Mild Italian sausage

I generally buy my meat from Hilltop Pastures Farm, because it is all grass fed and they deliver nearby and it is a good price. And their bacon is amazing, and much cheaper than the good stuff at the co-op, and I can get goat! I often now get some amount of ground pork for meatballs or breakfast sausage, but have thus far not made other sausage preparations.

I decided I wanted to try making a cauliflower crust pizza sometime this week, on which I wanted a mild sausage. So. I mixed up an Italian sausage recipe to try on the pizza, and ate it first on spaghetti squash (it's good to mix up the sausage in advance and let the meat sit so all the flavors absorb and get extra delicious). It turned out GREAT. And, as a thrifty bonus, if I were to order Italian sausage from the farm, it would be $6, as opposed to the $4 for the ground pork. So. I feel very happy to mix up my own sausage for these purposes from now on!

The sausage recipe below was adapted from this one I found on the interwebs. I just made 1 pound, but next time I'll make a couple or few to freeze.

Mild Italian Sausage
1 pound ground pork  
1 T apple cider vinegar  
1 tsp salt  
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 
2 T fresh parsley (dried would work too)
1 tsp onion powder   
1 tsp paprika  
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground fennel seed 
1/8 tsp dried oregano 
1/8 tsp dried thyme

Add all ingredients in a bowl, use hands to mix well. Refrigerate for several hours, or a day.

I made this really simple "pasta" of spaghetti squash, a few mushrooms, garlic, butter, salt, spinach leaves, and the sausage. Plus a little asiago. It was delicious. 

Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing (GF)

I have never really liked stuffing, even when I ate gluten. I don't even remember the last time I tried it - something like 20 years ago. But my aunt went up and changed things around this year and assigned us all new dishes to bring to Thanksgiving to get out of whatever old ruts and recipes we've been making for too long. I was assigned GF stuffing, and decided to attempt to find my own love of the stuff. This recipe mostly succeeded - it was delicious and spicy and chewy and crunchy. And still, I think stuffing is kinda weird. Like, it seems better to have for breakfast with eggs?!

I don't generally like most GF breads - or I do, but all that rice flour and stuff makes me feel wilty in my soul. I like some grainy heft. So I went with a cornmeal-only cornbread recipe - with sausage, cranberries, and apples. The original recipe is from Food 52, which I followed and is what is listed below. (I didn't have apple cider so used ginger brew, which I did have, instead. It seemed to work out just fine! In typing this out, I also realized I forgot the egg?! Oops. Still good!)

The cornbread in this recipe is amazing: a not sweet, buttery, grainy, crusty cornbread. I will make it again. I made the cornbread one day, cutting it into cubes to dry out overnight, and made the stuffing the next. You could, as the recipe originator notes in the comments, make the whole thing in advance and store in the fridge til you are ready to bake and serve.

Stuffing:

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 large celery stalks, diced
• 2 apples, cored and diced
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, removed from casing
• ¹/₂ cup apple cider (or ginger brew)
• 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 recipe Cast-Iron Skillet Cornbread (below), or 1 10-inch cornbread, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock

Cast-Iron Skillet Cornbread

• 1 ¹/₂ cups coarse yellow cornmeal
• ³/₄ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹/₂ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¹/₂ cups plain drinkable yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk
• 1 ¹/₂ tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Stuffing Instructions:

1. Place corn bread cubes on a baking sheet and leave out over night to dry. Or, toast the cubes in a 350 F degree oven for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Butter a 9X13-inch baking dish. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and apples and sauté until softened, about 7-9 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Add the cider, cranberries, rosemary, and sage and cook until the cranberries soften, about 5 minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

 

3. Place mixture in a large bowl and add the corn bread, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and enough chicken stock just to moisten the mixture. Stir well. Pour stuffing into prepared dish. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until stuffing is heated through and top is golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

Cornbread Instructions:

1. Preheat an oven to 425 F degrees. Heat a 10-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, until it's very hot.
2. Combine the cornmeal, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together the eggs, yogurt and maple syrup in a large bowl.
3. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter, swirling it until it's melted (it's OK if it slightly browns). Working quickly, pour the hot, melted butter into the egg and yogurt mixture, and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and and bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Allow cornbread to slightly cool before cutting.

Simple Bolognese "Paleo Pasta"

Well. The cold persists. That is all I really have to say about that. And in the words of my co-worker Jenna, "This weather just makes me want to go home and eat mashed potatoes." This isn't quite that, but is kind of comfort food-ish. I actually did eat some of this sauce on leftover mashed cauliflower this week though, and it was really good. Not so traditional, but good.

This is my go-to pasta sauce for spaghetti squash or zucchini "noodles" - it is really pretty with some (no longer) frozen garden tomatoes, and is pretty easy. I grew up eating pasta with sauce from a jar - and later homemade sauce without meat. Those were fine - tomatoes are good. But I LOVE bolognese sauce. Really. It's its own classification of pasta sauce I think. I've made a few different versions of it over the past few years, but this is probably the most simple because it uses Italian sausage rather than a bacon/beef combo, and it doesn't use any dairy or other liquids. If you have some dry wine around, or a bit of chicken broth - throw some in - but it's tasty just the way it is.

Simple Bolognese Sauce
1 lb Italian sausage
1 small onion, diced small
1 celery stalk, diced small
1 medium carrot, diced small
2-3 oz tomato paste
2 c (or so) frozen/canned tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Brown sausage in a large heavy skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot to saute in any excess sausage fat. Add extra fat if needed and cook together until sausage is cooked and crumbly, onions are translucent, and carrots are starting to soften.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices/herbs. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for awhile - an hour (ideally), but at least 30 minutes.
3. While sauce simmers, cook your spaghetti squash, or julienne your zucchini! Both are great. I just eat my zucchini noodles raw, and I use an old school mandoline slicer. If you are making spaghetti squash, just cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp and seeds. Roast cut side up in a pan for 45 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and separate/remove "strands" with a fork.

Polish Sausage with Cababage and Onions

Kramarczuk's makes long sausages!

My Charming Companion picked up a road kill deer a couple of months ago that was slightly sketchy...the meat was not at all bad, it's guts had just slightly ruptured so that the meat got a tinge of gut small/taste. That does not bode well for eating unless you add a lot of spice, so he brought 50 pounds of it to Kramarczuk's in Northeast Minneapolis to make twice that amount of polish sausage.

It's a pretty traditional polish that is smoked and salty. I think it is really good mixed with cabbage and onions for lunch, or I've had it in some breakfast things. Because it is fast and easy, it's become my fave lunch of late. I saute up a bunch of onions and cabbage, add in sliced sausage to sear/heat, and pack it in my insulated lunchbot with some sauerkraut. Yum! It's a good winter meal that uses the still abundant local cabbage and onions. Any polish flavored sausage would be good here - or an andouille or other flavor too.

Polish Sausage with Cabbage and Onions (1 serving)

1 polish sausage link, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced
1-2 cups green cabbage, sliced thin
1-2 T ghee (preferred), lard or coconut oil
sauerkraut to serve

1. Melt 1+ T fat in a medium to large sized cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add onions and saute 2 minutes before adding cabbage. You want the cabbage and onions to brown slightly, so let them sear in the pan before stirring. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring every so often so they don't burn.
2. Meanwhile, melt just enough fat in a second, smaller skillet so that the polish sausage slices will not stick. Lay slices in a single layer on skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side so that they are warm and seared.
3. Add sausage pieces to cabbage mix. Cabbage mixture is ready after a total of 20 minutes or so: it should be limp, but also brown in some places and just a tiny bit crunchy. Serve with sauerkraut and mustard. (Or pack in your lunchbot all ready to eat!)

*Another way I've been enjoying these sausages is chopped up with sweet potato and onion to make a hash of sorts - topped with fried eggs. I still have some fresh herbs from my garden that I have just kept in a container in the fridge. The sage, rosemary, and thyme are all still just fine in there?! So I added some sage and thyme to this too. So easy and delicious.

Herby Pork Breakfast Sausage

I am working my way through some more pork products, namely ground pork - which makes terrific sausage! (I also tried them in a meatball recipe that I'll post soon too.) My herbs are so over-flowingly bountiful right now, that I wanted to use lots of them in my breakfast.

This was a super easy recipe that I found from a blog called Use Real Butter that I modified just slightly. I did put in a little honey in the sausage, but you could very easily leave it out if you don't want added sugar. The sausage mix will last a week or so, or you could freeze it if you don't want to eat all the patties at once. These would be amazing with pancakes, though I have been eating them with lots of veggies with herbs for breakfast, and that is great too.

Herby Breakfast Sausage (makes 8 patties)
1 lb. ground pork
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well-blended. Form patties to desired size (mine were 2-inches in diameter). Place a skillet on medium-low heat and set the patties in the pan. Cook until the bottoms are browned, then flip and continue to cook until the sausage is done (about 10-12 minutes).

Chou Farci (Cabbage Cake)

The Smitten Kitchen had a lovely post about stuffed cabbage recently - and it inspired me to do a bit more research into some of them. I now have a long list of stuffed cabbage items to make - including Sarma, an eastern European roll that is made using fermented cabbage leaves. Sauerkraut as a whole cabbage?! I have never heard of this, but have hopes to try fermenting some cabbage heads this summer.

What I did settle on immediately (though all the local cabbage is finally depleted at the co-op, so it is California stuff from here until July) is Chou Farci, a French cabbage roll that is actually more like a cabbage cake. Or maybe sausage pie. It is beautiful, and uses savoy cabbage, which I have never had the pleasure of meeting in any intimate terms until now.

The ingredients are simple, so you want a solid, good tasting sausage of any variety. I used my homemade Bangers, but you could use anything that you like - just remove the meat from the casing. The Seward seems to be making some pretty amazing sausages lately, so that might be worth a try. I modified the original recipe to be in American measuring terms, but didn't change it other than to add just a bit more meat. This was SO stunning to serve on a plate - I wished I had company to eat it with!

Chou Farci (serves 4)

 Blanched savoy leaves

1 large savoy cabbage
1 1/4 lb. sausage (you could easily do more or less here)
1/2 t fennel seed
2 T butter or ghee
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Set a LARGE pot of salted water on high heat to boil and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Remove 7 outer leaves from the cabbage - these should be the largest, most handsome ones of the bunch. Discard any outer leaves that are damaged or wilted. Once the water is boiling, submerge all 7 leaves in it for a 2 minute blanch. Pull leaves out with a slotted spoon or tongs, and lay on a surface flat to dry.
3. Cut the remaining cabbage head/core into quarters. Put them in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Squeeze out excess water, then remove the tough core part from each quarter. Chop what is left, or just pull the leaves apart. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, fennel, and salt and pepper.
4. Using 1 T of butter or ghee, cover the surface of a rounded oven-proof pot about 8" wide and 3" tall (or something slightly larger in diameter and shorter - you just want the largest cabbage leaf to fit in the bottom with overlap up the sides). Lay the largest, prettiest cabbage leaf in the bottom so that the edges curve up the sides. Then lay the remaining 6 leaves, stem side down, overlapping one another around the dish. (I forgot to take a photo of this step, but there is a nice one in the original recipe.)
5. Place 1/3 of the cabbage filling at the bottom of the pan on top of the cabbage leaves. Top with half the sausage. Repeat so that you end with the cabbage filling on top, and then fold the leaves over so that they create a "tidy parcel." Dot with last Tablespoon of butter/ghee. Bake in the 350 degree oven for one hour.

Before going in the oven

After the oven!

6. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to set. Over the sink (due to hot juices), invert the Chou Farci onto a plate and behold the beauty of the savoy cabbage leaf! Serve with cauliflower potatoes for the ultimate comfort meal.

English "Bangers" Sausage

This week what is for dinner (and lunch) = hamburger and sausage. It is just one of those weeks where I have not had a chance to make anything, so I get home from work and make a burger with homemade mayo. Or sausage patties which I have with sauerkraut. And then I eat some raw carrots to get a little veg in there. All I gotta say is, thank goodness for freezer supplies of burger and sausage!

Speaking of sausage - the recipe below is a relatively new one to me, but immediately gained favor as my "top fave"- it is a little spicy, with lots of lemon and sage. The first time I tried this one, My Charming Companion and I made only 5 lbs - not knowing if it would be any good. This time, with lots of venison bits marked for sausage, we made 29 pounds. That is a LOT of bangers. Note that this is a pretty large recipe ratio - I grind up the meat in a meat grinder, but you could also use a food processor if you don't mind doing it in several batches.

Not my actual sausage - these ones are really thin! Yum.

English Bangers (makes 8 pounds)
5 lbs venison
3 lbs bacon
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/8 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh marjoram or 1/8 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 c. minced fresh sage or 2 T dried sage
1 T salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3-4 T loosely packed finely grated lemon peel
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp mace
3-4 large eggs

Grind the venison and bacon in a grinder or food processor. You want the meat to stay cold, so it works best if they are still a bit frozen when you grind them. It should be thawed enough to cut through with a good knife, but frozen in the middle. If the meat does get warm, chill it again after grinding it (either outside or in the fridge).

In a big bucket, bowl, or some kind of vessel, put in all recipe ingredients and mix together. I find it works best to put on some latex gloves and really mix everything together well - your fingers will get really cold, but it is fastest. At this point it is a good time to make a little test patty - just a mini little one that you can fry up to see if you prefer more salt or some such. This is not necessary if you follow the recipe exactly, but usually I add in more sage or lemon or something, and then I get to wondering about the taste. *Note: it will not be very spicy. YET. Freezing the sausage will set the cayenne in, so it gets spicy after freezing. 

Once you are happy with the taste, package up your sausage and freeze it for later. I don't bother with casing because I am a fan of patties, but I am confident these are great either way. Eat it for breakfast, with sauerkraut, squash, or all alone. It is delicious!

Jambalaya (paleo)

I just read/skimmed Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution" - and at the end of the book there are recipes and ideas about what to eat for a "Paleo 30" (30 days of paleo eating to notice how your health/energy/etc change and decide if you want to continue or not). And while perusing the recipes I saw one for jambalaya, which sounded new and exciting.

Usually people use andouille sausage for jambalaya - along with shrimp. I had some homemade linguica defrosting, which is much milder, and maybe a little more wine-y.  They also had only farm raised shrimp at the store, so I opted to go with bay scallops instead (the small, cheaper kind).  The resulting dish was definitely jambalaya like - though honestly I have little to compare this to since I have never eaten traditional jambalaya. The only other time I've had it was when I made enormous quantities for a fundraiser my friend and I put together in college. Anyway - the paleo version does not have the rice of course, and instead uses cauliflower. The consistency is different that way - the cauliflower just doesn't soak up the liquid like rice does - but the whole thing comes together nicely as a soup.

Mine looked a little thicker than this - with scallops, not shrimp!

1 T + 1 t olive oil, divided
1/2 pound spicy sausage (andouille)
1 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 t. cajun seasoning* + 1/8 t., divided
1 bay leaf
2 small cans tomato sauce**
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. finely chopped cauliflower
dash of cayenne
1/2 pound shrimp

Cajun "holy trinity"

In a large skillet heat the olive oil, sausage, onion, peppers and celery. (I read somewhere that the combo of onion, green pepper and celery is the "holy trinity" in Cajun cooking.) Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the seasoning and bay leaf. Cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, water, and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

In another skillet, saute the shrimp (or scallops) in the 1/8 t. olive oil with the 1/8 t. cajun spice and a dash of cayenne. Saute for 2 minutes and then stir into the jambalaya. 

*Make your own Cajun spice by using 2 parts each of salt and paprika to 1 part each of cayenne and black pepper (and if you like, onion and garlic flakes). This was especially tasty to brown the scallops in.
**I have no idea how much this is. I had tomatoes and tomato paste to use up, so I used that instead. ?

Eggplant Lasagna

This recipe is gluten and dairy free, so it is not the eggplant lasagna that you might first conjure in your mind. I actually think this recipe might be more like moussakka than lasagna. Which only means that by whatever name, it is delicious! I actually have felt questionable about eggplant in the past...the strange texture and flavor. In this dish though, the roasted eggplant tastes smoky and creamy and really good with the meaty sauce and spinach.

The original recipe has lots of step by step photos, whereas I seem to have snapped just a few. I ended up using some spicy sausage in place of the burger, which was super delicious, I used a bit less tomato, and I sliced my eggplant really thin. Next time I will use the thicker slice option on my mandoline, just to give the slices a little more heft.

Pork Bolognese

Um, here comes recipe #2 from Martha. I dunno. There the magazine was, there I was with all the ingredients in it, and suddenly meaty pasta was sounding SO good. And I have to admit, I have never used a recipe when making tomato-based pasta dishes before. I usually just throw things in with tomatoes and call it good.

But this. This is another story. I mean, there is wine, chicken broth, milk, bacon, AND meat. I had just made my own broth after cooking a chicken in the crockpot, and I happened to have left over wine, and meat and bacon in the freezer. I've also been working a lot lately and packing both lunch and dinner, which necessitates creative food composition and larger quantities. This is comfort food for meat eaters, it made the kitchen smell amazing, and the leftovers were delicious.


Serves 8
3 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 pounds ground pork (or other meat)
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs fresh thyme
coarse salt and fresh pepper
cooked penne, for serving
grated parmesan, for serving

1. In large dutch oven or heavy pot, cook bacon over medium until fat is released (5 min). Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook until soft (6 min). Raise heat to medium-high; add pork and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned (7 min). Add tomato paste; cook until pork is coated (4 min).
2. Add wine; cook until reduced by 3/4. Add 1 c. milk; cook until reduced by 1/2. Add tomato sauce, broth, bay leaf, thyme, 2 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Stir in 1/4 c. milk. Serve sauce over pasta, topped with cheese.

*My changes: I used some homemade sausage (part venison, part bacon), had kind of bad wine that I am not sure if it was dry or not, and did not have fresh thyme. It was still good. So was the quinoa pasta I used, btw.

Homemade Sausage

*To the veggies/vegan leaning folks on WFDM - I hope you aren't sicked out by some meat processing photos.
I learned a bunch of new things about sausage: you can use the meat without casing and eat it like a breakfast patty, in sauce or on pizza, OR you can put the filling in the casing, giving you brats or italian sausage or whatever. The casings for these came from Kramarczuk's in Northeast. If you want to make sausage but not worry about meat grinders or casings, you can make these sausages with a food processor. Make extra and freeze patties until you want to eat them.

The first recipe is from Savoring the Seasons (Lucia's cookbook), and is called "Uncle Byron's Game Sausage." It is sweeter, with fresh parsley and onions, and not as spicy as the second one, which we'll just call "Sage Sausage" due to the predominant sage flavor (along with a random selection of spices from the spice drawer). I used a venison/bacon combo in these because My Charming Companion has an abundant supply of venison, but certainly pork is more traditional.

Uncle Byron's Game Sausage *makes 4 pounds
3 lbs venison/game meat
1 lb bacon
2 c. peeled, finely chopped onions
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, finely chopped
1 c. finely chopped parsley
2 T. finely chopped garlic
2 T. seeded, finely chopped fresh hot chili peppers
2 t. crushed, dried hot pepper
2 t. dried thyme
1/4 c. fennel seed
1/2 t. allspice
1 T. salt
Coarsely grind meat, bacon, and onion in a food processor or meat grinder. Turn into a bowl and mix together remaining ingredients, using your hands if needed, until the seasonings/flavors are evenly distributed. To cook: shape into patties and saute or grill until middle is not pink or crumble a large portion into a skillet and cook.

Sage Sausage
6 lbs venison
2 lbs bacon
3 T. sage
2 T. salt
2 t. pepper
1/4 c. fennel seed
3 heads garlic, finely chopped
2 T. paprika
1 t. cayenne
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. coriander
Prepare same as above!