Rachel Ray and EVOO

Okay, raise your hands if you’re a Rachel Ray fan……**raising mine**.  Sometimes she can be a little annoying but I think she’s great and she has super easy recipes and almost always uses ingredients that I can get my hands on.  She has some funny little sayings like, “Yummo!” and “Add a little EVOO”.  For those of you who don’t have a clue what that means, it’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  She uses this particular oil for many reasons but is big on cooking healthy, which means olive oil is the way to go.   Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a powerful antioxidant that can actually lower your risk for heart disease and reduce your cholesterol level.  It also has a rich flavor and is perfect as a condiment, dressing, and even for marinating all sorts of foods. 

If you plan on doing any kind of Italian Cooking, then olive oil is must.  I found a recipe that I’ll be trying out and, of course, you must have EVOO for it!

Italian Sausage Supper Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
•  1 pound sweet Italian sausages
•  2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
•  1 large red bell pepper, chopped
•   1 large onion, chopped
•   4 hot pickled cherry peppers, seeded and finely chopped, plus a splash of their juice
•  1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons butter
•   2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
•  2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
•  1/2 loaf Italian bread, split lengthwise
•  1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano cheese (a couple generous handfuls)
•  1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful), finely chopped
•  1 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped or torn

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil and scatter the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While the tomatoes cook, in a medium skillet, add 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, the hot and sweet Italian sausages and enough water to fill the pan by 1/4 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid evaporates, 10 to 12 minutes. Cook until the casings brown, 3 to 4 minutes more.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the Cubanelle peppers, red bell pepper and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the pickled peppers and their juice.
4. Remove the sausages from the skillet and cut into chunks. Add to the peppers and onions. Pour the white wine into the sausage skillet and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour into the pepper-onion mixture.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the sausage skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken broth and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved tomatoes and mash into the liquid; reserve the baking sheet, discarding the foil. Cover the tomato gravy to keep warm.
6. In a microwaveable bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon EVOO and the garlic. Microwave for 20 seconds. Brush the garlic butter over the bread, then sprinkle the cheese and parsley on top. Cut the bread into large cubes. Arrange the bread cubes on the reserved baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
7. Combine the garlic-bread cubes with the sausage-pepper-onion mixture, spoon into shallow bowls and top with the tomato gravy and basil.

LAST THOUGHTS

Now, I realize that there is a ton of ingredients but most of them are easy enough to get.  It’s from her 30 minute meal series so it shouldn’t take long to prepare.  I always like to try something new a couple of times during the month and I think this is one that my husband would love. 

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think or blog about it and leave me the url in the comments.  Also, I’m curious as to how many of you use olive oil on a regular basis?  If you don’t, why not?