Tuesday, November 25, 2014

“Rice Stuffing: Rice, Sausage, & Onions” Plus “Ricotta, Pancakes with Honey, & Raisin Sauce”


My wish for you, my readers is a festive and Thanksgiving holiday, filled with family, friends, and all the fixings. I, among everyone else, have many things to be thankful for, especially to you my readers from coast to coast and across the seas. May your day be filled with past blessings and prayers for a bright future! Thanks for coming back and enjoying my stories and my favorite family Italian recipes.

FYI: I will not be posting a recipe for the Friday after Thanksgiving…So the next time I will post is on December 2, 2014.  Thank you!

Italians love any holiday that brings together family, friends, and food. Every Italian family has traditions and recipes that are unique and make their Thanksgiving special. As well as turkey and the trimmings. Italian Americans will often add to their traditional Thanksgiving dinner with an antipasto, a pasta or soup course, and then after the turkey, the desserts come. The desserts are not only your typical pumpkin pie, but sweets, and pastries that Italians have been baking for years. I have two recipes this week to share with you my readers. The first one is called “Rice Stuffing: Rice, Sausage, & Onions.” The second is a scrumptious dessert, “Ricotta, Pancakes with Honey, and Raisin Sauce.” 



The first recipe is one that my mom has cooked for Thanksgiving every year. It is so delicious that we ask her to cook this dish even if it is not a holiday. This recipe has been passed down from my great-grandmother Sofia. It is called “Rice Stuffing: Rice, Sausage, & Onions.” My family loves this stuffing as it is made in a baking dish and not stuffed inside the turkey. The flavor is sweet from the onions and the sausage has that savory taste with the added grated cheese. It is a perfect marriage to have along side of your turkey dinner.
great grandmother Sofia


“Rice Stuffing: Rice, Sausage & Onions”
  
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of sweet sausage bulk (out of casing)
2 cups of rice (uncooked) Uncle Ben's
3 large eggs
2 large onions (sliced thin)
3/4 cup of Pecorino Romano grated cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauté sausage in pan with a little oil. Before sausage is totally cooked add onions and finish cooking. While sausage is cooking cook rice. Drain rice and put in a large bowl. Next beat eggs in a small bowl. Then mix together cooked rice, raw beaten eggs, grated cheese, and cooked sausage with onions. Put in a baking dish. Bake in a 350° for about 40-45 minutes until mixture sets. Yummy!  

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The second recipe is called “Ricotta, Pancakes with Honey, and Raisin Sauce.” What a light, fresh, and sweet dessert for after your Thanksgiving meal. A delightful accompaniment with a cup of tea, coffee, or an after dinner drink.

Ricotta, Pancakes with Honey, and Raisin Sauce”

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 minutes
Serves: 4 people

Sauce:
4 tablespoons of clear honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon of raisins
1 tablespoon of Pine Nuts

Filling:
8 ounces of whole milk Ricotta Cheese
Grated rind of 1/ 2 lemon
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon of Pine Nuts

Yield: 8 small, (8 to 10 inch) pancakes. The pancakes should be sweeter and thinner than a pancake but thicker than a crepe.

To assemble:
To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a small pan and warm through gently. For the filling, beat the cheese and lemon rind until soft; mix in raisins and pine nuts. Divide the filling among the hot pancakes and either roll them up or fold into triangles. Arrange the pancakes on a warm plate spoon the sauce over the top and decorate with twists of lemon. Serve immediately warm or hot.

So, as we say in Italian, “Abbondanza!!” (Plentiful & Abundance)  “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone…..    


Till Next Time…………………………

Copyright  © 2014 “Family Plus Food Equals Love” All Rights Reserved

12 comments:

  1. I love the sound of both of these recipes, Dottie! How wonderful that you have your own Thanksgiving traditions with dinner. I would love to try both of these, and hopefully will get a chance to make one soon (I always have a list of things to make a mile long!) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much! haha! :)

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    1. Dear Christina, Thank you for your comment. They are both so delicious, I wish I had a picture of the Rice Stuffing, but again, by the time I get the camera out, half of it is gone. I will get to your post Part 2 soon, I have not been feeling well. But I didn't forget you. Dear friend, I wish you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Dottie :)

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  2. Fab recipes Dottie! Those ricotta pancakes with raisins are really really seriously inviting! I am writing down your recipe, I can see how good that's going to be.
    I wish you a fab Thanksgiving day with your family with lots of your lovely and tasty food. Enjoy!! xxx

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    1. Dear Alida, Thanks for your lovely comment. If you make the Ricotta Pancakes you will not be sorry. They are amazing...I know that you don't celebrate Thanksgiving like we do here in America, but I wish you a beautiful weekend, dear friend. Dottie :)

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  3. Dear Dottie, Rice stuffing sounds wonderful. It is not the traditional stuffing I am used to though I would love to give it a try.
    The pancakes would be a true delight tot enjoy on the holiday weekend.
    I wish you the most blessed of Thanksgivings and a wonderful weekend. I am so happy that we met in this blogging world. xo Catherine

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    1. Dear Catherine, Yes, we use it as a side dish, along side of the traditional stuffing and turkey. It is so tasty! Have to get a photo, but every time I go and get the camera, it is half gone. The Ricotta Pancakes are amazing and a perfect dessert. Thank you dear friend for your comment, I am also very grateful that we have become blogging friends. Have a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving with your family! :) Dottie

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  4. Wow Dottie! Those are two seriously sounding delicious dishes. I've never had either but would most definitely like to try them both!!!

    I love that you freely share your family traditions with us Dottie. They always bring back fond memories of my own family and the Italian traditions we have had through the years. They may not be as profound as when I was growing up but they are always in our hearts:)

    Thank you so much for sharing, Dottie...Sending Blessed Thanksgiving wishes your way. We have so much to be thankful for Dottie and it's nice to keep the spirit of gratitude in our hearts. Be safe Dottie and eat lots and lots...(hope you win at cards too, lol)

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    1. Hi Louise,

      Happy Thanksgiving! You have to try them, they both are so delicious. Oh, Louise you are so sweet, thanks for your words. I love to share my family traditions, because of just what you said. My wish is that it brings back memories for each one of my readers. If that is what this post did for you I have made my goal. And yes, we always have to keep our memories and loved ones in our hearts.

      Thanks dear friend, for visiting and your warm comment. I hope that you have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving with your family. I am grateful for your friendship as a food blogger. Be safe too, and we will see about the playing of cards. Your so cute! Enjoy,

      Dottie :)

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  5. Both stuffing and pancakes should be food groups, don't you think? These are two terrific looking recipes! Thanks so much for these -- they look terrific. I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Hi John, Happy Thanksgiving! So glad to hear from you...I kinda agree with you, the stuffing and the ricotta pancakes can be separate food groups, but our tradition has always used them as a side and a dessert. You can absolutely use them anyway you want, as long as you enjoy them and I am sure you will. Thanks for visiting and your comment...Have a great Thanksgiving as well, Dottie :)

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  6. Good evening Dottie ,
    I do so hope you had a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving . I will have to try the pancakes , . Your post was right on spot as usual .
    Thanks for the visits and well wishes they was appreciated and meant so much . I hopeful will get back to posting next week , I have some catching up to do , but again your post was very good . See you on the 2nd December . Hope you had a great Thanksgiving .... ~~Nee~~

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    1. Good evening Nee, So glad to hear from you. I am so happy that you are feeling better and looking forward to you posting delicious recipes soon.I know many people missed you, (myself as well) but I wanted to just wish you and the family a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for your comment, yes the ricotta pancakes are so sweet and satisfying. Thought I would just take an extra day or so without posting. So I will see you on December 2. Thanks yes, my Thanksgiving was nice and quiet. Had a fever, I am fighting something. So I didn't go to my brother's for dinner. I stayed at home and rested. Which was good. So thank you again for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend dear friend. Rest up. Dottie :)

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