Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Pepperoni and Sausage Spaghetti Cakes

It's nearly 3:30pm and I finally figured out what to make for dinner tonight. Yikes. I like to know a little earlier, but I am simply not motivated today. It's hot in Albuquerque, and it's hot upstairs in our house where I took a little nap an hour ago. Ugg.. Of course now I'll be making the house just a little hotter when I turn the stove on for Pepperoni and Sausage Spaghetti Cakes. However, not nearly as hot as if I had to bake. That would be a disaster. :)

The original recipe comes from Epicurious.com here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pepperoni-Spaghetti-Cakes-11560 and I am adding the sausage part since we have amazing apple chicken sausage from the grocery store in our freezer. Not quite sure yet what other modifications I'll be making, but I know I won't be including cheese, and I have green bell peppers in the refrigerator, not red. And I'll have to replace the green onions with chives or white onions... Perhaps add some Kalamata olives? Hmmm...

Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound spaghetti
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped sliced pepperoni
  • 1 apple chicken sausage
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens plus two 3-inch pieces of scallion green for garnish
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large egg, beaten lightly
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • sour cream as an accompaniment


Preparation
This is copied from epicurous.com, but I will be editing it later after I've made the meal:

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it well. While the spaghetti is cooking, in a bowl toss together the pepperoni, the bell pepper, the Parmesan, the sliced scallion greens, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the spaghetti with the mixture, add the egg, and toss the mixture well.
In a non-stick skillet measuring 6 inches across the bottom heat 1/2 teaspoon of the oil over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking, add half the spaghetti mixture, pressing it evenly, and cook the spaghetti cake for 3 minutes, or until the underside is golden. Turn the spaghetti cake, cook it for 3 minutes more, or until the underside is golden, and transfer it to a plate. Make a second spaghetti cake in the same manner with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and spaghetti mixture and transfer it to another plate. Keeping 1/2 inch of one end of each scallion green piece intact, make lengthwise cuts to form brushes. Spoon a dollop of the sour cream onto each spaghetti cake and arrange the scallion brushes on the cakes.


The Verdict: Coming Soon