Roasted Italian Sausages and Baked White Penne

**This is basically a combination of recipes-- Pioneer Woman's baked ziti, Rachel Ray's baked white ziti, and a random italian sausage roasting recipe.**

BAKED WHITE ZITI

INGREDIENTS

Pasta: 1# ziti/penne/mastaciolli or whatever smaller pasta lengths you got!

1 T minced garlic

2T EVOO

12-15 oz ricotta

2 C mozzarella

salt & pepper

fresh nutmeg

parmesan (grated)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the pasta al dente, and reserve 1 cup pasta water

2. Sauté garlic in EVOO and then turn off heat

3. Add ricotta, reserved pasta water, 1 C mozzarella, S&P to taste, and garlic/oil. Stir to combine

4. Pour into casserole or baking dish

5. Add other 1 C mozzarella to top, sprinkle with parmesan and grate a little fresh nutmeg on top

6. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes

ROASTED ITALIAN SAUSAGE W/VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS:
1# Johnsonville Italian Sausage (mild)
1/2 jar roasted red peppers
1 green pepper, sliced in lengths
1/2 medium red onion, sliced in lengths
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degreses.
Arrange on a baking tray as shown.
Roast for 30 minutes. (Longer if needed to cook sausages through).

Ovens of Brittany Recipe #4: Cream of Broccoli Soup

INGREDIENTS
6 T butter (divide in half)
1/3 c flour
3/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup minced celery
2 C chopped broccoli tops and stems
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 1/2 c chicken stock
1 c milk
1 c half and half

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt 3T butter and mix with flour to make a roux. Set aside.
Melt other 3T butter and add vegetables to sweat in stockpot.
Add seasonings and stir. Heat milk mixture. Add stock and
milks to pot. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Simmer 15 minutes.
Add 8 oz cheese (cheddar) if desired. Simmer 5 minutes more.

Ovens of Brittany Recipes #2, #3: Ovens Meatloaf & Rissole Potatoes

After Photos:

Before Photo:

Ovens Meatloaf:
1# ground beef
1# ground pork sausage
1/4 c minced green pepper
1/4 c minced onion
2 eggs
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 T dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 strips bacon

Preheat to 350. Combine all except bacon.  Do not overmix. Form into oblong
loaf and place in baking dish. Lay bacon strips across top and bake 1hr, 15 min.
Let rest 10 min before serving.


*Rissole (Rissarole) Potatoes:
2# potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
4 T butter (cut into chunks)
1/2 tsp each paprika, garlic salt, celery salt, onion salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat to 450. Place potatoes in baking dish. Sprinkle with butter and spices.
Fill water to 1/4 of the way up potatoes (to steam). Bake 30-45 Minutes. If liquid
remains, strain into sauce pana nd reduce to drizzle over potatoes.

*Due to the temp differences, I used unpeeled small reds cut into chunks, and place this
in with the meatloaf at 350 for the 1 hr, 15 min to make sure they were done. I also used
pre-mixed creole spice since it had most of the same ingredients.

Ovens of Brittany Recipe 1: Triple Chip Cookies

In the freezer, ready for consumption!

Ovens of Brittany Challenge

* It was 1989, it was winter, and the warm pastries fresh from the oven were to die for. There are no surviving photos I can find of Ovens of Brittany, Madison, Wisconsin, but I still crave their chicken almond salad and croissants.

I remember eating there on State Street with my Dad on a campus visit, and later with my first college boyfriend, and then with my roommates when we lived on Garfield Street just around the corner. A block or two north of Mickie's Dairy Bar, which still does exist, was the Monroe Street location of Ovens. I purchased the cookbook when I knew they were closing down, but I think I've only made the chicken salad since. Starting this spring break, I decided to sort of "Julia" it, and cook my way through the recipes that interested me as an homage to Madison and rustic French fare.

First up?  Ovens meatloaf and triple chip cookies.