Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Share Your Recipes
Column from Feb. 19, 2009
The other day, I got an invitation to subscribe to a cooking magazine. The letter read: “Congratulations, LuAnn Morgan, as a food lover, you’ve been selected to join the Rachel Ray family with a 69 percent rate adjustment off the cover price.”
How did they know I’m a food lover? And why did they think I’d be interested in this subscription?
Actually, I do like to cook, but being a writer isn’t a 9 to 5 job. So, I don’t always have a lot of time, which means meals are often fast and easy in my house.
But I do have lots of good recipes. In fact, when my new kitchen was built, my main requirement was a shelf for my many cookbooks.
I’m always on the lookout for new recipes, so I used to subscribe to a couple cooking magazines. However, I would use only a few out of each issue. Now, I prefer to get new recipes from friends and family … recipes they have tried and enjoyed. Or I browse the many cooking Web sites and pick up some new ones there.
When Bob Kirkpatrick, the new editor of The Othello Outlook, asked me if I wanted to do a regular recipe feature, I thought it was a great idea. This column is the result and I’m looking forward to sharing my recipes – and other kitchen tips.
Another favorite thing for me is reading and I try to fit in a chapter or two each evening. This is a recipe from author Chandra Prasad. In her book “On Borrowed Wings,” it isn’t unusual to find a pot of sausage and peppers simmering on the main character’s stove.
Mrs. DeRisio’s Famous Sausage and Peppers
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 large bell peppers (red and green), seeded and sliced into long, thin strips
8 plum tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 dash white wine (optional)
Small cluster of fresh basil leaves
Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces. Heat olive oil in a deep pot, preferably cast iron. Brown sausage over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients, except basil and wine, and stir. Turn heat to high and bring contents to a boil. Add a dash of white. Put the bottle aside. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally.
Remove cover and continue cooking at medium heat to reduce liquid, another 10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat. Garnish sausage and peppers with fresh basil leaves, torn into little pieces by hand. Serve immediately with a crusty loaf of Italian bread.
Yield : 3 to 4 servings.