So this weekend I had company and life was really busy. As a result we ended up getting take out on Friday instead of cooking like I had planned. Monday I decided this was a mixed blessing. I didn't need to plan a new meal. I could just make what I planned to make on Friday. Of course there is always a problem. In this case the problem was that I didn't check to make sure I still had all my ingredients. I did not. What's more before making dinner I made Alton Brown's recipe for eggnog and tasted it. I only had a tablespoon of it and was probably ok to drive, but I wasn't sure so I decided driving was out. That left us with a dinner consisting of what I could pull together from my fridge and cabinets. The following is the recipe that I think turned out very well.
Ingredients:
14 oz Polish Kielbasa
2 Carrots
1 Onion
2 Poblano Peppers
1 Jalapeno
3 Cloves of Garlic
10 Baby Potatoes
1 Small Zucchini
3 Large Tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 C of white wine
1/2 T Cajun Seasoning
8 C Water (or use broth and omit Better Than Bouillon)
1T Better Than Bouillon
1 Can Whole Kernel Corn (Drained and Rinsed)
1 Can Cannellini Beans (The ones in the picture have chili seasoning, but normally I'd use just plain ones)
1 Bunch of Kale (Stems removed and roughly chopped)
1/4 t Salt
I was in a hurry so I was dicing things as I cooked and will give those instructions. If you are not fast at dicing things then just put each group of things in it's own bowl and cut everything up before you start to cook.
Slice Kielbasa into rounds and put in the pot. Brown over medium. I put it straight into a cold pot with no oil. It will look like it's burning to the bottom when you stir it, but I promise it's alright.
While the Kielbasa cooked I diced the Carrots, Onion, Poblanos, and Jalapenos. My island allows me to keep an eye on food that is cooking while I work and run over to stir it as needed. Once the Kielbasa is done cooking I add the previously diced vegetables. The moisture from them helps to get any browned bits off the bottom of your pan. You want to let these vegetables get very soft. About 8 to 10 minutes.
Dice the Garlic and put in it's own bowl while the rest is cooking. Same with the Potatoes, Zucchini, and Tomatoes as each of these are added in separately.
Once the first Vegetables are done add the Garlic. Let it cook for perhaps 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the Potatoes. Let them cook for just a few minutes to start getting soft. (this is a point that if I wasn't in a hurry I'd brown the potatoes and zucchini separately, adding them to the pot once they are each brown. It's a slightly different flavor that I prefer, but this was also good.) Once the Potatoes are starting to cook add in the Zucchini and let it start to cook.
Once things seem to be starting to soften up nicely add the Tomatoes and the Cajun Seasoning. These will cook down into a sauce instead of holding their shape. It took me about 5 minutes for them to cook down, but my stove does cook very hot. Add the Wine at this point and allow it to cook down a bit more, likely no more than 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and cover allowing to cook for about 20 minutes or until Kale is tender.
Finally take the lid off, add the salt, and allow to cook for another 5 minutes before enjoying.
It may seem like a lot, but to be honest start to finish it took me about an hour. That included deciding how much of each item to use and writing down notes for this post.
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