Back in 2006 (I believe), the Food Network used Iron Chef to pit Giada DeLaurentis and Bobby Flay against Rachael Ray and Mario Batali. Since the episode aired many times, I can assume many viewers watched. Well, last night I checked Food Network and, lo’ and behold, it’s back for another run.
Foodies know that Food Network’s site is a treasure trove of recipes for recipes shown on the air; however, Iron Chef’s creations are not there. We were so intrigued with Rachael’s Cranberry-Sausage Spaghetti, we watched the episode several times to take notes with hopes of creating a similar version. Let me simply say this is one delish dish!
In the spirit of holiday giving, A Frank Angle provides our home’s version of this unique combination of two unlikely partners.
If you eat like us, this recipe is for two-three bountiful servings. Otherwise, four small servings are possible.
Ingredients
1 link sweet Italian sausage (casing removed)
1 link hot Italian sausage (casing removed)
2 cloves garlic (chopped or sliced)
1 onion (chopped)
Nutmeg
1 bunch Swiss chard (strip from stalk, then chop leaves)
1/2 c dried cranberries
16-24 oz unsweetened cranberry juice (won’t use all)
1 tbsp butter
Salt
Feta cheese
(Optional) Parsley – chopped, enough to sprinkle on serving
Note: Organic unsweetened cranberry use is too tart, thus recommend using a “regular” unsweetened (which is sweetened by another juice instead of a sugar/sweetener).
Directions
* Time cooking the spaghetti with the end of the sauce preparation.
- In a large frying pan, brown the sausage, onions, & garlic. Break the sausage apart while cooking (8-10 minutes).
- Add the cranberries.
- Add enough cranberry juice (about 2 cups) to simmer. (Total simmering time 15 min.)
- Bring to boil and reduce. (A good time to prep the chard)
- Continue adding juice as fluid reduces. (Start the water for the spaghetti).
- Add the chard to the mixture.
- Sprinkle mixture with nutmeg.
- Salt to taste.
- Continue simmering (10-12 min.) and add juice when necessary.
- Add butter to the mixture near the end of the cooking. Stir to melt.
- Add cooked spaghetti into the pan. Stir to coat.
- Plate, then top with feta cheese & parsley.
For the holiday season, this Iron Chef episode is reaired on Thursday, December 18 at 9:00 pm.
OMG that sounds YYYYYUUUUUMMMMMMYYYYYY, i’m going to use that. actually i could make that new years eve, we have a big feast every year @ my house!!
YUMMMMMYYYY thank u!!
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Actually watched the episode last night and I went online today trying to find this recipe and the ravioli one. Thanks for this! Actually they called this Druken spaghetti, as they cooked the spaghetti in red wine! I have a cheap bottle, so I might give that a try as well…
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Sounds dynamite Frank.
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Lisa,
Seeing the show last night was the catalyst for getting the recipe out there.
By the way, notice that this recipe doesn’t use any red wine – thus reducing cranberry juice to enhance that fruity flavor.
However, while watching the show, we were wondering the effect of using wine too in the mix. But I can say that red wine goes with the end product!
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Nice job here Frank. I’ll have to suggest this to my wife!
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Sounds great! Stupid question… what is chard???
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Michelle,
Not a stupid question at all b/c as the shopper in our household, I know what’s it’s like to hunt for something that you don’t know what it looks like.
Swiss chard goes by a variety of names, so check local listings. It’s very leafy, with leaves on a stalk resembling red celery or even rhubarb. We also use it for some soups.
Here’s a Wikipedia link that has a picture and a list of other names for it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chard
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Ok folks, i made this new years eve: now bear in mind, my whole Familia is Italian. It was amazing….the combo of the hot sausage & the sweetness of the cranberries, both dried & juice is just awesome!! BTW it’s super easy to prepare!!
TRY it if you haven’t made it already…..:)
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haha! yes! yes! yes! thanks for this one.
i haven’t tried this recipe yet. seems to be unique with the cranberries. but is interesting enough for me to try. yum yum!!!
now, i am so hungry. might need to go to the kitchen and fix some food for my tummy! hihi.
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Maxi,
Enjoy … and will be curious to know what you think!
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Do you happened to know how Batali and Ray made their desert? I’ve been dying to get the recipe and can not locate it anywhere.
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Alina,
Welcome first-time commenter. Sorry to say, I don’t know the dessert recipe. The cranberry-sausage spaghetti caught our eye, so we recorded it and watched it several times to get as many notes as possible – but we didn’t do the same for the other recipes. I hope you try this one. Thanks for visiting.
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This sounds really delicious, Frank. Recipe copied for future use. Thanks. 🙂
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Paradise,
I haven’t made it in a while, and I’m due to tackle it again. Meanwhile, how we determined the recipe was the real story here. Let me know when you try it.
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This sounds like it would be delicious. It’s giving me ideas….thanks, Frank!
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I’m visiting from the Widow Badass because I saw your comment about cranberry sausage spaghetti and couldn’t resist. I like exploring unusual combinations. They often provide complex flavours well beyond the original ingredients. This one sounds like it might be worth a try!
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Joanne,
Welcome to my old blog that I no longer published. So happy you are willing to give this recipe a try. It is unique – and for me – the story of how I got the recipe is a treat. We have cooked it multiple times, so give it a go – and I hope you let me know your thoughts. Clicking my name will direct you to my new blog home.
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What a cool story that you rewatched it enough times to figure out what they put in it! Sounds interesting.
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Bernie,
Thanks for coming over from WB’s. Interesting is an understatement – but the flavors really do meld into something very good. I agree – whereas the recipe is interesting, but so is the backstory of getting the recipe. Hope you give it a try. Meanwhile, I invite you over to Beach Walk Reflections.
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We like watching Iron Chef (and most cooking shows for that matter) so I did indeed find it cool that you spent time researching what they had done.
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👍
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Found my way here from Donna’s post (Retirement Reflections) – such a fascinating recipe!
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Ju-Lyn,
Welcome to my past life as a blogger. The fact that Donna gave it a thumbs up made me smile!
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