Fresh Summer Recipes

I was very excited to read last Wednesday in the Washington Post Food Section that the Leesburg Famers Market kicked off this weekend! That means that fresh tomatoes, ginormous zucchini, melons and the like are ready to be served up for dinner.

Unfortunately, I was busy doing yard work Saturday morning and was not able to make the seasons debut of the farmers market, but I am still excited about what it means for our dinners. With that in mind, I have planned a week full of fresh ingredients. On the docket is are BLTs with avocado on challah bread--fast and delish--I am going to make a fast potato hash to go on the side. I also have a lemony light tilapia with zucchini and tomatoes. On Wednesday I am going to make a dish that I made a few weeks back and had intended on blogging about, but it never made it up. Don't be afraid of the escarole in the dish-it is a hardy green that adds a lot of flavor, if you can't find it, fresh spinach could easily substitute. To make this dish even more summer-y I am going to add bell pepper or fresh tomato.

Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Escarole


1/2 box dried Penne Pasta prepared per pkg directions, keep warm
1 bag Fresh Chopped Escarole
1 pkg Hot/Spicy Hot Italian Sausage
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes--or more to take
2 cloves minced
1 can Cannellini Beans, drained
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Italian Classics Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Blanch escarole 1-2 min in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain; set
aside.
2. Cook sausage in large skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH, stirring frequently and
breaking up with spoon, 5-7 min, until thoroughly cooked. Remove sausage
and set aside. Drain drippings from pan.
3. Add oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic to skillet. Reduce heat to MEDIUMLOW.
Cook, stirring, 1 min. Add sausage and escarole; stir to combine.
Cook 1 min; reduce heat to LOW. Add beans and stock; simmer 1 min.
4. Add pasta to escarole mix; stir to combine. Add cheese and parsley; stir to
combine. Let simmer, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.