PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

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Recently I did some very good work on a response brief for an attorney I work with infrequently — only on “targeted” issues, as he puts it (i.e., hard stuff).  I did an excellent job and came up with a pretty solid defense.  He accepted my work without comment, revisions, or thanks.  The case settled shortly thereafter (my brief was important to the settlement process — a “priority”), but when I inquired about the details of the settlement, all he would tell me was that he “got it done.”  Twice.  Like Larry the Cable Guy and his “Git-R-Done” shtick.  As you can imagine, that did not sit well with me, although it did take care of a problem, in that I will not work for him again.  I have a very low tolerance for that kind of nonsense.

When it comes to dinner, sometimes you just have to “Git-R-Done.”  Inspired by the attorney who I will not work for again, this hearty pasta dish will git-r-done in no time.  The flavors remind me of the grilled peppers and sausages at the Manhattan street fairs that I used to frequent years ago.

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PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS
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Ingredients
  • 8 ounces penne pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, sliced Into 2"-long strips
  • ¼ cup red wine
  • 18-ounces canned crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the sausage is browned, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and peppers to the sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until peppers begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the red wine to the pan and as it simmers, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for approximately five minutes. Add the cooked penne to the pan and stir to coat it with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve hot.

Getting saucy

A noodle without any sauce is just a noodist

 

PAN-SEARED FISH WITH LEMON GARLIC SAUCE

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Recently we spent the day in  Galveston for a dry dock tour of the Battleship Texas.  Battleship Texas — the last remaining battleship to be used in both World War I and World War II — was decommissioned and commemorated as a museum in 1948.  For the last 75 years it was located across from the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte.  The Battleship Texas Foundation brought the ship to dry dock in Galveston in August 2022 to completely repair the ship’s hull below the waterline, and its next home has not yet been determined.  If you’re interested in the tour and this bit of history, you’ve still got a little time left — the ship is scheduled to be in dry dock until the end of April.

The tour was interesting and a little daunting.  It was very cool to be so close to the massive ship and to see the work being done to repair it.

Repairing a torpedo blister

Also at the dry dock were offshore oil rigs in for repair, which were interesting to get up close and personal with:

Before the tour we had lunch at Katie’s Seafood House at Pier 19.  The food was good (I’m told the oysters were excellent), but what we really enjoyed about the restaurant was sitting outside on a pretty day and watching the boats and pelicans:

After the tour we headed back over to the restaurant to buy fish next door at Katie’s Seafood Market.  The majority of Katie’s seafood comes from local fishermen and shrimpers — it doesn’t get any better than fresh off the boat.  We went home with red snapper, flounder, striped bass, and shrimp — each of which has been incredibly fresh and delicious.

The folks at Katie’s like to toss the pelicans an occasional fish head, and everyone in line was entertained by the odd-looking birds:

One of our favorite ways to prepare our haul has been this recipe for Pan-Seared Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce.  We used the recipe with the flounder and striped bass, but it would be excellent with any other mild fish.  The recipe is a snap to make, and the bright lemony sauce won’t mask the flavor of the fish.

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PAN-SEARED FISH WITH LEMON GARLIC SAUCE
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • For the Lemon Garlic Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Juice of 1 medium lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • For seasoning the fish:
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 striped bass, flounder, or other mild fish fillets (approximately 1 pound)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. To make the lemon garlic sauce, stir together the butter, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. To make the fish, combine the garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning mix on both sides of the fish. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for approximately 5 minutes, then carefully turn over using a wide spatula and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until fish is cooked through and flaky. Transfer the fish to serving plates, and spoon the lemon garlic sauce evenly over the fish.

lemon, garlic, butter, oh my

Easy, delicious, and sofishticated