Greens Giardino Sausage Bread (Part III) Last of the series

Just can't get enough of Greens Giardino? Well here is an additional recipe that is sure to please.

Ingredients

Dough (Freshly made or from the bakery)
Greens Giardino
Hot or Sweet Sausage
Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
Grated cheese

Directions.

In a skillet, prepare some sausage using just olive oil as a base. Either use the sausage as crumbles of slices. Prepare until cooked and set aside.

Allow the dough to rise. (Twice is preferable)
Spread some flour on a flat surface and begin to need the dough.
Using a rolling pin, create a flat surface as if you making a pizza.

Place the stretched dough on a pizza sheet.

In the center of the vertical row, add the Greens Giardino.
Next, add the sausage.
Bring one side over he greens and sausage and then overlap the other side.
Be sure to over lap the ends to ensure a proper seal.

Massage the bread with Olive prior to placing in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350

In a small dish, mix the salt pepper and oregano together

When you are ready to put the sausage bread in the oven, sprinkle you toppings on the top of the loaf about 10 mins prior to taking the bread out of the oven. Be sure you the sausage bread is evenly cooked with a light brown baked bread texture throughout.

Let cool and slice to your liking.

The Greens Giardino Sandwich (Part II)

So, you made the Greens Giardino. You have some left over and wonder what to do with them. The best is yet to come. Time for the Greens Giardino Sandwich.

Simple Version

Ingredients

Left over Greens Giardino
Hoagie Rolls (Hard Crust From the Bakery)
Grated Cheese

Directions: Cut the roll in half. Lay the bread flat on a bakers sheet. Add the Greens Giardino with a layer of grated cheese. Preheat the oven on Broil. Keep the rack 1/3 of the way from the top. (Allow some room) Set the timer for 2 minutes. Broil the top of your sandwich. Let cool for five minutes and add a fresh layer of cheese.

Additional Recipe:

Sweet or Hot Sausage Links
Hoagie Rolls
Grated Cheese

Cook the sausage in a skillet. (Cut the sausage in half)
Place the sausage on a roll.
Top with Greens Giardino and Some Cheese
Manga Manga!!! 

Greens Giardino

In the Utica Rome area, greens are very diverse and flavorful. For those reading the blog from another region, greens are a boiled or sautéed green leafy garden green in flavorful dishes. Some have meat while others are traditionally just the greens itself. I am going to provide multiple parts to this recipe so that you can enjoy either variety.

Greens -

Ingredients:

2-3 heads of lettuce greens (romaine and escarole) chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Minced Garlic
Tsp of Salt
Tsp of Crushed Peppercorns or Pepper
Red Crushed Pepper
Grated Romano
Bread Crumbs (Optional)

Many people in our area use escarole or an escarole mix. I prefer romaine lettuce or a mix of escarole or romaine. You place the chopped greens in a stocked pot. Fill the pot with water so that you can bring the greens to a boil. Boil the greens for 10 mins.

Next, using a skillet, sprinkle an olive oil base and bring to a medium heat. Add the greens and minced garlic. Season as you cook in a skillet for another 10 minutes. (You can add bread crumbs to flavor during the cooking time.)

This is the greens base. You can eat as is, and add the Grated Cheese on top.

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Adding Peppers - Onions - (Mushrooms Optional)

Ingredients

Cherry Peppers (Fresh)
Mini Sweet Peppers
One Red Onion
Mushrooms  (Optional)
Olive Oil
Garlic (Minced)

Dice all the ingredients. The peppers can also be larger slices based on your own preference. Sautee the ingredients and add them on top of the greens mix. Let them sit for five minutes and mix together with the greens.

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Adding Sausage - Prosciutto - Deli Meats

Ingredients:

Sausage
Prosciutto (Cook with the Vegetables)
Deli Meats (Cook with the Vegetables)

Sausage crumbles add a nice flavor to greens. You can buy pork sausage without a casing. However, I like to buy sausage and remove from the casings. I feel that sausage in the casings retain the seasonings better.

Sautee to cook. Add on top of the greens mixture. Add a nice grated romano, parmesan or asiago and mix everything together.

The Mac and Cheese Burrito -cheesetastic!

These delectable, cheesy, gooey burritos are great for party's and for all those mac and cheese lovers out there.

Ingredients:

• Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese (elbows work the best)
• Black Beans (optional)
• Any type of taco meat (ground turkey or chicken if you want to make it healthy) 
• Steak or Chicken (optional)
• 1/2 cup cheese
• Our homeade salsa (optional)

To make the Mac and Cheese follow the directions on the box.

Tortilla Prep - In a 8 -10 inch fry pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Warm the pan to a medium to medium high heat. Drop the tortilla in the fry pan and circulate it rapidly so that the oil spreads evenly. The tortilla will crisp up in a minute. (You will begin to see the burrito arch or have air pockets as it crisps)  

When the Mac and Cheese is done wrap in quesadilla with the other ingredients and you have a great meal. Try our salsa and you will love the flavor. 

  

Kettle Corn - Easy and Fun Snack

Kettle Corn on the stove top is a great snack. My son and I went to Brenda's in Rome and tried their Kettle Corn which is delicious. Inspired, we wanted to see if we could replicate it at home. Kettle Corn while easy, benefits from some tips we learned along the way.

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup popcorn


Directions/Tips:

• Heat the oil first. I learned from another recipe a trick that works for adding the sugar. Throw in a few kernels and wait for them to pop. Once they pop, add the sugar. Stir the sugar and immediately add the popcorn.
• Let me tell you after experimenting why this is important. We have put the sugar in the beginning and sometimes it caramelizes too much. You want the sugars to attach to the popcorn without burning or caramelizing.
• Here is another tip. Shake the pan regularly while popping until popping is reduce to a few kernels a few seconds apart. 
• Also, remove the popcorn from the pan to a bowl immediately. Again, it can caramelize and stick together if you leave it in the hot pan.