sausage and pepper penne

papi arrived from manila today. And i am tired of making his favorite -fetuccine Alfredo, which he insists on calling Carbonara. I made this instead, as i had left over penne from my pasta primavera [which i cooked for the focolarine, i had them as dinner guests last night]. i bought hungarian and italian sausages from the deli and used feta, provolone and fontina, instead of the usual mozarella. of course i still topped it with parmesan. i also used canned peppers as i ran out of fresh ones.

now papi can't decide which one he likes better. =P

ingredients and procedure:
saute in olive oil:
sliced onions
chopped garlic
italian sausage - peeled and broken into small pieces
hungarian sausage - sliced
bell pepper - cut into strips
1 kalamata olive - chopped so unrecognizable, papi hates olives
sundried tomatoes -cut into strips

add tomato sauce
crumbled feta cheese [ i didn't add salt anymore cause the feta was salty enough]
freshly ground black pepper

simmer, the sauce should be thick and a bit oily, never watery so please don't add water.

meanwhile, drop in strips of fontina and provolone into a bowl of steaming hot penne cooked al dente. switch off fire and pour in simmering sauce and mix until pasta is well coated. sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. enjoy with a glass or two [or three =P] of red wine.

p.s. i didn't put in measurements as you can use as much or as little as you want of everything. =D try making this if you like peppery pasta.

my mom's beef stew

though i rarely eat beef, not because it's red meat but because i can't stand it's signature smell, i gobbled this one up whenever my Mom prepared it for us. And so, when i transferred to my own home and because my hubby is a big beef lover, i decided to experiment with it.

No two preparations are the same because i substitute with what's currently in my ref. But i'll specify the main ingredients that gives it it's own character. There's nothing new or secret about it, in fact i guess it's the same old beef stew everybody makes.

But it's yummy, hearty, and filling and it's a breeze to make, no fuss and minimal mess. So i decided to share it with you.

in a sauce pan, lightly fry sliced chorizo de bilbao in a little of its own lard. then put in beef shanks and add enough water just to cover beef. while waiting for it to boil, add a pat of butter, salt, ground black pepper, chopped garlic, halved onions, and chunks of capsicum. when it starts boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, then add any tomato-based sauce. add herbs of your choice [today i put in dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, and fresh parsely]. when it starts to boil again add chunks of carrots and potatoes, you can also add other veggies like green beans [anything that goes well with stews]. just before the veggies are cooked, drop in pimiento-stuffed olives and whole champignon mushrooms. when done, turn off heat and add small cheese chunks [the kind that easily melts, i use local eden cheese cause its creamy and just gives the right amount of saltiness]

since i don't have a pressure cooker yet, i let the beef shanks simmer for at least an hour to make sure it comes out tender. if i have plenty time, i make it 2 hours so it falls-off-the bones.and as i said you can substitute the non-main ingredients, like today i used beef franks instead of the usual chorizo i use. and because we have it, edwin added a pinch of saffron to make it more fragrant and mask the beefy smell that i don't like.

i also didn't specify amounts because you can play with it. if you like onions, then add more. if you don't like olives, then don't inlude them. you can make your own tweaks and adjustments to suit your taste. you can even drop in the ingredients in no particular order, common sense lang para di maging mushy and unrecognizable ang ingredients, he he.

to make the meal complete, all you need is rice and icy cold rootbeer!

i promise you it's no hassle at all, in fact i was multiplying while i was making it and pa-silip silip lang to know when it's ready na.

i hope you try it and enjoy it as we do.