Sausage n Broccoli Pita Pizza

Love making pita pizzas... so simple, so quick and extremely delicious !

I recently had my first attempt at homemade sausages ( Garlic n Onion ) and just happened to have a couple leftover ...  So .. I just had to try them on a pizza .

Ingredients : ( Per Serving )

1 Whole Wheat Pita 
 1 Cooked Garlic Onion Sausage ( Sliced ) 

1/4 of a Red Pepper ( diced ) 1/3 head of broccoli ( small florets ) 

1 cup of cheese , blend of mozzarella, and 5yr old cheddar ( sliced of shredded ) 4 cremini mushrooms ( sliced )
Splash of EVOO
Salt n Pepper to taste 

Crisp up the pita in the oven , 3 or 4 minutes per side at 350f 
Arrange the sliced sausage, broccoli, mushrooms and red pepper, 
sprinkle with a little salt n pepper 
Cover with the cheeses , and back into the oven on an oven safe plate 
about 15 minutes at 350F , or 3 minutes under the broiler ... 
and you are ready to eat !  

I usually leave mine in for a few more minutes as I prefer it extra crispy , however ... I was too hungry ! 

Simple, Good Food .. and the best part is its inexpensive and you can use whatever you happen to have in the fridge .

Peace , Love and Good Food
Rich 

Bangers n Mash

I love Bangers n Mash, not only was it one of my favourites growing up , but it always reminds me of home ( England ) , and is still one of my favourite meals today .  Now, mind you .. my Bangers n Mash dish , is not my Mums , which while delicious! Would be lacking in garlic and spice ... my two favourites :)  Hahaha  For those of you that have never had this , or don't even know what it  is ...     You are going to love it :)    Bangers are sausages , typically an English Banger is a short fat little sausage seasoned with herbs and spices, containing ground pork and bread .. but that can vary widely from region to region , fennel was quite popular when I was younger.  The name Banger , mostly got its name from WWII when rationing was in full effect and the sausages were likely to have a higher water content , causing them to explode if not cooked carefully :))
   Mash , well.. quite simply its Mashed Potatoes :) Either simple or spruced up with some garlic and herbs .. I much prefer the later ! I like to use Yukon or Russets , however any type will work , the ones shown here were white.

Urban Pantry - Rich's Restaurant Review

Nestled in the heart of Uxbridge , is a wonderful little restaurant , serving up some amazing dishes .
Once a month , they have a Tapas night ,
We have arrived ... let the feasting begin !

 

An amazing selection of mostly local , and all freshly made foods .. so hard to choose which ones  I want 

We had some fun with the menu , and used crayons to mark off our choices :) 

Calamari and Chorizo ... yum! 

Garlic Scape & White Wine Mussels . fun and tasty ! 

Chicken Liver n mushrooms  loved it , my first time trying :) 

Duck fat Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Aioli 

Lamb Sausage with Cold Root Vegetable Salad 

Taste : Fantastic !  Perfectly seasoned , and balanced flavours
Texture : Fantastic !  Everything was wonderful
Atmosphere :  A little loud , but warm and inviting
Service :  Friendly , Fast and very helpful
Value : Pricier than my normal meals , but so worth every penny !
Quality :  Top Quality , with local ingredients highlighted
Overall : An amazing night out



Urban Pantry : 4 Toronto St N, Uxbridge, ON L9P 1E6

Peace, Love & Good Food
Rich 

Mashed Potato Skillet Pizza

The Original Dish :)

Mexican Sausages from the butcher , Local Yukon Spuds & Cremini Mushrooms , Onion & Garlic from my garden , and some flash frozen peas ...  Oh can't forget the butter either !  Hahaha

I don't know about you , but i LOVE Bangers n Mash  :) Its more of a cool weather meal for me , as all that boiling water really heats up the kitchen .  So , earlier this week I made myself some ( See above )

I must say, it was delicious ! Such Simple, Good Food :)  As always tho , I made way more than I could eat in one sitting ...  Then I had a thought. On how to recreate the leftovers into something different , and tasty !





Ingredients :
1 Sausage ( Preferably from a butcher )
 2 Cups Garlic mashed Potatoes ( Or whatever is your fancy )
2 Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion , Sliced
1/2 Jalapeno , Sliced
1/2 cup Mozzarella , small cubes
2 thin slices 5 yr old cheddar , diced

You will need an oven safe pan for this , I choose my 8" cast iron skillet ...

Preheat oven to 350F , pan can be preheated too if you like. 
Drizzle the pan with a bit of EVOO
Use a fork to smush the mashed potato in the pan
Start adding the toppings, Sausage, Onion, Jalapeno , Mushrooms ...

Into the oven for 20 minutes

Side note : This recipe qualifies for Gluten Free

 

Sprinkle the cheeses over the top , return to the oven for 20 minutes



Its didnt have quite enough colour for me , so I cranked it up to 400F and popped it back  in for a few more minutes ...  

 

And this was what I was rewarded with ...  Creamy Garlicky Goodness , topped with all my favourite flavours :) Yummy !!

 

No need for plates , just grab a tray ( as the pan is HOT! ) and a fork , and enjoy !


This recipe is part of my Creative Leftover series , any feedback would be greatly appreciated .

Peace , Love and Good Food !
Rich

Sausage n Pepper Pita Pizza :)

Very similar to my last post of Chili n Cheese Pita Pizza ,but with a few extras ...

Ingredients :

1 Whole Wheat Pita
1 Tablespoon Salsa verde
1 Cooked Sausage ( Salt n Pepper )
1/2 a Red Pepper
1 cup of cheese , blend of mozzarella, gouda and 5yr old cheddar
Splash of EVOO
Salt n Pepper to taste



 

 

 

Crisp up the pita in the oven , 3 or 4 minutes per side at 350f
Spread the salsa verde on , and arrange the sliced sausage and peppers,
sprinkle with a little salt n pepper
Cover with the cheeses , and back into the oven on an oven safe plate
about 15 minutes at 350F , or 3 minutes under the broiler ...
and your ready to eat ! 

Simple, Good Food .. and the best part is its inexpensive and you can use whatever you happen to have in the fridge . 

All But Gluten - Sampling :) Take 1

Its been quite a while since I've done a product sampling , so when the chance came to apply again .. I did :)   I was selected by All But Gluten to try out their new line up of breads .  Not that I worry about Gluten myself, but it will be fun to see.

First thought , was ... this stuff is hard to find !  Three visits to my local Supercentre, no luck , No Frills & Freshco ... no luck :( So I tried the dreaded Metro ... and well , they had some of the product line up .   I was hoping for the Rosemary Foccacia bread as I had planned on making a delicious flat bread pizza ..  Instead , I found Whole Wheat Bread





First Impressions , looks good, quite dense ( which i like ! ) and full of whole grains :)

I sprayed it with my chili infused EVOO , and added a few cracks of sea salt and black pepper :) 

Next up , out to the grill with local butcher shop sausages ,and zucchini from my own garden 

Oil Side down ... and give the other side a light spray too
Depending on the grill temp , should be about 5 minutes total ( 3 minutes first side , 2 minutes on the second ) 

While hot from the grill, slice a garlic clove in half and rub over the crispy bits ...  Served with Sausages, New Potatoes, Fresh garden peas and zucchini :) Yummy ! 

Crispy Whole Grain Garlic Toasts :)

For my first time trying a Gluten Free bread , I was neither impressed or disappointed  ... Maybe that was b/c I couldn't find the one I wanted ?  I dunno . I still have half a loaf , so I'm thinking it needs to be crispier :)

Next up ... one of my favourites ...  Cheese on Toast .

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Sausage n Mushroom Frittata

I love making frittata's !  They are such a simple and easy way to use up leftovers, you can make a personal sized one  or  a quick meal for 4 or 6 people .   As for ingredients the options are endless..  for me ,  Cheese and Eggs are the only must have .. well maybe garlic too!   

This season, we have a new vendor at the Farmers Market , CrosswindFarms :) A local goat farm , that specializes in goat cheeses ..  and even sell some of the meat.  I ended up with some of their sausages... and what better way to use up the extras than to make a frittata! ! 

You will need an oven safe frying pan for this dish :)

Start off by prepping your veggies ..  Mushrooms, Onions,  Peppers, Broccoli, Grape Tomatoes ..  

Start off with the mushrooms and onions, a nice pat of butter will help out here , just long enough to get some colour on them . 

Finish chopping everything while that is happening . Bite sized is best . The Goats sausage was very good, nice texture and very meaty !
Throw whatever you like for seasoning in with the veggies, I went with chili powder and basil  :) 

Eating Local,even in Winter

While working in the fields of a local organic farm last summer,  I had a lot of time to think ... One of the many bonuses to working outside with your hands :)  During harvest season life was great , fresh local veggies everyday , just picked 10 minutes before heading home :)   But what about winter ?  When I can't just simple pick something fresh, either from the field or from the grocery store.   I decided this year , I was going to challenge myself to continue to eat local thru the worst two months for fresh, local food here.  January and February ...   So i started stocking up ,  between a few farms and my own garden I managed to pack away a few hundred pounds of veggies...  lots to see me thru the two months I promised myself.    Quick numbers are 150 lbs of potatoes , 75lbs of acorn and butternut squash, 100lbs of tomatoes, jarred and frozen as a garden sauce,  50lbs of red peppers mostly all roasted and frozen , along with onion and garlic ( quick flavour adders ) ,100lbs of onions and 50 head of garlic .   I did have ambitions to put away more, but simply ran out of time and freezer space ...  It didnt help that the 20lbs of carrots went bad on me lol ..   Looks like I wont have a huge variety to choose from , but it should be fun , and best of all LOCAL :))  I'm already thinking ahead to next year ...   more frozen soups or puree's for sure , and more root vegetables carrots, parsnips, turnips etc...  More variety in canning , not just tomatoes :)

Four weeks in ,  Im really craving a nice big Caesar salad lol .... but its been fun,  Here are a few of my creations so far :)

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus :) 

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus, garden tomato sauce, red onions, garlic ,  ground beef , and roasted red peppers...  all local :)) Making  homemade hamburger helper :)   

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms 10with5 #6

Finally past the halfway mark on the 10 recipes with 5 ingredients  :) Good thing too , as there is only two weeks left to finish them.   This one is based on a dish I made last year ,  was a bacon wrapped mushroom , stuffed with cheese, peppers, hummus , garlic an onions..  a few to many ingredients for a 10w5 but I figured I could easily rework it.   I had some great bacon from the butchers, and was really looking forward to recreating what has become one of my favourite appetizers, sadly when I unwrapped the bacon , it had started to turn.  was probably edible, but I didn't want to chance it, and at the last moment switched out bacon for some cheese :))

Ingredients you will require :


1 package of portabello mushrooms ( 2 per person is plenty for a snack )
2 Red Onions
2 Mexican Sausages ( Or whatever flavour you like )
1 Red Pepper
6 year old cheddar, i used about 75g worth

The assembled ingredients , I used about an inch of the cheddar.  

Open the sausages , and remove the mince.  Wash and slice the onions and pepper,  remove the stems from the mushrooms and wash or brush clean .  

Add onions and pepper to the sausage, maybe a crack or two of black pepper :)   

Mix well, until its even.    Preheat your oven to 350F 

Arrange on a light greased backing tray .  This was a mistake !!!  They really need to be on a rack - See next pictures.  

Take small handfuls of the sausage mixture and form it onto the top of the mushroom. 

I had to rescue these from the oven , as mentioned I did not use a rack to start - MISTAKE - and saved these just in time from becoming a soggy mess.  

Back into the 350F oven, total cook time was a little over 30 minutes, a little longer than normal due to the mistake.   When they look cooked , add a large pinch of cheese to the top of each one, and put back in on broil for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.  

Remove from the oven , and let them cool for just a moment 

Pop them on a plate and serve :)) 

I was very happy with how these turned out , and if your going to try them at home you may want to wrap a strip of bacon around the whole thing before roasting :)) Adds that extra crunch and taste :))
I hope you've enjoyed the latest installment of the 10 with 5 challenge. Happy Cooking :))