Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 portobello mushrooms, stemmed (reserve 1 cup minced stems)

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons EVOO, plus more for drizzling

12 oz hot Italian sausages

12 oz sweet Italian sausages

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced yellow or orange bell pepper

1/4 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 grated Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions

Rub the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of EVOO.

Cook the sausage (squeeze it out of the casings) in a large skillet until browned, 4 minutes. Add the onion, pepper, celery and mushrooms stems. Cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine for an additional minute. Remove from heat.

Put the sausage and veggie mix into a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley and 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Pulse in the processor until all is combined, about 30 seconds.

Divide the filling among the mushrooms caps. Put them on a baking sheet. Mix together the remaining 1/4 cups of bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle the mixture over the mushrooms. Bake for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

A Mild Pastalaya

This is a combination jambalaya pasta dish. For the purposes of my house I made it milder than your typical Jambalaya... you can substitute and add some things to make it a more classic Jambalaya. Oh, and no picture to post....I lost my camera card while in Mexico....will replace camera soon... So, I'll just post a picture from Mexico....lol. This picture was taken our first night at Bar Frida for dinner. There were more naked pictures of Frida Kahlo then I found appetizing.

Ingredients

1 lb penne rigate

2 tablespoons EVOO plus more to drizzle

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 lb mild italian sausage, casings removed

4 cloves chopped

1 anaheim pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

3 small celery stalks, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

S&P

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beer

1 cup chicken stock

1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes

a dash of hot sauce

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/2 lb chicken breast, chopped into small pieces

1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned, tails removed

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 green onions, sliced on an angle

Directions

Cook the pasta by the box directions to al dente. Drain and drizzle with EVOO.

While the water is heating for the pasta, heat a large skillet or wok with the EVOO & butter over medium high heat. Add the sausage (use andouille sausage for classic jambalaya) by squeezing it out...discard the casings. Then ground it up and brown for 5 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside. Add the garlic, peppers, celery and onions to the pan with the sausage drippings. Stir and dredge for 6 minutes while adding S&P to taste. Add flour to the veggies and cook for another 2 minutes or less. Slowly stir in the beer until it's tan a creamy for an additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes (take a potato masher to them to crush them), thyme and the dash of hot sauce(at this point add 3 tablespoons for the classic jambalaya). Bring to a simmer then add the chicken and shrimp. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the sausage (andouille) for another minute.

Then combine the pasta and jambalaya mixture into the large pot that was originally used to cook the pasta. Stir to combine well. When serving garnish with the green onions.