FIREHOUSE FAVORITES: How can you pass up the opportunity to taste the Italian cooking of a firefighter whose family owned a pizzeria? This week, we head to Station 1 in Dania Beach, where Driver/Engineer Phil Biondo cooks his famous stuffed shells for us.
During their long shifts, our firehouse crews work, live, and eat as a family. Many of these firehouses have a “chef” who takes on cooking for the crew.
Driver/Engineer Biondo does not measure any of his ingredients. He approximates the amount of each ingredient. A lot of chefs cook this way, especially as they get more experienced. They understand that balance and intuition are just as, or more, important than precise measurements.
Ingredients:
Pasta shells
Ronzoni Jumbo Shells were used in video
Salt & freshly ground black pepper.
Olive oil
Diced yellow onion
Chopped garlic
Sausage out of casing (hot or sweet)(hot sausage was used in video)
Sliced mushrooms
Spinach
Grated pecorino-romano cheese
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced Cheese (Provolone or Mozzarella)(Provolone cheese was used in video)
Tomato sauce (Homemade sauce prepared with San Marzano tomatoes was used in video)
Preparation:
In a pan, warm olive oil over medium heat.
When olive oil is hot, add onion to pan. Cook for approximately five minutes.
Add Garlic. Cook down for approximately three minutes.
Put onions and garlic in blender; blend until almost liquefied. (In addition to adding flavor, the onion and garlic act as a binding agent for the rest of the ingredients in the shells)
Again, warm olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
When oil is hot, add sausage to pan.
Break sausage apart and cook until sausage is browned (A masher can also be used as the sausage cooks to break sausage down further)
Drain grease from cooked sausage and set aside
Sautee spinach and mushroom over medium heat (cook the spinach first until wilted, then add the mushrooms)
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add shells; cook shells to your desired tenderness (Use a tablespoon of olive oil in water to prevent shells sticking together)
In a large bowl, mix the cooked sausage, grated pecorino-romano cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese
Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of baking dish (in addition to adding flavor, this prevents shells from sticking to bottom of dish)
Stuff cooked shells with sausage mixture and place in baking dish.
Layer shells with sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese.
Place shells in oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
Spread a layer of sauce on bottom of serving dish.
Plate, serve, and enjoy!