Sausage!How to Make and Serve Delicious Homemade Chorizo, Bratwurst, Sobrasada, and More

 

SALSICCIA FRESCA WITH PASTA AND  MARINARA SAUCE

SOUTHERN CORN DOG

CORN DOG BATTER

COCKTAIL KETCHUP WITH VANILLA

PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

 

 

 

SALSICCIA FRESCA WITH PASTA AND  MARINARA SAUCE

 

“If you’re not Italian, fake it!” We’re recreating authentic Italian passion for food in this spicy and flavorful dish that pairs salsiccia sausage with pasta and tomato sauce.

 

For this dish, you’ll have to cut the sausage open to use its contents. (To make it easy on yourself, you can create the dish directly from the sausage mixture. But why do things have to be easy? Maybe because you’re in a rush to go to Italy . . .?) This type of salsiccia is fresh and seasoned with fennel and salvia. The salted pork adds flavor and saltiness, but it can be switched out according to taste. Grated cheese helps the flavors mature even more.

 

(Approx. 10–12 sausages)

2 lbs (1 kg) pork tenderloin, diced

¾ lb (300 g) salted pork, diced

2/3 cup (150 ml) grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

2 tbsp crushed fennel seeds

1 tsp dried sage

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp non-iodized salt

2 tsp coarse black pepper

2/3 cup (150 ml) red wine, ice-cold

 

Grind the meat on the coarsest setting.

 

Add cheese, spices, and red wine to the meat and mix for about 5 minutes.

 

Refrigerate in the bowl for 3–4 hours.

 

Fry a piece of the meat and sample. Adjust seasoning to taste.

 

Stuff the meat in pork casings and make sausages that are approximately 8–10 inches (15–20 cm) in length.

 

Hang dry for 1–2 hours before refrigerating.

 

Let the sausages sit for 24 hours before serving so the flavors have ample time to develop.

 

Fry or grill before serving.

 

SERVING

 

Split the sausages and fry in a pan while the pasta is boiling. Into the pan with the sausage, add some white wine, a quality tomato sauce, some fresh sage leaves, butter, and other delicious things. When the pasta’s ready, stir it all together and add the grated cheese. Enjoy with any bottle of Italian red wine!

 

MARINARA SAUCE

 

2 salsiccia sausages

½ onion, finely chopped

½–1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced

½ cup (100 ml) white wine

¾–1 ¼ cups (200–300 ml) quality tomato sauce

2 tbsp butter

10 basil leaves

salt and pepper

freshly grated parmesan

4 servings of pasta, preferably penne

 

Split the sausages and squeeze out the contents in a hot pan. Brown the meat. Add the onion and chili pepper and fry for a few more minutes.

 

Add the white wine and tomato sauce. Let it simmer and add the butter and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

When the pasta’s ready, drain the water and add the sauce. Top with a little bit of parmesan.

 

Let the sauce mix with the pasta, then serve topped with more parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. (Save some of the water from the cooked pasta to dilute the sauce if it’s too dry. There’s a lot of flavor in that water).

 

SOUTHERN CORN DOG

 

Fried Cajun andouille sausage with green pickled tomatoes and cocktail ketchup

 

This is a sausage from the American South and it is supposed to be smoked for about 7–8 hours in 150–175°F (70–75°C) smoke. We, however, will be using liquid smoke instead. Dry the sausage in the oven according to the recipe. If you don’t want your sausages to wrinkle, it’s essential that you cool them immediately after smoking.

 

(Approx. 14–16 sausages)

2 lbs (1 kg) pork tenderloin, diced

½ lb (250 g) lard

6 garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 ½ tbsp chili flakes

2 tbsp paprika

2 tsp non-iodized salt

1 tbsp coarse black pepper

1 tbsp liquid smoke

2/3 cup (150 ml) ice water

 

Grind the meat, lard, and garlic on the coarsest setting.

 

Mix the forcemeat with the spices and ice water for about 10 minutes.

 

Fry a piece of the meat and sample.

 

Stuff in pork casing and make sausages that are about 4 inches (10 cm) long.

 

Pierce the sausages on sticks and dry in the oven at 175°F (75°C) for about 7–8 hours.

 

Remove the sausages from the oven and place them immediately in cold water. Let them soak until they reach a temperature of about 60°F (15°C).

 

Remove the sausages from the water and let them dry before refrigerating.

 

Fry, grill, or make corn dogs!

 

SERVING

 

After seeing “corn dogs” in movies and hearing about them, Johan decided that it was time to try them himself. Usually you can make corn dogs from regular hot dogs, but it’s certainly more fun to make a thicker and more flavorful sausage from scratch.

 

Make sure that the frying batter is not too thick and that it covers the whole sausage.

 

Fry a couple of sausages at a time so they don’t stick to one another. Serve with a classic condiment (like pickled green tomatoes) or with a more modern interpretation (cocktail ketchup with vanilla!).

 

CORN DOG BATTER

1 cup (250 ml) flour

¾ cup (200 ml) cornmeal

2 tbsp polenta

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup (250 ml) milk

¼ cup (50 ml) water

1 egg

deep-frying oil

 

Mix the dry ingredients and the milk, water, and egg in two separate bowls. Heat the oil to 320–340°F (160–170°C).

 

Add the milk mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and let it sit for 10 minutes.

 

Fill a tall glass with the mixture (don’t use all of it in one go!). Pierce each sausage with a stick, roll them in flour, shake off any excess, and dip pork each sausage in the glass. The batter should cover the entire sausage. Add more mixture to the glass as you go.

 

Once the sausage is coated in batter, place the sausage in the hot oil.

 

Fry the corn dogs for 5–6 minutes until they are golden brown. Make sure they are evenly fried.

 

Remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels before serving.

 

COCKTAIL KETCHUP WITH VANILLA

 

1 lb (500 g) cherry tomatoes

¾ cup (200 ml) sugar

2/3 cup (150 ml) white wine vinegar

1 tsp Korean chili flakes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 vanilla bean, split

½ tsp ground ginger

Salt

 

Place all ingredients in a saucepan.

 

Boil with the lid on and let simmer for

 

2 hours. Stir occasionally until the ketchup reaches the desired consistency. Flavor with salt when the ketchup is ready.

 

PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

 

3 1/3 lbs (1 ½ kg) tomatoes, preferably

small, firm, and green

8 ½ cups (2 liters) water

1 tbsp salt

1 ¾ cup (400 ml) white vinegar

2 ½ cups (600 ml) water

2 cups + 2 tbsp (500 ml) sugar

3 slices of ginger

5 cloves

10 white peppercorns

 

Rinse the tomatoes, remove any remnants of the stem, and make small holes in the tomato skin with a toothpick or knife tip.

 

Heat the water along with 1 tablespoon of salt in a pot. Add the tomatoes and let them simmer for a maximum of 2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and rinse in a colander.

 

Sterilize the cans in which you will be storing the pickled tomatoes by heating them in the oven for 10 minutes at 250°F (120°C), or boil them for the same amount of time.

 

In the meantime, cook the vinegar, water, sugar, ginger, cloves, and white peppercorns until the sugar dissolves. Simmer the tomatoes in the ”preserving juice” for 10 minutes.

 

Remove the tomatoes and place in jars. Bring the ”preserving juice” to a boil and pour into the jars, covering the tomatoes completely.

 

Immediately put the lids on the jars and cool. Store in a dark and cool place until serving.