Mascarpone Vodka Sauce with Turkey Meatballs
Maybe it's something floating around the autumn air, but lately Angie and I have been on the same food wave-length when musing over our dinner plans at the office. The other day I mentioned, "Do you know what I've been in the mood for? Spaghetti and meatballs!" Angie exclaimed, "Me too!" And we began comparing notes for potential pasta and ground-meat permutations. Mascarpone cheese is always a good idea and I have recently been gifted a fantastic bottle of vodka- this variation on vodka sauce seemed like a natural fit. Enjoy a heart bowl on a chilly October night. Keep in mind, the delicious herb-laden marinara base to the sauce makes more than enough for leftovers. Whip it up, save all about about 3 cups and freeze the rest for a future lasagna recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
- 1 c. carrots, finely diced
- 4 stalks celery, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 c. Italian parsley, chopped, divided
- 1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
- 1 c. good quality vodka
- 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 1 tsp. sugar
- salt and pepper
- 3 lengths Italian turkey or chicken sausage, removed from casings
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp. herbs d' Provence
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- milk
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
DELICIOUS HERBY MARINARA SAUCE
Heat 1/4 c. olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for about 3-4 minutes until they become soft and fragrant. Add carrots and celery, cook until vegetable begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add fresh thyme, 1/4 c. Italian parsley, and fresh basil. Stir to combine. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
At this point, you have a delicious and complete marinara sauce. Enjoy with pasta, chicken, eggplant, or anything or use as the base for about a thousand other sauces.
VODKA SAUCE
To make the vodka sauce, take 3 cups of the Delicious Herby Marinara Sauce in a Dutch oven and add 1 c. good quality vodka. Simmer over medium-low for about 20 minutes for sauce to thicken. Add 1/4 c. mascarpone and 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheeses. Stir warm sauce until cheeses are melted and well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper and pour over cooked pasta to serve.
TURKEY MEATBALLS
Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. In a large bowl combine ground turkey, chicken sausage, torn bread pieces, herbs d' Provence, poultry seasoning, 1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley, 1 egg, a splash of milk, and 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese. Mix with hands until ingredients are thoroughly combines. Form meat mixture into 2" balls and arrange in prepared baking dish. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until meatballs begin to brown. Serve over prepared pasta and vodka sauce. It's good stuff!
Almond and Mascarpone Stuffed Brownies
When fearless and awesome team captain Jessi proposed an informal reunion for our amazing Hood to Coast team I couldn't resist the drive all the way up to Southeast Portland. But what to bring to this potluck barbecue? Appropriately enough on a Saturday evening run I cataloged the ingredients available at home in the cupboard. Brownies were certainly an option, but I didn't want to bring just any old brownie. My first instinct was putting together one of my favorite flavor combos: chocolate and peanut butter! Unfortunately, due to my recent experiment (see Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Peanut Butterscotchies) I was out of peanut butter. An unopened jar of almond butter, however, was waiting for me at home. A soft, cakey brownie seemed like the perfect pairing for this under-utilized nut butter. It was a hit! Hope you like it.
Ingredients
- 1 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 6 eggs, divided
- 1/4 c. water
- 2 c. flour, divided
- 1/4 c. mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 c. creamy almond butter
- 2 c. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Lightly grease a sheet of foil and line at 13x9" baking pan. Set aside. In a medium, heavy saucepan melt butter of medium heat. Add sugar and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. When thoroughly combined add 5 eggs, water, and 1 1/2 c. flour. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl blend mascarpone, almond butter, 1 egg, 1/4 c. flour, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If mixture is too runny, add more powdered sugar or flour by the tablespoon.
Drop dollops of almond butter mixture into brownie batter-filled baking dish. Try to distribute evenly throughout the baking dish. Place prepared pan into preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and set aside. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving. Enjoy with milk and friends!
Sour Cream Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Mascarpone Frosting
One of the greatest pleasures about cooking is sharing food with appreciative eaters and I can honestly say I have met the most appreciative eater on the planet. Chiaki (or Chee as she has been nicknamed) came to us from Japan to study in the theatre department for the 2009-2010 year. Back in November, I invited her to spend the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with me gorging herself on two very American hobbies: eating and shopping. Chee was definitely up to the task. Not only did we eat our way through a decadent traditional Thanksgiving feast (Chee met my Pumpkin Cheesecake with definite approval) but I enjoyed cooking her several other meals including flank steak stuffed breakfast burritos and french onion mac & cheese. But it didn't end there. I love bringing homemade snacks to work, rehearsals, and end-of-the-quarter class showcases. Without fail, Chee would meet these treats with a cry of glee: "Snacks for Chee!!!" So . . . here we are: spring quarter and the last of this year's acting showcases. Just for Chee (the World's Most Appreciative Eater) I put together this spring-themed cupcake recipe. I hope she enjoys them. And with this sweet, little, cupcake I will always remember the petite gal from Tokyo who ate her way into my heart.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. all purpose flour
- 3 tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1/4 c. strawberry jam
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 4 c. powdered sugar
- fresh strawberries, stems removed, and sliced lengthwise in half
Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Line a muffin tin with papers and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together 1 stick butter, granulated sugar, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With the machine running on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in batches alternating with eggs, making sure ingredients are thoroughly incorporated after each addition. Add 2 tsp. vanilla.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner about halfway. Place in oven and bake about 20-25 minutes until cupcakes begin to turn light golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Recipe should yeild about 2 dozen cupcakes.
While cupcakes are baking cream together 1 stick butter, mascarpone, vanilla, powdered sugar, and strawberry jam to make frosting. Frost cupcakes when they have cooled completely and top each cupcake with a strawberry because it looks pretty!
Cozy Autumn Pumpkin Soup with Cheesy Garlic Toasts
Oh immersion blender . . . how ever did I prepare delicious, creamy soups without you?
The immersion blender, sometimes referred to as a "stick blender" or as my mom calls it, "the motor boat," is an extremely useful, small, and inexpensive kitchen tool. It's basically exactly what it sounds like: a blender on a stick. It has all the chopping/whipping action of a blender without the hassle of having to clean the blender or running the risk of spraying the ceiling with hot soup. I use mine to whip up salad dressings, smoothies, and (obviously) creamy soups in a snap. It is (almost) as easy to make this soup recipe with a regular blender- just work in batches and make sure the soup isn't too hot (unless you wish to learn the hot-soup-on-the-ceiling-lesson for yourself).
The weather is definitely changing, I had to wear my cute new mittens on my commute to and from work today. Not that I'm complaining- the mittens are extremely cute and I really enjoy getting home from a long day and enjoying a warm, comforting bowl of soup while the rain is beating on the windows outside. I put together this creamy and satisfying concoction in about 30 minutes- it's really yummy and makes tons of leftovers for many more upcoming chilly fall evenings.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- l red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 30 oz. canned pumpkin
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- 7-8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 1 small handful Italian parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper
- good quality sliced crusty bread
- butter
- ground paprika
- sliced provolone cheese
- crushed garlic
For the soup, heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, parsley, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
As soup simmers, prepare the garlic cheese toasts. For each toast use 1 Tbsp. butter, one slice of provolone, and 1-2 cloves crushed garlic. In a small bowl mash together butter and garlic with a fork. Spread each slice of bread with butter mixture, sprinkle with a pinch of paprika, and top with a slice of provolone. Preheat broiler and place toast slices on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place toasts under broiler and toast for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly (keep an eye on your broiler).
After soup has simmered, remove from heat and blend in batches in blender until smooth OR use your fantastic immersion blender. Add mascarpone cheese to blended soup and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and well combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve with garlic cheese toasts.
Mascarpone Vodka Sauce with Turkey Meatballs
DELICIOUS HERBY MARINARA SAUCE
TURKEY MEATBALLS
