Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

Smoked sausage and peaches kissed by the grill are added to crips greens and topped with creamy feta to make an easy summertime meal.

Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

I was alone for dinner one evening last week as my daughter was working. Chips and salsa came to my mind for supper, but that’s not a great idea. So, I “went shopping” in my refrigerator and found all the ingredients for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad.

I had leftover sausage from my Kielbasa Dog recipe and I just bought some fresh peaches from southern Illinois. A new bag of salad greens—a combination of butter lettuce and radicchio—was in the crisper drawer and I had half a carton of crumbled feta that needed to be used. Within 30 minutes, my Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad was ready to enjoy.

Have you ever made something and surprised yourself at how good the dish was at the first bite? Such was the case with my Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad. Pork and fruit are good friends; remember my tenderloin with apples recipe from last year or the holiday tenderloin with apples and cranberries?

I thought grilled sausage and peaches would play well together for summer and I was right. Let’s get cooking!

Here are the ingredients for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad. The walnuts were toasting in the pan!

To make Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad, you will need these ingredients:

• 1 small head butter lettuce

• 1 small head radicchio

• 7 ounces smoked sausage

• 2 fresh peaches (freestone works best)

• 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese

• 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

• 1 teaspoon oil

• Honey

• Cinnamon

For this recipe, you can use any smoked sausage: kielbasa, turkey, beef. While peaches are in season, choose fresh over the canned fruit if you can. I grilled the sausage and peaches indoors, but you could easily do this step on an outdoor grill. Dress the salad in your favorite vinaigrette or check out my recipe below.

Directions for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad

1. Rinse greens and pat dry. Lay on a clean kitchen towel while you prepare other ingredients for salad.

2.   Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and bring to temperature. Wipe pan with oil. Split sausage in half lengthwise and place in pan. You’re simply heating the sausage through and adding grill marks; it takes about 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove sausage and set aside.

3.   Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. Slice each half into 4 to 5 pieces. Place in hot grill pan; add a drizzle of oil if needed to prevent fruit from sticking. Grill 2 minutes per side or until you see light grill marks on fruit. Remove peaches and set aside. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. To assemble the salad, tear greens into bite-sized pieces and place on a platter or into a large serving bowl. Cut sausage into 1-inch cubes and place on top of greens. Scatter peaches on top of salad. Sprinkle feta on top of platter or bowl. Add toasted walnuts (I chopped mine into very small pieces).

These grilled peaches drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon were wonderful on their own! They were divine in my salad.

The perfect vinaigrette

If you need a dressing recipe for Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad, try this one:

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

• 1 ½ teaspoons Spinach & Herb Seasoning (Tastefully Simple)

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon black pepper
  

Whisk ingredients together and serve!

Salad storing tips

Keep any leftover Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad in an airtight container (glass works best). Serve the dressing on the side; this will help the leftovers from wilting. Enjoy salad the next day.

I think the next time I make this (and I WILL make it again), I will brush the sausage with Smoky Bacon Barbecue Sauce for extra flavor just before removing it from the grill pan. Grilled Sausage and Peach Salad is a quick and delicious summer supper. Give it a try!

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia

Penne, tomato, mozzarella and basil meet Italian sausage in a lemony-herb dressing for the perfect summer supper.

Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia is a light but satisfying summertime meal.

Last week, we had the first taste of hot temperatures in Missouri as a heat wave made its way across the country. Although the temperature didn’t hit 100 degrees, the heat index did. Going outside made me feel like a piece of limp lettuce that had been sitting on the counter for two days. Yuck!

As the dog days of summer approach, I think we crave lighter meals. That’s why I love this Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia. Penne combines with seasonal tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a lemon/herb dressing to make the perfect bite for July. And honestly, any time I can work those cute little mozzarella balls (bocconcini) into a recipe, it makes me smile.

We have the good people of Capri to thank for Caprese salad, which traditionally is sliced mozzarella and tomato with basil and drizzled with olive oil. Salt and maybe a little cracked pepper are the only seasonings. It’s an appetizer in Italy. To me, it’s one of those dishes that scream summer, thanks to the juicy seasonal tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden.

Caprese Pasta Salad incorporates the classic ingredients of the Italian dish and adds lemon, shallot, Parmesan and salsiccia. This and a chilled glass of rose and I’m a happy woman. Let’s get cooking.

To make Caprese Pasta Salad, you will need these ingredients:

• 16 ounces (1 pound) penne pasta

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 large tomato, chopped

• 2 salsiccia links

• 1 (12-ounce) carton bocconcini marinated in oil and herbs

• ½ cup basil leaves, torn into pieces

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon lemon zest

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

If you can’t find the marinated bocconcini, add 1/3 cup olive oil and ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning to the above ingredients.

A few simple ingredients are all you need for a 30-minute pasta salad.

Directions for Caprese Pasta Salad

Remove sausage from casings and break into small (1-inch) pieces. Brown over medium-high heat until fully cooked. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

While the sausage cooks, fill a large (8-quart) stockpot with water. Add kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse well in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Drain the bocconcini, reserving the liquid. Add cheese, cooked sausage and chopped tomato to cooled pasta.

In a small bowl, whisk together herbed oil from bocconcini with shallot, garlic, salt, pepper lemon juice and zest. Drizzle over salad. Add basil and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Allow salad to sit 10 minutes before serving.

Nothing says summer like a fresh tomato. Be sure to sprinkle the chopped tomato for your salad with a pinch of salt.

Serving and storing Caprese Pasta Salad

This recipe easily feeds four people, but if you have any leftover pasta salad, I suggest bringing it out on your counter to get to room temperature. Cold sausage bites aren’t appetizing.

While Caprese Pasta Salad is a filling meal by itself, I served the salad with a few slices of fresh cantaloupe. It’s a perfect pairing.

Salads are a simple yet satisfying choice for summer mealtime. I hope you’ll give Caprese Pasta Salad with Salsiccia a try and let me know how it worked for your family. Stay cool out there!

---

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Tips for Grilling Steak

Follow these four simple grilling tips and your steaks will come out perfect every time.

Father’s Day is Sunday and I’m remembering my dad in front of his Charmglow natural gas outdoor grill. Our backyard was Dad’s happy place. It was always groomed and in bloom. He loved to putter in his vegetable garden, tend to his beautiful roses and make the yard a welcoming place for our family and friends.

I remember when Dad bought his gas grill. He already loved summer, but the grill and accompanying gas light were the cherry on top for him. And holy cow, could Dad make a great steak.

He grilled everything: chicken, burgers, bratwurst, pork steaks (a St. Louis specialty) but his ribeyes were restaurant quality. And we knew Fourth of July meant the Weber kettle was coming out from the garage to be fired up for his succulent barbecued ribs.

Dad had a simple approach to outdoor cooking: Start with good ingredients; never put cold meat on a hot grill; turn the steak once (maybe twice); and allow the meat to rest before cutting. Follow his tips for grilling the perfect steak.

Mom and Dad in a photo from the 1980s. He was a backyard grilling expert.

Start with good ingredients.

As Mom used to say, you can’t make a silk purse out of a cow’s ear.  A thin cut of beef with little fat is not going to have much flavor. Take a moment at the store or your butcher shop to select a great steak. Dad liked a ribeye or a T-bone.

Ribeyes can be boneless or have part of the rib bone intact. I prefer the boneless ribeye. The steaks come from the rib primal area under a cow’s backbone. Generally, this area is not heavily worked making it a naturally tender piece of beef. Because ribeyes get their name from a heavily marbled piece of meat near the center of the cut (it’s “eye”), you’ll want to see a good amount of marbling in your steak. As to thickness, 1¼ or 1½ inch can be commonly found. Obviously the thicker the cut, the heftier the price.

The T-bone comes from the cow’s short loin. The T-bone is cut closer to the front of this area and contains a smaller section of tenderloin. A T-bone is really two steaks in one: the tenderloin and the strip. This makes it more challenging to grill perfectly but it can be achieved by using direct and indirect heat. Like the ribeye, you want to see a good amount of marbling, and it’s cooked quickly on the grill.

Allow meat to come to room temperature before putting it on the grill.

Because cold meat won’t cook evenly on your grill, bring the steaks out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes ahead of cooking time. The muscle fibers in the meat contract when cold. This can cause a steak to be tough.

Unwrap the meat, pat it dry, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. How much salt? One teaspoon per pound is a good guide. Let your tastebuds guide you on pepper. Dad sometimes used Lawry’s seasoned pepper blend that adds sugar, paprika, and red bell pepper to the black pepper. But honestly, good meat doesn’t need a lot of seasoning.

Stop touching your meat.

I’ve been to several barbecue competitions, and I never see the pros standing in front of fire constantly turning meats. It’s a common mistake to think this keeps the meat from sticking. A steak will release itself from the grill grate when it’s ready.  

First, be sure the grill has been cleaned and lightly oiled. The best time to do this is when the grill is hot, so use the grill brush after preheating the grill to scrap away any “gunk.” Then, using a clean kitchen rag or small towel that’s been dipped in vegetable oil, wipe the grates down (use tongs for safety).

When grilling a ribeye, place the room-temp, seasoned steak on the hot side of your grill. Close the lid. Allow the steak to cook 4 to 5 minutes before turning it over. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes (internal temperature should be 130 to 135 degrees).

When grilling the T-bone, cook each side of the seasoned steak 5 minutes over direct heat. Move the steak over to the indirect heat (cooler side of grill), placing the tenderloin portion of the steak farthest from the heat source so it doesn’t overcook. Allow the steak to cook an additional 10 minutes for a total of 20 minutes (internal temperature should be 130 to 135 degrees). This cut is thicker than the ribeye, thus requiring a little more time on the grill.

Rest to the right internal temperature.

Resting a steak before cutting into it allows the juices to evenly distribute. That’s why it’s good to take the steak off the grill a little early and allow the cooking process to continue off the heat.

And invest in a digital thermometer. That poke-your-thumb trick to interpret a steak’s doneness is a wives’ tale. For medium-rare, the finished internal temp should be 135 degrees F; for medium, 140 degrees F (so says Iron Chef Bobby Flay). The USDA guidelines of 145 degrees will get you a medium-well steak. Me, I tend to follow an Iron Chef over the government, but you do you.

I hope to get my outdoor grill ready for the weekend so we can enjoy a good steak in Dad’s honor. However you fete the men in your life this weekend, I hope your celebration is filled with good times and good food.

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.