thick, smooth batter forms: 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground white pepper; 12 ounces beer; and 2 egg-substitute eggs.

While the mushrooms are marinating, prepare the breading station.

Using a rolling pin, make 4 cups of crushed cornflakes in a gallon-size tight-sealing plastic bag.

Place 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour in a gallon-size tight-sealing plastic bag. Place the bowl of batter to the right of the flour. Place the crushed cornflakes to the right of the batter.

To bread the mushrooms, working one mushroom slice at a time:

Place the mushroom slice in the flour and toss to coat.

Dip each mushroom slice in batter till coated. Shake off the excess batter.

Place each coated mushroom slice onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking sheet. After all the mushroom slices have been placed on the baking sheet, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes.

While the mushrooms are in the refrigerator:

Begin pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the following till well-mixed to form the sauce: 6 ounces fat-free plain yogurt; ½ cup low-fat mayonnaise; juice of ½ lime; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon dried basil; ½ teaspoon dried parsley; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ¼ teaspoon hot sauce (add more for a spicier sauce); ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ minced jalapeno (seeds removed); ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro; ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper.

When the mushrooms are ready to bake:

Spray the mushrooms with cooking spray and bake for about 11 minutes. Turn the mushrooms over and reverse the position of the baking tray for even baking. Wrap eight 8” low-fat tortillas in foil and place in the oven. Bake the mushrooms and the tortillas for another 11 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and the coating is crisp.

While the mushrooms are baking:

Prepare the Mexican Corn by combining 3-1/3 cups (about 1 pound) corn niblets (fresh or thawed frozen corn drained well); 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped; and 2 tablespoons chopped scallions in a very lightly oiled non-stick pan. (We want to brown the corn, not fry it.) Cook on the stovetop over medium heat until cooked through and some of the corn is slightly browned. When done, toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, butter substitute, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Prepare the following toppings: 1 radicchio, shredded; 1 bunch scallions, chopped small; chopped cilantro; and sliced fresh lime. (To shred the radicchio, just quarter it, remove the core from each quarter, and cut each quarter into 1/4" strips.)

To serve the tacos:

Along the center of each warmed tortilla, place some radicchio, two or three slices of mushrooms, some scallions, cilantro, and sauce.

Roll the tortilla and wrap in parchment or foil, with some of the taco sticking out.

Seal the roll by twisting the bottom.

Serve on a plate with the corn on the side, as shown in the photo at the top.

You can enjoy these soft tacos for lunch or dinner. (If you have any of the breaded mushroom strips left over, they’re also great heated up the next morning and served alongside some eggs for breakfast!)

To download a cookbook-style copy of this recipe, click here.

See you next week with another tasty recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)