Tag: Dan Clapson

Recipe: Italian sausage, lemon and scallion spaghetti

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Pork sausage pasta recipe

Living in Alberta, we know that the May long weekend can be a gamble. Either we’ll be having a backyard dinner party with friends while the sun is shining or we’ll be stuck inside due to rain or snow. This province’s weather certainly keeps us on our toes.

This pasta dish can be made a little extra summery by grilling the scallions and wrapping the tomatoes and garlic up in some tinfoil and cooking them on the top rack of your barbecue, but when the weather fails you, the oven will do just fine.

What you’ll need…

1 bunch scallions

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup mild Italian sausage meat

1/4 cup white wine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt, to season

5 cups cooked spaghetti

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place scallions on baking sheet and roast until tender and slightly charred, about 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly then give them a rough chop.

While that’s roasting, heat canola oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, a couple minutes or so.

Add sausage meat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally to help break up meat into small chunks.

Once cooked through, deglaze pan with wine, add butter, tomatoes, lemon juice and pepper and let simmer until tomatoes break down and a thick sauce is formed, about 8-10 minutes.

Add charred scallions to the pan, season to taste with salt. Place desired amount of pasta in pan (i.e. less pasta means more saucy, more pasta means less saucy) and toss until coated in sauce.

Serves 2-3

Total cook time…30 minutes

Recipe: Pork and Roasted Scallion Meatballs with Tomato Chili Glaze

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Pork meatball recipeNormally, I wouldn’t be cooking up meatballs on a lovely mid-Spring day, but guess what? We’ve had hardly any nice Spring days here in Calgary. Thank god for comfort food! Can I get an “Amen!” on that statement, folks?

This recipe sees some awesome (and easily accessible!) Asian ingredients to add some robust flavour and spiciness to the tender, juicy two-bite item we call a meatball. The tomato glaze will also work well on pork ribs, chops or tenderloin, so feel free to play around with it!

What you’ll need…

Tomato Chili Glaze:

1 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1 clove garlic (finely grated)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Roasted Scallion and Pork Meatballs:

1 bunch scallions (washed and halved)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 lb ground pork

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely shredded napa cabbage

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon five spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

canola oil (for cooking meatballs

Directions:

Tomato Chili Glaze:

Place all ingredients in a large pan, stir well to incorporate and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.

Reduce to medium heat and let cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly.

Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Roasted Scallion and Pork Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place scallions on baking sheet, drizzle with canola oil and bake until well-roasted (almost charred), approximately 14-16 minutes.

Remove from oven – leave oven on – and let cool for a few minutes, then finely chop.

Place scallions into a large bowl with remaining meatball ingredients, mix well with hand and form into 12 1″ meatballs.

Heat some canola oil in a cast iron pan on medium-high heat until very hot. Working in 2 batches, sear the meatballs on all sides, approximately 3 minutes per batch.

Nestle all 12 meatballs into pan, add tomato chili glaze, shaking the pan slightly to make sure all meatballs are lightly coated.

Transfer to oven and let cook for 15 minutes.

Remove and let cool slightly before serving. Serve in cast iron pan directly on table (on top of a trivet or similar item, of course!) or in a more elegant serving bowl if you want to be less lazy than I am when I have people over for dinner!

Yields 24 meatballs, 2 cups glaze

Total cook time…45 min

Recipe: Italian Sausage, Potato and Broccoli Soup

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Italian Sausage, Potato and Broccoli Soup

It’s almost December, so I say bring on the soup! Seriously, there is nothing better than a big bowl of soup after you walk in the door after a cold commute home from work. This recipe is easy to whip up and the spice from the Italian sausage will warm everyone around the dinner table in no time!

What you’ll need…

1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage (casing removed if applicable)

1 yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

3 red potatoes (1/2″ cubed, approx. 4 cups)

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

3 cups broccoli florets (loosely chopped)

1 meyer lemon (zest and juice)

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp cloves

salt and pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until completely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

In the same pan, lower to medium heat and start cooking down the onion and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes or until well caramelised, adding small spoonfuls of water as needed if the onion is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Place the potatoes, broth and water in a large pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Let boil until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 10 minutes. Spoon contents of pan into pot and puree the soup until silky smooth using an immersion blender.

Reduce to medium heat, add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle out to serve with warm bread and sweaters!

Serves 3-4

Total cook time…40 min

Recipe: Brined Pork Chops with Peperoncini Tapenade

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Pork Chops and Tapenade

Do you know what kicks ass? Brining your meat. I definitely don’t do it often enough, but when I do I am always amazed at how much flavour gets packed into the pork I’m cooking with. I had a potluck with some friends over the weekend and decided to attempt to dazzle the hungry attendees with some beautifully cooked bone-in chops.

I served them platter-style, by thinly slicing the meat after I let it rest for a few minutes. Keep things simpler at home by serving the chops whole with a little of the tapenade (which is delicious on just about any roasted meat, by the way) on top. Dinner is served!

What you’ll need…

Brine and Chops:

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups water

2 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp pickling spice

3 cloves garlic

1 sprig fresh rosemary

4 bone-in pork chops

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp butter

Peperoncini Tapenade:

6 peperoncini peppers (diced)

8 kalamata olives (pitted and minced)

1 clove garlic (finely grate, use a microplane if posibble)

1 lemon (zest and juice)

2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

To make the brine, place all ingredients except the chops in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Place the pork chops in a small, shallow baking dish and pour brine over top. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

In the meantime, you can quickly make the tapenade by placing all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well with a small spoon. For a less chunky tapenade, use a food processor or blender and puree to desired level of smoothness. Set aside until  you’re ready to plate.

After the pork chops have been brined, remove from baking dish and pat dry with paper towel. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, heat up a large pan on high heat with the canola oil. Once hot, begin to brown the chops. Once the first side is browned, about 2 minutes, flip over and add in the butter. While the chops continue to cook for the next 2 minutes, tilt the pan towards you and carefully spoon the butter/oil mixture on top of the meat.

If you’re using an oven-safe pan, then pop the pan straight into the oven and let cook for 12 minutes, or until the pork chops are a nice ‘medium rare’. If not, transfer to a baking dish to finish in the oven. Let sit, covered with tin foil for 4-5 minutes before serving.

Top each chop with  generous spoonful of tapenade and enjoy!

Serves 4

Total cook time…6 hours, 25 minutes