Spicy Sausage Wrap

Spicy Sausage Wrap

This entree-worthy wrap has it all — protein, vegetable and starch. And all for about $2 per serving.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk spicy turkey sausage meat

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

• 8 cups chopped fresh spinach

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• 1 / 3 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

• 6 burrito-size flour tortillas

Method

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage meat 6 minutes until no longer pink. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a dish and set aside. Leave any fat in the skillet.

Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the oil and onions, then saute 10 minutes until goldenand softened.

Stir in the spinach and garlic, cover the pan and cook 4 to 6 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in the mozzarella, parmesan and reserved sausage. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the filling among the tortillas. Fold in 2 sides of each tortilla and roll up from the bottom to the top. Place the rolls seam-side down in a microwave-safe dish. Heat the wraps in the microwave on high 1 to 2 minutes until heated through. Alternatively, heat the wraps in a 350-degree oven 5 to 7 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Note:

Sporting a hearty blend of browned sausage, golden onions, garlicky spinach and Italian cheeses rolled up in a warm flour tortilla, it's also fast, easy andflexible. Substitute different meats, cheeses and greens based on what's on sale.

For a more assertively flavored wrap, substitute arugula for the spinach and shredded provolone for the mozzarella.

If you like, use sweet sausage instead of hot. If you substitute pork for turkey, you may want to drain all but a few tablespoons fat from the pan before adding the onions and greens.

Shrimp & Garlic with Linguini

Shrimp & Garlic with Linguini

Linguine With Shrimp, Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Garlic

Ingredients

2 tablespoons grape seed oil or other neutral oil, divided

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups sliced mushrooms

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup white wine

12 cherry tomatoes, halved, or 24 grape tomatoes

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1 pound dry linguine, cooked according to package directions

1/2 cup Legal Sea Foods Garlic Butter* or purchased garlic butter**

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in batches and cook well on both sides. Remove each batch to a plate and season with salt and pepper.

Using the same pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Return shrimp to pan. Add white wine and se a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add tomatoes and scallions to pan and toss well. Add pasta and garlic butter to pan, toss. Add lemon juice. Turn off heat and continue tossing to incorporate butter and pasta with pan sauce. Add parsley, adjust seasoning and toss to combine. Divide among plates. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*To make Legal Sea Foods Garlic Butter: Combine 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened unsalted butter, 1/2 cup fine-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste and 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until smooth. Makes 1/2 cup.

**Land O Lakes Roasted Garlic Butter With Oil can be purchased in a tub in the dairy section of the supermarket. If using this produce in this recipe, increase the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons and add ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley when you add the butter.

Chef's tips: Take the time to get the pan really hot before you start cooking. Get a good sear on the shrimp and make sure the mushrooms are cooked through. Reduce the ingredients to thicken the pan sauce. It shouldn't be thin. The sauce should hug the pasta tightly.

Ceviche

Ceviche

For those who need a bit of background, Ceviche is a South American dish composed of white fish, shrimp, scallops on their own or mixed together, with lots of coriander and sometimes corn and beans. Its not cooked with heat, but with the acid of citrus fruit; namely lime.

Ingredients:

10 fresh limes. (these gave me just over a cup of fresh juice but you can use the easier to use juice made from concentrate as well)

4 large scallops

6 extra large shrimp

A nice piece of halibut. (Ask your fishmonger to give you about 1 serving's worth)

1/2 a red onion

1 or 2 chiles

1 jalepeno pepper

1/2 cup fresh coriander (also known as cilantro)

Method

Start with your limes.

Add the zest of 1 lime to a non-reactive (glass or plastic) bowl.

Then, roll each lime around on a hard surface while applying pressure with your hands so that they'll yield the most juice. Slice limes in half squeeze them out into a measuring cup and set aside.

Prepare your onions onions and peppers by dicing them neatly. Chop up your coriander, and set aside.

Take your lovely piece of halibut (or whatever white fish you decide on... tilapia, flounder, cod...whatever) and get your sharpest knife out and cut off about 1/3 of the filet's worth of fish like so.

Cut the fish down again into thin slices. Think sashimi.

Then, take your scallops, which always remind me of marshmallows... and cut them down widthwise so they're thinner too.

Then, ready your shrimps.

If you have a good source for seafood, you can ask them to de-vein them for you when you ask for them. Otherwise, you're going to have to do this yourself. Start by peeling them and then taking a small knife (a paring knife will do) and running the blade down the back of the shrimp. Run the shrimp under cold water while rubbing its back where you've cut and the vein should come free. You can also pull out the vein with your knife as well.

Once that's done, cut them in half so you'll have twice as many pieces of shrimp.

Bring back your bowl of zest now and put the halibut, scallops and shrimp into it.

Then, add the remainder of your ingredients including the lime juice, ensuring you have enough juice to cover everything up.

Give it a good stir, and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18-24 hours, but remember to stir up the mixture every few hours if you can remember to.

The next day, your ceviche will be ready. Strain what you want to serve from the lime juice mixture and rinse it so that it won't taste overpoweringly limey and serve.

Arni kleftiko (made with Lamb chops)

Arni kleftiko (made with Lamb chops)

Arni Kleftiko is the best Greek dish I ever had. It sounds simple enough, and just looking at the recipe makes you think it's one of those dishes where you just throw in whatever you have lying around, but trust me - it tastes divine. Like other Greek dishes, it has a strong taste. However it's quite light and you can eat A LOT of it once you start. So make sure you have enough - this recipe is for 3 moderately hungry people.

Ingredients:

- 2 tomatoes

- 2 potatoes

- 2 onions

- 2 lamb shoulder chops

- 1 carrot

- 100g feta cheese

- 2 pieces of Italian bread

- 1 tbs Vegeta (you could substitute this with 1/4 tbs salt)

- 3 tbs olive oil

- oregano, mint, pepper, 2 tbs lemon juice

Method

Chop up tomatoes, potatoes, onions, feta, bread and lamb into half-inch cubes. You can't make carrots into cubes, so cut them normally. Don't use a feta with a strong taste - cheap cow milk feta will do.

Take a big casserole dish or something similar and oil it up. Make sure you spread the oil all the way to the top.

Start layering the ingredients. The order is not important, just make sure they are evenly mixed. Apply vegeta/salt and spices as you go. Squeeze some lemon in there for good measure.

Stick it in an oven warmed up to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

The finished Arni kleftiko is ready to serve

Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)

Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound)Beef skirt steak

• Water

• 1 / 3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 / 2 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned

• 1 / 2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 1 / 4 cup jarred minced garlic*

• 2 cups beef broth, optional

• 2 tablespoons sour orange juice*

• 1 1 / 2 teaspoons cumin

• 1 cup chunky roasted pepper and onion tomato sauce*

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• 2 tablespoons chopped culantro

• Salt, to taste

• 1 / 4 cup sliced stuffed green olives, for garnish

Method

Put the steak in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil; skim any brown scum that accumulates on the top of the water. Reduce heat and boil gently 1 hour.

Drain off the cooking liquid; reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid to use in place of broth, if you wish. Let the meat and reserved broth cool. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart into shreds; set aside. When the cooking liquid cools, skim any fat that rises to the top. (Can be prepared to this point a day ahead and the meat and cooking liquid refrigerated. The fat on the top of the cooking liquid will congeal if it's refrigerated and then it will be easy to skim off.)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions and saute about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the shredded meat; reserved cooking liquid, if using, or broth; sour orange juice and cumin. Stir to combine. Add the tomato sauce, cilantro, culantro and salt.

Simmer about 20 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the dish thickened. Garnish with olives, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Serve with white rice.

* Jarred minced garlic found in the produce department of supermarkets. Sour orange juice is available fresh (squeeze your own sour oranges) or in plastic bottles from Badia (it's labeled naranja agria)sold in the condiment aisle of supermarkets. The chef uses the Chunky Ragu Roasted Red Pepper and Onion Pasta Sauce, but says any brand of roasted tomato sauce will work.