Main Dishes

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one in the DC metro area who doesn’t love brunch. It’s not that I hate brunch — really, I don’t — I just don’t see what the big deal is.

Whenever I go out for brunch, I can’t shake the feeling I’m being herded through like cattle. The restaurants are overcrowded and understaffed. I don’t feel like I have time to taste my food, let alone enjoy a leisurely meal or enjoy the conversation. Sometimes I don’t think the wait staff even refills my water… because I haven’t had enough time to drink it.

Maybe my problem with brunch isn’t brunch so much as it’s going out for brunch. I enjoy a hearty breakfast after my Sunday morning BODYPUMP class, especially if it involves something I can’t readily make on a weekday before work. And I love the company.

So when a work trip was unexpectedly canceled and I found myself hosting a friend for Easter, brunch seemed like the ideal choice. This casserole comes together quickly the night before, and falls somewhere between a bread pudding and egg casserole. I served it with a spinach salad, a bowl of fresh strawberries, and mimosas. We decorated a bunny cake, watched a movie, and caught up on life. If you ask me, as holidays go, this one was pretty perfect.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Yield: 4-5 servings

8 oz. ciabatta bread, cut into 1″ cubes
1 lb. pork breakfast sausage (or substitute turkey)
1 1/4 cup milk
6 eggs + enough egg whites to make 1 1/2 cups
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Remove any casings from sausage and add to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. (If using turkey sausage, you may need to add a little grease to your pan.)

Combine sausage and bread in a large bowl. Combine milk, cheese, eggs and salt and pepper in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to bread mixture, tossing to coat bread. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish generously coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°. Uncover casserole. Toss the ingredients. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until set and lightly browned. Serve immediately, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chicken and Dumplings

I discovered celery root for the first time a year or two ago. Scary-looking thing, isn’t it?

My first foray into celery root was a chicken soup with root vegetables, including celery root (or celeriac, as it’s sometimes called). I had walked past it so many times in the grocery store, without ever noticing it.

Big mistake. Once you peel it, it looks a lot like a potato, but it holds its shape when cooking. And it’s quite delicious — to me it’s like mixing celery, cauliflower, and butter into one.

Anyway, I had been jonesing for some kind of chicken stew or dumplings when the latest issue of Bon Appetit arrived. Last week, when the threat of the Snowquester — a supposedly massive snowstorm that preemptively shut down DC — this seemed like the perfect option.

But, my week was just too busy to get to a regular grocery store (Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell celery root) before the non-storm. Instead, I saved it for the weekend.

For the wine, choose something rich that can stand up to the chicken and vegetables. My personal preference is Chardonnay, aged in steel (rather than the traditional oak, which I don’t usually care for). But that’s just it — a personal preference. At the end of the day, when cooking with wine, choose one you like, and taste regularly while cooking.

Chicken and Dumplings

Adapted from Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart

Serves 6-8

Stew:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
8 medium carrots (about 1 pound), peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small celery root (about 12 ounces), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)
1/2 cup water
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons (or more) Sherry or white vinegar

Dumplings:
3/4 cup flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Carefully drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Add carrots, celery root, onion, and leek; stir frequently until softened and beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes.

Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour and stir constantly until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add wine and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, 5-8 minutes.

Add chicken, broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until chicken is fork-tender, about 35 minutes. Discard bay leaves and herb sprigs. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool slightly; shred meat.

Return shredded chicken to soup. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar. Season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired. Return to a simmer.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup milk. It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. (Add additional 2 tablespoons milk if too thick.)

Drop batter in 8 spoonfuls over simmering stew, keeping them spaced apart. Cover and simmer until dumplings are firm, about 20 minutes. Serve in bowls.

Pork Chops and Squash with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette

When I was a little girl, I loved going to the farm with my dad for Sunday chores.

I would “drive” the pickup down the gravel road off the highway. The farm dog — usually a German Shepherd mix, and always named “Ginger” or “Lassie” for as long as my dad could remember — would greet us excitedly, jump up all over me, and scare the bejesus out of me.

Once in the hog building, he would push some buttons, releasing the feed would be released. My little cowboy boot-clad feet would kick the excess feed into the troughs. Every once in awhile, a sow would be loose from her pen and running around. That’s when the terror of a big scary farm dog gets trumped by a big, scary pig running around, trying to trample you to death and kill you.

(Have my memories embellished over the last 20-some years, or is life really that scary when you’re 4?)

Ironically, as a child I didn’t really care for pork. Other than bacon and sausage, natch, and smoked pork chops cooked on the grill in the summer. Regular pork chops, tenderloin, ribs, pork shoulder, and even ham were things I tolerated as a kid when I had to, but fell in love with as an adult — years after my family left the hog business.

I love incorporating pork chops into my weeknight menus. Simple, quick, and versatile. This recipe comes together in under an hour, with less than 15 minutes of hands-on work, and features a few seasonal ingredients. It’s the kind of recipe that works equally well on a weeknight after the gym or hosting dinner guests on a Sunday night.

Pork Chops and Squash with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 2

1 tablespoon roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1 1/2 – 2 pounds acorn or other winter squash, seeded and cut into 1″ wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 1″-thick bone-in pork chops

1 clove garlic, inced

1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish

1 tablespoon or more fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash, turning occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 35-40 minutes.

When squash has been roasting for 30 minutes, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and cook until brown, 5-8 minutes. Turn over and cook until pork is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Whisk garlic, chopped cilantro, lime juice, pepitas, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl to combine. Season vinaigrette with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired.

Divide squash and pork among plates; spoon vinaigrette over. Top with cilantro leaves.