Great dinner, but not Quick!

I was on a mission tonight to cook my dinner and plan my own menu for the rest of the week. To that end, I picked out one of my many quick cooking books and started jotting down recipes that sounded good.

The book is Robin Miller’s Quick Fix Meals. I started perusing from page 1 onwards, and settled on a couple of recipes. I managed to complete the recipe for Angel Hair with Creamy Turkey Sausage and wild Mushroom Sauce (page 28), but I did not get past making the pasta for the Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage.

Two things of note: my dinner was absolutely delicious. I made enough to have 2 more portions left over. It was YUMMY.

Angel Hair with Creamy Turkey Sausage and Wild Mushroom Sauce
Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller
My comments in blue

Serves 4

Alleged Timing
Alleged prep time: 10 min
Alleged active cooking time: 10-12 min
Alleged walk-away time: 10 min
Alleged cook time for left overs: 5 min

Ingredients
12 ounces angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 pound of sweet turkey, hot turkey or chicken sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces I used 3 links of sweet turkey, and it was plenty
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring a few times, until they are tender and releasing juice, 3 t o5 minutes. Add the sausage and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and stir until well combined and the herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pan, and simmer until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

** IF YOU’RE STOPPING HERE:
Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a large plastic zip-top bag or container (or two) and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months (no need to thaw before continuing). Let the pasta cool to room temperature and refrigerate up to 3 days.

** WHEN YOU’RE READY TO EAT:
Reheat the turkey mixture in a large skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add the peas and simmer 1 minute more. Stir in the sour cream and Parmesan and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the parsley.
Reheat the angel hair in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on HIGH. Transfer the angel hair to individual shallow bowls, spoon the turkey mixture over the top, and serve.

The second thing is that Robin claims that these meals take 15min to make, or at most 1 hour prep-work for ALL the meals of the week. All I have to say to Robin is: Bullcrap! I started cooking at 8:15, and didn’t eat until 9:30pm. And that was for just ONE recipe! It was delicious, though. Just don’t lie to me. I don’t have time for your loose conjectures.

ina