Ernest Borgnine’s Italian Pevronatta

(Makes 6 to 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 10 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 package (12 ounces) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ jars (32 ounce size) spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 cup red wine
• Cooked pasta
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook sausage and ground sirloin over high heat until well browned.
2. When meat is cooked, add peppers, mushrooms, onion, and garlic.
3. Cook until vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in spaghetti sauce, parsley, salt, and pepper.
5. Stir wine into spaghetti sauce and heat to boiling over high heat.
6. Reduce heat to low; cover partially and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until thickened.
7. Skim off and discard fat.
8. Serve with pasta.

Double Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce (Courtesy of HarperCollins)

(Makes 6 servings)

Strawberry Sauce

• 1 16-ounce package frozen unsweetened whole strawberries
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Pancakes

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Sauce:

In large saucepan, combine frozen fruit, syrup, and 2 tablespoons water. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, about 10 to 15 minutes. As sauce simmers, break up whole berries with wooden spoon or fork.

Pancakes:

In large bowl, whisk flours, cocoa, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt. In medium bowl, lightly beat whole egg and egg white. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients over dry and stir until just blended. Don’t overmix. Carefully fold in chocolate chips. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.
When strawberry sauce has reached syrupy consistency, remove from heat.
Coat large skillet or griddle with oil spray. Preheat over medium heat. When pan is hot (after about 2 minutes), ladle about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto surface. Cook pancakes until small bubbles form around edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes over and cook about 1 minute longer. Recoat skillet between batches.
Serve 2 pancakes with 1/3 cup warm strawberry sauce and sprinkling of chocolate chips on each plate.

Upside-Down Pan Pizza with the Works

“One serving of this fun, upside-down concoction has far less calories, fat, and sodium than a traditional New York-style slice.” —Joy Bauer

• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey or beef (at least 90 percent lean)
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt added crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup whole-grain baking or pancake mix
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil spray and set aside. Coat large skillet with oil spray and preheat over medium heat. Add ground meat, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to skillet and saute until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Drain off any liquid. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and stir with meat mixture.
Spoon tomato-meat mixture into prepared baking dish, and spread out to form even layer. Sprinkle with cheeses.
In medium bowl, whisk baking mix, milk, whole egg, and egg whites. Pour this batter over cheese-topped mixture. Batter may be runny but will cook through. Sprinkle additional oregano and crushed red pepper, if desired.
Bake 30 minutes or until top is golden-brown and knife inserted in center of crust comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie

Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie

Recipe from Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl
(HCI Books; April 2010; Trade paperback/$18.95)

Serves 10 to 12

• 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup lavender honey
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 12 purple mission figs, quartered lengthwise

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl. Available now from HCI Books.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and salt until moistened. Press into bottom of 6-inch spring form pan and half way up sides (or press crumb mixture into 9-inch pie pan), packing tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small sauté pan and let soften for 2 minutes. Whisk together yogurt and honey in medium-size bowl. Set small sauté pan over the lowest flame possible while stirring constantly, just until it melts. Whisk melted gelatin into yogurt mixture until smooth.

Whip heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold half of whipped cream into yogurt mixture, taking care not to deflate cream. Now fold last of whipped cream into yogurt mixture. Gently spoon mixture into prepared spring form pan, then cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely set, at least 6 hours and up to one day.

Hold small knife under hot tap water, and then run it along sides of pie to help release it from pan. Open the spring and slice pie into wedges. Serve each slice on dessert plate. Place 2 pieces of fig on top of each slice, and scatter a few fig pieces on plate. Serve ice cold.

Swap It:
You can substitute low-fat “Greek-style” yogurt in this recipe with fantastic results. It has a thicker, creamier consistency than regular yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid.